It's Not Easy

It seems like everyone who is a substantial distance from home came to Penn State as an escape. They were distancing themselves from overbearing parents, difficult high school relationships or bad towns. Coming here was simply a chance to run away. I was never running away; I was running towards something. Traveling 1,194.5 miles away from home was my attempt to seek something greater than anything I had ever experienced. The magnitude of Penn State drew me in and convinced me that it was where I needed to be, but let me be honest... it's not easy.

There wasn't any reason for me to run away. Stillwater was the perfect place; it offered a warm sense of comfort while I was surrounded by friends and most importantly, my family. We are the essence of dysfunctional, yet we balance each other out excellently. I know that a lot of you have the capability to leisurely drive home for the weekend, but I am not quite as fortunate. For that reason, I have decided to dedicate this post to my family and how we stay connected with minimal opportunities to see each other.

Throughout my life, my interests have been spread across a multitude of facets; however, there was always someone there for everything from watching me play viola, to cheerleading, to playing some ridiculous character in a musical. I think my family's constant, unconditional dedication to everything is what made Penn State feel so starkly different without them here.

 My dad was able to come up for parents weekend and it was fantastic. He hates shopping, but you know what we did A LOT of? Shopping, because he knows that I love it. He dedicated the weekend to giving me an escape from student life and that was exactly what I needed, and it was wonderful that he brought a little sense of home with him.

My mom just sent me a box of Halloween decorations. Her birthday is October 31st, so back home we took the holiday very seriously. Being able to continue the trend, even though I am not at home, truly meant a lot. Also, my mom somehow located this blog (creepy) and according to my dad reads every post aloud to him eight times and cries every time. In a sense, this exemplified her dedication to following me on my Penn State journey, and so I know that although my family isn't physically with me, they still are willing to offer a guiding hand like they always have.

My two sisters and I are about as different as three people raised under the same roof could be, yet I can go to them for anything. My older sister, Kela, is a senior in college, so she knows what I am going through while adapting to the new lifestyle that comes with being a college student. She has a passion for her work and what she wants to do with her life and that is something that I really admire and try to adopt for myself. My younger sister, Sydney, is my mini-me. As her older sister, I have done everything I can to be a good example and help her strive for success. I know high school is a crazy time where you're trying to balance becoming comfortable with yourself and search for what you want to do for your future, and I just hope that she knows how incredibly proud I am of her for all that she has accomplished and for all that she has the potential to accomplish in her future.

I can't dedicate a post to my family without mentioning the sixth family member, my dog. This is Charm and I miss her just as much as the rest of my family, but don't worry; we have regular FaceTime dates and I get daily Snap Chats of her... yes, I am one of those people.

Even though we are all so far apart, nothing has changed. While I am transitioning to this new chapter of my life, I am feeling their support more prominently than ever. Any time I am feeling lonely, they somehow make the most minute gesture to let me know that I am in their thoughts and I know they're still there for me.