Today was my first day back on campus for the school year. I started classes on Tuesday, but because I am taking classes at USC’s downtown campus I don’t actually get immersed in the undergrad babes until Thursdays.
Being a second year in grad school is like being a senior in college: You already have a set friends group. You know professors and want to say hi to them because it’s a good network. You know where things are on campus and can help the lost newbies. Everyone who isn’t a direct peer looks like a baby. Most importantly, you are terrified of graduation, but want it to happen right now so that you don’t have to do the work to get there.
Here is the thing about my grad school experiance, I know a lot of people, but they aren’t my friends. Think if this was google+ (pretend like that site is popular), majority of these people would be in my acquaintance circle. This is not an “oh, poor me” situation, it’s just a fact because I am dissimilar from a lot of my colleagues.
Today, as I pulled up I sent out a snap(a beautiful selfie-you’re welcome recipients) with a caption that read, “back on the grind: go trojans???” The question marks resemble how disconnected I am in a way from the undergrad way of life and how in my heart, I will always be a horned frog. Even if if my bank account clearly says I am a Trojan.
The response on the left is from one of my only USC besties. Notice, she even knows our hand sign. She is right, I am a horned frog for life. Mostly due to the amazing memories I have with some very amazing people.
Right after I received this snap, I was talking to a TCU bestie who just moved North from our cozy horned frog nest and we were talking about being homesick. Homesick for friends, aka friends sick. Because important things are happening in our dear friend lives and they are getting to experience these things for the most part with each other. For example, one of my best friends in the world will have a baby the next time I see her. I will have been a “host” at her baby shower, but I won’t have seen her the WHOLE time she has been preggers. It is hard to be far away and even harder when you have such amazing friends who are all living in the same area with big life events happening to them.
Neither my friend who moved North nor I are from Ft. Worth, so this feeling of nostalgia and desiree to be hanging on one big sofa eating snacks few girls would admit to be eating with our besties, isn’t home sick. It’s friend sick.
I am friend sick for my fellow horned frog biddies-you are all welcome to visit this beautiful city anytime you want!
With that said, as I start this new school year, I am thankful for the ability to get a degree from an amazing school like SC, but mostly my amazing group of new friends (outside of school) and the support I have in LA. Shout out to the sisterhood of the spreads.
kid cuddle grows up 