I started college in June 2011, about two and a half weeks after I graduated from high school (talk about short summer). Packing for college was very strange and surreal. It was a feeling I had been yearning for, but as everything was happening I could not help but wish time would rewind and I could be getting ready for high school rather than college. Time seems to have a funny way of passing us by. Most high schoolers constantly complain about how ready to graduate they are, but once the time has come most people aren't ready to move away from all their friends and family. It's a big change. Throughout my senior year in high school I lived by the Lady Antebellum quote, "Couldn't wait to get goin' but wasn't quite ready to leave." The quote is pretty much self explainatory.
Once I did finally pack up my car and head to Athens, my life compeletly changed. I no longer had my sweet mother around to do my laundry, wash my dishes, make my lunch, or clean my room when it got really messy. I no longer had my dad to fill up my car with gas, give me extra spending money, take out the trash (like gross), or cut my meat at family dinner (yes I am a daddy's girl). All of a sudden I found myself in a world where I was the only one watching out for myself. Fortunately I learned relatively quickly how to do all those things on my own.
I found that I adjusted to Athens night life pretty quickly as well. "Going out" in college is much different than "going out" in high school though, but I managed to learn how it's done in college. Apparently the motto in Athens is, "study hard, party even harder," great motto!
There is more to college than fun and games though, there is that one unfortunate part, SCHOOL. The school part of college was a major culture shock to say the least. One of the classes I took during summer semester was a social problems class and boy did I learn quite a bit about social problems. Clearly I had been more sheltered in my 18 years of growing up than I thought. The class was a rude awakening to me, however it was a good class for me to have in my first college semester because it opened my eyes and I learned to appreciate how truely blessed I am.
After my completing my first semester at college I am finally able to enjoy a two week summer vacation. It was great coming back home and seeing all my friends and family. Fortunately, even though I had school this summer I was still able to see most of my close friends. But now that I am back home everybody else is getting ready to leave for college, which is really sad. My best friend since fourth grade will be attending a college several hours away from me and it is going to be extremely hard not going to school with her and seeing her as much as I do. One of my other best friends is going to school in Missouri and I don't even know how I am going to say goodbye to him. Thankfully my other best friend is my roommate, so I don't have to say goodbye to her. I am definitely going to be an emotional wreck saying bye to everyone, but I have learned moving on is apart of life and everyone has to go through it at some point. It is all so bittersweet, but I can't wait to see what college has instore for me!
