So i've been MIA for a couple of weeks because... I GRADUATED!! Yay!! Congrats to myself *pat pat on the back*
It's still a shock to me that I left Buffalo... i am no longer an undergrad..It feels so weird to not worry about exams and papers or when the next upcoming deadline is.
They say that college is the best 4 years of your life. I'm not sure if I can confirm on that yet since i hope I have another 50 years ahead of me. But it was the most academically challenged and personal growth years of my life so far. I learned so much about the world, my passion, psychology, and so much about myself. I use to hate Buffalo, I always wanted to be home. There was nothing in that cold bitter city for me. But now i miss being able to see the cold air every time i blow air out, the generosity of people making small talk, the empty roads and quick traffic lights; somehow in the midst of my college years, Buffalo became less desolated.
College has exposed me to so many different academic fields, I wanted to be a doctor, then volunteered at a hospital, then took orgo and hated it. then decided on PA but then hated the rest of the bio classes. Then followed what I always knew i loved, the study of the mind and behavior. then i focused on research, and was so fortune to find a mentor who cared so deeply about his studies but also his students. Then I started surrounding myself with people who taught and enraptured the studies i fell in love with.As time went on i started to find my place in this uncanny, enriching environment. Though classes and papers are difficult, everyday i found myself imbued with what i was studying, because i love it.
Besides school, i learned so much about myself; who i was, who i wanted to be, how to become a better person. I dealt with heartbreaks, and i learned (still learning now) how to respect myself and not fall in the traps of f*ckboys. But I was surrounded by good, genuine people. People who honestly wanted to see me succeed and believed in me. They wanted the best for me. and i dont think i've ever encountered that in NYC. In NYC everyone is so cut-throat, putting themselves first. New Yorkers are nice people, but they would always want whats best for themselves. They want them to succeed first, and no one could ever top them. In Buffalo, people here supportive and warm. They do things without expecting something in return and it has helped me to become a better person. To leave the cynical NYC person behind and to help others and want others to succeed just as much as i do. It's competitive in the academic field, but I was so fortunate to be around counselors, erudite professors, friends, classmates; who saw my battle as their own battle. And from everyone's kindness, I slowly started to become a more positive, self-accepting person.
There use to be times when i wished I went to a school at home to save money, be surrounded by what i'm comfortable with. But i think leaving home, leaving NYC; going to somewhere where I could find my place and accept myself. I think that is the best thing I can take from Buffalo. So goodbye Buffalo... for now.
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