A lot of stuff goes on around me and I am definitely not the guy to just sit there and let it happen. I let myself get involved and after whatever goes down my favorite part is sharing those stories. High school had its fair share of stories, but college is another beast by itself.
I am currently in my second quarter of college at UCSD and the best way to put it...it has been one hell of a ride. My high school experience was very different than the typical high school life and my perception of things has been tainted by that. The last quarter here, I have been playing catch up trying to understand how things are outside of the town I lived my whole life. A lot of my experiences and feelings revolve around how I adapt to this new world.
I came from New Jersey to California for college and just like many people who make similar journeys in their lives, there was always doubt about not fitting in and not having friends. However, in the process of securing these things I had a lot of my "first times."
Writing about such minor incidents a quarter after all these things happened, it leaves a lot of room to forget things, but it gives time to understand how important those little things were.
The first people I met were the ones I would have to live the rest of the school year with; my roommates. I tried giving my best impression and I don't know how I came off, but I am pretty sure that my roommates and I are well past that. First impressions are scary things. They are always the hardest to come up with and it could end up deciding how that person is going to see you.
The first people I met outside of my roommates were three girls at a university-hosted concert. I guess I can also say that they were the first girls I met on campus so yay for me. All those doubts I had while flying into San Diego slowly took a backseat and it was comforting that I was headed in the right direction. For my first night on campus, I definitely think it went pretty well.
Those three girls were a great opening to my college life, but it was another trio of girls that really influenced me. While not knowing it that day I met them, writing this today I feel like I can say that these girls were the first genuine and long-term friends I made outside of my roommates. When coming to UCSD, one thing everyone said was that college is where you meet some amazing people and through these encounters, I got to experience that firsthand.
Meeting all these people was great, but amidst everything, it helped me realize something. After all those years confined in a small town in Jersey, it was the first time I finally felt like I belonged somewhere...
