When you graduate high school, you are told different variations of you’ll feel it once you’re in college, that’s when it will all set in. And boy, were they right. Maybe it’s the feeling of relief, fear, nervousness, or excitement — maybe it’s all of them in one. Regardless of whatever that feeling may be, now is the time to say goodbye.
I was never a fan of goodbyes. I remember being five years old and bawling my eyes out over the idea of leaving my second cousins, who were double, if not triple, my age. I had only known them a few hours, but I had decided I liked them. Now all grown up, I feel like a child again, crying as I have to say goodbye. However, this time, I’m leaving the people I’ve grown up with and loved for the past 18 years of life. Being the last of my friends to move in, I have to watch as they all leave me. Watch my best friend as she packs the car to leave, saying goodbye a million times because once just was not enough. The idea of going from five minutes apart to five hours destroys me. It’s much the same with all the other loved ones in my life. I must say goodbye to my boyfriend, mother, brother, sister, and the village of friends that raised me. I leave them all now, and arguably most devastatingly, I must leave my dog. My dog won’t go to sleep without me in the room and will not rest until she has at least three more treats. I have to leave her, knowing that she will think I abandoned her.
I was feeling all of these overwhelming emotions when I had a conversation with my grandfather, whom I call Poppy. He said to never see it as a goodbye, but as a “see you later,” because soon you will say “hello” again. As a poor immigrant in America in the ‘70s, he had to find his own way. He had no family in America but simply the hope of a better future. He would only have the capability to speak and hug his family once a year. While it was hard, he did it. He learned the trade and became a carpenter. Eventually, he would design extravagant homes for luxury designers like Vera Wang, but not before he would help renovate and build the very library that I will be studying in. Through my Poppy, I was able to learn that family is not merely blood, but the people who keep you bonded together. The people who are willing to lend a helping hand.
So while I may be saying “see you later” to all of my loved ones now, I am excited to arrive on campus and meet my new family. My duck family. So to anyone who may be reading this who wants a helping hand: Hi, my name is Claire, and it’s nice to meet you.
