The elevation of map of the Boston Marathon
New Beginnings
"Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Burke Gilman?" I asked a UW construction worker, who was walking with a clipboard down Stevens Way. He gave me a once over glance, looking at the old Brooks sneakers I was wearing and the cotton t shirt that displayed the name of some cross country invitational I had been so proud of attending back in high school. It was the morning after my first night in my college dorm, the first night of independence, the first taste of becoming my own person. My eyes were puffy from shedding tears over what I thought was the loss of my childhood, the thought of upcoming changes that I was simultaneously impatiently anticipating and also dreading. The construction worker gave me a toothless smile and said he thought it was "that way", pointing north. I wasn't so sure, but I thanked him and continued running. In the face of all things new, I decided to do something that brought familiarity, peace, and sameness: run. This would become a constant throughout my time at UW: feeling unnerved by change, I would run in order to make myself believe that I was not changing, and it was just the things I experienced that were different. Still feeling lost (mostly physically, but also mentally), I trotted down a set of steep stairs and found one part of the Burke. I started running towards Kenmore on what would become my favorite run at UW. I waved to other runners who I encountered, said my pleasantries, and ran along. I ran back the way I came, passing the same construction worker only 20 minutes later. He jokingly said "did you already run to the Space Needle?". I replied "no, but this is my first day at college, so someday I will". He looked me in the eyes, seeing how they welled up when I said it was my first day, and confidently said "don't worry, you'll get it". This interaction, while it may seem fleeting, was one of the most powerful interactions I had during the first few months at UW. This man had faith in me, when I didn't have it in myself. His confidence in my own success, and sureness that I should not worry gave me the encouragement I needed in those first few days. I was so concerned that I wouldn't "get it". that I wouldn't find the same stability and happiness that I had when I was at my home in Sammamish. I would later learn through the following months and years that I would experience a different kind of stability at UW, one that made me feel empowered, independent, comfortable, and uncomfortable at the same time. I will be forever thankful to the man who gave me those much needed words of encouragement. Although they literally had me going in the wrong direction, they let me say to myself that everything would be okay, and the intensity of the change I was experiencing was only temporary, and that yes, I would "get it".
"Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Burke Gilman?" I asked a UW construction worker, who was walking with a clipboard down Stevens Way. He gave me a once over glance, looking at the old Brooks sneakers I was wearing and the cotton t shirt that displayed the name of some cross country invitational I had been so proud of attending back in high school. It was the morning after my first night in my college dorm, the first night of independence, the first taste of becoming my own person. My eyes were puffy from shedding tears over what I thought was the loss of my childhood, the thought of upcoming changes that I was simultaneously impatiently anticipating and also dreading. The construction worker gave me a toothless smile and said he thought it was "that way", pointing north. I wasn't so sure, but I thanked him and continued running. In the face of all things new, I decided to do something that brought familiarity, peace, and sameness: run. This would become a constant throughout my time at UW: feeling unnerved by change, I would run in order to make myself believe that I was not changing, and it was just the things I experienced that were different. Still feeling lost (mostly physically, but also mentally), I trotted down a set of steep stairs and found one part of the Burke. I started running towards Kenmore on what would become my favorite run at UW. I waved to other runners who I encountered, said my pleasantries, and ran along. I ran back the way I came, passing the same construction worker only 20 minutes later. He jokingly said "did you already run to the Space Needle?". I replied "no, but this is my first day at college, so someday I will". He looked me in the eyes, seeing how they welled up when I said it was my first day, and confidently said "don't worry, you'll get it". This interaction, while it may seem fleeting, was one of the most powerful interactions I had during the first few months at UW. This man had faith in me, when I didn't have it in myself. His confidence in my own success, and sureness that I should not worry gave me the encouragement I needed in those first few days. I was so concerned that I wouldn't "get it". that I wouldn't find the same stability and happiness that I had when I was at my home in Sammamish. I would later learn through the following months and years that I would experience a different kind of stability at UW, one that made me feel empowered, independent, comfortable, and uncomfortable at the same time. I will be forever thankful to the man who gave me those much needed words of encouragement. Although they literally had me going in the wrong direction, they let me say to myself that everything would be okay, and the intensity of the change I was experiencing was only temporary, and that yes, I would "get it".