When we last left you, Kyle was struggling to see the bright side of college and worrying that the work would be too hard and he would be flunking out in a few short weeks. At the end of the last episode, there was a glimmer of hope that he might make it - he had made friends on the tennis team but was still apprehensive over classes.
Well, it's been two months now and I think it's safe to say that Kyle has adjusted to college life. Remember how he was going to be coming home every couple of weekends? He's been home once. And that was only because they had a four day weekend and all his friends were coming home from their colleges (it was his birthday weekend to boot and we barely saw him).
The biggest contributor to the turn-around was the tennis team. As mentioned before, the whole team has welcomed him aboard, helped him meet even more people, and provided an instant "fraternity" he belongs to. He really can't say enough nice things about them. They get together for team meals, they've formed an indoor soccer team, and generally have a good time with each other. What's even cooler is the fact that Kyle, despite being a freshman, earned a spot on the starting roster for a couple of "off-season" (Fall) tournaments. The first one was a hoity-toity grass court affair down in Newport, Rhode Island. To give you an idea, the team had to wear all-white to be able to play on the grounds. Kyle plays doubles and they won one match and lost another. He also played in the Wheaton Invitational and I went down and watched the matches (and took some pictures).
Here's a pic of the kid between games. Note his flashy Wheaton duds and bottle. Not shown are the warm-ups and the always available trainer ready with extra water, Gatorade, and medical assistance. I wonder how they manage to pay for all this stuff. Oh wait, I think I know where the money comes from...
Here's Kyle and his doubles partner Ni.
So the tennis thing has helped out a lot. Through teammates, his roommate - who is a Sophomore and therefore able to introduce him to a bunch of people that he knew, and the fact that he always was good at meeting and getting to know people, he has met and made friends with a ton of people. Deb went to visit him one day and commented to me that, as they were walking across campus, virtually everyone they passed knew him and said hello. Deb was amazed. He says that he and various friends have had great times going into Providence for dinner or shows, going to movies, or dances, or just hanging out. He says one of his favorite things to do is his weekly meeting in the TV lounge with his buddies where they order a bucket of wings and some pizza and watch Monday Night Football.
Did I mention that he is one of the only three or four males on his floor? Yes, the rest are girls... Did I mention that there is only one bathroom on said floor? Yes, it is a coed bathroom... He says it's fine but when we were there for Parents weekend, I just couldn't bring myself to use the bathroom in his dorm.
Academically, he says that classes are hard but he's realized that he can do the work and is actually doing well. I think he's lost count of how many papers he's written which was the thing that was really worrying him. He says that there is a lot of work but there is also a lot of time to do the work as well. He likes having just a couple of classes a day and having time between them so that he doesn't have to kill himself to get his work done and still have time for fun.
So, as I said. What started as a plan to come home often has turned into "home, what home?" That's the way it should be of course and we are very thankful that things have worked out the way they have.
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