As I type this, it is officially 2 weeks to the hour (in EST) that I left Millerhood and made my way to the Pittsburgh airport. I'm a firm believer in a 2 week rule; you can't decide if you like anything until it's been 2 weeks, and in two weeks, you can adjust to anything. This is probably why 1 week of church camp never really worked for me.
I specifically remember freshman year, and after two weeks feeling really comfortable and then going home for the long weekend and having to do the two weeks all over again. Going home every other weekend just kept killing my pattern, and if I had just stayed for that third week I would have been happier a lot sooner. The first week of every semester, up until spring of senior year, I would look up schools to transfer to because I was homesick or uncomfortable or unhappy. Junior year, I still cried when I moved in. I will always need my two weeks for something to feel comfortable.
Things that Change after Two Weeks:
- The house smell stops feeling foreign, and starts to smell good; after I did my laundry today I smelled my towels and just wanted to sleep in them. A week ago I was handling these towels with disdain. At school, the new air freshener would go from new and fancy to comforting (or just useful).
- Adventures turn into chores. The first week, all sorts of stupid things turn into adventures; finding your way, learning to say "what do you want for lunch," doing laundry, figuring out how to buy soap. After two weeks, instead of treating these tasks like adventures where lots of things can go wrong, they go back to just being chores you want to avoid.
- You know when it is appropriate to not work/go to class. You learn when it is worth it to skip class, or how to call your boss if you're sick. I've learned that this family will actually be disappointed if I don't spend a lot of time traveling, even if that means I don't work some Fridays.
- You start to eat and sleep like a normal person. Until you can get the basic needs figured out, which can take a while (especially with my weird feelings towards food), so finally having an appetite and sleeping normally helps a lot. It's a simple win, but a win all the same.
- You are free to be more than a guest; at two weeks, you are really officially there. The two weeks is like a trial period, and whether it is roommates or a new family or new employees, no one really knows what to think of you until after you get through the initial first impression.
- You can walk around in the dark without running into things.
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