I am the oldest sibling in my family, therefore the first sibling to go to college. To be honest it was a really emotional day for me. I think a bittersweet memory I have is when my sister and I hugged when I was about to pull out of the drive way. It was the first time since she was born that we would ever be a part for a really long time. I think in that moment we both realized that we would not permanently live together again, so we cried. I am not even sure if she fully remembers that moment but I do. It lives in my head rent free.

It seems like so long ago, but it has really been only a few months since I started school at UMW. The “I Like To Move It Move It” assignment encouraged me to look back on that life-changing day in August and reflect on some of the different things I was feeling. So, here goes!

The night before I moved into my dorm at the University of
Mary Washington, I didn’t sleep at all. I suppose this was partly because I had
procrastinated a little lot on packing, but also because of all my
nervous energy! I was excited about finally moving away from home and becoming
a college student, but there was also some sadness combined with my eagerness.

The morning of move-in day was a blur. There was so much
going on that I barely had a chance to think at all! I remember that my two
younger siblings were being annoying and distracting to the point that my dad
had to take them somewhere else while and mom and I finished unpacking. I also
remember feeling very stressed… overall, move-in day was not a great experience
for me. That’s okay though, because after all the stuff was unpacked and the
goodbyes were said, I began my wonderful journey as a student at UMW!

I guess you could say that my favorite part of move-in day
was getting it over with, so that I could start the next part of my life. Since
that day, I have made so many great friends and have had many wonderful
experiences. UMW is truly the place where I feel home, and I am so glad that I
have the opportunity to be a student at this incredible school!

What was your favorite part?

• My favorite part was living with one the greatest people I know
• Being able to live on my own
• No bed time!

Least favorite?

• Taking responsibility for myself
• Taking care of myself
• Carrying heavy boxes

Was it hard saying goodbye?

• It was very exciting to be able to live on my own, but saying goodbye to my parents was a little hard but was expected.

The move-in crew made moving in feel like a new home and made it easier for me to carry my heavy boxes!

I Like To Move It Move It:

Ah freshman move in day, what a memorable time. A lot of emotions coursed through me that scorching day in August 2014. I would have to say my favorite part of the journey was meeting my freshman roommate. Her name was Stefanie Chae and we had selected to live with each other in Bushnell Hall. I actually bought my best friend, at the time, from my hometown to help me move into my dorm. When we parked and got ready to begin the lengthy process Amber (my best friend) and I booked it into the dormitory to explore and try to find my room. A little disclaimer: Amber is a very outspoken and loud individual – it’s one of the reasons I loved being her friend. Back to the story, so we got told that my room was on the fourth floor. So we ran up the stairs, Amber busted (and I mean busted) through the door and began screaming “Stefanie, Stefanie Chae, Stefanie where are you” down the entire hall way. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire building didn’t hear her screaming Stefanie Chae.

My least favorite memory is easily the moment I had to say goodbye. I had never really been away from home for more than a week – let alone months. I remember saying goodbye to Amber wasn’t that difficult as we texted daily and were always in constant contact with each other, but saying goodbye to my dad was heart-wrenching. I remember while I was saying goodbye to Amber, my dad stepped out of the room into the hallway. When I finished saying goodbye to Amber I asked Mary, my dad’s girlfriend, where he had went. She told me that he went into the hallway. Naturally, I went into the hallway to find him. He was standing with his back to me looking out of the window that faced campus walk. I remember calling out to him and when he turned around he was crying. I had never seen my dad cry before, so I didn’t know what to do. I ended up crying myself. Although it was a difficult and hard goodbye, I’ll always look back and cherish it because it was just a sign that I was slowly turning into the young woman I am today.

4 years ago, I moved into Bushnell Hall for my first year at UMW (wow, I’m getting old)

It was a surprisingly pretty day outside besides being extremely warm. My dad, stepmom and sisters dropped me off and helped me unpack the cars and get everything in the room. My roommate and friend, Valeria had already moved all her stuff in so I just had to unpack and get settled. My family and I went to lunch at Pueblos, which is still one of my favorite places in Fredvegas to eat Mexican food (which is my favorite). After lunch, they headed out and I began unpacking my stuff. That day feels pretty surreal now that I’ve moved into another dorm and then a house of my own (with my roomies, of course). The best part of the day was getting everything settled and seeing how proud the family was of me ( I’m also the first one to go to college).