As I moved my things in to a small room that I would be sharing with my roommate for the next year, I smiled with a great deal of excitement, as a new and exciting chapter of my life had just begun. Over the course of the next few days, the college kept us busy with orientation tasks that gave us a large amount of information about the school and how things worked day-to-day. I would wake up early in the morning and then crawl into bed late at night, exhausted from what the day had consisted of. On that first night, I took a shower for the first time in public; this was also the first time I had worn shoes while showering. The stress still wasn't present, and I wasn't homesick quite yet. Orientation came to an end a few days later and the weekend rolled around, which I spent most of on Netflix.
The following Monday marked the start of classes, however, it wasn't at all stressful for me as it was syllabus week, and many of my professors let us go early. I ate three meals a day, sometimes with friends, and sometimes without. I watched Netflix after class while laying in bed and relaxing, and I was content with my setting and situation. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I started to feel it. The stress, and the homesickness. I thought I wouldn't feel it as much as I did, but what I quickly realized was that high school did not prepare me at all for college. I wasn't prepared to be away from my family for very long at all, and I wasn't prepared for the quick-paced classes that seemed to take off running, as opposed to the week of icebreakers in high school.
It didn't take me long to get my head in the right place. Friday came and I felt like I had a handle on the situation again, but the two days that I was stressing out seemed to drag on for ages. I met a wonderful group of friends that are both serious about their classes, but also allow themselves to take time to relax. I surrounded myself with positive people that also live farther away from home than some of the people here. I call my parents and have conversations on the phone about how their days are going and how mine are. I text my sisters in a group chat throughout the day, and we exchange comical things we discovered or witnessed throughout the day. Most importantly, I learned that no matter what happens, no matter what situation or transition you're put through, if you reach out to the people around you, like friends and family, you can make it. It may be hard at first, but it's quite possible to do anything as long as your mind is put to it.
