83 miles to adulthood

As I sit on my couch with my mug filled with Lucky Charms and my laptop displaying a blank blog, I consider all of the changes that have occurred over the past few weeks. One of the biggest is that I am alone, except for my cat Coraline. I am in MY apartment. I no longer just have a space I can call MY room.  I have my own kitchen, my own bathroom, my own living room, and even my own balcony...

August was the month of change for me. The 83-mile trip from Tracy to Sacramento was a life changing one. I entered the realm of "young adulthood". As I pulled into my designated carport I felt the transformation begin. Simple trips to the store became ordeals as I adjusted to my new surroundings. I was introduced to the horrible words that are "rent" and "SMUD". As I got used to my new place, I began to prepare for school. I have just about completed my first week and it was far different than I had anticipated.

Let's start with Monday: I rode a bus by myself for the first time in my life. I was nervous to say the least. How dirty was it going to be? Will I be safe? Am I going to remember what stop to get off on? All these questions and more circulated through my mind as I made the 5-minute walk to the bus stop by my apartment complex. Once on the bus, I began to calm down. It was surprisingly clean and not crowded, yet. By the time we got to the CSUS stop the bus was packed with what I was sure was more people than the allowed capacity. This day would start at 9am and end at 9pm. It was torture. I arrived home drained and weak, but also accomplished. I had completed my first day as a college junior.

When I woke up Tuesday morning I was anxious to begin my journey to campus. As I passed through the rush week set up I thought about how much I wanted to be a part of a sorority. I looked at the various booths on my way to class and pictured wearing a shirt with Greek lettering; I could pull it off. As my second day came to an end I realized that I had not made the plethora of new friends I thought I would have by now. Was I not the social-butterfly my small town living had caused me to believe? Troubling thoughts filled my head on the crammed ride home on the bus.

Wednesday marked the middle of the week. The first week of anything is usually stressful, whether it is the first week at a new workplace or the first week in a new city so I didn't let me bring it down. The first week of school was a section in this new chapter of my life and I was determined for it to be a light comedy rather than a tragedy. My classes went well and besides the bus arriving late I got home before dark.

That brings me to today and glancing over to my "Sac State" mug and seeing that my cereal has become soggy and that the milk has become colored I realize that I have been writing for awhile and that I have just completed my first assignment as a journalism major!