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So I’m back at Duke after my first ever Thanksgiving break! I’ve never eaten so much in one siting and can now say I’ve officially experienced a real turkey coma. A big thank you to the Lama family for having me!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I’m sure you’ve heard more than once that college is a time of great change. Having been in college for only a semester, I can’t yet decide to agree or not. What I do know though, is that whether you change or not is entirely up to you. College isn’t going force you to change. On the contrary, you can be whoever you want to be.  Seriously.

So far, I can point out three changes I’ve seen in myself since becoming a Duke student. First of all, I’ve become a lot more domestic: everything I was yelled at back home for not doing, I now do in college. For instance, I can no longer tolerate crazy mess. I can’t have a messy room for longer than a day before I switch to cleaner-mode. My mother would be so proud! And I swear it’s not just me! People who never cleaned back home are now obsessively doing so. I guess it just takes living in a tiny college dorm room to really appreciate a clean living space.

The second change in my life, one that I’ve embraced fully, is becoming more spontaneous. I’m in for luck because college is the perfect place for spontaneity. Here’s an example: The other week, my friend and I decided out of the blue to take a bus to D.C. that same day just because we could! For the first time ever you have complete freedom to do what ever is on your mind. This semester alone, my friends and I would rent a car and start driving with no set destination. We’d go to Biltmore on weekends, and drive to Florida for fall break. With this great freedom though comes the responsibility of setting your own limits. You still have to be smart about it!

Third, I’ve taken a habit of eating all the time. I don’t know when this started but I do know it has to stop! It’s hard to control your eating here because of the DukeCard (pretty much monopoly money that runs out before you realize it) and the all-you-can-eat Marketplace Buffet for freshmen.

But all in all, besides the weight gain of course, the changes have been good. I’m really happy with where I’m at right now in college.

The holidays are coming up, but before then a week and a half of all nighters and red bull to prepare for the oh-so-terrifying finals.

Have a wonderful December!