What College Has Taught Me So Far

Hello New Mibba and fellow Mibbians!

It's been well over a year now since I've updated a story and logged into Mibba. I know, it's scary how fast time flies when you're busy! In the past year, I've gone off to school more than two thousand miles away from my home on the East Coast. It was one interesting roller coaster ride I'll tell you. To be a college freshman brings up so many emotions and personal challenges that it makes it difficult to deal with being in a new environment and to be expected to achieve academically as well as create a new life for yourself outside of the comfortable one you left at home. To put that long sentence into some less confusing words for you, my freshman year at college was emotional, challenging and left me with some painful memories that forced me to take a step back and discover who I really am and how much I was willing to change myself just simply to make friends.

I want to give that last part a little more clarity. The biggest thing I learned this year at college is to never, ever, ever let yourself feel like you need to change who you are and what is most important to you to just simply feel like you fit in. I can explain why I learned that this year more than any other year in my academic career. To start, I don't drink. I don't. I know for some of you it's hard to believe a 19 year old girl saying that she doesn't drink. I know, I've gotten that quizzical look nearly 90% of the time I have mentioned my choice to not drink in a friendly conversation. I'm one of the few who is most interested in her academics right now than who's going to buy my booze for Friday night or who am I going to go to the Frat party with. I'm not interested in a lifestyle that involves going to class Monday through Thursday and partying all weekend, drinking so much that I find myself drunk and throwing up constantly because of it. I'm more interested in getting my degrees and finding a good job after college if there even is one out there. It's a challenge at times to be living sober in my generation because at times I feel like I need to be more like those girls who are going out every Friday night and getting trashed simply to meet new people, people who if I didn't drink, I might not even know. But then on the flip side, I've seen so many people get in a world of trouble because they've been caught underage drinking, doing drugs and committing crimes because they were under the influence. I can tell you from my stand point, seeing and hearing about the aforementioned while you're choosing to live sober, is well, sobering. I can't tell you how many times I've been grateful to myself that I'm not out on Friday nights drinking to get drunk and running the risk of getting in huge amounts of trouble with people who aren't even my real friends.

I know not every single person on a college campus drinks to get drunk. There are occasional drinkers and people who drink very little. But for most college freshmen in my generation, people drink to get drunk and have experiences like those seen in Jersey Shore or in The Hangover. I have talked to people who say that after freshmen and sophomore year, people tend to settle down a little and become more serious about their studies. It's true, but then again, there are cases of people just sliding through college, mostly drinking and getting by with mediocre grades. If that works for them, then fine. All the power to them. But for me, I feel it's best for me not to be out drinking so much right now. Yes, in the future when I'm old enough and out of college, you will find me out with my friends at a bar a few times a month, having a good time. I see that as more comfortable because I'll be with friends who I can really trust.

So you might be sitting there wondering, what do I do on Friday night and why doesn't it include signing into Mibba and updating a story or posting a blog? For the most part, I am busy on Friday nights. I do have a life that I am comfortable with that doesn't include drinking. I have met some interesting people on campus through classes and other various activities most of which include volunteer work. I often hang out with them, watching a good movie, eating good food and just being me with people who care and want to be around me for who I am, not what a substance makes me do or say. Other Friday nights, the ones more closer to exams or finals, I am stuck in my dorm studying and preparing for my exams. I knew going into college that my time would be very limited and I most likely would not have time to devote to writing a new chapter for one of my stories posted on here. But more recently since the Spring semester ended and my first summer session ended, I have found more time to devote to Mibba. I logged in for the first time in months just a few days ago and picked an old story of mine titled Rocker Chic and read through it. Suddenly, my plans for the story all came running back to me and I had a burst of energy and desire to write a new chapter. So I did and I posted it. Ever since then, I've been contemplating the idea of continuing to write, whether it be just for the summer or for the summer and hopefully beyond. My writing plans as of now include to finish Rocker Chic this summer and hopefully start some new material. We shall see.

I do hope this blog makes sense to those who read it. I hope my discussing college-related drinking does not offend anyone. I did not write about it with the intent to start a debate about underage drinking. I ask that my opinions and experiences related to the subject are respected and not violated.