CHARACTER STUDY (I)

I wake up, frantic, my alarm ringing, dreading the horrendous taste of morning breath. The clock says 7:32, I have twenty eight minutes to get to class which is all the way across campus. I do my make up, brush my hair and put it into a braid, put on a UCLA t-shirt, some running shorts, and my brand new Nike's and head down to the dining hall. Quickly I scarf down a bowl of oatmeal and a banana, jump on my bike and ride to class. Terrified, intimidated, alone, I walk into the huge, populous classroom, observing all of the other colleagues who are all here for the same reason; education.  Awkwardly, I ask a girl with short blonde hair  wearing a UCLA sweatshirt with running shorts and sandals, if the seat next to her was vacant, she responded yes. I took a seat, took a deep breath and acknowledged the fact that I was officially a student at the University of California Los Angeles. Surrounded by other students of all ethnicities, I begin to feel that I am an outlier of the group. They were all comfortable, suitable, and excited while I on the other hand was nervous, lonely, and intimidated. After a few minutes of me frantically observing my surroundings and preparing myself physically and mentally for the first college lecture I would ever receive, the girl who I was sitting next to with the cute, short blonde hair said, "I'm glad to see that I am not the only one that feels like they're going to throw up." I responded, "Phew, I thought I was the only one! Glad to meet someone who feels the same way I do and someone who loves to dress simply and comfortably just like me!" We both giggled, introducing ourselves to each other, sharing our life stories like we had known each other forever. It was that moment that I knew I had just met an individual who would be someone I could talk to and reach out to with anything, someone who would be a great friend for many, many years.