I have completed my first semester here in #PureMichigan and
I feel like I have processed the event to share my opinions.
It seems surreal that I got my acceptance letter in
mid-August, quit my jobs, packed up my stuff and hit the road two weeks later with no idea
where I was going to sleep that night. Many people call it brave. I personally
feel that bravery implies you do something with full understanding of what you
are undertaking; it didn’t click for me. I signed my first lease, moved all my
stuff in, and it still didn’t click. In all honesty, I struggled with the idea
that I was squatting in someone else’s apartment for weeks and that the
management office was going to come along one day while I was gone and put my
stuff outside. I felt as if I pulled the con of the century. I somehow
convinced the office that I was an adult who was responsible enough to pay rent
and maintain an apartment. I passed a credit check, which wasn’t a surprise.
The killer was me passing the income verification with paycheck subs from my
part time job at Old Navy, which I worked at 10 hours a week at $9 an hour.
Nothing BUT the grace of God got me though that!
I acquired new
furniture, decorated, but was never quite at the point that I felt like I was
home. It took a good two months for it to sink in that this was going to be it.
I cannot even pick out a turning point. I think maybe when I went to my old
apartment in Chicago and saw a new tenant there was it. To quote one of my
favorite songs There’s no going back. I’m
moving ahead.
I was feeling homesick in November. I did not really have it
in the budget or my time schedule to go home to Chicago for the holidays and
somehow I got the bright idea to start modeling in Detroit. Apparently there
was a lot of demand for a fresh face out here and out of three go-sees, I
nailed all THREE! One I couldn’t do (a fashion show) because of a scheduling
conflict with school. The other two are coming up soon. So exciting!
School out here is different than back in Chicago in a
number of ways. The campus is WAY smaller! All my classes will be in one
building, primarily one room. I will be working in another building with
clients. I’m taking 4 classes, which is unheard-of at my alma mater, UIC. It’s
also less diverse. There aren’t any hijabs, or red dots in the middle of
anyone’s forehead, or the sounds of foreign languages as I walk the halls. I
heard a familiar Hanukkah tune whistled once and that was it. For my four
classes, I have two professors. Both are very nice yet polar opposites. One is
very stoic yet personable while the other is an neurotic, open book. They
balance each other out well. My classmates are interesting. They all have these
different complexities and nuances that make getting to know them outside of
class interesting, for the most part. I have a few that I just clicked with
right away and others, I’ve resolved to just keep it professional. It’s great
to have these relationships with my classmates where we are uplifting,
encouraging each other, keeping each other honest, and even confiding. It’s
surreal, yet a welcoming experience.
I even did a semester long church hop. I couldn’t find a
place that was like home! Don’t know why I thought that was gonna be easy. I
found a place that I think will do. I wanted a place that was nearby so a
church 10 minutes away was fine. The congregation took well to me. I’m making
it a point to talk to the pastor this weekend and have him answer a few of my
questions. My dad didn’t understand the rationality behind extensive church. I
love him dearly but he things church is just you worshiping and that’s it so
any mass would do. No fellowship, no community, no mentoring. I wanted all that
and felt compelled to find it again. Sometimes parents just don’t understand.
With my first semester under my belt, I’m ready for what
lies ahead.
