My family is 835 miles away from St Ambrose. I am a very family-oriented person, so moving from Colorado to Iowa has been a major shift that hasn’t been as easy as I lead on. I miss my family like crazy and sure there’s skype, and phone calls, but I’m missing out on that genuine human connection. It also doesn’t help that I’m also now in a different time-zone, if I want to randomly call my parents or cousins, I must think about the time it is here compared to the time back home. I miss the Denver scenery as well, the mountains, the trees, the downtown skyline, all of it. I am very proud of the state I come from, so much so that I have three Colorado flags in my dorm. However, I do miss my family, I am slowly starting to cope with it. My new friends at college have helped, from Hailey, to Katie, to Mae-Lin, and even Piper. There are a lot of days where I just want to stay in my dorm thinking about my family, but I push myself to hang out with my new friends. Texting my family, writing letters home, even skyping them are just a few ways I try to not feel as home sick. I’ve even started a daily journal to write to them when I may not be able to write a letter home but still want to tell them about my days in college. Little things like this help me cope with my home sickness. Even the staff is understanding, if I’m feeling homesick, all I have to do is go to a couple of the staff that have said they’re there for us in whatever we need and I know I’ll receive the help I need. When I was first leaving home back on August 16 to come to SAU, I wasn’t sure on if I could stay away from my parents that long. To me, they’re my best friends, I go to my mom for anything, no matter the situation. She’s been my best friend for 20 long years and will forever be my best friend and biggest supporter in what I do. Without these two amazing role models as parents, I don’t think I would be the woman I am today. Although my family is 835 miles away from me, my new life is starting with new friends and new opportunities right here in Davenport, IA. I can’t wait to see where all these experiences will take me. That’s how I know I’ll stand loud and proud through my college experiences.