The Ouachita Bubble.

The tiny layer of comfort and protection we feel here on campus as we are surrounded by professors that care, friends that love us and answers to all of our endless questions. But the reality is, this tiny bubble of comfort that surrounds us here at Ouachita will someday pop. For some, the bubble pops earlier than others. For people like me, we’re trying to keep the bubble around us for as long as it can withstand. The Ouachita Bubble. It’s a thing, and I’m terrified to leave it.

The world is a big and scary place, but not as scary as the thought of having to leave the safety of Ouachita and plunge head first into the hustle and bustle of the working world. Of course, it’s doable. Everyone does it. But for me, the thought of being a part of that world right now is simply intimidating. Ouachita has taught me so many things about living on my own and learning to wash and dry my laundry, but there are still so many unanswered questions that linger in my head. How am I supposed to know when to clean my room without an RA emailing me that I have a room check coming up next week? How am I supposed to feed myself without the “caf” being right outside my room? Where do I go for answers when I don’t know how to do something at work? There aren’t any generous professors in the working world that are a phone call away with their helpful services. How will I ever survive on my own in a world outside of the Ouachita Bubble?

Inside the bubble, I am surrounded by friends and peers and an abundance of activities to keep me entertained. I’ve heard that in the real world, most of my leisure time will be spent at home alone on my couch, watching Netflix on my TV. That is, if I even have cable once I get out of school. Ouachita has always graciously provided me with that service. I’m not prepared for life in a quiet house all alone. What is a night’s sleep without hearing girls in the room above me slamming their drawers and stomping around their room all night? Wait. Actually, maybe a quiet night’s sleep doesn’t sound too bad. But still, that’s the only part of this whole “living in the real world” thing that I’ve found somewhat appealing thus far.

The Ouachita Bubble. The tiny layer of comfort that is currently surrounding every aspect of my life. The very place I am terrified to remove myself from. The bubble, it’s definitely a thing. Ouachita is and forever will be my home, and someday I will be ready to set foot into the crazy world that we call life and show everyone everything that Ouachita has taught me in my time here. But for now, I am absolutely, positively, perfectly content staying right here inside this tiny world we know as the Ouachita Bubble.