First: Coming to an End, Second: Starting a New Chapter
As my first year as a college student comes to a close, I've begun to reflect on my growth, my experiences, and my goals. I was told that coming into college is about "change" and my freshman year was going to be a transition into a new place, but it would soon be my home. I was told that it would be hard, but I'd be okay. My classes would be hard, but manageable. In short, everything I was told about my freshman year was one huge paradox.
And surprisingly, it was all true.
My classes were incredibly hard, I struggled to keep up with the material and learn everything while still giving 100% to each of them (notice that 100% in each class adds up to ~400% in total. I am not four people). But, I learned so much and found myself actually interested in the material rather than cramming everything to get the grade.
I went to school 3,000 miles away from home. I've never been so far away for so long before. It was scary, but I wasn't scared. I had my fair share of panic attacks before embarking to this new place, and I definitely cried when my parents said goodbye, but I wasn't doubting my decision to come to this school. It soon became my home and I missed my little dorm room during breaks (and was often very bored during breaks). My bed is comfortable and having all of my friends within a 2 mile radius is definitely a plus. I became split between my real home, and where I was living. Homesick and nostalgic for a place that I left, but realizing that when I went back to visit, I was a different person that didn't fit quite right within my childhood room.
Now onto the change. I, and assuming most of my peers, were so preoccupied with adapting to college life, that our first year in college literally went right by us. I found myself on Thursday nights in disbelief that another week had gone by. Consuming so much information skews our perception of time and for me, I could not move fast enough to keep up with the ticking minute hand of my clock. Now that I have three weeks left of freshman year, I'm trying to quantify my experiences with mental updates of my life.
This summer I will be embarking to another unknown region of this world. South East Asia. I'm am beyond excited and terrified to explore Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. I have not spent enough time planning for this trip (I'm leaving in less than a month) so I am directing my attention to it for the next week until I get everything under control and prepared for my trip.
Following my expedition through Asia, I will be returning to the Hills of Berkeley to take the second half of Organic Chemistry: though not as exciting as traveling, I'm excited to be back in a familiar place and learning something new.
This year has been full of "new" things: learned and experienced. Hopefully it continues!
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