Friends Becoming Family by Brittany
When I moved to college, there were many things I was worried about. I was altogether very nervous to be uprooting my life and starting over. I knew that the near future was very uncertain and it could end up being great, or not so great. I had heard so many horror stories about roommates and even had some friends that had dropped out their first years of college. I didn’t want to be a part of either of those possible situations.
One of my main concerns was leaving my family- which was strange to me, because I never thought that would bother me when the time came. I am a very independent person and from the time I was 15 years old, I always thought I was more than ready to move out and start my life. When the time came to actually do so, I realized more than ever how very important my family is and how leaving them was going to be very difficult. None of my friends from high school went to college at BG, so I was leaving all of them behind as well.
What was I going to do without my family or friends? I had no idea. But after a few weeks, I made all new friends. And after a few months, those friends became my family. I met my best friend Sarah at our first floor meeting. We both were living in Kreischer Darrow. After we met we were literally inseparable – she was like a sister to me instantly, and still is to this day. Our sophomore year, Sarah and I lived together with four other friends in Founders. It was not a good situation, but I will leave that story for another time. Sarah and I ended up moving back to Kreischer. We have been through so much together in the past few years, it is strange thinking I have only known her that long. It feels like we have been best friends our whole lives. Now we are both juniors and live together with one other roommate in an apartment off campus.
(Sarah and I freshman year)
Amanda is our other roommate. You might have heard of her. Remember this: If you ever hear the saying “get sprankled,” it originated from Amanda. I met Amanda my freshman year because she lived on my floor in Kreischer Darrow also. She is hilarious and a lot of fun to hang out with. For most of freshman year we didn’t know each others’ names; therefore she called me “shawty” the whole first semester- referring to the fact that I am hardly five feet tall. Late freshman year and sophomore year, I became really good friends with Amanda, as did Sarah. It was not long until Sarah, Amanda and I decided that we wanted to live together junior year. Again, it feels as though I’ve known Amanda my whole life, she is also like a sister to me.
Sarah is not only in a sorority but also holds a position in that sorority, needless to say, she is very busy all the time. Amanda is president of her major and a member of UAO, so she is also super busy. And being an art major consumes my life, as well as being treasurer of 2DAA and a member of Print Society. We all also have jobs, so even though we live together, sometimes we hardly get to see each other. It has been hard because our schedules are so packed and we don’t get to spend time with each other like we used to, but the important thing is that we are all still there for one another. Members of families get busy with aspects of their individual lives, but the important thing to keep in mind is that each member of that family is a vital part of the others’ life. Sarah and Amanda are like a part of my family and I know I always have them to rely on and they know they have me to rely on as well.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that BG really started feeling like home when I found a family away from my hometown. I love my family back home and still visit them pretty often, but now I do not feel alone anymore. I know that I have trustworthy, amazing people in my life here and it makes me more comfortable and confident living far away from everything I had ever known. Once you find your family away from home, it doesn’t matter where you are, it will feel like home.
