Life

Next week, I will officially move into my first solo apartment. Yeah, yeah... I wish I had enough money saved to purchase a place instead of renting, but I’m not quite at that position in my life yet. So, this entry is an opportunity to shed light on some thought processes I’ve been experiencing as my days of living at home full-time are coming to a close.

Most people are familiar with the saying, “It’s not goodbye. It's ‘see you later’.” Although I may have utilized that angle while parting from my college friends, I had a much more contrasting reaction when saying goodbye to the physical location of Old Town Orange. I lived in the heart of Orange for the past four years. What brought me there was my enrollment in Chapman University, a school that is a hidden gem. I distinctly remember the first time I flew out to tour the campus. Although I was invested in absorbing information about the school and admissions, and all that jazz, what sold me on wanting to move there was the simply adorable, humble, and subtle town that Chapman calls home.

In no way is this an attempt to gain attention or virtue signal. I just have some strong convictions about social media (Instagram in particular) that I want to document. I’m sure many would agree that a lot of growth occurs in your teens and early 20s. And us Gen-Z-ers have been given the involuntary responsibility to define social norms on these brand-new websites. As early adopters, we may not have thought ahead about certain aspects to prevent negative repercussions. Many trends are now so ingrained that they may be nearly impossible to reverse.