Hey everybody. I’m finally getting settled in here at Greenville. I had a nice trip as a free woman on the greyhound bus. I got to do lots of cool things like use a cell phone, spend money, and see my dog Skylar. This place is so different than Carswell. The first thought I had when I walked in the door was “I’m at Vacation Bible School.” The walls are decorated there are bulletin boards everywhere that get changed out regularly. There is one wall covered with hand prints of the women that have graduated. The lockers are painted with bright colors – suns and moons and stars. There is a horticulture department and we have beautiful live plants all over the place. I have one right by my bed. It doesn’t seem like a prison at all. It’s more like a treatment facility. My dorm has 144 people. We are split up into 4 “Alleys.” Each alley holds 36 girls and is split up into 16 rooms with 2-3 girls each. The 36 of us share a bathroom. This morning I felt like I was living in a college dorm. All the people in the bathroom at the same time getting ready for work. It kinda made me smile since I never lived in a college dorm. I have to say this is a lot like college. Everyone is always doing homework or going to classes. I can’t wait to start. Some people talk about how they struggle with all the papers they have to write, but I am good at writing. Especially about what I’m feeling or going through. So I don’t think I will have any problems there.
They set very high standards for us. Its not just a set of rules we have to follow. It’s about having integrity and being honest too. There are some pretty petty rules, like not being allowed to share anything. Not a piece of candy or a spoon of coffee. Not even a piece of floss. But it is the little things like that that make you honest with yourself. Everybody holds each other accountable. I am excited because I want to live my life with high standards and what a better place to start than with women who are working toward the same goal as me. I don’t think I will get in to the next class like I hoped, but I am glad I am here. I like being surrounded by people who want to be better, not people who are forced to do it.
randi i wish you the best may god bless and keep you