<p>I am a Californian too, ninth generation born and raised here just for the record. I went high school in San Diego as well (St. Augustine). Let me say that the first year adjustment to Notre Dame was tough, just because it was all new and everything, but I would not trade it for anything know in my sophomore year. </p>
<p>You have worries about the weather. Yeah it sucks some times, but I just came from LaFortune and I was wearing a tshirt and shorts, no jacket. It's weird like that. And, being a SoCal guy, snow can be pretty awesome to screw around with, like keeping a snowball in your freezer waiting to unleash that thing during finals week in May.</p>
<p>Socially, yeah some guys watch some TV, not me personally, but my roomates and I have a 120 inch projector, with the Xbox, N64 and PS2, we just got Guitar Hero 3 today. I don't play any of the video games and really our room is the definition of glorious excess and I feel bad sometimes about having so much crap (we've had a Christmas tree all semester, and 3 VCRs that we don't use) but sometimes you just want to relax with the guys and play Smash Brothers. As for guys with guys socializing, I mean that's just fraternizing, if you're not into brotherly love then I don't know what to say. I'm chilling in the basement of Cavanaugh right now with my girlfriend, opposite sexes interact. If you go into any frat house you would expect to see a lot of male-bonding well that's what goes on here, just on a larger scale because men's halls are big. But don't think that there isn't interaction, I mean we have hormones c'mon. I know we're all Catholic and such, but sexile happens, I saw it this week in fact. </p>
<p>You're commitment to social justice, especially in Latin America is right up Notre Dame's ally. The largest minority population on campus is Hispanic, it's not exactly like home-there are no taco shops-but if you want to practice Spanish you won't have a hard time finding a native speaker to strike up a conversation with. Further, Latin America supplies ND with the bulk of its foreign students, because it has such good rep in Latin America. Over the summer, I had a juco professor who was from Chile and when I told her that I went to Notre Dame she was all excited and told me how much she liked the Fighting Irish and such. Last week I was at a formal dinner, I was sitting at a table with an assistant provost and on of the young ladies at our table told us about how she spent her summer in Buenos Aires. She had been to Argentina in high school and as a freshman got a grant from ND to spend this last summer doing research in Buenos Aires. I don't know how many other colleges give grants to freshmen for research abroad. I know another sophomore who spent her summer in Honduras at an orphanage teaching through the Center for Social Concerns. There is a girl in my Catholic Social Teaching class who spent fall break in Ecuador, paid for by ND. A group of ND students and professors goes to School of the Americas protest in Georgia every year. You can major in Latino Studies, or minor in Latin American Studies. The Peace Studies program here is money. Political Science is one of the best departments (after philosophy and theology and maybe anthropology). Academically ND is probably a great fit for your interests, especially if you are interested in Latin America.
That was a bit scatter-brained but I hope it makes sense.</p>
<p>As for the football aspect of it: hey, it can't get any worse, and if nothing else, running in StoneHendge in your boxers once a year after beating Michigan State or UCLA or whoever is worth it. </p>
<p>Don't worry about politics, I have professors who are Catholics and big time Dems. I have a roommate who is an ultrafascist Catholic and he lives next to a hyperliberal diehard democrat, which creates good conversation but nothing violent or intimidating. Based on my own analysis the Observer (school newspaper) tends liberal, but that is countered by the Rover which is unabashedly conservative and Common Sense would be classified liberal just by its anti-imperialist agenda which is really just one of social justice (again something in line with your interests). </p>
<p>Three semesters here now and I've never had a TV in my personal room, which is easier and less distracting I think. I actually didn't even have a fridge until second semester last year because some sophomores gave it to me for free, I still use it now. </p>
<p>And don't get caught with weed, that's auto suspension, not expulsion but a semester off, which may or may not be relaxing. Hookah is chill, there's probably more hookah here than in the 619, but less marijuana of course, which is good because I always hated the pot heads in high school. </p>
<p>During the warm weather, which has lasted extremely long this year, it's just awesome to walk around at night on the weekend and see people out on the quad with blankets just chilling and the sort-of-cutsies-but-not-really ND couples on the benches and you can hear all the music coming from Dillon, Alumni and Morrissey and Reckers is packed and the cabs are rolling at Main Circle and of course NDSP is making the rounds, it's just so vibrant. I went to Stanford to visit a friend last year in May, it was Saturday night, I didn't see any people, I didn't here any noise, he couldn't tell where any parties were, and he resolved to watching Kingdom of Heaven while drinking to "that's what she said" moments, which is fine, I don't drink but I like the movie. But there wasn't the same vibrancy that Notre Dame has. That's not a crack on Stanford, but just the way I saw it one weekend when I was there. What I will crack on Stanford is that its "lake" doesn't have any water in it, Notre Dame's two lakes, do have water and ducks and geese and swan, and Fisher Regatta and this old dude who fishes out by Carroll Drive. </p>
<p>I hope some of this may have helped, based on what I know, I think you would have a love for ND after you're here. I came out of a similar situation (619, Berkeley was my other financially viable option, I had never seen so many white people-although my roommate is from Kenya and my girlfriend is Mexican so it's not like everyone is white) and I didn't buy it at first, and I thought about leaving, but I'm glad that I didn't. Sleep on it, pray on it, jump on it (esoteric reference to BC peprally), and I'm sure that you will make the right decision. If you want to know any more I'll check this thread again.</p>
<p>Peace, Love and Cuddle Puddles
B.Payne</p>