by Andrea Torres

Andrea’s first semester of college started in January 26 of this year, however, she hasn’t felt any big change in her life, at least not as other people tell of their first experiences in college. Beginning her higher education was something that she was waiting for since she could remember. After the first day at SFSU, things started to turn foggy, just as everything in her life. The fog of the daily routine that erases time and memories in every mind caught her. Andrea stills living with her family in the Mission District, she stills seeing the cat, the cousins, the auntie, the mom, the dad and the brother everyday. Andrea has been getting up every morning at 6 AM, just as she did in high school, middle school and elementary school. At school, she only has five classes, she has lots of homework, but she turns in everything in time, just as in high school, middle school, and elementary school. Her teachers never surprise her; she thinks everything is good, even their quizzes and the tone of their voices. Once, Andrea needed some advise with her schedule of classes, and she, as always, knew exactly where to find answers. Every evening, she watches the novela with her family, which reminds her of her grandmother. And everyday, she thinks of her best friend as always, and she misses him as always. Sometimes she sees the fog above her, but she thinks it’s normal, she actually likes it, she seems to understand it.

I was trying to figure out Andrea’s case, but I finally got to one conclusion: Andrea’s adaptation system is accelerated, therefore, when she is supposed to struggle with, or to think of something, she is already ahead. Her first college experience didn’t crash her because she wasn’t expecting it as change, but as a necessity, a necessity that she planned to have. She is not willing to leave her parents at this moment of her life, because she is already independent within her, to the contrary, she wants to contribute to the family just as an adult and be able to help her brother go to college. Andrea gets up at 6 in the morning everyday, because she doesn’t have time to waste sleeping. She knows that hours go at 1 hour per hour and she has to take advantage of them. Her teachers in college are not able to shock her, because very strict teachers in her childhood educated her. However, she has always been a little lazy doing her homework with plenty of time, she works better under pressure. Quizzes are her favorite activity in school; they put her nervous and excited at the same time. She likes people to help her, so it’s easy to ask questions. Andrea is not always ready to watch the novela with the head in blank, but she shuffles her thoughts in between the commercials. She likes to see her mom, dad, and brother focused on one thing. She knows someday they will not have the chance to spend time together with her, just like her grandmother. And her best friend, well, she is afraid her life might be too short to spend it with him. I know she sees the fog above her; she actually puts the fog above her.