Make up your own mind

As Fall semester draws to a close, I'm wondering where 2008 has rushed off to. January 15, 2008, the day i landed in Bismarck is still as fresh in my mind now as the new snow. I'm shell shocked really, to actually be at the end of my Freshman year and come January 2009 I'll be a Sophomore?

Have i learnt much? Am i still the same? Who are we now and where are we going? To be honest i don't know what the full picture is, but it's coming together bit by bit. I've definitely learnt that even though i started out a stranger amongst strangers here at Umary, differences lasted as long as i chose to see them. My friends and University Community as a whole, Bismarck Community as a whole have become my family. This place has become home. True i still miss Zimbabwe, but the reason it was home was because there were things there that were familiar and comfortable. In this year here in Bismarck I've made new connections and though the culture is different, there are a lot of things that have become familiar and comfortable. Walking around campus in sweatpants, bundling up to face a snowy day, eating in the cafeteria as a big loud group. Staying up till 3am talking and eating Hershey's chocolates. Going on random drives, complaining about homework. All the little things that you would usually take for granted are the very things that have given each day meaning and make it special.
So i think college has changed me. The independence has taught me responsibility. Btu the independence has taught me co-dependence. That does not mean that i am a leech and can't do things for myself, i can. But the point is that none of us lives in a vacuum and the only way life's fulfilling is if we are sharing it with others. come good or bad for there is a beauty in ugliness too. My best friend Jason said something i think i am starting to understand. "We all fall apart sometime. It doesn't mean you are weak. It means you are human. We need each other to keep us going."
So, I am so excited to see what 2009 will bring. I know i could not have made it through homesickness, loneliness and uncertainty without the patience, love and genuine concern of my friends. They say that if you have lied through one North Dakotan Winter, you can live through anything. That's so true. There was a winter in my heart, but I've made it through and ready for anything. Now we are off to celebrate Christmas and for the first time i am looking forward to it (partly because i am not the one stuck in the kitchen:) My Dad's voice has been resonating in my head of late too. He always told us at this time not to forget the Birthday Boy. It's Jesus birthday and that's the whole reason for the season. I used to think that was corny, but the truth of it has stayed with me. So Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year.