She offered me her sleeve and told me to blow my nose into it...and I remember thinking "this is love"

You may be wondering where that title came from and what's the purpose of it. It's from Garden State, which is one of my favorite movies in the world. Anytime I watch it, I get so inspired because the message of the movie is to find something real. And I find that the quote I picked out defines the meaning of unconditional love/friendship.

Today marks the end of another break that went by wayyy too fast, and my sorority sister Michelle and I drove back to Oneonta together. Her mom drove to my hometown of Callicoon Center. Never heard of it? That's quite alright, people in Sullivan County, my home county, don't even know where Callicoon Center is. It's a hamlet that has 50 people in it, and when my family moved to the area, the "Children at Play" sign was put up just for us. There's nothing more that I love when I show my friends from college the tour of my town because it literally lasts two seconds because its so small.

I remember growing up that I used to resent growing up in Sullivan County...but ever since I left I have nothing but respect for it. Where I live, it's 20 minutes to get to a major chain supermarket, a half hour to get to a movie theater that plays more than just one movie screen(sorry to knock you Callicoon Theater, but Monticello always had more movies) and a hour to get to a major shopping mall. Once I tell people those facts, they wonder how I made it through life, and when I really think about what they're asking me...that stuff doesn't really matter. I met the most amazing friends there. I am so happy I can say that my friends from high school still have my back, and I'll always have theirs. Even though we did complain about not being near to a more metro area, we did the best that we could. We made Monticello or Honesdale Wal-Mart into a place where anything could be possible. You lived for Diner Nights at the Liberty Diner, even though all you really could afford was a cup of coffee. You felt invincible dancing in the streets while the Callicoon Center Band played and turned the town that has 50 people in it into an entertainment attraction. And nothing felt more liberating than running in a farmer's hay field and then scrambling to get out of there because you saw his truck coming and you were running towards your friend's minivan just so you guys could drive off and not get in trouble for trespassing haha. I probably won't come back to Sullivan County to live, especially if I go to Penn State. The job that I want isn't available in SC. The life I want isn't attainable in SC. I think that's the reason I appreciate home so much because I know that those days are gone and I should just be thankful I was lucky to experience my memories.

Michelle comes from a small town near New Paltz and even though we've known each other for a year, we talked about stuff that we never covered before and the whole trip just flew by. And that's why I'm so happy to be in the sorority because without it, I would have never met her. She lives in Human Ecology, I live in Fitzelle lol...we're both in different res halls and activities, there is no way we would have crossed each other's paths. But another thing I appreciated more than anything was that we were being real to each other and I honestly think that we need more sincerity in the world. There's so many people that you meet that put up fronts but never show you their real self. Maybe they are scared, maybe they are ignorant, but I think that if we do just show people our real, pure selves- life will get so much better. For example, before this semester, I didn't know Lauren, the Pi Chi Blogger. But we met on move in day this year and when we went to the first Greek Ambassodars meeting we got to know each other, and we got to be friends. I would love to see more Greek Unity on this campus rather than just being paired up in groups because we have to be. One thing that I really don't get is that sororities hang with the fraternities, but you never see another sorority hanging with another sorority. It's not a problem of us not liking each other, I think the problem is that none of us know each other. We all have found our niche in our organizations and we stay there. If there is anything I would love to see before I graduate next December, it would be better relations between the sororities.

So I think, to anyone who reads this blog: Your mission is, if you meet a new person, don't be scared, try to get to know them, and let them get to know you. Because you never really know who can be a new friend. And you never know if they will be the ones who will have your back one day.

I dedicate these lyrics to anyone who comes from a small town.

Coffee
-Copeland
There's plenty of time left tonight
I promised I'd have you home before daylight
We do the best we can in a small town
Act like big city kids when the sun goes down
If it's not too late for coffee
I'll be at your place in ten
We'll hit that all night diner
And then we'll see
There's so many things I have to say
I'll stay up all night to hear about your day
We do the best we can in a small town
Act like kids in love when the sun goes down
If it's not too late for coffee
I'll be at your place in ten
We'll hit that all night diner
And then we'll see
There's a love that transcends
All that we've known of ourselves
And I'll wait for it to come
I'll wait for it to come
Well it's got to be strong to touch my heart
Through its shell
And I'll wait for it to come
I'll wait for it to come
If it's not too late for coffee
I'll be at your place in ten
We'll hit that all night diner
And then we'll see
There's a love that transcends
All that we've known of ourselves
And I'll wait for it to come
I'll wait for it to come
Well it's got to be strong to touch my heart
Through its shell
And I'll wait for it to come
I'll wait for it to come down