Dear Mom and Dad,

This week officially marks one month since the commencement of my college experience. It feels like it was just yesterday that you dropped me off and drove home. Before you ask, yes, everything is going great, and I’m having more fun than I ever imagined. However, I have to be honest with you. Things have not always gone smoothly, and I have not always been enjoying my time here. There were days where I wanted stay in my room all day. Days where I was plagued with homesickness and debated taking a train back just so I could have an authentic black and white cookie. Additionally, there were days where I felt so utterly alone, in a place so foreign to me with no one to relate to or rely on. There were certainly my share of hard days where I was so frustrated with the way things were going that I considered giving up.

But you know what? I didn’t give up. I kept going. I left my dorm room to go to classes, take a campus walk or work out. I’ve ordered Chinese food with my hall-mates several times. I also may or may not have ordered 24 black and white cookies to my PO Box. I took a leap and joined clubs and organizations that interested me and am very happy with my selections. Furthermore, I am extending myself to people like I never have been able to before.

In the midst of all my trials and tribulations, I have began to acclimate without even noticing it. I am able to sleep at night. I am delving deep into the subject matter of my courses. I've made friends whom I say hello to as I walk across campus. I have been able to make a personal connection to my professors as well as other staff members on campus. Most importantly, I have made memories I will remember and cherish forever.

Despite the rainy days, I have learned to always carry an umbrella with me; and if that doesn't work, I create my own sunshine. I have no doubt that I made the right choice in enrolling here, and the people who splash through puddles with me confirm that. In one month, I have made friendships I know will last a lifetime. I have a support group of people who turn my days around, and make me laugh so hard I think I’m finally beginning to see abs.

Granted it has not always been sunshine and roses. I’ve had to make some tough decisions, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Nothing too major like a tattoo or an “outlandish piercing,” but mistakes nonetheless. I’ve read countless articles that say that you learn a lot about who you are your first year of college and I just wanted to tell you they are all true. I’m beginning to learn about who I am, and who I want to be.

Through my whole life, you have been preparing me for this year and the next three following. I am forever grateful for the love and support you have shown me over the past 18 years throughout all of my adventures. Thank you for giving me the courage to go wherever life takes me, even if it’s seven hours away in a different part of the country entirely. As Glinda the Good told Elphaba in Wicked, “You are always with me, like a handprint on my heart.”

All my love,

Your newly minted college freshman

P.S. I will never be "too cool" for a care package (: