My life has turned upside down. In a good way, nonetheless. If you had told me six months ago I would be going to a Big 10 school I hadn’t even applied to, I would have thought you were crazy. But here I am, going to a university I applied to months after the deadline with a scholarship and with a spot on the cheer team.
Life does funny things to you sometimes. Like, receiving a call from the cheer coach in the middle of July asking if you are able to come up and take a shot to prove yourself for a spot on the team, that months ago you were told was not a possibility. In a normal instance, I would still be at home awaiting move-in day, still in proximity to my boyfriend, parents, and dog. But here I am, sleeping on the couch of a vet’s apartment waiting for the day I can move into my dorm and finally have my own bed. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Although the past few weeks have been physically and mentally draining, I still cannot get over the fact I was offered the opportunity many are not as fortunate to receive.
While I am incredibly grateful to have received this opportunity, no one tells you how difficult it is to have one thing become your whole life. While some of my teammates live close and are able to hang out with their friends, family, and significant others outside of cheer, my life as an out of state rookie solely consists of cheer. Constantly. Lifting in the morning, practice in the afternoons, open gyms in the evenings. This lifestyle is hard to uphold, especially when you’re simply craving some sort of balance. I am so excited for the school year to start up.
I love school, mostly because I love to learn. I am extra excited for school because this semester I’m taking classes for my minors and no stem classes (which I am ecstatic about). My courses involve French, a study of intimate relationships, a class on analysis of arguments, and a study of gender power. While school does not start up until after Labor Day, I am anxiously waiting for the first day of school to arrive so I can connect with my out of state friends and begin to establish some sort of balance in my life.
When I was applying to go to college, I thought moving to another state was a stellar idea and it would be no problem to pack up all my things and hit the road. However, no one tells you the dread and doubt you feel when it actually comes down to moving. I am known to be independent, so I was not expecting it to be so difficult to leave everything I’ve known. While I am just in college and my new home may be just a dorm room, my hometown has now evolved into my childhood home, a home I spend my breaks in, my parent’s home. In my mind, I will never fully live in my childhood home again.
These are all things that I feel every new college student has to face. The homesickness, the adjustment to a new schedule and a new place, the excitement of exploring a new city, and the crave for balance. While my life has become something totally different than what I thought it was going to be a month ago, I cannot help this constant feeling of hope, gratitude, and love for my new home and life.
