#people ask me...

When I introduce myself to people, about 75% of the time it goes like this-

*Casual my name is... and handshake.

Any Person: So where are you from?

Me: Idaho.

Any Person: (A) Potatoes! OR (B) That's the place with potatoes, right?

*His/Her eyes turn into large orbs of surprise. (You'd think I'd I said I hail from Mars or something equally bizarre. Nobody from home prepared me to become such an oddity.)

Me: Yeah. That's home.

Sometimes people will comment on its "cool shape" or ask (with a deeply puzzled look) "That's close to California, right?" (Yeah, Not really.) "Haha, I'm not very good at geography." (Well, I'm not either, but the geography of the Western U.S. is tons easier than the Eastern portion, so at least I have an excuse.)

I moved across the country for college (from Idaho to Georgia). It's a big change, and whenever I talk to anybody from home (or even those people colleges pay to make sure you haven't thrown yourself off a building yet) they ask me series of questions: 

Is it the way you expected?

In all honesty, I had no expectations for college, so it just is. I didn't make up fantasies on how it would e like or what I would do. Of course I had though about it but not with rose-colored glasses. I knew it would be work, and that it would be different, but that's it; that's as far as I thought. 

Are you having fun?

 How am I supposed to answer that? Do they want to hear about my drunken carousing? (Which there actually is none of, because I live a "pathetic" existence and don't really care.) Does anybody have fun all of the time? If you do, something is seriously wrong with you or you're just lying. There are fun moments (if they were all the time, it wouldn't be fun, because fun is out of the ordinary). What I cryptically answer is, "Yeah, sometimes."

How is it different from high school?

Umm... I'm the only one in charge of myself, and nobody really cares if I show up or not, so that's different... I have to force myself to go find food. It's a pain in the butt. I used to enjoy eating and cooking, but now I only eat so I don't pass out.  The work itself isn't too hard, but it's not easy, it just is.

How are you doing?