I’ve learned how to open my eyes to let the emptiness and darkness in and challenge them.
The second we open our eyes in the morning we make a decision: “Will today be a good day or will today be a bad day?” and every second after that we follow that decision until it’s the next morning. Some mornings I wake up and I force myself to smile and I find those days to be the best and most successful days. We make the same decisions about situations we are in: “Will I look at the bright side or will I be stubborn and keep holding onto the past?”
The past year has been the same for me. I spent most of my two semesters complaining about the benefits I would have had if I stayed in Queens and how much easier my transition to college would have been but once I looked at the other side of the situation, I realized that moving has opened so many doors for me. It has helped my parents to become more open to letting me have my own responsibilities like working for myself and driving and it’s allowing me to live my life outside of the city and meet friendlier people and live an easier lifestyle.
When I started looking at things the other way, I felt like I was a lot happier because I knew I had a reason to be here. This helped me become less hot-headed and snappy and more focused on enjoying my time here and on my work.
My first year of college has taught me a lot. I’ve learned how to open my eyes to let the emptiness and darkness in and challenge them. I’ve learned to let go and adapt quickly to my surroundings, to be more responsible in every aspect of life, not just my studies and to manage my time so that I can have time for myself to get away for a little bit. Ultimately, I’ve learned that there is a process of growth that automatically happens, and if things aren’t working out the way you planned them, sit back, work on your own things and let life take the wheel for a while- everything will straighten itself out with time.
UAlbany has taught me and my parents that I am capable of much more than I was about 365 days ago. The stars, the mountains, being more productive and outgoing are all very important aspects that college has been able to improve and unlock in me but the most important thing UAlbany has taught me is that the world is within my reach.
From watching my Cultures of Latin American History professor travel to many different parts of the world and bring back parts of it back with him, the countless study abroad programs and opportunities to study outside of the US, UAlbany taught me that the world is truly within my reach which is a view of the world I never would have gotten if this experience wasn’t a part of my life.
Eventually, I’ll be older and I’ll be able to look back at Albany and see this place as another home. I’ll laugh about my current struggles but I’ll be glad that I’ve done the best I could every single day. So in the end of the day, my view of being here is that I’m here to work hard and grow without disruptions or distractions and one day I can go home or anywhere I want to call home. But for now, I am fully happy being here.
One day at a time.
Chapter one: Complete.
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About the Author:
Simonti B. Class of 2019 Major: Intended - Biology Blog Theme: Writing My Own Chapter
Please Note: The views of our student bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the UAlbany Advisement Services Center. These are their stories and their voices.
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