Last year was awful and potentially one of the worst years of my life. So much went wrong, and I was miserable the whole time. This year, however, was one of the best years of my life so far. It’s been stressful but so much has gone right for me, and I have been generally happy the whole time. Let’s break it down:
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Last year I had roommates that did not respect me. They partied and had loud music and TV playing all night, and as a result of that, I barely slept all year. They would be up until 3 am and because of how loud they were, I would be up too and then they would wake up at 6 am and slam around the dorm. It was awful and I was very unhappy living with them.
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I transferred to USFSP in the fall of 2017 — last year — and started out as an Education major. I had kind of alway wanted to teach and was hoping to teach ESE or Exceptional Student Education but learned very quickly that I did not fit in the Education major here and switched to being an English major starting Spring 2018. It kinda put a wrench in my life plans.
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I started out at USFSP with a big friend group which I thought was made up of people who respected me and cared about me but that all fell apart in an unnecessarily dramatic way.
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I was in a relationship from October to February that was toxic and really bad for me and ended in a really bad way.
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I felt trapped in this school with my bad roommates and the friend group that I had that became antagonistic and childish and I contemplated moving home for the next year and doing online work.
It was a pretty awful year but this year, more accurately over the summer, things changed for me. Let’s break that down now:
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Last year I met my best friend through that failed attempt at a friend group and we decided to be roommates this year despite people saying not to live with your best friend. It has been pretty amazing. Having her in the room right next to mine has made hanging out so much more convenient. We are both super busy this semester so seeing each other became hard but because we live together we still get to hangout pretty much every day even if it is just for a little bit. We also have a pretty awesome other roommate who has become a really great friend.
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I have found that through the English Major here, I have grown so much as a person and as an academic. I learned that I have skills that were previously unknown to me. I have come to see my peers and professors in the program as almost like a family to me. It is a much healthier environment for me to be in and I enjoy it very much.
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I may not have that big friend group but to be honest, I never needed them nor did I really want them. From that experience, I found a best friend that I know will be in my life for the long run. I do not need infantile, rude people in my life, and I am so much happier and better off without them.
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I met my absolutely wonderful boyfriend in April and we have been together since June 1st which makes us together for nine months. My longest relationship, also my healthiest. He is so different from anyone I have been with before and I can really see myself building a future with him. He makes me so happy.
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I no longer feel trapped here. I feel happy and at home here.
It is a wonder how strongly environment plays into happiness. It is important to remember that there are so many people in this world that leaving behind toxic “friendships” and relationships is an important step to take to clear away the negative spaces in your life. It is a necessary evil to rid yourself of people that do not truly care about you at all and do not actually want to see you prosper. Life gets better, and it is only going to go up from here.