6 Weeks.
Currently in week 6 of this adventure called college.
When I first moved in I felt alive and free and rebellious and like I could do anything, because ya know, college. But now its week 6. I have taken tests, I have studied, I have written papers, and I can officially say that it is not anything like I expected.
When I first arrived at Appalachian I believed that homesickness was a myth. How could you miss home when you lived in the prettiest part of North Carolina? Why would I miss Raleigh's traffic, or the burning heat when you went outside in the summer, or the constant road renovations? How could anyone miss the crowded streets of downtown, or the way the stoplight is always red at Capital Blvd.? Why would you want to be at home where your parents controlled what you did and when, where you had a curfew and you were told to "not hangout with those people"? I thought it was physically impossible to miss the structured life I lived in Raleigh. But now I am 6 weeks in. Now I know. I know that you can miss it. You can miss all of it. I do miss all of it. But don't get me wrong, I love my little home in Boone. I love being able to walk 2 doors down and sit in a friends room. I love going out at 4 am to look at the stars without getting permission. I love going to hangout with friends without answering the 24,000 questions my mom always asked. I love being surrounded with people who take classes as seriously as I do.
But I miss the traffic, if it wasn't for the traffic I wouldn't have been able to listen to 2 hours worth of music with my bestfriends while singing at the top of our lungs and dancing like fools. I miss the heat that somehow united everyone around you because you all were suffering together, I also learned how to appreciate A/C in those days. I miss the potholes that you could always expect and hearing my sister yell at me for hitting them again and again (when I really only did it to make her mad). I miss the crowds that always seemed to be a sea of faces; I have never seen more diversity or emotion than I have on the faces of the people in crowds roaming the downtown Raleigh streets. I miss the stoplight that would stay red for 10 minutes, without that stoplight I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the sunset everyday coming home from work. I miss being told no, because whether you believe it or not YOUR PARENTS KNOW BEST. My curfew was for me, it was so I would be well rested and safe, and now I appreciate it more than ever. And surprise, the reason we are told to not hangout with those people is because they're bad news. My mom knew this and tried to keep me safe from the hurt of bad friends who let you down or hurt you, and to her I am grateful.
Now I am making my own decisions. I now realize that some people aren't supposed to be in my life. I miss those 24,000 questions because they really made me think about the type of person I was hanging out with and how their presence would affect me. I miss having that person who 9 times out of 10 knew what was best for you. Because now, 6 weeks later, I am alone. I am alone here in Boone with just myself making decisions and deciding on my life choices. If I stray off of the path laid out for me it is MY fault. 6 weeks later, I have learned responsibility and accountability. I miss my childhood home Raleigh, but my home in Boone is where I become an adult.
Wish me luck.
When I first moved in I felt alive and free and rebellious and like I could do anything, because ya know, college. But now its week 6. I have taken tests, I have studied, I have written papers, and I can officially say that it is not anything like I expected.
When I first arrived at Appalachian I believed that homesickness was a myth. How could you miss home when you lived in the prettiest part of North Carolina? Why would I miss Raleigh's traffic, or the burning heat when you went outside in the summer, or the constant road renovations? How could anyone miss the crowded streets of downtown, or the way the stoplight is always red at Capital Blvd.? Why would you want to be at home where your parents controlled what you did and when, where you had a curfew and you were told to "not hangout with those people"? I thought it was physically impossible to miss the structured life I lived in Raleigh. But now I am 6 weeks in. Now I know. I know that you can miss it. You can miss all of it. I do miss all of it. But don't get me wrong, I love my little home in Boone. I love being able to walk 2 doors down and sit in a friends room. I love going out at 4 am to look at the stars without getting permission. I love going to hangout with friends without answering the 24,000 questions my mom always asked. I love being surrounded with people who take classes as seriously as I do.
But I miss the traffic, if it wasn't for the traffic I wouldn't have been able to listen to 2 hours worth of music with my bestfriends while singing at the top of our lungs and dancing like fools. I miss the heat that somehow united everyone around you because you all were suffering together, I also learned how to appreciate A/C in those days. I miss the potholes that you could always expect and hearing my sister yell at me for hitting them again and again (when I really only did it to make her mad). I miss the crowds that always seemed to be a sea of faces; I have never seen more diversity or emotion than I have on the faces of the people in crowds roaming the downtown Raleigh streets. I miss the stoplight that would stay red for 10 minutes, without that stoplight I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the sunset everyday coming home from work. I miss being told no, because whether you believe it or not YOUR PARENTS KNOW BEST. My curfew was for me, it was so I would be well rested and safe, and now I appreciate it more than ever. And surprise, the reason we are told to not hangout with those people is because they're bad news. My mom knew this and tried to keep me safe from the hurt of bad friends who let you down or hurt you, and to her I am grateful.
Now I am making my own decisions. I now realize that some people aren't supposed to be in my life. I miss those 24,000 questions because they really made me think about the type of person I was hanging out with and how their presence would affect me. I miss having that person who 9 times out of 10 knew what was best for you. Because now, 6 weeks later, I am alone. I am alone here in Boone with just myself making decisions and deciding on my life choices. If I stray off of the path laid out for me it is MY fault. 6 weeks later, I have learned responsibility and accountability. I miss my childhood home Raleigh, but my home in Boone is where I become an adult.
Wish me luck.
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