My freshman and sophomore years of college were rough. A lot of the friends that I made at the beginning of freshman year had already dropped out. Some of them transferred or decided that college wasn't for them. My second semester of sophomore year was probably the worst. I had cut my ties with the friends I had and was on bad terms with the people I was close with back home. I felt lost and lonely. My days consisted of going to class, then to work, and then straight to my room to sleep. The only thing keeping me going was the promise of a fresh start once my junior year started.
I must have done something right, maybe I spoke it into existence or got really lucky, whatever the case may be, I got my prayer answered. At the very beginning of Junior year, I was determined to not let this year slip past me. I was sure that this was the year I would make my mark. I didn't know or when but I felt that things would start looking good for me and they did.
One brisk September night I decided that I would join a friend is going to a new club. At this club meeting, I got to meet so many new people. This was a community service club and I saw in everyone's way of speaking that they were all passionate about humanitarian issues, typical for members of a community service club. The club leaders were also advertising a trip upstate to help fix up a camp for kids with disabilities. I decided to go for it, it was something I had never experienced before.
I went on the trip with a group of people that I didn't really know, upstate NY for three days at a camp with no wifi and no cellular signal. Looking back this was a very impulsive decision to make and I'm insane for going through with it. I get to the campsite and unpack my bags, The cabin I'm staying at is cold but luckily I came prepared. I decided to walk around the campsite before calling it a night. The stars were infinitive, it was as if I was looking at a completely different sky, of course, the only difference was that this one wasn't covered in so many toxic fumes from industrial New York City. As I was staring upward I bump into this girl with huge blonde hair.
Her name isn't important but the impact that she would have on my life in the following months was sure to leave an impression. Right off the bat, she was so comfortable and expressive around me. She wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind and I really appreciated that. We spent the entire weekend together, it was as if we had been best friends for years. Months passed and we were still going strong. She helped center me. It was strange because it felt as if I was getting to know myself better the more I got closer to her. We did so much together, from spontaneous trips to NYC to midnight bike rides to a local golf course where we would have our photoshoots.
I never told her this but she helped me with my battle with my inner demons. She helped me fight off whatever negative spirit I had lingering over me. Everything got better, work was better, school was better, life overall was better. Now she's studying abroad and I barely get to talk with her, it feels like I haven't seen her in years. When I see her again, it'll be that much more special, like a piece of me has come back.
