Officially On My Own in Mississippi

Hi, Everyone!

Well, the inevitable has happened—Mom and Dad have officially left me all by my lonesome.

It was a rather bittersweet farewell, and I can’t lie to you all: I really do wish that they were still here, but I realize that I must face this journey alone, per se. I cannot rely on anyone else but God.

My roommate Ruby has it easy because she can go home every weekend if she wants to; she lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Speaking of my roommate, I found out just in conversation that Rust College runs deep in the veins of Ruby’s family. She told me that the very first person in her family to attend and graduate from Rust was her great-great-grandfather. That’s not just a family tradition—that’s a family legacy. And I thought that I had pressure—Ruby must have broad shoulders. The last one in my family to graduate from Rust was my Great Aunt Reesie, and that was in 1959. I had heard so much about Rust growing up that I went ahead and applied, just for the heck of it. You can imagine my surprise when I received an acceptance letter from the Rust president, while I received declination letters from relatively every college and university in Southern California, and this includes Cal State Fullerton. Coincidence? I think not. After a 50-something year gap, the Rust College tradition continues in my family.

Wow, it’s only been one week since I’ve been down here—it seems like time slowed up all of a sudden. Only three and a half months until Christmas vacation… I know this journey of being an out-of-state college student will be difficult at times, but I’ll make it; after all, I’m Natasha Renee Stewart, and most importantly, I know that God’s got this!

Okay, classes are done for the day, and I’ve got nothing to do… although I think I had better read my notes on Chapter One in this one class, just in case my professor surprises me with a pop quiz.

Until next time, Peeps…

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha