Edited by: Maya M. Haidar
Photo by Moriah Leynes on Unsplash
It’s strange how much life can change within a span of six months, and the first semester of college verifies that the most. Recently, I finished my winter break and came back for my second semester of college, and the process of starting all over left me with a bittersweet, nostalgic feeling. Coming here again and starting afresh was an amalgamation of new things and old things, and it really made me reflect on how comparable the start of this semester is to the last one. And this reflection couldn’t help but make me, amongst other things, proud. Proud about how much I had adjusted and how much I had grown.
The first semester had gradually changed me into a very different person and I’d like to think it was all for the better. Towards the beginning, even getting out of my room unless it was absolutely necessary for classes was a tedious and mentally exhausting task. I would lock myself inside, talking only occasionally to my roommate and then crying about how I didn’t have any friends. But soon, after a particularly draining weekend, I got up and decided that I had had enough of whining about my life. I realized I should stop acting like I was the only one in this situation because let’s face it, everyone here was in the same condition. And so, I got out of the room and called up my few acquaintances. Looking back, I can’t remember a time I was not best friends with them.
Photo by Ben Duchac on Unsplash
I have also had to adjust in regard to the things that are now a very normal part of my college life. The thought of sharing a common bathroom with my floormates had seemed like such a disturbing proposition but now, it is normal enough for me to not even lament over it. The mess food had once seemed like the most terrible thing on earth, and while it still is (I can’t do anything about that), it doesn’t seem like much of a big deal anymore. In fact, I think my taste buds have (unfortunately) adapted to the food.
Other than just adjusting, I think the first semester of college has also helped me grow a lot. In terms of not being apprehensive anymore to approach people or actually making the time to loosen up and party once in a while, I have seen myself transition in a way that makes me proud. College can be exhausting and make you homesick to the point where you want to leave everything once and for all. But the journey changes you in a way that one day, you will look back and be thankful. Life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine and college will often teach you that the hard way. But college is also the place that will teach you that life doesn’t always need to be full of the conventional types of happiness that we all want. At times, staying awake till 3 in the morning, complaining about an assignment to your friend can be a form of happiness. Sitting by your dorm window with a perfect cup of tea on a rainy day can also be a form of happiness. And honestly, my first semester has taught me that college is the only place where you get these little forms of happiness in abundance.
Photo by Amith Nair on Unsplash