Life is a work of art; you gotta paint it colorful.
Can make it anything you want;
Don’t have to stick to any rules.
You don’t need a high IQ to succeed in what you do.
You just gotta have no doubt. Just believe in yourself.
-Lindsay Lohan, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Going to school far away from home can seem scary, but it can also be an experience that changes your life for the better! My friend Lucpup and I want to share some thoughts about living several hours away from home across multiple state lines. We are both so glad that we ended up here!
Where are you from and how far is that from Hope?
Lucpup: I’m from Wayzata, Minnesota, which is about 11 hours from Hope if you include the Chicago traffic.
Kathryn: I’m from Princeton, Illinois, which is about four hours away from Hope unless it’s really snowy.
How did you end up at Hope?
LP: I came to visit two friends and asked my dad to pay for the plane ticket because I wanted to see them. I told him that I was interested in actually going here but I wasn’t. That was a lie. Sorry Dad. And then I fell in love with it and so now I’m here.
Kat: My family has been coming on vacation to Holland since I was 10. When I started looking at schools, the first thing I thought of was where I would want to live and Holland was my first option. I wanted a small Christian school and I remembered that there was one of those in Holland. Hope was the first school I visited and I knew within the first 20 minutes of my visit day my junior year that I was going to school here.
What is the best thing and the worst thing about being out of state?
LP: The best thing is learning about how Michigan people do life. What are Michigan people called?
Kat: Michiganders.
LP: Michiganders? What’s a gander?
Kat: A goose.
LP: A goose?! Anyway, the worst part is not being close to any of my friends. I’m making new friends, but they’re not my old friends. And I don’t really like the roads and the driving here. Why can’t I just take a left turn?
Kat: The best thing about being out of state is that it has made me really be independent. I actually have to remember to put gas in my car because my parents can’t come rescue me when I run out of gas. The worst thing is that I have to think really far ahead with planning trips and things to bring to school (or not bring) and stuff like that which can sometimes be overwhelming and I forget stuff. And I can’t just go home to my kitchen to make my famous grilled cheese all the time which is kinda rough too. Also I want to affirm Lucpup in her left turn problems because I think I almost killed us today trying to turn left.
What do you miss the most about home?
LP: I miss Caribou (Coffee). I miss knowing where I’m going for drives and not getting lost every time I go for a drive.
Kat: I miss my family and the cute little bakery that my friend’s mom opened (but we have good ones in Holland too) and my favorite pizza place and always having a surefire parking spot in my driveway.
LP: And the nearest Crocs store is in Chicago.
What is your favorite thing about West Michigan?
LP: Lake Michigan.
Kat: I think it’s just really cute.
LP: It is really cute and they have all these cute little small towns, you know?
Kat: And I’ve wanted to live here my whole life so this is kind of like a dream come true for me a little bit, which is pretty cool.
In closing, we’re really glad we live here. (LP: “I am really glad I live here. It’s kinda nice here.”) Hope has been such a good place for both of us and we really really love West Michigan, except for the left turns. We are currently on a GPS-less adventure and found this fun frog-themed coffee shop in Grand Haven, which is about 25 minutes away. Look at how much Lucpup likes the coffee!
Thank you for reading! Keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or via email (kathryn.krieger@hope.edu).
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
–John 8:12