'Come on! I'm late for my first class, have you seen my shirt..?', Jack said, while downing his last sip of coffee. His head was pounding, and vaguely he remembered the evening before. After only being in Enschede for over a week now, he had seen more parties, drank more alcohol and met more new friends than in his years before. 'Is this the shirt you were looking for?' a sweet, sexy voice came from behind him. Turning his head, Jack saw a gorgeous girl, only covered by his shirt, with a naughty look on her face. Looking at his watch, Jack returned the smile and walked up to her.
Thirty minutes later, Jack was running, tucking in his shirt while entering the college hall, only to discover that the lecture was in full progress. 'Please, take a seat. I'll make an exception for now, because you are a freshmen, however, be on time for the next lecture or stay at home', the teacher said. With his cheeks turning red, Jack took his seat, tried to make some notes and wondered how he would uphold this ridiculous pace of life, called studying. This week, he had two more classes, seminars, tippling evenings with his new society. Plus they even asked him to write columns for the local magazine of his student union. Where would he get the time? And after that, how would he be able to maintain the relationship with his new girlfriend?
After class, Jack picked up his bike and drove back to his dorm room. While the fresh air blowing through his hair he suddenly remembered the old comfortable life and the harsh reality of being a university student.
A lot had changed since high school. Now, the teachers do not care if you attended class or sleep in. They do not care if you make your homework. A number, a lone student amidst the ten thousand other ones. It's part of the learning experience at any university, they told him. Figure things out on your own, with little or no help from anyone. It should make you more mature, less dependent. The only thing that had not changed, was his mother, constantly asking him how he was doing and if he changed his underwear every day. She was still the caring mother as always, but Jack did not listen. It was all the responsibility of Jack now, as a student. He had to learn this over time. At first, it was difficult, missing classes because of the late night drinking during week days. Or other activities that did not had anything to do with college, such as the initiation process of his student fraternity. But after a while, Jack started to get the hang of it, figuring out the balance.
The next months, his life was a roller coaster. New faces, new parties, unearthly sleeping times and some good lectures where he actually learned something. After putting in a lot of hard work, Jack received his first grade and remembered the words of his mentor during the introduction. Smiling, Jack looked forward to the next four years.
Laboris gloria Ludi
Work hard, play hard.
