UF is a diverse school situated in the mossy college town of Gainesville. As someone who was born in Florida and grew up with people praising the Gators all around me, I’ve always wondered why people from other states and countries would choose to come all the way to Gainesville rather than, say, somewhere in New York or California. Ironically enough, I ended up being a “foreigner” choosing UF from across the world.
I see how what I just said might be confusing, so let me explain a bit of my journey and how I ended up in The Swamp. Born in the sleepy city of Sarasota, Florida, I don’t necessarily consider that my home. I grew up living a standard American life. I went to public schools, made annual trips to theme parks, and embraced the Floridian lifestyle of beach days, Publix runs and loads of bug spray and sunscreen. Until one day near the end of sixth grade, I found out that my life was about to completely diverge.Â
I remember coming home from school, wearing my Birkenstocks and socks, a puka shell necklace and a high messy bun when I received the news from my parents that we were going to move to Belgium. This was completely unexpected. My dad had done a lot of traveling for the military, but I never envisioned myself becoming a full-on military brat. I don’t remember how I felt at that moment, but I sensed that this was a good thing. Sarasota was all I knew, but maybe somewhere subconsciously I knew that wasn’t enough for me. I wish I could tell my younger self just how exciting and full of color my world was about to be.Â
By the end of summer 2019, we packed up, went on a 12-hour voyage to Brussels, Belgium, and never looked back. (Not literally; we occasionally visited family in Florida). From seventh grade to my freshman year of college, I had turned from a pure Floridian to a nomadic European. My family and I ended up living in Belgium for two years, then moved to the misty, quaint country of England for three years, before finally settling in the industrious, yet festive city of Stuttgart, Germany, for two years. I couldn’t be more grateful for my time in all three of those places. All different in their own ways, those countries will always have my heart. I was fortunate enough to travel to other alluring destinations and grew up among several different cultural influences that have affected how I see the world today. The endearing British accents and proper way of life filled with strangers calling me “love,” the beautiful architecture of a McDonald’s in Spain and Italy, Oktoberfest in Germany where you forget that you’re not even German because of the unity over clinking beer glasses, the frantic search for a free bathroom in a city, being a complete tourist in Morocco and paying a ton of money to ride a camel in the dunes. These experiences shaped my identity.Â
My senior year of high school marked the year where I had to decide where I would live and attend college for the next four years. This was a scary and stressful decision. I wasn’t used to committing to one place to live. Though moving had its hard times, I liked the rush and uncertainty of hopping from place to place. Nevertheless, this choice led me to living in Gainesville. Yet, there’s a twist.Â
I got accepted through PaCE and stayed in Germany for my freshman year while taking my classes online. This had its ups and downs. Though I experienced FOMO from being so far from campus, I took this opportunity to make the most of what would be my last year abroad. I saved up to travel monthly and ended up experiencing university life in two cities in England, walked to the top of the Eiffel Tower, went to a sick music festival in Poland where I was inches away from my favorite artist, Blood Orange, and partied in Berlin. I wouldn’t trade that magical year for anything.
Now, I’m writing this from my cozy apartment room off campus. recounting the dynamic life I lived leading up to this. Knowing that this is where I will be living for the next three years gives me a sense of reassurance but also a sense of discomfort. I am worried that I will grow bored here quickly, but so far, these past few weeks here have proved me wrong. Even though I am technically “from” Florida, this is a new cultural journey to embark on. I could have chosen to go to school overseas, but I think a part of me was intrigued by the thought of having a full-circle moment: coming back to a place I possessed some familiarity with as a child and seeing it in an entirely new perspective as an adult. Choosing to move an ocean away from my family and European lifestyle have been hard for sure, but I’m just doing what I’ve learnt to do best these past few years; adapting to change and finding beauty in a new world. It’s been a journey trying to understand the prevalent Greek life all around me, navigating the overwhelming grocery stores with hundreds of different types of everything, (though I do appreciate that the products are in English), and digesting the hard fact that I do, in fact, need a car to go anywhere outside of campus. I’ve been missing the Deutsche Bahn. I did really miss Chick-fil-A and Target. I also remembered that when you go out to eat here you get water for free and often get free refills if you get soda. Those are big no-nos in Europe.Â
While I’m still new to Gainesville, I think I made the right choice, and I’m starting to see why being a Gator can be so appealing even from a continent away. I’m starting to appreciate Florida’s carefree culture and unrelenting heat, yet I am always going to miss the times when I could take a train and end up in a different country and the warm summer nights of tripping over cobblestone streets under the yellow streetlights, feeling nothing but bliss and safety. Yet that is how you come to love the quirks of a place — by leaving it. It takes a lot of courage to force yourself out of your comfort zone and make a new life for yourself in a foreign place, but if there’s one piece of advice I can give anyone my age, it’s that seeing the world is a way of living.
Go on that trip with your friends, even if it’s just a couple hours’ drive away, and not only will you learn something about a new place, but you will learn something about yourself. In whatever adventures you choose to embark on, I hope that you too discover the hidden truths that reward those who wander. You will evolve, grow and get to know what you’re searching for in this vibrant world.Â