By: Elaine Shi
A week before my designated move in day, I was in an airport in Taiwan boarding a plane to fly back to the United States. However, my flight ending up being delayed to the next day, and I felt the urge to fly back home to spend my last few days with my family, closest friends, and back at home adjusting to the US environment and home culture. After saying my goodbyes to the friends I made during my time in Taiwan, more goodbyes followed... well... what I like to call them “see you laters. It was a goodbye to a stage of my life, goodbye to a great summer, goodbye to an end of beginning (Djo song reference?).
Those tears weren’t because I wasn't looking forward to being at UNC, rather it was the transition from an old stage to a new stage. I was looking forward to decorating my dorm with my bestie, meeting new people, making new friends, joining clubs, and overall living the First Year Experience as a new college student - *wow college student is still hard to say till this day*.
Conveniently, I was able to visit my hometown once every few weeks since I live about an hour away in Greensboro.
During this time, I was able to catch up with family and friends and adjust to the transition from spending a month and a half in Taiwan, to being back home, and finally getting acquainted with campus life. It was not easy, but it was an unforgettable experience.
Once I settled into my dorm with my roommate, I found most of the accommodations in living in a dorm fairly easy since I experienced living in one back in NCSSM-Morganton (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics). Since I live in Hinton James (Hojo), I have met amazing suitemates, football game buddies, and friends. Luckily, we all had very different schedules so thankfully the bathroom situation isn’t as bad as I thought.
In the first few days, including Convocation, I reunited with friends from middle school and high school, including NCSSM. It was like worlds colliding—my middle school friends meeting my NCSSM friends—it felt a bit surreal, but in a good way. UNC really does a great job of bringing people together, forming new friendships and strengthening old ones. One of my middle school friends who moved to Ohio is now my buddy in the Countering Hate class.
After classes, you will either find me in a study spot on the 8th floor of Davis and Epilogue with a group of friends, trying a new restaurant on Franklin Street, going to a club meeting, or being at my residence hall to chill with my roommate and suitemates. At the first general body meeting for the CUSA (Chinese Undergraduate Association), me and a few friends that I knew from NCSSM met a student in front of us as we were in line getting ramen. We ended up becoming great friends and now we go to Lenoir or Chase for dinner, study on Franklin Street, and explore more on-campus opportunities. Our one goal is to try every single restaurant on Franklin Street at least once for the next four years together.
Can we do it? We’ll see!!!
If I had to give a piece of advice to anyone who is coming to UNC for the first time, it is to be active and explore your options! College can be hard - *don’t worry, I’ve been there, and I sort of still am*.
Also, think about how you want to be active on campus because there is just so much you can do with a bunch of opportunities. Join the clubs that interest you and see how far you can go. That way, you can find what you are truly passionate about.
Expand your horizons. Get involved. Don’t be afraid to expand your social circle! There, you can get a sense of familiarity and community that comes from both UNC and within.
This might sound weird, but my first few days, that turned to weeks, then months, felt like an unforgettable flight of time.