The first time I left Guam was when I went on vacation. I wasn't going to live somewhere for an extended period of time without my parents when we went on vacation. But the second time I left, I went with one parent and was left in the states with relatives. I did not get to go home this time, nor did I have the choice. College was going to come up in a year, and I had to get residency so my parents could pay for college. 

Oklahoma is a vast valley of rolling hills and cows. I stayed with my sister and her family in Lawton, Oklahoma, so that I could get residency for the sake of my parents' wallets--for college was going to be expensive. Staying somewhere other than Guam was a drastic change for me. Not only was I away from my family and friends, I was far away from my home. It was hard to accept the fact that Oklahoma was going to be my new home for the next 5 years. My mother flew over with me from Guam in 1997 to help me get settled, and left me two months later. I cried every night after she left until Christmas time. By then I was settled in and trying to have a happy life. The holidays and seasons rolled by; I saw snow for the first time that year, along with my first experience of cold weather. My senior year passed by so quickly, and I graduated in May of 1998 with straight A's. 

The summer of 1998 was freshmen orientation at the University of Oklahoma. I went with my friends on a two hour drive to Norman, Oklahoma, where the university is located. At least three times a month my friends and I took trips to go on tours of the campus or dorms. The first time I saw a dorm room, I was disgusted. I didn't like the idea of having a roommate. I thought I would end up with some psycho lady. I thought that college would be easy. All my expectations were not met when I started college that fall. 

My first semester in college was boring, and-in all honesty-difficult. I had to get used to not having privacy, as well as getting used to waking up on my own. It was my first taste of responsibility; it was bittersweet. The first day of classes were terrible for me. I hated waking up at eight in the morning to go to class. My schedule was full; there were no breaks for me in the day throughout the week. I was a full-time student struggling to make good grades. The readings and exams were all but too much for me, and after the first semester ended, I learned a lesson--get later classes and less hours. As for the roommate, she and I ended up getting along, and we've become good friends. We share everything. My friends in college told me I was lucky. Some were stuck with psychos! But out of everything that happened came side effects. 

When kids fresh out of high school go to college, they experience something unreal. The first year of college is like detention--you go in without a clue as to what to do, try to study, but end up daydreaming. To top it off, students tend to get addicted to certain foods or need certain medications. Coffee is a miracle drink for college students. Not only is it loaded with caffeine, but it tastes great and keeps the body warm during winter. Caffinated anything works, especially these caffinated peppermints, candy, coffee cake, or buzz beans. Buzz beans are the best things in the world! They are chocolate-covered espresso beans and are sold at candy shops and Plantation stores. When it comes to medication, No-Doz, vivarin, and when we students need to sleep, Sominex are neccessitites. Without these glorious foods and pills, I don't think any college student could get through a week. 

Besides all the addictions, homesickness and studying, there is always the joys of being away from home: Friends, parties, snowfights, new experiences, and lots of love. We get to experience life away from home and away from parents. The biggest thing about being away from home is responsibility. Now is the best time to learn this, for our parents will leave this earth one day and they won't be able to help their children. We all need to learn how to live on our own, and college is the best time to start learning. Although I miss home terribly and miss having my parents cook breakfast or wake me up for school, I am learning how to do all these things for myself. Without the knowledge of how to live on my own, I don't think I could live in the real world.