The last twelve months have been filled with constant change. It seems as soon as I feel fully adapted to a new environment, I’m taken away and brought back to my home. It often feels like it’s stripping me of growing and fully becoming engulfed in my surroundings; however, it is the opposite.
Being in all of these new situations–new job, new friends, new home-has strengthened my ability to quickly adapt to a new situation and accept things for what they are. From May 31 to today, I have been working and living in Detroit, a place relatively foreign to me; I have been here countless times, but have never lived here. Once I arrived on Memorial Day, I had to adapt to this new situation. It felt like Welcome Week of college again, with everyone meeting others and being forced to memorize the tedious introduction script with important details like name, hometown, and major. Work was not challenging, but these social interactions took a lot out of me.
Other changes, like being surrounded by another new group of strangers, forced me to adapt and try and become a part of the community. Through this change, I have met many people I hope to stay friends with throughout the next three years of college. Meeting people and making strong friendships was not seamless at first freshman year, but it was so much easier here. I’m not sure the reason for this: my new ability to adapt, or a friendly cohort? My guess is both.
Your sense of self and personality is tested when placed in new situations and environments. Often, it feels like a constant struggle to recreate how I feel I fit into this world. While everything else changes around me, the one thing I try and keep constant is a positive sense of self. There’s a Groucho Marx quote that has always struck true to me: “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.” I find that, within large groups, I am perplexed how I got here or how I fit in. By being exposed to new groups frequently, I’m able to get over this feeling and recognize my place within it all, or at least try to do so. Obviously, this line is comedic and not meant to be interpreted as some philosophical statement meant to change the world.
September of this year will be a similar experience, though I already have one year of experience behind me. I have the friends I made freshman year and the friends from this program, along with a strong familiarity of Umich. I will continue to live mindfully in the present while knowing that the I am well prepared for the near future, a great mental state.
All of the new things I’ve been exposed to in the past 12 months will aid me in the future when life may get unpredictable. I’m very fortunate to be able to experience such things at this point in my life.
