Maroon Weekly

by Jen Woodlee

We learned to talk; we learned to read; and at some point we will learn how to put together Ikea furniture on the first try. The act of learning is an adaptive mechanism that enables us to do something more efficiently than we had previously done. As school starts back up and learning again becomes the bane of our existence, we should take a look at the things we learned over the break.

For most undergrads, it was homeward bound. With a sigh of relief and a wreath decorating your car, you began the journey back to wherever you grew up. Be this Houston or Dallas, you learned that driving the same direction as about 8,000 other people on the same day caused a little bit of congestion on the roadways. You learned that planning your trip either earlier or later than the average person will save you lots of money on idled gas and a couple of years back on your life.

One you arrived at Hometown, USA you settled in, and for most of you, you were a little shocked to see that your parents had turned your room into a game room, gym, sewing room, or a doghouse (either for the dogs or your dad) and that your parents probably felt absolutely no remorse for it. In fact, you probably had to borrow pillows and a blanket from your sister and locate a spare mattress around the house for you and your 70 lb. dog to sleep on—or was that just me? Like the good Aggie you are, you take your experiences and learn from them. From this you should learn that life goes on without you back home, and that you have officially been replaced by your mom’s dog.

While at the family dinner, you probably learned that you still cannot discuss politics with your grandparents, no matter how old you are or how much you learned here at the greatest university in the nation. You learned that a white Christmas isn’t just for the northerners and that the kids in your old high school are even worse than you were. The only thing that didn’t change is that everyone still hates Texas Tech.

You probably learned that each time you go back home, something else has changed. Of three things in life you can be certain: death, change, and the Chicken. Change is the biggest part of college, and your “education” wouldn’t be complete without being thrown a curveball every now and then. Your parents might move; you might break up with your significant other; or you as a person might grow into someone completely different than who first graced Aggieland so many years ago. You’ll learn more about yourself, your friends, your beliefs, and your family while in college, and then all of what you learned will change without your consent or approval. The biggest thing that I hope you learned over the break is that change is inevitable. Change is the education that life gives you for free, so take advantage of what life is giving you. Life’s lessons will teach you everything you need to know.