As I sit here writing this post, I hear the rain pounding down on the tin roof of my house in the middle of the rainforest. You’re probably thinking, “Wait, Newark, DE is definitely not the middle of the rainforest.” Well, you’re right. I’m currently spending the semester abroad in Cameroon interning for World Team, a missions agency based out of Warrington, Pennsylvania. I’m taking a semester off from school to pursue my passions and get some experience living and working internationally. As I wrote about last spring, UD has been nothing but supportive and honestly, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s been really hard to be away.
I miss my friends, my classes, the clubs I’m a part of, and just the general community of UD. College is a unique time in life because you are surrounded by people all in the same age-demographic as you. I think that is one of the things that I miss the most about campus. The only other American girl who is my age out here still lives about twenty minutes away. It’s a weird reality that you step into.
Also, on campus, you really are never alone. Yes, maybe you live in a single, or maybe your roommate is never home, but still. Most of your friends probably live fifteen minutes away at most and you could always go to Morris, Perkins, or the gym and see someone you know. There are so many places to go to be alone together, including on Main Street. If I’m having a bad day and need to vent, my closest friends can be over in seconds. That’s a luxury that does not exist in most of life, especially when you’re in a remote area of Africa.
Part of the idea of constant community is a college thing in general, but I think it is also something UD does incredibly well. UD gives us spaces to convene and hang out without worrying about imposing on someone’s personal space. From the second I arrived on campus in fall of 2016, I was meeting new people and making new friends. Despite being a relatively large state school, it is almost impossible for me to walk across campus without seeing someone I know because of the way UD promotes community.
The post is meant to be more than my rambling about how much I miss UD’s campus. I want to encourage everyone to enjoy your four years. Enjoy having your best friends right down the hall from you. Enjoy being able to go to the Pod for midnight snack runs. Enjoy having so many options of delicious food places on Main Street. Enjoy what UD has to offer because before you know it your four years will be over.
