An adopted Hoosier

I ran into an old friend from my freshman year at a party the other night. It was strange, because seeing him again was like visiting a past life. We still see each other occasionally, but we've moved on from our days of living in Wright Quad. \nAlthough it has been two years, our meeting sparked a conversation about the current freshmen and how different we seemed when we were their age. As we observed the swarm of freshmen walking around Varsity Villas Saturday, we thought, "Were we really the type to survey a parking lot until we could find a party to let us in?" \nWe immediately agreed we weren't. But some things haven't changed … we're always going through our freshman year.\nEven after returning to IU for the past two years, I still feel like a freshman. I feel sadness about leaving my family and friends, but also anticipation for what the new year will bring. As I head to the airport, I watch my mom's eyes fill with tears as I make the pledge to call a lot and be home for Thanksgiving. \nI also make the pledge every year that I'll attend all of my classes and get the highest grade point average I can, but by the end of the semester, I realize just how funny pipe dreams can be.\nWhen I first started looking at colleges, I knew I didn't want to go to a school close to home. I visited campuses from Indiana to New Hampshire to South Carolina and looked as far away as California. The possibility of staying close to home never once crossed my mind. I wanted to get away from New York, and not go to school with a bunch of New Yorkers or people from New England. \nSo, against most of my friends and family's wishes, I made the trek from New York and became an "adopted Hoosier." I didn't know then what a Hoosier was and, quite truthfully, I still don't. I wasn't a basketball fanatic and couldn't care less about Bobby Knight. Something deep inside just told me IU was the right fit, and that by receiving a Midwestern education I would be miles ahead of other college graduates.\nFor a while, it was hard being 800 miles away from home. I missed my family and friends. After all, these were the people who knew me best and the ones with whom I shared joy and heartache. It took me a year and a half before IU really felt like home. But now, two years later, I couldn't be happier. While I still get homesick sometimes, I know I made the right choice.\nCollege is a big adjustment process and one you can't expect to overcome in your first week. Some do have an easier transition than others. Some, unfortunately, might never feel at home here. But in time things get easier. You'll be able to throw away the campus map, leave for class with five minutes to spare and know you'll find your class okay. Some freshmen might be surprised to know that even upperclassmen don't know where every building is or what the bus schedules are.\nWhen I think back to when I first came to this campus as a student, I realize how much I've changed. I can now see my faults and realize my vulnerabilities. I've gone through some hard times here, but I've also had some good experiences. I fell in love, made new friends and learned to live on my own. It wasn't easy. It never is. IU is a big ' and sometimes intimidating ' place. But no other university offers so many challenges and opportunities.\nPeople ask me all the time if I regret leaving the Big Apple and assimilating into Midwestern culture. The answer is simple ' no. I have the best of both worlds. I'm able to split my time between being a "rude" New Yorker and a "wholesome" Midwesterner. And while I'm here I realize how unexpected each day is and how that makes us all freshmen again at some point.