At some point in life, we all reach that awkward stage. I'm not referring to that "awkward stage" that we all suffered through in middle school. This is about more than blue eyeshadow, cringey hand-holding, and smelly gym clothes.
I've just finished my first year of college, where I've truly begun to find myself. That's right, you don't actually find out who you are in high school. College is an experience like no other. Now, that I've returned home for the summer, I'm feeling a little lost and out of place.
Naturally, the best way to portray this weird time in my life is through a series of SpongeBob SquarePants gifs.
1. My face every time I'm told do something
I mean absolutely no disrespect by this, but I've just spent nine months nearly a thousand miles away from home. There were no nagging parents breathing down my neck giving me a list of chores to complete on a daily. It was just my roommate and I who cleaned our room as needed. The air was filled with freedom, but the second I got in my car to return home that fresh scent vanished.
2. All my childhood friends have new friends
I'm slowly being replaced. Most people I went to high school with, including my best friends, stuck around the state to attend university. I was the oddball and got the heck out of dodge. The only downside is that you slowly grow apart. I've made new friends just as they have, we still swap stories but none of the people I've known all my life are in them.
3. This is me waiting for someone to text me back
Although I keep in touch with friends I've made up at school, we are too far away to hang out. On the other hand, texting my friends who live in town doesn't always mean they are readily available to hang out. Yes, they've made new friends, but everyone tends to be busy making an extra dollar for the upcoming school year, which means not everyone is ready to go out for a night on the town.
4. Need I say more?
No longer stuck in the social circles of my high school means no longer caring what those people think or do. This thought is slightly refreshing. Of course, these same people are bound to judge my actions and formulate their own opinions; the only difference is I no longer feel burdened when they don't think what I want them to think.
5. I can start saving money again
Being back home means mom and dad once again supply the food and pay the bills. Granted I usually have to cover my own gas, but every once in a while, the parents are feeling a little generous.
6. I'm now a scholar and expected to act like one
Upon completion of my first official year of college, I've learned a lot of new things. I've got relatives who are lined up to hear every lecture I've attended. HELLOO?! I'm the farthest thing from a scholar, I mean, I've created an entire article based on SpongeBob gifs. My inner child definitely still reigns.
7. Do I still have to ask if I want to hang out with friends?
Asking for a friend. Like, do I have to ask or am I allowed to just come and go as I please? There used to be rules and curfews to follow, but I'm starting to think they are now more of a suggestion.
