Dear Sister,
Last week was your first week ever here, and it was a whirlwind. I’m proud of you, you figured out what “BOLO” stands for, how to use the CCI printers, that the Students Stores has a café, that Cha House has the best bubble tea, that flip-flops are MANDATORY in the dorm showers and that the sheer humidity of this place will make your hair expand to the depths of Albert Einstein’s own luxurious frizz. Hopefully you know now how to use plus swipes, have discovered the magic of Meantime’s coffee and have eaten Med Deli for lunch at least once.
Let me tell you something: there are quite a few of you freshies on campus. Swarming everywhere and peppering returning students with questions about directions, classes and textbook purchases. You're all so cute, so excited and so full of hope.
My biggest advice to you — don’t listen to the people who tell you that it’s impermanent. Life is full of joy, pursue it. I remember two juniors, who registered me for an event during my first week ever at Carolina, telling me that I was “so adorable” and “looked so happy” and that I should “just wait, because it gets hard.”
“I wish we could go back to those days — you’re so lucky!” they told me.
I was kind of disturbed by that comment. Today I understand why. Yes, my first year was really, really cool. Everything was so new. I have so many beautiful memories from that era. But there were also hard times then, just like there are now. Life as a student is full of challenging moments, as well as happy ones. Run to them, they teach you so much. And don’t look back.
Love you,
Your big sister
