Re-invention

I just finished reading Dan's Suspect Culture article and one thing that I think we could discuss is the idea about non-spaces and how we present ourselves in them. To directly link that to homesickness and life at uni, how have we changed since getting here? I have a feeling that most of us came here not knowing anyone or at least not having any of our close friends here. I know that when I went to California from home I didn't know anyone and I was able to change in ways that I hadn't while I was in school. When you know people and go to school with them for most of your life, I think it restricts how much you can really develop. Think about how much you changed from when you were 13 to when you were 18. If you were friends with the same people, you may not have changed as much as you think because too much change could have caused a lot of tension and most likely would have caused some problems with the friendships. Coming to university and not knowing anyone at first gives you a unique opportunity to reinvent who you are because the restrictions of your old friends, your family and even familiar surroundings are not there.

I have changed a lot since I left school and I think most of it is due to the fact that no one I meet has any preconceptions of who I am. I am free to be whoever I want. The article mentions the woman in Airport who constantly changes her identity. She can do this becuase she is in an airport and most likely will never meet the same person twice - no one will ever catch onto her. I am not sure how or if this affects homesickness, but it is an interesting feature of university that we might be able to expand on.

Lauren Abend