Kat P.
Photography by Luther Bells
If you’re reading this, don’t let college take away your childlike joy.
There are so many aspects of college that force you to grow up. You’re living on your own for the first time, figuring out your meals by yourself, managing your own schedule—all while balancing school, a social life, prospective internships or career opportunities, involvement in clubs and organizations, and living expenses.
We even have to pick our major during the college application process back in high school, implying that we should already know what we want to do with our lives.
With all this independence and the quick shift to adulthood, it can be easy to forget who our inner child is, that it’s ok—good even—to fall down every once in a while, and that comparison is truly the thief of joy. All we seem to hear about is other people’s success: one of your friends was accepted to a cool internship over the summer, another person was elected president of their organization, and yet another is in the running to receive an award.
While it’s important to celebrate your accomplishments, and those of your friends, it’s also crucial to remember that people really only publicize the good. The reality of the situation is that you’re not going to post your failures or redirections on LinkedIn or social media. Instead of falling victim to comparison, try to remember that everyone is on their own path and timeline.
Almost exactly a year ago, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Pamplona Alta, Lima, Peru, and I’m beyond fortunate to be returning this year. The week I spent in Peru last year taught me more life lessons than I can count and shifted many of my perspectives, and I’m confident this year’s trip will do the same.
One observation in particular I took away from the experience was the abundant joy exemplified by each neighbor of Pamplona we encountered.
To be frank, the village of Pamplona is one of the most impoverished places I’ve ever been. There is no running water, plumbing, electricity, or air conditioning, and each house and building is made of brick and sheets of aluminum.
The town is built into the side of a rocky mountain on the outskirts of Lima, a much more affluent city, meaning that the natives are constantly dealing with tons of dust and dirt, a constant drought, boulders falling on their homes, and very limited access to fresh food.
The children in particular don’t have much to play with other than some rundown balls, kitchen utensils, and household items their parents don’t use. However, each and every one of them is quite literally glowing with happiness and joy.
Throughout our time in Pamplona, we played numerous and very rambunctious games of basketball, soccer, wheelbarrow tag, regular tag, and much (much) more. The kids were constantly climbing up and down rocks, falling down, scraping their elbows and banging up their knees. One almost fell down an entire flight of stairs because he was running too fast to join a game.
But they never tired, and they never cried. They would get right back up from falling and carry on like nothing had happened.
This is the second of my takeaways from this incredible experience: college is all about trial and error, falling and getting back up, and learning from mistakes. But it’s also about learning that, in the grand scheme of things, we can’t let our failures keep us down.
The natives of Pamplona have next to nothing, and have pretty much no opportunity to leave the situation they’re in. The harsh reality is that those children will grow up and live the same lives their parents are living, just like generations before them. They don’t have phones or electronics, modern toys, or the possibility of going to college. Some aren’t even able to go to school because they have to help their parents with housework. Yet, they have more joy in their pinkie fingers than some more fortunate people have in their entire bodies.
So, if you’re reading this, try to live with childlike joy like the children of Pamplona. And that joy is not found in material things or even certain accomplishments. It’s found in the small, mundane parts of life: the barista drawing a smiley face on your coffee cup, a stranger holding the door open for you, a long walk with a good friend, running around on Bowman Field, a homemade meal your mom cooked—the list goes on and on.
Remember that college, and life, is all about falling down and getting back up again, and that you’re doing much better than you think you are.
Kat P., Clemson University
Connect With Us
To follow IfYoureReadingThis at Clemson on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to Clemson students, visit our chapter’s homepage.
AUTHOR CONTACT
This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.
