I transferred to Georgia State from Savannah State. It might have been the best and most isolating move in my life. I went from being out and about my college campus, knowing everyone by name and face, to being in a big city where I may never see the same person twice. I went from living on my school campus to being a commuter. My whole life flipped upside down. It was possibly the most frightening thing I have ever ran into. I found myself for the first time in the outcast group. I knew no one and still haven’t quite conquered the idea of how to communicate with the new people I met. In such a fast paced city it is hard to use my slow town country values. People just walk by and say nothing to each other. It was new and unusual. When we get in situations that seem unfamiliar we tend to feel alone and it is far from the truth.Many of us all around the world are currently living our life in the outcasted group.
You may have just transferred to a new school as well, got a new job, or even moved to a different neighborhood. We all feel like the outcast at some point during a big transition. It’s kind of hard to move out of the comfort zone of your normal life to someone else’s. No matter what age it always feels bad to be on the outside of the crowd.It is human nature to have social interaction.
Being in the outcast, makes you start to question yourself. Am I wearing the right clothes? Do I look pretty? What`s wrong with me? This is so normal for someone in a new place . We have to not doubt ourselves though. We have to understand that it may take time to find people who we have a connection with.This doesn’t mean that something is wrong with you because you can’t seem to fit in. It may take weeks or months to find people who truly make you feel comfortable.
The hardest part about being the new person around is the purposeful isolation. This is not others isolating you but the isolation we do to ourselves. I have a bad habit of calling on of my best friends while I’m in public to keep from feeling alone. Some of us use social media or headphones and music to keep from having a conversation with others.This is something we use to feel comfortable, but in the end it keeps us from making lasting relationships with those around us. Especially in college it can get really easy to fade into the crowd if you don’t make the effort to step out and include yourself.
Well from one outcast to another I can’t say that you will ever make it into the normal crowd, but I do encourage you to look around at the others not talking and try to make a conversation. The best part about so many people feeling that they don’t belong is the fact that you can possibly find a new group that you help create. I also encourage you to put your phone down and try to involve yourself with the people around you. Big transitions take bravery so if you are apart of the outcast because of a big change you have already proven your bravery.