It is a hard life for a freshman. Being new anywhere calls for painful goodbyes, difficult transitions and memorable foot-in-mouth moments. As you learn to adjust, I can guarantee that there will most certainly be a surplus of the latter. Don’t let anyone older fool you; we’ve all been in your shoes. Starting new somewhere is no one’s cup of tea, but it’s one of those things that we have to do in life. Please know that it only gets better from here. Most importantly, please acknowledge that awkwardness is a part of humanity — everyone suffers from it, though some are better at hiding it than others. I have a theory that at certain times in our lives — no matter how old we are — the “awkward years” of our adolescence can manifest themselves randomly and reappear. A good example of this would be something that happened in my very own freshman year experience.
It was dinner time, last September, and I — being my usual hungry self — decided to indulge in Chick-fil-A. I went to the student center and picked up a freshly made chicken sandwich. I could feel the delicious warmth underneath the wrapping, calling my name. I was about to leave when I saw it, glowing like a beacon of sweet liquid sunshine: the lemonade machine. I couldn’t resist. I walked over to it, my mouth watering, and started to fill a cup with the fragrant nectar. Only, it wasn’t filling. The nozzle was only letting out a tiny trickle. The tank, however, was full of lemonade — I could see it right there. I wasn’t about to give up. I pressed the cup down a little harder, and finally the drink started flowing regularly. All was well, or so I thought. When I went to remove the full cup, the lemonade didn’t stop pouring out. Being afraid to call attention to disaster, I only managed to make a frightened gasp that a nearby employee picked up on. Immediately, she ran over to the counter and started yelling at her coworkers to get a bucket — and I mean she yelled loudly. Of course, by now, the crowded student center was watching the spectacle with glee. The lemonade just kept on flowing, filling up the drain-tray and covering the countertops; making a pale yellow waterfall to the floor, which started to puddle fast. The full tank was now halfway empty. The employee had run over beside me, yelling and trying to stop the torrent to no avail. As she was fidgeting with the nozzle, the floodgates burst forth, and the whole thing popped off—leaving a hole in the tank for the rest of the liquid to make its escape. All in a few moments, she was soaked, the place was a disaster zone and I had quietly slipped away to check out, thoroughly embarrassed with a now cold sandwich in hand. I promise that I’m not proud of this moment of cowardice.
Freshmen, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation — don’t panic. The pain will only last for a few brief moments, hopefully. I encourage anyone reading this (freshman or not) to simply relax and embrace the awkward moments in life. It’s actually quite fun to look back on them. You might as well appreciate not taking things too seriously while you’re still working out the kinks of the school year — and once that’s done, you’re free to sit back and enjoy. Good luck, and remember: Think twice before you go to fill up on lemonade in the student center.
