OIT: A Short Story

My first week at OIT was rough. The physical environment was alien, my emotions were like a rollercoaster, and I had trouble with my friend groups. Luckily the best therapy was time. My home was one thing that never changed in my life. I lived in the same house since I was one-year-old. I know that house like I built it. Moving into my own room, five far hours away, was a freaky idea. On campus I was immediately shocked by the crisp wind chill whipping off Klamath lake. I was fascinated by the sidewalks that maneuvered across the grass quads between buildings. Hiking up to “The O” at night yielded a view of the city glowing I had never had such undisturbed access to. The night sky swarmed with stars. Inside the Residence Hall was an environment …show more content…
Each family had about fourteen people in it. I remembered my sister telling me how she met all her best friends in her orientation in college. I was excited to have a group I could confide to. The excitement was short lived. On day two I was the only person in my family to show up to the breakfast and scavenger hunt. I completed the scavenger hunt alone, which epitomized how I felt. The next day, another scavenger hunt in downtown Klamath was planned. Shockingly, I was the only person from my family to show up, again. Desperate, I talked to another group and explained my situation. I was relieved when they offered to adopt me into their family. That was a turning point when things started to improve for me. My second family actually talked to me, texted each other, and showed up for events. When orientation concluded, I was fortunate to be getting dinner at the same time as my friend from high school, Tyler Hieb, who I hadn’t seen yet. He hadn’t participated in any orientation events because he plays for the OIT basketball team. Talking to him was a brief antidote. Conversing with Tyler, a known commodity, was a break from the constant introductions and surface level conversations. Tyler doesn’t know it, but he helped me feel a lot