I am writing this article on the 15th of August, by the time it is released it will be sometimes during the week of the 22nd and I will most likely just be moving into college dorm. While i have been to college before (I attended community college for about 2 years) and have been away from home before (camps, sleepovers, etc.), this will be different. I will be going to a larger campus and will also be living away from home longer than I have ever before. I have been waiting to be able to go away to college for years. To meet new people, live in a dorm, learn more about subjects I was interested in, and more. Thought community college had many perks, I can not lie and say that I was not hoping for the day I would be able to leave my hometown, move somewhere else, and be able to have the "average" college experience.

Until now...

Do not get me wrong, I am very happy to be heading to Bloomsburg University, I believe that I will be making tons of new friends and having amazing experiences that I may have never dreamed of having if I do not attend a University. However, I will admit for the first time in my life, I do think a part of me really will be sad the day I pack up and leave. Of course, this move will not be for good and I will be heading home every few months for breaks and visits. Just the idea though and realization that I will not be spending most of my year in my own room or with my siblings or parents, and that my other friends will be separated from me as well is a somewhat scary, but exciting thought.

I believe that everyone is nervous when they first get to school. I know that many people going to college may act extremely nervous, but the second they get to school they love it. I also know there are many people that act like they won't miss anything or anyone and will be homesick as soon as their parents drop them off. I do not know exactly how I will feel that day. I am guessing it will probably be that mixture of nervousness and excitement. What I do know is that there will be things I miss and things I do not miss when I leave for Bloomsburg. I also know that even though I will be leaving for longer than usual, it is a nice thought to know I do have a home, family, and old friends to come home to when I do come back to my hometown during breaks. I know that not all are as lucky as I am.

The excitement feeling I know will probably grow with the coming days. I am looking forward to meeting my roommates in person instead of just talking via text message or emails or social media. I am looking forward to my classes and all new the things I will be given the chance to educate myself about and learn from others that I may not have been able to if not choosing to go away to school. I am also looking forward to being able to join new clubs or new work opportunities and all the doors that going to Bloomsburg will be opening for me once I get to school. Most of all though, I think what I am looking forward to the most is the fact that this will be a real test of my independence and maturity as this will be the first time I will have to rely on myself to be able to do some many things instead of other people.

This will be the first time I am truly independent and have to face the facts that I am an adult and even though I will try to of course have fun in school, I will also have to be responsible and make good choices and decisions. While I have had to be more and more mature with age as most people do, for the first time it will be my responsibility to make sure I keep making those mature decisions and that I will not be having anyone else there to make sure that I do my homework or take medicine at a certain time. I realize I will be solely responsible for making sure I am being the most responsible version of myself I can be. This could maybe go into the nervous pile as well, but in all honesty, I feel that I am truly ready and looking forward to having that responsibility and will try my best to remember and do everything I need to do, whether someone is reminding me or not.

I am grateful for what I have been able to do with my 20 years in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. I am happy that I have been able to make so many amazing friends and that I have been able to have the opportunities I did here. Whether it be my job as an author assistant or my internship with a local paper, all the things I have done in my life have lead me to the moment that I will leave the driveway of my house and begin my adventure in a new town with new people and new experiences. That however does not mean I have forgotten what got me to where I am today. I am just ready to expand on that journey even more.

I do not know what the future exactly holds for me. No one will ever know for sure what their lives will be in the future. We can guess or speculate or use science, religion, even silly things like Magic 8 Balls and fortune tellers to help us to be able to predict what will happen to us next, but there is no definite way to really know what is in store for us. The only things we can do is continue to try, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and strive to become better versions of ourselves, while still taking moments to remember who and what helped us to get to where we are. Bloomsburg is the next step in my journey through life and while I am forever grateful for all the people and things that have helped me make it to this point, I do have to say I am looking forward to seeing what is next in my life and being able to grow and mature and become an even better version of myself. So I want to say thank you for all the moments and people whom have gotten me to where I am, but also express my joy for the new adventures and moments I will be having at Bloomsburg and beyond.