When I found out that I was leaving for college, away from home, in a foreign country, my first thought was that, I was finally, finally gaining independence. Freedom from home, from the restrictions of family, the expectations and judgements of those around me.. I was finally free to be completely me, to change the image I normally have, without the worry of what people may think or feel about what I'm growing to be.
I came to university, full of hopes, dreams, resolutions to change and improve, to discover parts of me I didn't know I had.. To basically taste independence in every way. In the beginning, I felt the thrill of living alone, doing just as I wanted, going out whenever and wherever I wanted, without the bother of questions and admonitions to come home early, to eat on time, and basically everything parents seem to love saying. I made new friends, traveled to different places, had many new experiences like going to house-parties, ice-skating and walking around the city at night, midnight feasts with friends, to name a few, which I would never have done at home.
What I had failed to take into account before coming to university was that, now that I lived independently, I don't have my mother's shoulder to lean on after a hard day, her cooking my favorite meal just because I was sad, talks with my father, fights with my brother, and above all, the feeling that, whatever happens, they'll always be there, ready to help and support. At university, after a hard day, though you have friends to confide in, it just isn't the same. When you're independent, you have to learn to be your own support, your own strength. You have to learn to find your own happiness in little things- it could be in a walk in a park with music, a chat with old friends, a call to your parents, a good book, or an amazing dessert. You realise that you're the only one who can make you happy, and you're the only one who will be there for you the rest of your life. You have to learn to love yourself.
Independence may come with its own brand of excitement, but also with its own heartache. I think that, after coming to university, I've learned to enjoy the fun in independence, but also really appreciate what I had back home, the small joys, as well as the restrictions (well, those, not so much)
I came to university, full of hopes, dreams, resolutions to change and improve, to discover parts of me I didn't know I had.. To basically taste independence in every way. In the beginning, I felt the thrill of living alone, doing just as I wanted, going out whenever and wherever I wanted, without the bother of questions and admonitions to come home early, to eat on time, and basically everything parents seem to love saying. I made new friends, traveled to different places, had many new experiences like going to house-parties, ice-skating and walking around the city at night, midnight feasts with friends, to name a few, which I would never have done at home.
What I had failed to take into account before coming to university was that, now that I lived independently, I don't have my mother's shoulder to lean on after a hard day, her cooking my favorite meal just because I was sad, talks with my father, fights with my brother, and above all, the feeling that, whatever happens, they'll always be there, ready to help and support. At university, after a hard day, though you have friends to confide in, it just isn't the same. When you're independent, you have to learn to be your own support, your own strength. You have to learn to find your own happiness in little things- it could be in a walk in a park with music, a chat with old friends, a call to your parents, a good book, or an amazing dessert. You realise that you're the only one who can make you happy, and you're the only one who will be there for you the rest of your life. You have to learn to love yourself.
Independence may come with its own brand of excitement, but also with its own heartache. I think that, after coming to university, I've learned to enjoy the fun in independence, but also really appreciate what I had back home, the small joys, as well as the restrictions (well, those, not so much)
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