Don't get me wrong, college is great! I've met some of the best people here and I've truly been able to learn the type of person I am. It's nice to have the freedom to go out to get a bite to eat with friends without having to ask your parents for permission. For me, school is equally as difficult as high school, if not easier. It's great knowing that homework that is assigned on Monday isn't due until Wednesday, as opposed to on Tuesday like it was in high school.
Being from the Midwest, specifically the suburbs of Chicago, I lived a very different lifestyle than most people at my school. I am a freshman at Colorado State University - Pueblo (CSU-P). CSU-P is populated by a majority of people from all over Colorado as well as many people from California, Arizona, and other western states. It's not like I'm a foreigner here or anything, but there are definitely a lot of differences I have noticed.
To start off, I am sick and tired of everyone commenting on my ChicAAAAgo accent. With every single sentence that comes out of my mouth, at least one person has to comment on a word that I say with my accent. Like, I get it sometimes I make fun of how I say my hometown but with every single sentence, really? It doesn't help that there are very limited number of people at CSU-P from the midwest here at all. I guess it's just something that I'm gonna have to live with for the rest of my time here.
Almost everyone from the midwest can agree with me that they will turn on the water in the shower and wait until the water gets to optimal hotness temperature. Back home that is normal, but here people get mad because because, "California is in a drought". Yea, well Lake Michigan has an abundance of water so I'm not too worried about going into a drought anytime soon. I know I should be more considerate of other people and their situations at home, but you can't get mad at me for not wanting to get into a freezing cold shower.
Lastly, the road system here in Colorado is a bit confusing. I feel like no matter what street I'm on, it's a highway, even if it has stop lights on it. I mean the speed limit could be 65-75mph and in less than 100 yards there will be a stoplight. Back home, not even some of the highways have that high of a speed limit. Also, there are minimal street lights on the roads which already makes it more difficult to drive at night but to add to it, there are no reflectors on the street to show where the lines are on the road. So when I'm trying to turn right at night, I need to use the force and just hope I'm not going into the other lane or driving off the road. I never thought I would say this, but I miss ample street lights and street reflectors.
I love attending school here in Colorado, having an almost 360 degree view of the mountains and almost perfect weather year around is just a couple things keeping me here. It is a slightly different culture than it was back home, but getting used to it comes pretty quickly. I look forward to spending the next 4 years here and I encourage everyone to consider CSU-P as a possible school. I look forward to the many great things that will happen in my life during my time here. Although, I would fix the lack of street reflectors and street lights, Pueblo is a pretty good place to call my second home. The midwest will always be my home and I am so happy I got to grow up and learn there.
