Jordan Blackwell: Family -- Is it supposed to be special?

Time -- 11 o’clock AM.

Date -- February 18, 2016.

Activity -- Walking to town.

Normally when I walked to town, I would walk down the street looking through the windows, see places I have seen many times, and be in a hurry to get my shopping done. But this walk was different. I do not remember the little details of why it was so different other than I was walking to meet my mom at the bus stop. Yes, my mother, the one who put me on a plane 6 weeks earlier and let me go out on the biggest adventure of my life.  The mom who I was mad at because she encouraged me to be brave. The mom that I was so excited to see because holy crap I missed home. This is the mom who got to come see her daughter in Winchester, England because the daughter was home sick and because WHY NOT?

So, my Mom came to England. She visited me during my break away. We explored Winchester for a couple of day. I wanted to share the English culture with her. During this time, I took her on walks, to Sunday afternoon tea, and to the local bars. Then we spent some time traveling. We went to Southampton and to Windsor. But at the end of her week we spent the last couple of days in London; where we saw a Broadway show, went shopping, and of course saw all the major sights. This was one of the best weeks of both mine and her life.  But what does that mean? Why was it so special? Why did we enjoy it so much?

Well the Honors college student inside me wants to come up with some magic answer but it is quite simple. I was having a hard time when I was in England -- I became homesick. Each time I did an exciting activity, I would call my parents after words to share my adventures with them. In my time during town, I would go to class, spend some time with my friends, or sit in my room. However, things were feeling a bit uneasy.  My parents could see how homesick I was and they wanted to help me out. By looking forward to my mom coming, I could focus less on home. When she was there I got to show her the piece of England I knew. She was just as in love with it as I was. But, what she does not know is that her short one week visit helped me to realize that I am okay. That I am strong enough to be on my own. And that my parents were only a phone call away.

It was a special experience for both my mom and myself because we were both able to grow. She realized that I was no longer a little girl and that I could handle being in the big city. I realized the same thing. During our time in London this was really highlighted. When we planned our trip, I took the initiative. I chose to give her a tour. In London, my mom was in awe of the beautiful buildings and experiences – this was me a few weeks earlier. I remember vividly having to drag her across the street so that she would not get hit by car when crossing. This was due to the two different speeds we were walking at. Ever since then, she has made comments about how she is so proud of me for taking care of her.

However, the universal answer is that I shared an incredible experience with someone that I love. In most scenarios people tend to enjoy an activity more when they are comfortable or when they are with someone they have a strong connection with. The people I feel the strongest to is my family.

I consider family to be the people I am surrounded by. The people I support and love and those who love and support me back. People that share emotions and feeling with me and make me feel comfortable enough to share my emotions and feelings with them. I consider family to be the group of people that I want to call at my worst times and at my happiest times because I just can’t keep it in any longer. So, with that being said, my kin are not my only family; Although, they do play an important part in it.

My kin are who I consider share the same ancestry as me. I have my immediate family which consist of my parents, grandparents, and brother. I consider these few people to be the ones that are the most important. Growing up, this is the family I knew and loved. We have other family members, but these were the people who were there when it really mattered. This is the family that I celebrated all holidays with, and the people that I hated leaving when I studied abroad.

But they were also the people that were here when I came back. They were the people who supported me and help me to transition back to life in the states. The transition became even more difficult for me because I moved into an apartment with a friend within a week of being back in the country. My family and friends supported my move, as well as knew that I would reach out when I was ready. They let me be confident and strong in who I am. It was not easy but I needed to live on my own to grow.

I feel the same way months later, as I am writing this essay and thinking about my life at Lander University. My family has changed once again, I have found myself making new friends and being a part of a different group of students I am studying and living with here in Greenwood. My parents and immediate family cannot be here every minute of every day but someone is here – my friends. My friends in Greenwood have become a major part of my life. They see the good and the bad, but do not doubt that I still will support them just like they have supported me. But just like my experience with my mom in England, my life here in Greenwood feels just as special. It is because I am spending the time with my loved ones. I feel as if I have someone to share it with.

But as I have lost and gained friends, figured out who I want to be as a person, and moved from an apartment to a house, I realized that I truly have two sets of families. I have my friends who I see daily, and family that are my kin. They mean the world to me, but I have realized that if I don’t see them for a month I will be okay. And they will too. They have seen me grow in ways that I could not even imagine.

The little girl dependent on my family that thought she could not survive in a different country, has surprised me time and time again. She has become a strong-willed independent woman who just needed that extra push.  Although she is supported, loved, and has a family behind her every step of the way – she can continue to look forward because she knows that her family is standing strong too. So yes, family is really that special!

Jordan Blackwell is a special Education major at Lander University. She will graduate in the spring 2018 and hopes to start her career in teaching. She is apart of Teaching Fellows at Lander which confirms that she will be in a South Carolina school.  At Lander she had the opportunity to study abroad in Winchester, England during the Spring of 2016.