Leaving Home

Leaving home has evoked an array of emotions in me. In the days leading up to the move, I ricocheted from feeling ecstatic to terrified. When my parents antagonized me, I would think to myself only two weeks to go before I am out of here! Other times, I felt scared because I was going into a totally different environment that was full of unknowns. The week before I moved in, my being a Winthrop student was finally becoming reality. Before this, the whole college deal was just something I thought about in the near future. This realization scared me. For the first time, I would no longer be under my parents’ almost constant supervision. I would no longer have classes with people I have known for twelve years. I would be living in a city two hours away from my parents and everything familiar. The idea of all of this overwhelmed me. As move-in day came, I was a little nervous because I had no idea what to expect. The first couple of days I really doubted my decision to move here. I missed my own bed, my friends, my parents, and even my old daily routine. Now that I have been here for about a week, I’m finally starting to settle in to college life. I do have the feelings of being lost, not only directionally but also identity wise. Everyone says college is a place where you can start over, be anyone you want to be. I’m not finding the truth in that very much. I’m still the quiet, shy girl, and no matter how much I want to go out there and make instant friends, that’s just not who I am, yet. My first task here is to be the best student I can be, but also to become the person I wish to be, and I’m okay with that.