Before college, I watched my older cousins and friends have such fun and unique experiences that I was so excited to also indulge in. College really is extremely different from being at home. My freedom here allows me to make many fun and exciting memories. I remember hearing my dad tell me stories of all the crazy things he and his friends would do, such as spontaneous drives to different states or pulling over to pick peanuts from a random farm. I would listen and be so excited for my time to make stories for myself. Here are just a few of the experiences I have had in college thus far.
Dyed our hair in the bathroom
The very first week of school, my roommate, me, and a friend all went to CVS by train. We went with the intent to only buy hair dye for our friend, but when we got there we all decided we also wanted to have a change. I had never box-dyed my hair; I’ve only ever had highlights. I naturally have dark brown hair, but it was fall and I wanted a little tint of red. I picked out a color called chocolate cherry and went for it. Back at the dorm we set up in the bathroom and made sure to keep everything neat and clean. We lined up at the sinks and all just took a deep breath and a leap of faith. And I honestly do not regret it at all, I loved the way it turned out. It was not a drastic change for me, like blue or purple, and it was very fitting for the fall season. I even got some compliments on it, and I would do it again.
Cut my hair at two in the morning
On the topic of hair, a few weeks ago, I decided in the middle of the night… literally, that I wanted to cut my hair. I had been having a tough week and I really wanted a change in my life. I am in no way saying that this is what you should do when you are going through it, but this was just what felt right for me at the moment. I was in my friend’s room, with my roommate and a few others. When I mentioned wanting to cut my hair (at some point in the future) they said we should just do it now. One of my friends cuts her own hair regularly so I trusted her with making it look nice. My other friends all wanted to cut a lock, which oddly was a great bonding moment. We laughed and just had a great time with it, and in the end, I was so happy that I had made that decision. It felt refreshing and made me realize that in college, I am now my own person.
Rearranged our room at midnight
The most exciting thing I have done was rearrange my room with my roommate. We had been talking for a couple of weeks about doing this because the previous setup just was not working spatially. So, at 12 in the morning, we decided we wanted to move things around. I guess you can tell that my roommate and I don’t really sleep much in college. But, after two hours of upper body strength, sweat, and laughs, we finally had the room the way we envisioned it. In college, it feels so great to be able to do practically anything you want, within reason.
So, next time you feel the urge to do something impulsive (but safe), let yourself have some fun. You just might make some memories that will last a lifetime. Just like my dad, I know I will have great stories to tell my kids someday.