Day one of the contest and it feels like it’s been 3 days. Getting up early was hard only because I could barely sleep last night anyway. I guess I was just really anxious about starting. The other students are cool – they have us stereo-typed pretty well. And its humorous too because I usually don’t like labels, but I know we’re all sizing each other up. But I feel extremely fortunate to be involved in this and to be able to observe these peers and to be in this environment. I honestly haven’t seen many alliances or rivalries form yet – I think some people knew each other before the contest, so maybe they’ll watch each other’s backs – but maybe it’ll be the opposite. As far as my ‘strategy’ – I think I want to lay low a bit – I mean I’m being my usual outgoing self, but I’d sort of like to see what materializes before I attempt to weave my way into any sort of close bond. I think I get along with everyone so far. Some people seem to thrive on promoting how they don’t care what others think – but that cannot be true. Nor can it suffice as a sane game plan. This isn’t like years past of last student standing, where it was about will power. This is a total mental and social wave of acting and reacting. Extremely unscripted – I’m a little surprised at the lack of organization – but it does allow freedom for us (the students) to interact on a raw level. The sponsors have been great though and we are all having a lot of fun. We’re pretty much animals in a zoo and watching the people in the mall react to us is probably more entertaining for us than it is for them to see us.. Right now I think I should just focus on reading everyone – seeing what they’re about. And I’m going to make sure I win the challenge Wed. so I can be immune from elimination.