Feeling comfortable at ‘home’

After a wonderfully long winter break, returning to college felt a lot like sliding my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers on a cold morning. It felt just right — snug and familiar.
People say that you’ve truly adjusted to college life when you begin to call your school home. This is a statement that causes many parents to cringe. My dad is no exception. For 18 years my home was his, and now after only eight months my definition of home has expanded to include SUNY New Paltz, where my bedroom now houses two people, the dining hall is my kitchen, and my friends are my family.
I am currently midway through my second semester, and I’ve begun to realize how different it is from my first. The fall semester was full of uncertainty and excitement. There were so many people to meet and not enough hours in the day to get to know all the students I crossed paths with. I needed to learn how to balance school work with friends, friends with personal down-time and which foods to avoid during dinner. But now I am familiar with college life and am able to stick to a routine that works for me.
The days pass quickly when you’re in the swing of things. I’ll wake up early for my two classes on Monday, and then a few hot chocolates and scarf-loops later, it’s Friday and I’m heading out of one of the classroom doors in disbelief. Of course, I’m never disappointed to wake up greeted by a Friday, but it is slightly disconcerting to observe the weeks rush into spring. There are still knee-deep dunes of snow on the ground, but in the past week the sun has already started to come out and the bitter wind is turning sweet. I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to see grass, but at the pace my life seems to be moving at I know that soon it will be summer and I will forget what it’s like to see snow.
This is unnerving, but also paradoxically relieving because it is a sign that things are going smoothly. I know that the obstacles I have overcome during my first semester will help guide me through upcoming midterms and finals, and I am excited to experience what lies ahead in the six semesters that still have yet to come.