Being home is nice. Sitting in my old chair, sleeping in my old bed, seeing my high school friends, talking to my mo, watching Star Trek. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like you’re running that fast until you take a breather.
It’s interesting to think about how that last quarter went. Defintely busier than the one before, but a lot of fun at the same time. The dynamics of the dorm especially changed. Perhaps it’s not wholly accurate, but it somewhat seems like that people are finally comfortable around each other, and willing to be a more complete person. In that first quarter, it was all about meeting people and getting along with everyone. In that manner, we really only presented ourselves as conforming to what everyone was doing. Uptight isn’t quite the right word; we were “particular.”
This quarter, we had more chances to delve deeper into the things we enjoy doing. I noticed this first when we had a one night resurrection of “Diablo 2,” a computer game from our junior high days. A bunch of us sat around in the lounge and hooked up to play together for a couple hours. Recently, the kid next door brought his “Magic” cards, prompting a revival in that and Pokemon. As such, I now have “Magic” cards and some of my RPG books ready to take back when I head back.
But I’ve done other stuff. I took a tour of Austin last week to visit my sister and friends there. They didn’t give me a tour, but I saw their dorms and talk about what they’ve been up to. Some people are the same. It’s always reassuring to know that there are some that you can depend on. It’s been less than a year since high school ended, so perhaps some transformations are slow.
That doesn’t mean that college hasn’t drastically changed some. Over lunch at the “Italian Longhorn” (plug for their awesome falafel wrap), my friends and I gossiped about some of our old classmates. We’ve barely seen some, and probably forgotten about more, but sometimes come across someone who it seems that we never knew. College has empowered some to work, as they realize that the work ethic from high school won’t work anymore. For others, college has opened them to many new possibilities, complete freedom has liberated them into new paths.
They say that people are largely shaped by their environments, and are completely different depending on what situation people are in. We may think that our essential character is unchanging, but we’re always adapting and can’t afford to remain constant in a changing world.
I’m sure the natural selection of friendships will continue in the wake of great climate change from entering college, but the gossip will keep going around. There’s nothing more interesting than another human: you never know what to expect.