A Lot of Fun and a Little Out of Place

Do you ever feel like you are walking around with a giant sign on your forehead saying “I don’t belong here?” I spent this past weekend on campus at Ohio State University (OSU), and I had many moments where I felt like people knew I wasn’t a buckeye. I ended up at OSU with my boyfriend because his brother is a graduate student there and was able to get us discounted tickets to the OSU versus Kent State game. I want to tell you about all the ways I felt like I didn’t belong over the course of the weekend.

Being diehard fan imposters

First, I was surrounded by football fans, but I wasn’t one of them. I was pumped to get a chance to say I was in The Shoe to see college football’s most recognized team; However, I’m not actually a huge football fan.  I don’t understand any of the rules, and I think football games last twice as long as they should. As the game progressed I quickly realized how much I didn’t care at all, and when you don’t care about OSU at an OSU game you find yourself among the minority.

Next, where did all those people come from? I go to school in Ada, and I grew up in a small town. I am not used to seeing so many people everywhere. Just when I thought I had passed the last group of 50 people, there were 50 more people around the corner. I have seen by fair share of crowds before, but knowing I was on a COLLEGE CAMPUS with so many people just didn’t feel right.

Additionally, there are more places to eat than Taco Bell and McDonald’s within walking distance. My boyfriend and I took a late night walk down High Street and even though it was past midnight every restaurant you could hope for was alive and hoppin’. The Subway and the Jimmy Johns stay open 24 hours, and if you get a late night craving for donuts or cookies there is a place to get those as well. Now I understand the real meaning of the freshman 15. If I went to a school like OSU where all kinds of fattening delicious food options were at my fingertips, I would be a walking blimp.

Now I’d like to move on to the topic of driving at OSU; it’s complicated. First, try fighting the traffic to enter campus on a Friday afternoon. A stretch of road that would take three minutes to travel in Ada will take 15 minutes at OSU. You also have to watch out for the swarms of people and bikers trying to cross the street and make sure you aren’t trying to drive behind a line of parked taxies. Then there is the issue of parking. You can’t simply park outside your destination; you have to make sure you park in a designated area which might be two to three blocks away from your desired location.

Despite all these things that reminded me "I wasn’t in Kansas anymore," I had a great time at OSU this past weekend. However, I think I am just fine with sticking around Ada for a while. This small town girl just isn’t used to the big city!