Louis: Discover familiarity in the unfamiliar
Reading President Eichner's guest column last week, I greatly valued what he had to say about the myriad experiences available at Ottawa. In particular, his words about stepping outside our comfort zones to experience growth hits home with me.
I might extend his sentiment with a few of my own observations. Ottawa, I've discovered, is a deeply rewarding place filled with passionate and venerable people. Sure, I've only been here a year, but I've come to fully personalize Eichner's comments.
To the new students: take solace knowing that you are not the only ones occasionally feeling like a fish-out-of-water. Homesickness can grip you in ways you wouldn't normally expect. Having a place and a space to call your own-to feel like home-is an intense desire within each of us. Coming to college, it's natural to miss your room, your family, your favorite restaurants and city landmarks. And you should miss them-it's what you know and love.
Luckily, Ottawa cultivates an ethic incorporating all aspects of personhood: academic, athletic, spiritual, etc. So each and every member of the OU community can also find a place/space here in which to feel at home.
I experienced this first hand after moving to Ottawa from New York City last year. After years of hustle and bustle, of all-night delis, of hot, sticky subway commutes, of tourists asking me to take pictures of them- or to get out of their pictures-or to give them directions to places of which they wanted to take pictures, the contrast I experienced when moving to this dusty little hamlet in eastern Kansas is intense.
But if there's anything I've learned in my short time here, it's that more often than not things that remind me of home are accessible here. I may not be able to get a king-sized egg salad sandwich at 3 a.m., but I excel in Ottawa's nurturing community of compassion. Hmmm… if you think about it, a nurturing community is a pretty good definition of ‘home.' Whether through the Adawe Life Center, a club, a sport or the life-long friends you are bound to meet, there are immersive places here.
12
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More oucampus News Articles
- Campus Ministries Profile
- Lack of options in cafeteria difficult for people with religious practices,...
- Skipping Class
- Gun Control: Disarming America
Recent oucampus News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR OUCAMPUS
A Safe Holiday Season By Kylee Weber
OU Student experiences plane scare on way back to Ottawa By Brynden Grow
POTW - Logan Smoot By Brynden Grow
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST OUCAMPUS NEWS
RECENT OUCAMPUS CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
- Your Child’s Tomorrow Begins Today
- Choose Beer Grown Here: Anheuser-Busch is First to Adopt...
- Helping Alleviate Children’s Anxiety
- Vitamins and Minerals: Fortifying Against Poor Oral Health
- Do you PHIT? Why A Career in Public Health Informatics...
- Do you PHIT? Why A Career in Public Health Informatics...
- Shining a Spotlight on Kidney Health: Get to Know Your...
- Phony Investment “Opportunities” Can Cost You Big, Say...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- Ash Carter Exchange Showcases Innovation and National...
- AI Expo for National Competitiveness Announces Key Sponsor
- 2102: PRETENSE, THE PLAY: New Literary Novel Overlays...
- Why It's Important to Talk About Inheriting Wealth
- 100% of Latino Grads Start Trades Careers With Centro...
- Sound Solutions: How Generative AI is Enhancing Business...
- Wow Your Easter Guests With A Very Easy Spring Surprise...
- Tips to savor springtime and reflect on li...
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Captivating Reads
- Wow Your Easter Guests With Easy Spring Surprise Cake
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- State Department Announces 2023-2024 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions