So… Hope’s 2nd semester classes are about to start up, and it’s becoming more and more apparent to me that I don’t remember how to be a Hope student.
Someone the other day asked me if I have experienced culture shock since arriving home, and I confidently answered, “No!” I mean, jet lag definitely affected me the first couple days; 7:00 p.m. would hit and suddenly a weight of exhaustion would come over me. However, other than that, I could honestly say that it hasn’t been to difficult to ease back into my States life. That is… until I started thinking about Hope.
I move back to Hope in just five days, so I’m starting to get things together, and if I’ve learned anything from doing this, it’s that I have no clue what I’m doing. I kind of feel like a freshman all over again. Just today I realized that I have to order books, but I couldn’t even remember how to find Hope’s book list. It didn’t even dawn on me until halfway through the process that I usually rent my books from Chegg. Also, I’ll think back to people who go to my church in Holland, and I can’t remember their names for the life of me! I can’t even remember some of the names of Hope buildings! What’s going on?!
On top of this, I’m moving into an apartment for the first, so I really don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what to bring, I don’t know what groceries to buy, I don’t know where to park my car. It’s a whole new world in Holland, Michigan for me.
I know that logically everything will be fine. My Hope friends have already been a huge help, answering all of my questions and expressing excitement to see me again. However, returning to the American schooling system definitely scares me a little. Hope’s classes are much more rigorous and demanding than the ones I took at Aberdeen. I know this for a fact. I know that I will have to find motivation and retrain my brain to be a Hope student.
Also, I’m taking Statistics this semester, and math is my biggest fear.
Luckily, I know that Hope’s Study Abroad Department is always here for its students. I’ve heard Amy and Kendra talk about students they’ve met with who have been through similar experiences when returning to Hope. I trust this team will be able to help me if I end up desperately needing it.
That’s why I’m so glad that I chose Hope. Not only did Hope allow me to go out and experience more of the world, but it’s always assured that I’d have a safe place to go to. Amy and Kendra promised this from Day 1 of this adventure.
Therefore, I’m excited to go back. I have hope that all will be well.