changes

Nadya!



Simone!



Joslyn!

Miss my friends....soooo much, yet...



College life is, in a way, surreal. There are few limitations, which sometimes I think are necessary...so that the vast majority doesn't spin out of control. Some of them however, are unfortunate. In Patterson Hall, guys must exit the building at 2am on all days...and it's not that I want to have guys sleeping over all the time, I just like the company of other people. I think guys in general are a lot easier to get along with than girls. Less drama, more fun. Back home, I was basically allowed to do whatever I wanted and whenever I chose to do it...but here I love having no one to report back to. Mom and Dad don't nag me at 3AM anymore asking where I am...because there would be no way for them to regulate that. Since their culture is so different than that of American lifestyle, it might be unthinkable what I could be doing at that time..but in reality, I do think I can do anything at night than I could during the day...just personal preference. I really miss home, as much as I wanted to get away from it in the first place. I'm so sick of getting wraps at Russell House, or maybe another salad at Pandini's. It was great for the first two weeks, because I was under the mind-set that I got to go out for dinner every night with my friends, but after you've tasted one wrap and chicken caesar salad , you've tasted them all. My mom's cooking is unlike any other mom's. It's delicious...ethnic Indian food that I have grown up eating. Rice...some vegetables in aromatic spices and some type of supplemental "curry," which is so generic...but I can't even begin to explain it. October 10th...I'm indulging!

It's funny, I didn't think my friends would miss her food as much as I have been. Since my house has been the communal hangout, our fridge has been the communal kitchen. My friends at state schools and community colleges ( George Mason, UVA, VCCS, VCU etc ) have expressed their impatience for me to come home so they can come over too. School...is okay. Classes suck. Honestly, I just hate doing work...unless i'm not prompted. I have to be in " that mood, " which unfortunately, I haven't been in. I guess I really have been in denial about being homesick. My best friend, Joslyn, even cries to me on the phone...which tears me up. I know college is where you make your true friends, but I think I did a good job of finding them in elementary/middle and high school. More later...

Fresh Start

For a lot of people, coming here wasn't that big of a change. Maybe they lived about 2 hours away from home...or even less than that. Some even with cars to make frequent trips back to catch up with their loved ones...but for the ones here without a sanctuary to escape to...I'm here with you too. Leaving my best friends was probably the hardest thing I had to do. I'm so used to having everyone over at my house at all times of the day ( and night ) and just being around the people I loved. Being an only child, it is really important to me to be around people...for some reason just the presence makes me feel more comfortable and more at home. It's not that I crave attention in any way, I just crave comfort...and being able to laugh and make jokes. So when faced with leaving everything and everyone I was comforted by...it's kind of hard. As for my parents, I'm not exactly sure how they felt about the whole thing. Unless I had people over, I was never actually home. I guess the absence of their daughter all summer eased them into saying goodbye for the school year. It's sad to say I was never actually close to my parents, most likely because they didn't relate to anything I was going through. Growing up and living in India, it's a huge change for them to get accustomed to as well. Coming here, it was like my fresh new start away from home...somewhat like a test of my own independence. Even though I somewhat leaned back on the few friends from my high school that came down here as well, I learned to love my new surroundings and the friendly South Carolina atmosphere. Tailgating and the game was such a good experience, just walking around and socializing...what I do best. Hopefully many more memorable experiences to come!