Going to school out of state is probably the best decision I've ever made. I go to class and I don't see a single person I knew from high school, or anyone that lives near me. It's good to meet new people, see new places, and start over.
A lot of weird things happen once you leave the place you lived at for 19 years, and go somewhere completely different.
1. "Do we know each other? What high school did you go to? You look really familiar."
True story. A girl I never met asked me if we knew each other. What? I don't even go here. I awkwardly told her that I wasn't from the area, and that I don't even live in the state, and everything was weird after that.
2. "How have you not been here before?"
All the restaurants, museums, and anywhere I go it's always like this: "This place is the best have you ever been here? "No." "What? You're joking."
3. "You have a funny/weird accent".
That's funny. I never knew I had one in the first place. You have a weird one too. #pittsburghthings #yinz
4. Please don't ask me where anything is, because I have no idea.
No, I don't know where the nearest anything is, or how far any town away from school is. I'll just tell you 20-30 minutes and hope that's right.
5. Living two places at once.
Every time I leave to go home, I feel like I'm leaving my second home. The minute I leave I just wanna go back and be with my friends. Also, if I forget something, it's there until I get back. There is no way I'm turning around to get it. I can't go there whenever I want like my friends who actually live there, which sucks. Also, living out of a book bag is not as easy as it sounds.
6. Sports...The Cleveland who?
I never felt so out of place until the basketball team won something.. see yeah I don't even know what they won. Or what even all the baseball teams are or any other sports teams. All I know is anything about the Steelers, Pens, Pirates, and that the Cleveland Browns suck.
7. Trying to hang out with friends during breaks.
Pretty much impossible. Its not 20 minute drive. It's easy for everyone who is already in the state to hang out, but for me I need weeks in advance for the long drive, the only good thing about driving for so long is all the music I can listen to. Seeing my friends makes the long drive worth it.
8. Summer Break
This summer, I went months without seeing some of my friends, but we made days and weeks that we would see each other. Distance is extremely hard, and it makes me feel like if I made the right decision by going to school in a different state, but then when I finally see my friends I know that I made the right choice. Distance works when two people are willing to make days and times to see each other and if they care about you they will. Summer isn't too bad, but i'm not looking forward to it.
These are just some things I've experienced, but I wouldn't have it any other way.