LIFE LATELY // An Honest Reflection on Moving to Boise

LIFE LATELY // An Honest Reflection on Moving to Boise

• Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Hello everyone! I haven't done a "Life Lately" post in what seems like forever, and when I do the writing for my outfit posts, I've been trying to keep them fairly quick and mainly about the outfit and what I might have done while wearing it. When I look back at my old posts, I realize just how different my style of blogging has become. While I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, I sometimes miss the openness and endearing candidness with which I used to blog. While my blog title has become Dragonfruit Diaries, my posts have become less and less "diary"-like as they used to be. 

So today, I'd like to sit down and honestly tell you what I've been up to and experiencing since moving to Boise for college. 

1. University level is different than community college level.

This was something I had a hard time adjusting to. In my last few semesters at the community college I attended, I had very easy classes that were a breeze to get A's in. However, switching to BSU made me realize how spoiled I had been. Classes had a much higher expectation level that I struggled to reach at times. I'm still frustrated by my experience in Printmaking, as I was consistently below the quality of work I wanted to produce, especially compared to my classmates. Despite the hardships, I survived the semester, albeit not as successfully as I might have wished. I'm going to call it a learning experience and come back more prepared next year though!

2. Not living 20 minutes away from home is tough.
While it's nice living away from your parents, there is a certain essence of comfort to be found in that place called home that no other substitute quite has. I miss being able to escape the apartment and spend a night at mom and dad's for some peace and quiet every now and then. 

3. Being uprooted from all your family and close friends is lonely - even if you're a loner.

I knew it would be difficult to start over in a completely new city. As I've grown, I've realized just how many traits I share with my dad. While we both can be social and fairly charismatic, our inner selves just want the freedom of being on our own and only having a few close and dear friends to share moments with. Put me in a crowd and I shrink into myself, wanting nothing more than to escape and go back to my room and curl up with a book. However, having a few, close friends that I could be myself around is a rare and precious thing, and I realized just how precious that type of bond is when it was taken away from me. Sharing that sort of connection with people is one I find important and a necessity.

4. It's important to have a space you love.
Speaking of my room, that's what turned into my sanctuary away from the stress and craziness of the world. I really love how I set up my room and managed to put together to create a space of my own. It was like a mini home that I loved walking into at the end of the day. 

5. Don't drive yourself to the ground doing just work and school - learn to have some fun too!
This was my biggest struggle. Instead of going out and exploring the area and discovering all the new places to eat or shop, I found myself being consumed by a never ending load of school, work, and trying to blog. It was only towards the end of this semester that I learned how to balance it enough to where I could do a few fun things as well. Of course, it was difficult because usually when you go out, you go out with a friend or two, right? Not me. I often would go by myself and learned to enjoy my own company. It's lonely, I won't lie, but I got used to it and ended up having fun on my own! 

6. Don't forget to take care of yourself. 
Ah yes, another point I can preach about but would be lying if I said I practiced it as well.
Guys, if you have better self discipline and control than me, HEED THIS TIP!
Get to bed on time when you've got an early schedule, plan ahead for your meals and what you'll eat, and take your vitamins. It's common sense, but seriously, when you start taking care of yourself, you'll not only be healthier, but you'll be mentally happy as well.

Which is probably why I was so up and down emotionally this semester...
Sooo, I'm gonna have to walk the talk now, aren't I?

In Conclusion:
All in all, this semester was a tough one. I'm not gonna lie, I had it way easy before, so my spoiled self had a difficult time adjusting to these changes. It had been so long since I'd felt so alone. No close friends were nearby to turn to - and texting and e-mails can only be relied on so much. Starting a new job with a difficult co-worker was a huge mental strain. Trying and failing to meet the standard of quality work in art classes pushed my self esteem down even further. Looking back, I can see how everything ended up going in a cycle that led from one negative experience to another. Feeling friendless made me pull further into myself, constantly being dragged into a nasty work environment wore me down mentally, and with little to no motivation left, I didn't put as much effort into projects that I should have, leading to a lackluster portfolio to show for the class.

I don't regret it though, and I'm looking forward to coming back with the knowledge I have now and turning my experience around for an even better one! While my school and work experience haven't been the best, I've fallen in love with the city itself and am happy to live in a location that offers so much. There are always fun little events happening each weekend and a fairly decent music scene (it's no Portland, that's for sure, but for a state commonly forgotten or confused with Iowa, they don't do too bad), plus great local food and a growing environmental awareness make Boise a great city to live in.

This summer, I'm moving back to my parent's place to save up money. While it feels like a step backwards, I'd like to view it more as a crouch in preparation for a bigger leap forward. I'll be back, Boise. And this time, I'll be ready for you.