What it is like moving halfway across the country?

 

When I was four, my parents moved 15 minutes across town. We packed our belongings up, loaded a UHaul and began to go from point A to point B. It was cool having a bigger room, a yard to play catch in but it took a while to get used to. 16 years later, I had to settle myself into a new place again. This time not 15 minutes from where I called home before, but now six states away and halfway across the country.

As a senior in high school, I was affixed on going to college at the University of Alabama. It was in my DNA. Both of my parents are alumni and I grew up cheering and exclaiming “Roll Tide”. I remember meeting with my high school graduation counselor and she mentioned to me about Oklahoma State’s Sports Media program. Sure it was a long shot, but at the time, it just didn’t feel right.

Neither school was where I attended out of high school. I ended up going to a community college because of missing scholarship and application deadlines after a rise in my ACT score that December. Two years later, I found myself in the same shoes as I did as a senior in high school. What’s next? After a trek to Stillwater, Oklahoma and a ride down I-20 West to Tuscaloosa, I had a decision to make. Move 50 minutes away or 13 hours away? Well, here I am now in Stillwater so you know how that decision turned out.

Moving away from home was a bittersweet moment. The eagerness to be on your own but now in a new place and learning the culture and how things go. It was a cramped ride from Birmingham to Stillwater. Both my truck and my parents’ car stuffed away with basically my whole life packed in Rubbermaid containers and duffel bags.

Moving here was tough to begin with. Not knowing the exact mileage it takes to go to your go-to lunch spot or getting acclimated with the traffic takes time to learn. Also, moving from a suburban city to what really is a “college town” was interesting. I was so eager to get going but I needed to slow down find my bearings in the place I now call home.

It all a part of becoming independent. From relying on mom and dad to help solve problems to now finding solutions on your own. Learning how to budget- and let me say that is a tough one. “You can’t have Chick Fil A every day,” my mom told me days before I moved out here. And trust me, I would if I could. But with that, buying your own groceries, preparing food and maybe overcooking a few pieces of chicken on your grill (whoops). It’s all a part of finding what you are and what to improve in as you go on with life.

To close, a tip I would give to someone who is going to do what I did- Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone. Experience new things. Meet people- don’t be shy. And lastly, embrace being on your own. It will take some time to get used but once you do, you feel right back at home.

 

Hub