As I write this, I am sitting at a local coffee shop by my University. A coffee shop I really like, actually. It has gorgeous art on the wall and the coffee is exceptionally well made, and I love some exceptionally well made coffee.
A couple of days ago I made the incredibly difficult decision to withdraw from my Uni for the year. Going to college was always something I couldn’t wait for as a kid, but as the move-in day started coming closer, I got less and less excited. It was your typical college move-in day—hot, stressful, sad. I mean, I cried for the rest of the night after my mom left, haha. I met my roommate for the first time in person, and we had things in common: both vegan, both studious, both Harry Potter fanatics. The “welcome week” back to college went really well; I made friends with people around campus and the other people in my dorm. I was really excited for my classes to start up.
Then, classes actually started, and I have never felt more stressed. I didn’t want to be at college, I didn’t want to study, I decided I needed a break from the world of academia. After being in school for about 15 years in a row, a person needs a break.
I talked to my parents about it (my mom understands, my dad not so much). Ultimately, I made my decision. I was going to withdraw my enrollment for the time being. I had no idea what I wanted to study, or do with my life, and that was something that terrified me.
As for now my future is unclear, but I have a general idea of the things I want to do. Firstly, I’m going to have to work in order to have money for the things I want to do. I want to travel (either to California, New York, or London), and volunteer abroad (South Africa, Laos, or Thailand). I want to follow my heart for once, and do something that I genuinely am excited about.
Diane von Furstenberg once said, “I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.” At this moment in my life, this is a quote I agree with 100 percent.
