Julio

I’m homesick. This time it’s bad, worse than the first time. After a week-long hiatus from anything academic, spending the night back in my dorm is anything but exciting. I say this bitterly after spending the week perusing through books, laughing with friends and family, and being affectionate with my cats.

Isn’t he splendid?

While I was home I had the best time. Thanksgiving was spent with loved ones, so on the right is a cheesy selfie of me and my girlfriend.

🙂

The food was terrific, and all in all it made me realize how much I was homesick, and how much I have to go and make Iowa my new home. I traveled a whole state over, and it’s really hard getting used to it.

I couldn’t forget about black Friday! I went really early (9 a.m) to Half Price Books and got a tote bag and a lot of books for 30% off! On the left is The Fountainhead,  Tender is the Night, and a collection of John Steinbeck short stories. I got that for $15 dollars! I love saving money, I’m like a 40 year old mom when it comes to coupons and savings! 

I wouldn’t say that I’m not excited to be back here in Iowa, it’s more or less that I’m ready to go back to my warm cooked meals and rest up. For months teachers warmed me that college would be difficult, and they weren’t lying. I guess it just takes some time to adjust. It does suck that it’s almost December and I’m still adjusting. Just counting down the days until I can wear my ugly sweater, and still in search of home sweet home.

Sitting here in the lounge of my dorm made me realize how far away from home I am. I’m from Milwaukee, and when I arrived it felt as if I was an alien on campus compared to the others I’ve met that all hail from the state of Iowa. However I was wrong, it’s staggering how many people come to Iowa from different places. I read a statistic somewhere that the population of campus is over 32,000 and that about 55% of that are Iowan residents. Since I’m such a math wiz, I can use advanced calculations to find out that 45% of the population come from out of state. I come out of state myself, and didn’t know that there were about 14,000 people like me.

I know an abundance of the 14,000 come from Illinois, but in spite of that I met individuals that came from all over the country. During my Iowa Edge program (Which I’ll discuss in the next paragraph) I met someone from HAWAII. Other states that people derived from: Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Montana, South Dakota, California, New York, and Texas. The academics are sensational here at Iowa and attract individuals throughout the States. Not only that, but the campus itself makes you feel welcomed. There’s a certain buzz in Iowa City that you really can’t experience anywhere else.

Now I was lucky enough to be chosen to partake in the Iowa Edge program. It’s a program designed to help minority and first generation student’s with the transition to campus. They teach you class etiquette, where to go for classes, and held panels of professors and students discussing what to do in class, and how to succeed here at Iowa. Along with that, they pay the expense for you to move in early. If you get chosen for this, I highly recommend it. I moved in on the 14th, and didn’t know where to go for anything. Luckily for me, my mentor Lilian (if you’re reading this Lilian you were amazing and that you so much) taught me the in’s and out’s of the campus. You truly do get an edge and feel something that is bigger than yourself. I digress.

Being away from home is something that is extremely frightening, but don’t fret. I was so anxious to move in and live on my own; now two weeks later, here I am alive and well. Now I know there’s some of you longing to be on your own, well this is the time for you. A bit of advise, learn to manage your money (there’s so many things to buy here it’s crazy), and learn to pace yourself. Also, don’t be scared if you’re coming from out of state. Though you may not know much of Des Moines or Iowa City, you’re welcomed here either way. So take the welcome, and enjoy the ride. You may never know what you might miss, or who you might meet. Chances are, there is someone just like you here.