A Tribute to Freshman Year

Hello there, everybody. A lot of you probably know that I started a series called Health in College, but then I realized that I had bad timing with it when I had my second-to-last final. So I don't know how much you were looking forward to the next parts of the series, but those will be posted in August!

...my bad...

Anyway, it's been a while since I just talked about myself and what I've been up to--it has already been half a month since I last wrote to you!--so I figured that now is the time to do it. My year was so full of adventure and unexpected events that I'd like to reflect on. I'm planning to start some sort of spiritual study (I shall announce a book of choice soon!) that'll last over the summer, so if you don't care much about my life and would much rather read something along those lines then please tune in next week or check out the archives!

My first semester was an absolute blessing. I attended a Jesuit school in the Mid-West and it fit me like a glove. I was part of a service and justice community; we had discussions about world issues every week, and I also volunteered at a center for refugees three hours a week as well. I met hundreds of wonderful individuals, some of which became my closest friends, and learned new things about the world and myself every day. I remember waking up in the mornings to thank God for putting me in a place where I felt so happy, at peace. [Depicted on below on the left is me adding my thumb-print and signature to the community tree; on the right is a picture of me and my two good friends just before stuffing our faces with delicious salad, steak, and desserts.]

It was here at this school where I learned the lesson of gratitude. Beauty is everywhere; all you have to do is look up.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough--and more.
-Melody Beattie

I also took this wonderful class that I'd originally thought would be the most mundane one in the world: Christianity in Context. My professor was a spry young man filled with fresh ideas that changed my entire perspective on Faith. It was a wonderful experience for me. Although I was introverted, he still asked for my opinions--he did his best to include the entire class on discussions. I wish all theology classes could be as open and welcoming as his.

First semester was also a busy time as I ran from one meeting to the next. I'd wanted so much to be involved, and there were a ton of awesome organizations at this school that I just had to be a part of. I wasn't bored for a moment. Every hour was an adventure!

You could probably imagine how heartbroken I was when I transferred the next semester to a state university due to personal reasons. I don't mean to bring sadness to this blog, but I went through a very difficult period of my life that really rocked my world.

Just so I don't turn this post into a big ol' sob story, I want to say that there are two major things that are helping me move away from all of the pain that happened after my first semester: pursuing my passion and little acts of kindness.

My biggest passion isn't that hard to guess:

End of the year picture of the team! Can you find me?

I joined the Taekwondo team and grew stronger physically and emotionally. I cannot fully express how welcoming, accepting, and loving this team was/is. Taekwondo has been a passion since the first time I tried it a few years ago, but being a part of a group that is as passionate as I am--maybe even more!--pushed me to pursue goals that I'd never even dreamed of before. I love this team so much because they not only gave me a place--they welcomed me here and would probably put up a fight if I tried to leave. (No pun intended.)

Also, the little acts of kindness. They're pretty self-explanatory, but I believe that I wasn't able to appreciate firsthand how impactful they are until this last semester. It's just that my parents raised me to be a headstrong, confident person, and I have been blessed with loving family and friends...it simply didn't matter how other people treated me because I had everything that mattered in an arm's reach. But at this new school, feeling as isolated and vulnerable as I did, small glitters of kindness made it all seem that much less hostile.

So when you hear people tell you to always show kindness because you never know what somebody is going through, IT'S TRUE! 

Despite the difficult times, I still found myself growing and smiling. (Continuing with writing the blog and reading your comments really helped keep me on track!) The college experience on its own is uplifting. I had the privilege of sharing my story, listening to others', and becoming a part of their stories too. I look forward to continue this theme of story-telling.

New friends and special memories <3

It was also this semester when I decided that I would take another whack at writing my novel. Remember last November? Hopefully this summer will go a lot better! (One can only hope, right?) Anyway, I'm planning to continue blogging too, so please continue checking in for weekly posts!

I don't know what it'll be like for you guys, reading this diary entry. There is a lot to reflect upon, so I had to pick and choose a couple things to share with you. I'm sorry if it seemed scatterbrained at any points... Picking and choosing can be difficult when it comes to your own life!

But now that you've heard a bit of my year, I'd like to learn about how yours was! What was one of your favorite experiences? What's one thing you've learned? Please leave a comment (or link to your blog if you've reflected on the school year too), and I'll see you next week!

Smile on,
-Riley XO

The Meaning of High School Friendships

There are a lot of directions I can take with this topic, so we could probably call this "Part 1."

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My last day of school was Thursday--and let me tell you, it's been one heck of a close. I don't know how naïve this sounds, but I expected to go out the way the kids in that movie High School Musical did: throwing papers, dancing, and singing--having a good time with friends that would always be there with me. Life, however, is a lot more complicated than that. As my friends and I signed each others' yearbooks leaving some sincere, heartfelt notes, there were definitely some mixed emotions.

People have varying ideas of what high school friends are for. I remember sitting with a couple random kids earlier this year during English. One of them said, "To be honest, I don't think I'm ever gonna talk to any of you ever again. For the most part, it'll be like, yeah, it was cool. We had some fun times. But you don't make your real friends 'til college."

To me, it seems like a depressing way to considers one's friends, and my mind was somewhat saddened when I realized that many people believe that high school friendships are just built to be fun for the time-being--temporary. Actually, some people I consider to be very close think that high school relationships are not meant to last and only exist in the now.

I say that it seems depressing to me because I was on the other extreme.

I was determined to keep all of my relationships intact while forging new connections in college. On Thursday after class was over, I talked to my friend Val about staying in touch, referring to my current relationship with Kevin, who was a freshman at Cornell this past year, as sort of a standard.

Kevin had quickly moved on from his time in high school. He'd plunged into a rigorous academic track, registering for 21 credits this last semester. He also joined a project team for engineering, and had a whole new social life to deal with.

As you can probably guess, Kevin didn't have the time to pay attention to everything that happened to me. And my own life had gotten so busy that I still don't really know each detail about Cornell, or even the names of most of his friends. As I scroll through our conversations, most of them are very brief.

But the point of the matter is, we're still here for each other.

When I went through hard times, Kevin knew about them, and offered whatever advice or kindness that he could. And when he was studying for his difficult exams or was stressing out about personal issues, I also did what I could to help.

As I consider my relationship with Kevin, my relationships with my friends from middle school (who I'd say are still some of my absolute best friends), I realize this is true:

So while my friends from high school will be doing many things that I won't be involved in, it's okay. Because I know that I can still count on them when I'm in need, and I'll be there for them whatever they go through.

It's impossible to maintain the friendships the way they are now. However, the experiences in high school aren't meaningless, and neither are the people.

The most important part of your high school friends are the experiences you have together, because these are what help you grow. So the best thing you can do is to thank them for these experiences, and try to keep in touch the way Kevin and I do, the way Val and I will. I've made some valuable friendships these past four years. The best ones are sure to last with a little bit of effort. 

Cherish the memories, and love the people you're with. 

To end on a cheesy note (so I don't drag on forever), here are the lyrics from this little tune I learned from my Girl Scout years:

Make new friends,

But keep the old;

One is silver and the other's gold.

A circle is round,

It has no end--

That's how long we shall all be friends.

Take care,

-Riley XO