Embracing College Life and New Opportunities at TMCC

Taking it back to the beginning

So let’s rewind to where my U.S. journey began: I lived with a host family for two and a half years in Maryland where I studied English while working as a full-time nanny. I was in charge of the kids and fulfilling all the responsibilities that come with it: playing, driving them to school, preparing meals, cleaning up after them, and more playing. It was a pretty easy job! 

To be honest, kids can teach you a lot: patience, a sense of responsibility, kindness and that you are still not ready to have kids lol (just kidding). I loved my host kid, she was the sweetest little girl I ever met and every time we spent together was always a crazy adventure. 

My host family had Guyanese roots, and their culture was very similar to my Hispanic traditions. Some of the things that I loved were: their family-centered culture, the food is so flavorful and delicious (curry is the one must-have ingredient in the kitchen), and they love dancing. I fell in love with my host family from the first day and I miss them every day. 

Wanting something else

I had wonderful moments during those years and even though I was also working on my English skills through English intensive programs (ESL), after a while I felt that I was stuck on my professional life. I was already 23 years old, and I felt so behind compared to people of my age. 

I recall one time I was driving past the University of Maryland, stressed and tired after a long day as a babysitter (yes! it gets rough sometimes), and I saw a group of students walking around campus, and I remember saying to myself: “I wish I was one of them, their life seems so easy; just go to classes, do your homework, and hang out with your friends. How hard can it be?”

I am a FULL-TIME STUDENT NOW!

To get admitted at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) was faster than I expected, so much so that one day I was singing lullabies and the next day I was on the plane to Reno. 

Once I got to my new home, I could feel the changes. Even at the orientation for international students, which was four days before the beginning of the semester, I was still trying to process all those sudden changes and I thought: “How did I get here … now I’m a full-time student for real. I have to take it seriously!” 

It was not easy the first couple of weeks of the semester, especially for some reasons: first of all, I hadn’t attended a college or university since I left high school, which was 7 years ago. My brain was lazy, and I did not understand anything. Second, I felt so overwhelmed with so many classes (aka college life), and lastly, I had no friends. 

Getting acclimated takes time

I admit, I wasn’t the best student my first semester, but after feeling so disappointed for not having given my best, I told myself that I could do better. I started working on my time management, being more responsible, and seeking help from professors when I didn't understand a subject. 

Now I am in my third semester at TMCC, plus I just recently got a job on campus for the first time, so this is going to be a new challenge for me. But I am very confident that I will be able to handle it with determination and discipline.

Accepting changes

While student life is not as easy as I imagined it before, it’s a wonderful experience that I am so grateful to be living. You learn so much about every aspect of your life during those years as a student, and personally, I feel I have changed. Every day you go to classes is a new adventure to discover and something new to learn. I used to be afraid of changes but I am learning to be brave to face everything that comes with time. 

Sometimes we fall into the tendency of bragging about the life we have or complaining that we are not doing enough, unable to appreciate the life we are living at that moment and the people that are in it, which is exactly what happened to me when I left Maryland. Now I wish I could go back in time. Every person goes at their own pace and everything we want will come at the right time. So just enjoy and take advantage of wherever you are now, and YOUR TIME WILL COME! Just wait and see.

Brenda Rodriguez from Panama is an international student at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.