Title Under Debate

I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life...and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~Henry David Thoreau

One of the most-often asked questions other than why are you so cold? and have you even seen snow before? in addition to the leaves don't change color in Hawaii?! (the last isn't so much a question as it is an expression of surprise) is why did you come here/leave Hawaii for here/Pennsylvania?

Thus far, my answers have been really simple - no one had really wanted to know the full reason, after all. I just...wanted to get away from home, experience new things.


Their reply had been somewhat sarcastic: well, you've certainly accomplished that.

This morning as I lay between sleep and wakefulness, I thought of why I was here, thousands of miles from home. What possessed me to come this far? To leave everything that was familiar and trade palm trees for oak trees and sand and surf for mountains and hills and endless valleys?

Lehigh is known for their engineering program, as Lehigh used to "provide" the engineers for the railroads and Bethlehem Steel which is well within walking distance from campus. Their mascot used to be the Engineers until the Business and Arts and Sciences started to grow and became somewhat unhappy to be called 'The Engineers' when they clearly weren't. And so that is how we got our mascot to be The Mountain Hawks and not The Engineers.

And yet...4000+ miles from Hawaii. It's a joke between me and my friend Jose that I'm 2 North America's away from Hawaii. It's cold, there's no sand and hardly any clouds, the wind is cold and the stairs are steep and plentiful. Yet I can't imagine being anywhere else.

There's a 6-hour time difference between PA and Hawaii, and yet...even though it's irritating as heck, I don't mind it as much. Yes, it's a pain to time it so that when I call or text anyone it's at least noon here (and even then it's like 6am there). The weather is cold and in the 50's every morning, but the sun comes out in the afternoon and it gets very warm, in the 70's or 80's. I live on the side of a mountain (I shouldn't have to elaborate much on that). Parts of South Bethlehem are "sketchy", so when I go out down there I have to take at least one person with me to be on the safe side. My math professors are Chinese and speak with a strong accent, and so is my Physics Lab professor. When I don't have my umbrella or a rain jacket, it rains. When I do, it's hot out and I look ridiculous carrying it. When I do something "from Hawaii" like give out omiyage, I am told that I am "too nice". When I accidentally slip up and say I'm "half ha'ole", they look at me funny. When I wear my sweater even inside the building and tell them I don't have/know about Hunter boots (it's a brand of rain boots, apparently) or ski jackets (they're apparently Northface or something similar) or glittens or something similar, they look at me funny. When I asked this morning what a toboggan was (it was in the Physics homework due), they kind of frowned and looked at me like they pitied me.

Yet...

The professors are willing to stop their lecture and answer any question, even if it's a "stupid" one. They don't laugh at you and they don't tell you the answer directly, asking patient questions to help you find the answer yourself. They're willing to talk to you on the side if you have questions or concerns and openly share their office hours. If you ask anyone on campus for directions or the time, they will stop what their doing and help you. If you look injured they will ask if you are okay. If you fall, they will help you up.

Here I get a quality education with qualified professors. I heard that the hiring process for professors here are rigorous. It was joked that we get a higher education by being on the side of South Mountain and also because Lehigh is just that good.

There are campus involvement centers, a Women's Center, LGBTQA, Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, free psychological services, doctors and nurses on campus, an entire force of trained policemen specifically for Lehigh, quality food, and more. there are so many opportunities on campus for involvement and academic success. There are free tutoring sessions and in the department buildings there are offered Q&A sessions for small problems that don't require a tutoring session.

The people here are different, and so is the weather, but isn't that what college is about? Trying new things? Finding ourself?

I feel that when I was in Hawaii, I didn't know who I was. Now, even after about four weeks of college, everything feels perfect. Like I fit in. It took me two years of High School to do that and even then I felt like an oddball. Here, even if I am alone, I know that I'm not entirely. Because Lehigh is a caring community. We look after each other.

And that is why I'm here.

~E