Welcome to Bridgewater College, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by mountains, parks, and scenic views. The town of Bridgewater is small, to say the least, and packed full of some of the nicest people you could meet. The school itself, a small, private, liberal arts college, is full of a wide variety of people with different backgrounds, stories, and experiences. Students begin to make connections and friends of a lifetime, get an education, and begin the rest of their lives.
But in just a blink of an eye, two more semesters are gone, students take their exams, pack up their rooms, say their goodbyes for the summer, and head home. But after spending months in Bridgewater, surrounded by our friends and friendly townspeople, and adjusted to our way of life, getting back to the real world can be a bit of an adjustment. There are five major adjustment we Bridgewater students have to go through, and not all of them are easy.
1. Other Humans.
While at Bridgewater, you get used to seeing the same faces everyday. You know your classmates, and you have the tendency to know a large amount of people. We get to know the professors on a personal level, and we befriend the staff as well. We even get used to seeing some of the locals walking their dogs on campus every night. So when we leave our little world and step out into the much larger world, all of the new people we don't know can be a little, well, unnerving.
2. Other Humans that aren't too Friendly.
People at Bridgewater are abnormally friendly. You know, people stop and hold doors and smile as you walk bye. It's normal to say hello to complete strangers, and strangers become good friends relatively quickly. So for students, going back to the real world with people who don't even acknowledge your presence is pretty odd. It's hard not to get offended when cashiers don't smile and act friendly, well, that is, until you realize you aren't at Bridgewater anymore.
3. Real Food
Despite all of the good things about Bridgewater, there are a few down falls. The most obvious being the food. Some days the food is a mystery, and other days there's a small amount of hope. Usually though, it's a mystery. Going home for the summer means better food with home cooked meals... hopefully.
4.Trying to pull off the same stuff you do at school at home.
Bridgewater is all about being responsible (and sober), but let's not forget, it's still a college filled with college students. While we play by the rules for the most part, there are always the weekends, where we like to do our own thing. At school, it's easier to get away with somethings, but with parents around, we have to be a little more sneaky.
5. Waiting to go back.
We like being home, we really do. But one of the hardest adjustments is getting used to waiting. Our friendships are now long distance, we're working rather than thinking, and there's not a whole lot going on. We have to get used to waiting to head back to Bridgewater, and let's be honest, that's not an easy thing to do.
