Packing for and moving into a college dorm
for the first time can be stressful. You feel overcome by new surroundings, new
people, and new responsibilities. Even in the days preceding your first class,
you are already stressed out about getting books/supplies, financial aid, and
finding your way around campus. Every aspect seems to be so different from
anything you have been exposed to in the past. This is the first time that you
are stepping out on your own, away from many people that you have seen and
talked to on a daily basis for most of your life, and it can be hard to cope
with all of the excitement, fear, and nervousness that accompanies the start of
this new adventure on your own.
So how does one cope with these new found
circumstances you may ask? Of course getting involved in groups and
organizations on campus helps, along with initiating conversations and forming
friendships with others in your classes and residence halls. However, one of
the best ways for most to manage all of the “newness” is to remember where you
came from and hold onto something from back home. Everyone has that one item,
whether it be a physical object or a relationship/quality from back home, that
they could not let themselves forget to bring. In my case, I brought pictures.
I have always loved taking pictures. To me,
they are a way of freezing that one specific moment in a way that you can keep
with you forever. Most of the pictures that I brought with me are of my family,
or times that I have spent with them. There are pictures of my
great-grandparents who have all now passed away. There are pictures of my
grandmother and grandfather from when they first got married almost 50 years
ago. There are pictures of me and my crazy cousins making silly faces and
playing with each other on the trampoline in my uncle’s backyard. There are
pictures of my uncle and aunt from when they had just started dating in high school,
and from every Christmas Eve when my uncle reads us the Nativity story from the
Bible. There are pictures of my little brother with his sneaky, popsicle grins
and our random “selfies” in the car. There are pictures of my mom and I from a
picture booth at the mall when I was really little with the caption “Best
Friends” written underneath. There are too many pictures to count and each hold
a special place in my heart.
Out of all of these pictures, there are a few that I always look
at when I need a pick me up, or a reminder of home. There is a picture of my
mom and I sitting on the couch after school and work one day. We are both
smiling and hugging each other. My mom is my best friend, and when I look at
that picture, it reminds that no matter what, I always have someone in my
corner. Even when I feel completely alone and am crying and stressed, I know
that she loves me and is proud of what I am doing and supports me in all of my
endeavors.
There is also a specific picture of me and
some of the little girls that I teach in dance classes back home. There ages
range from about 5 to 8. They are all smiling and posing in their costumes
before a performance. I look at that picture when I feel like I can’t do
something, or when I am too worried about everything that I have to get done.
It reminds me that I have little girls who look up to me, and want to be just
like me someday. The picture is a sort of inspiration for me to be the best
that I can be and make them proud. It reminds me to work every day so that I
can be the role model that I want them to have.
All in all, I have realized that in order
to move forward into this new journey that we have just begun, we must remember
where we come from and all of the people that have loved us and supported us and made us
want to be the best that we can be. It also shows me that no matter where I am,
and no matter what I do, I will always have a little bit of home to carry with
me.
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