Nearly 4 Hours

 Guest Blogger: 
 Tresia Bowles

Nearly 4 hours away, my new life awaited me. I stared at the nature in my new city as we traveled to Valdosta, GA., my entire family and I. We sat down at our last dinner at Applebee’s joined by another family, Valdosta natives, who had been friends of my family for years. Unfortunately, my parents weren’t the best of supporters. Mom kept complaining about the natives and the distance from home or anything else she could think of. Dad was not in the best of moods either and it showed. I was beginning to think that this last day with my family was not going to be the way I pictured in my head, you know, the laughter and reminiscing, maybe shed a tear or two.  Instead they talked to the other family as I ate; fun.

Move-in day went smoother than I thought it would. I had a carload of stuff, carrying it all to my dorm on the 5th floor in the hot blazing Valdosta sun didn’t help either. But the fun part came in when I decorated my room. It came out beautiful, minus the fact that my roommate’s comforter colors did not match my pink and black animal print paradise at all. Her name is Amber. Though she is Caucasian, the comforter was only a foreshadowing to how opposite we really are. She’s engaged to an African American boy, lives with her grandma, and has a completely opposite personality to mine. We got along fine nevertheless.

VSU gave us a week and a week only to learn our way around campus. They planned some events for us to attend and meet new people. We had to go to seminars to learn the rules and ways of campus life. By Monday if you weren’t used to the way things were, well then, you were screwed. We’re big boys and big girls now.

Monday morning I woke up two hours early to prepare for my first day of classes.  Unfortunately, my mind was ready but my body was not. Or is that the other way around? Long story short, I had my first anxiety attack before classes even began.  I must have been so overzealous that I let my nerves get to me.  My stomach was in knots and I couldn’t breathe. I popped in some Cookie and Crème Pop tarts, picked out a cute outfit that wasn’t too flashy, and ironed it. Then I accessorized and I was on my way, cramping and short breathed, pacing myself to class.

Though that was the first day, the first couple weeks of college weren’t bad at all. The food is actually good. I love the variety. I caught up with some old friends from high school and graduates from my school to show us some fun things to do in Valdosta. I spoke with the AKA sorority whom I plan to join. I worked out at the gym. And I experienced the night life.

As far as academics are concerned, I didn’t expect to make all A’s my first week, and I didn’t. My Spanish is improving rapidly because the professor is a great teacher. I got some 100’s on my math assignments. Political Science is kicking my butt right now, so I took the initiative to get a free tutor who’s not so boring and he’s helped me greatly. My love life is dull because there seems to only be one boy I’m attracted to. A couple of cuties have tried to “spit game” but they suck. Just to give you an idea, “Can you get me a funnel cake?” was my favorite of the pick-up line galore. The one guy I’m interested in held the door for me and all I could get out was a measly and awkward “Thank you.” So I’ve got a long way to go.

I’ve made a couple of friends. In fact I’ve joined a big group of them and we hang out all the time. My roommate and I have had some ups and downs with her boyfriend popping in and out all of the time, her taste in music, her complaining, her messiness, her talking my head off, and my forgetful habits, but all in all, I’d rather deal with her for one semester especially since our relationship gets better as the days progress.

Overall college was new to me and took a bit of getting used to, but now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, I love it. It beats staying at home. I know my way around. I’m getting a grip on my classes. I have lots of fun. And the campus is just absolutely beautiful. I don’t even feel like a college student yet, but I am one. I have to make sure that I stay focused and enjoy myself so I can reach my goal of being a happily married Journalist one day!

Tresia...