I still clearly remember this time last year when I had pretty much convinced myself that I was going to the University of Houston in my hometown. The idea of straying away from my home and everything I knew absolutely terrified me to the core.
It's kind of funny how things play out. A year later, I'm spending my summer back at home missing my amazing university a whole city away.
I definitely owe this nervousness to being an only child, especially to a single mother.
While I absolutely love my life and family, I got used to the routine of my life; in fact, I reveled in it. A year ago, the thought of disrupting this comfortable cycle of mine didn't seem like an option.
Eventually, I gained the courage to broaden my horizons, and I applied to a school in almost every major city in Texas. This leap of faith would take me to my home away from home at St. Edward's University.
While I was excited in the beginning for my new life, I knew there would be a lot for me to adjust to, as any freshman goes through, but especially for me as an only child.
It took a while to adjust to all of the people—all of the noise. The familiar quiet that I cherished in a sibling-less home was no longer an option. I had to find new ways to have the alone time I so desperately needed. I remember thinking to myself: is this what it's like to have brothers and sisters?
Having a roommate was also quite the adjustment. I lived in a space that was no longer completely mine, had to be mindful of my noise level and had to wait to take a shower at certain times—experiences I never had to endure before.
Of course, the inevitable occurred, I just really missed my mom. Growing up an only child with a single mother, my mom became my best friend. I could no longer walk down the hall to ask for advice. Interactions became constant dropped calls in my dorm room with poor reception.
However, through all of the struggle in the beginning, I started to learn so much more about myself than ever before.
I learned how to be increasingly more patient, as you must be when your dorm room is directly across from the always populated common area. I learned how to coexist with my roommate, my suitemates and my floormates.
Going into my freshman year as an only child gave me the big family I always secretly wanted. Having meals with and being a few doors down from my friends helped me become less introverted.
Moving away from my home—my safety blanket—allowed me to see a little bit more of the world around me. I realized that there was so much more for me than my comfort zone in Houston. This independence that I so greatly feared ended up being the greatest lesson I learned my freshman year.
My freshman year now serves as a staple experience for myself to get out of the comfort zone my only-child-life kept me in at times. I have now learned to embrace the opportunities that scare me because, who knows, it could end up being one of the best experiences of my life.
