Expanding My Bubble At GW
College has challenged how I see the world.
I have spent so much time meeting new people from cities, states and countries I’ve never been to that I’ve definitely expanded my bubble and learned a lot more about the East Coast.
I learned that people have strong opinions about New Jersey, and everyone here says they’re from Boston when they are an hour-and-a-half away.
My friend group met on the day we got to school, and it was all by accident. It’s crazy how friends become close so fast in college.
The first girl I met was Maud; she’s from Los Gatos (she thinks she’s from the Bay Area), and we love getting Chick-fil-A twice a week using our meal swipes.
Maud is definitely the funniest out of all of us, and whenever she’s not there, someone has to assume her role of making us laugh.
When I was walking to Maud’s door on the first day, that’s when we met our other friends.
Brennan and Hayden are roommates, and when I saw that their door was open, I asked them if they were looking for fresh air or friends.
They never answered the question directly, but we all bonded that night playing imposter. Brennan is also from the Bay Area, and Hayden is closer to Boston than most people who claim they are.
The last person in my friend group is my roommate; she is from Minnesota, and while she doesn’t have the strongest accent, it comes out in words like “Costco.”
My group is always stunned to hear Ainsley’s stories about how people ride horses to school instead of driving cars and how her entire friend group is already in the engaged category.
I’m also still meeting people outside my group every day. I’ve met a lot more Bay Area people but also friends from all over the East Coast.
I am part of GW’s Competitive Climbing Team, and having a community of people who want to improve at the sport we all love has been so fun and something I didn’t have at home.
Climbing with my peers encourages me to try routes I wouldn’t normally try.
Through my classes, I’ve met people with completely different perspectives and backgrounds than the people I talked to in high school, and I’ve especially enjoyed that.
In my International Affairs’ lecture and discussion, I’ve met people from the countries we discuss, and they offer a unique perspective. A highlight from that class was when we were comparing realism, liberalism and constructivism to the Israel/Palestine conflict, and Palestinian and Lebanese students offered their perspective.
I’ve learned so much in the past two months, but it’s nothing in comparison to what I will learn from all the people I will meet here.
I’m excited to continue meeting people and take you all along my journey.
