Family

Mom, chocolate ice cream, and peach melba at dinner on October 16, 2015

"Welcome to the Hoya Family!" they cheered at us during NSO. (For the non-Georgetown readers, NSO stands for New Student Orientation, the four days before classes start, full of overwhelming enthusiasm from orientation advisors and crippling freshmen awkwardness.) Honestly, the Hoya family isn't too far off from the Mohr family—just as many people I don't know at reunions, a hearty love of alcohol, and witty jokes. The only thing that's missing from the Hoya family is people telling me, "The last time I saw you you were this high!" like they'd forgotten about the passage of time and the growth patterns of children.

Last weekend was Family Weekend, and it highlighted an extremely important aspect of Georgetown and of the concept of "family" as a whole. 

My parents left Georgia last Thursday around 10 PM, and I woke up at 7:50 AM on Friday morning to a phone call from Mom. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes, okay, so get ready and we'll pick you up for breakfast!" My dad idled by Darnall Hall as we played twenty questions over the phone so that I could find him. (The winning answer was, "There's a hospital on campus, right? I think I'm by that.") We had breakfast in their hotel restaurant, and Mom could not stop smiling. The girls talked a mile a minute, just like always.

I was really excited to see and hug my family. I was really excited to introduce them to my new friends, and I was really excited to just hang out with them for a while. We ended up going to very few of the scheduled parents-weekend activities, deciding it was much more fun to spend time on our own. Everyone was really tired, them from the long car drive and me from doing this whole college thing, but it was so incredibly nice to see them.

Strangely, being with my immediate family made it feel like no time had passed. Also strangely, the "Hoya family" didn't seem to exist, at least not to me. The only family that mattered last weekend was my blood relatives and the people I had formed bonds with. I am a part of something here at Georgetown; I know that intellectually and emotionally. Maybe one day it will feel like a family, but for now, it is something Other, not necessarily worse but definitely not better. My family is the people I choose to love.

Rivers and Windchill

The Potomac River around 7:30 PM on October 10, 2015

It's extraordinary and strange and scary to think about how different my life is right now, and even more so to realize that right now is only the beginning of all that change. My parents met soon after college, and their lives completely changed together. Everything changes, and to be in a time of drastic and constant change is as terrifying as it is exhilarating. Today I met a recent Georgetown alumna who was a linguistics major and who is getting married on June 18. She met her fiancé at Georgetown—one of the many Hoyas who marry other Hoyas. Chances are high that I will meet my future spouse here at Georgetown.

So far, though, I'm just trying to get my feet solidly under me. I'm starting to feel less uprooted and more natural in this drastically different environment. I live in a city, next to a river, with colder Octobers, in a shared room, where nearly everyone is fabulously wealthy, in Ward 2 of the District. I live only a few miles from the White House. I cannot wrap my head around that.

Everything is going well, as I'm sure you were wondering. (I can hear you all now: "Hannah, stop babbling and tell us what we actually want to know!") Academics are a bit challenging in terms of time management—I've never had so much assigned reading in my life—but I'm getting decent grades. On my very first college test I earned a 95%! I have one test and one midterm this week, and then my midterm season is thankfully over.

Over the past two weeks, I've learned the importance of drinking water, getting eight hours of sleep, eating balanced meals, and exercising. I recently found a workout partner, Elizabeth, and we're set to work out in about seven hours. (Yes, I should probably be sleeping.) 

I've also learned the importance of just sucking it up, of communicating emotions, and of finding people you trust. I have found people I trust. It's still strange to open up to these new friends, but I'm making significant progress! Funnily enough, one of my closest friends here is named Ellen, and even though she's almost nothing like Helen, the similarity in names makes me smile.

I do have to admit, things haven't been entirely sunshine and daisies. The stress really got to me for a little while there, and the fact that I frequently forgot to take my medication didn't help matters. My main goal now is to prioritize properly. God, health, academics, and then everything else—that should keep me sane and healthy, but it can also be harder than it sounds. I'm trying my hardest to find the right balance in college since unfortunately my high school balance doesn't seem to apply here.

Even though it's strange to be here and I have no idea what my future looks like, I know deep in my bones that this is where I'm meant to be. I can't imagine myself anywhere else. I am so blessed.

Much love to you all,

Hannah Q.