One year ago I was counting down the seconds until I got to leave home. Ten months ago I was packing all off my worldly possessions into four suitcases and saying goodbyes. Nine months ago I couldn't eat, sleep, or study instead I spent half of my days on the phone with my parents and half the time starring at pictures on my wall crying so loud my room mate couldn't sleep. Now I am counting down the seconds until I get to go back. Of course a ton happened in between those dates. I have separated my freshman year into three main sections....School, Friends and Crew.
I'll start with the most frustrating but arguably the most important: School. First of all I learned that whoever told me college wouldn't be that much harder than high school was on crack. It was. I learned the grade deflation stinks and that no matter how easy the test is you're screwed when your classes are curved to a C-. I learned that I am capable of studying harder than I ever thought I could. Most importantly I learned that there is no such thing as failing when you are trying your hardest.
Crew. No cute sentence to lead off. I love it I hate it. Crew practice was the only reason I got out of bed this year. Study hall was the push I needed to succeed academically. Three hour team dinners and breakfasts are the reasons I made the greatest friends ever. I love the competition. I proved myself. I can't imagine my life without it.
When I left for college I was really nervous about having to make new friends, I hadn't had to do that since kindergarden...so good. However, as my parents promised, i did. I ended up with the most amazing friends everrr. The kind of friends that laugh at you when you get stuck in the T doors, the kind that don't judge you when you buy Chunky Monkey every night, the kind of friends that will gladly accept your ghetto cakes, the kind of friends that will go eat with you in boxers, the kind of friends that lend you their boyfriends old spandex when you accidentally where see-through leggings to practice, the kind of friends that will drunkenly hang on your arm for two miles crying and telling you how beautiful you are, and the kind of friends that will walk three miles with overloaded laundry carts to save money on storage.. I learned that Boston is no Gilbert and BU is no Highland, there weren't people that dressed, talked, acted, or thought like me. I learned that having best friends that are not just like you can be an awesome thing.
Overall, nine months, 50,000 dollars, and 21 hours of flying back and forth later...I can confidently say leaving was the best thing I ever did. It made me sad, scared, broke, defeated, confused, stronger, smarter and it made me who I am today.
