By DeNae Thomas
Staff Writer
Q: I thought college was supposed to be fun. Adults always talk about all the amazing and crazy times they had in college and say the people they met ended up being their friends for life. But the most excitement I’ve had so far this year was when the Oasis was serving barbecue chicken pizza — and that wasn’t even that great.
The problem is that all my friends from last year are overseas. I get these e-mails constantly about all the incredible places they are visiting with all of their fellow travelers. I, on the other hand, didn’t know anyone who was staying in Malibu this year, so I live with a complete stranger and have not visited anywhere but Ralphs.
I mean, even if I did have someone to hang out with, this town shuts down at 10 p.m. What kind of crazy and amazing times can you have if you have to have them before 10 p.m.?
A: Even though I am your loving, ever-caring RA, I have to admit that sometimes I get really tired of people complaining about living in … MALIBU! For goodness sake, there are a lot worse locations for a school.
Think Durham, N.C., or Moscow, Idaho. Even though our town shuts down at 10 p.m., at least there are some things to do before 10 p.m. Okay, enough of my personal ranting.
You say that the majority of your friends are overseas. If this is true, I am assuming you are a sophomore. May I recommend getting to know other students on campus who are not in your year?
Somehow it became an unwritten rule that you should only hang out with people who are going to graduate the same year you are — I don’t know what relevance this has to how good of friends you will be or what you have in common with another person.
While your friends from last year are away, take the opportunity to get to know people with whom you wouldn’t otherwise hang out. Listen to the advice your mother probably used to give you: “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”
And yes, your roommate is a stranger now, but who knows what will happen if you give him or her a chance – you may end up being best friends in a few months and your overseas friends will be worried you are forgetting about them.
It must be annoying to hear of all the incredible places your friends are visiting when the best place you have been to this year is Ralphs. However, I hate to be blunt, but that is nobody’s fault but your own.
California is full of hotspots that people come from all over the world to visit. You can travel to a new place each weekend just like your international friends with a little extra planning and motivation to see what’s beyond Malibu. You could spend this weekend in San Diego, Tijuana, Palm Springs or even Las Vegas.
I’ll bet at least one of the new friends you are going to make is from one of these places, so you could drive home with them and not even have to pay for a hotel. Then, in the spring when your friends get back to the U.S., you can swap stories about all the places you visited and all of your new friends.
September 18, 2003