As I sit here in the MSY airport waiting to depart New Orleans–and trying not to fall asleep because I've gotten less than six hours of sleep in the past seven days–to go back "home," I'm going to try to express my year and my feelings toward the people I've met in my freshman year of college, and why it has meant the absolute world to me.
Moving to college is hard. The boxes, heat, exhaustion, random decorations you think you'll use but never do, and the people who pass you on your floor–the ones who sort of stare at you, but try not to because they want to seem cool and collected and not at all freaking out about how they know absolutely no one on their floor, or in any of their classes. You get to your empty room and open the door and maybe some of your roommate's boxes are there and maybe they're not, but you know you're about to be living with someone for a year, an entire year. So you sit on your blue mattress, look out the window at your new life and start to unpack.
Now, fast forward to the first day of classes. It's real now, you're a real college student about to start learning real-life things and beginning to plan the rest of your life. You walk past professors, seniors, juniors, sophomores, other freshman, athletes, dancers, musicians, potential lawyers, doctors, theatre majors, everyone. You get lost (or at least I did) and profusely apologize to the professor, but honestly they don't really mind, it's just your first day. You go through numerous classes, syllabi, see more people you don't know, and finally end up back in the comfort of your room with your roommate, who will probably end up becoming your best friend, or your enemy, or just someone you lived with (I hope for your own sake it's the first option). You talk about your day, people you met, professors you liked/disliked, and then what your plans are for the night. You'll probably decide, because it's syllabus week, that it's appropriate to go out on a Monday night. You get all dressed up and head out on your way.
Fast forward to midterms. Endless hours in the library, study sessions, tears, coffee, snacks, basically anything to keep you awake. But, of course, you make it through and now you get to go home. Except now, your home isn't your home–not really. Of course you'll always love coming back to your own room, your dogs, siblings and clean showers, but college is your home now. College is where you laugh and cry and dance and stay up endless hours of the night with your best friends, and where you create a life for yourself.
Fast forward to second semester and you're finally (sort of) feeling like you know what's going on. You can find all your classes, know how to speak to professors, and are even considering joining some more clubs or organizations. You're used to the everyday life of a college student and can't wait to see what every day brings. The weekends are used for brunches, dinners, wine nights and homework. You can't really see yourself being anywhere else.
Fast forward to finals. This is it, the last crunch session, the last few hours in the library, the last few hours with the people who have turned your whole world upside down in the most amazing way possible.
You finish finals, after no sleep and barely any contact with the outside world, and have to pack up your entire room and move out–move out from the place you've called home for the past eight months. How do you leave these people, these friends for life who have done so much for you and who you can't possibly live without for an entire summer?
You reminisce about all the amazing times you had together, all the bad times, all the weird times, all the hard times, all the times you needed them and they were there for you. I cannot express how incredible my friends are, how they would drop anything for me and how I would do the same for them. How I would stay up with them until 4am just to talk, how they would come to my room at midnight and just cry with me, how I would be in class and they would be having a problem and just like that I would leave and, most importantly, how no matter what, no matter where, we could make each other feel better with a happy memory or a funny gif.
It may seem impossible right now to leave these people, your new family, but don't forget you'll see them soon. You'll scream and hug and freak out in four months when you see them again.
To every single person I met this year: thank you. Thank you for making my first year at college one of the best of my life. Thank you for being there for me, for holding me, for making me smile, for making me happy. Most importantly, thank you for being you. See you in four months.
Sincerely,
A former freshman
