Although I live here in the islands, it's still hard for me to leave home and be away from my family. I'm used to them always being there for me. But now that I'm in college, I know that they aren't going to do things for me anymore and that I have to start doing everything by myself. When I first moved into the dorms, I got caught up in the whole excitement of "being on my own" that I forgot to call my family for 2 weeks. There was tension during that time because my family felt unappreciated and that I wanted to exclude them from my life. Of course that wasn't true because if it wasn't for my family, I wouldn't be here in college! So, we had a big talk about me calling at least once in a while to update them on things. So advice, include your family in your life, even though you are "on your own" because they really care for you and it would be nice for you to let them know what's going on in your life. Just hearing from you is all they need!
Also, meeting new people and doing things for myself was a little difficult for me. I'm so used to the friends that I had in high school and doing things routinely. When I moved to college, I had to do everything on my own and start to put myself a little out there to others. I don't really prefer to put myself out there because I can be shy. But I discovered the "outgoing" part of me. I met a group friends that I pretty much hang out with almost everyday. We enjoy each others company and just take care of each other. It's such a strong bond and I'm blessed to have found thsi group of friends who I know will get my back. I never had such a strong bond with a group of people previous to college and they definitely make my college experience more awesome! Another word of advice, get out there and meet as much people as you can. Don't limit yourself because there are so many incredible people out there, you just have to find them!
I have been through so much this past semester including my College Opportunites Program. Without them, I wouldn't be attending the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. But, everything I have been through such as my first job, drama between friends, eating a lot, school work, time management, and many more have taught me so much. This first semester was definitely a learning period to better prepare me for my future semesters. I can honestly say that college is HARD, but I LOVE IT!! I know that sounds weird, but how can you become a better person if you don't put yourself through challenges? By putting myself through challenges and learning from my mistakes, I can better prepare myself for anything as well as, make myself a better person. If you're better prepared, you can prety much handle any unexpected obstacle that you might have to face later on through life. So, college is going to be a challenge and learning from it can only benefit you in the long run. Just make the best of everything!!!!
