Recently, I had the choice between staying in Orlando, Florida to do the Disney College Program or going home. This is why I left the college prorgam and how my life changed and is still changing.

When I first started the college program, I was nervous. Everyone was, but I thought that everything would settle down and subside once I made friends and got in a routine. Neither of those happened for me. I had difficulty making friends, feeling at home in my apartment, and overall being happy. I felt as if I wasn't myself. I truly wanted to give it a fair chance, so I stuck it out for two weeks, but I fainted my first day of work. I tried changing roles, hoping that this would be the light at the end of the tunnel, but it was too complicated to change roles. That's when I knew I needed to leave.

I came home thinking that everything would be normal, but ever since then, nothing has been normal. The day after I came home, my father was rushed to the ER because he had a low-blood pressure attack. His BP was 60 over 45, with the EMS saying that it was coma state and that it was a miracle he was walking, let alone driving that morning. It turned out that he needed quintuple bypass surgery and without it, he would die. Of course, he scheduled surgery for the following Monday. He's doing much better now and I've been taking care of him as best as I can.

Not only did my father have a major life-changing surgery, I have my own personal struggles as well. My boyfriend and I planned on doing the program together, but due to my circumstances when I was in Orlando, I left and he supported my decision and is currently still down there. We currently have a long distance relationship, which is definitely a challenge for both of us since neither one of us has ever done long distance, but we're trying our best to make it work and aren't giving up on each other.

My friends at home all have their own jobs and their own lives to live. They planned on not seeing me for a long time, so trying to make the time is incredibly hard for both my friends and I. To add insult to injury, I was in a car accident a few days ago. My friend and I were T-Boned, and it hit my side of the car. While my shoulders are sore, no one was seriously hurt, but nobody ever wants to be in a car accident.

All of these events have happened in a three week time period. I didn't plan on leaving the DCP when I did. I didn't plan on my father becoming seriously ill. I didn't plan on having a long-distance relationship. I didn't plan on being in a car accident. Everything just happened all at once. With everything that has happened to me these past few weeks, one thing that I've learned is that life doesn't care about your plans. Things happen that are not in our control, but we have to roll with the punches. Instead of having a fun summer in Disney, I have to be home, caring for my dad, making long-distance work, looking for a job, and trying to care for myself all at once. Right now, my life is difficult, but I'm doing the best I can to learn from everything that's happened. So far the only certain thing I know is that we can never be certain about anything.