• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Hi, My Name Is Lianne, and I’m a Recovering Prop-Lifter

Hi, My Name Is Lianne, and I’m a Recovering Prop-Lifter

June 6, 2018 //  by Lianne D'Arcy

Shares38FacebookTweet

I have never been a risk taker. Over the years with my small family, tight social circle and underwhelming achievements, I can safely say that I’ve grown a bit too relaxed in my tiny comfort zone. I became used to living in the fear of uncertainty. Fun times. My little bubble officially burst on my first day of classes at the University of Florida.

I transitioned from invisible daughter of Trinidadian immigrant, to Gator in one of the country’s largest public universities.

I swear the culture shock nearly sent me packing. So like any true Trini, I became a professional whiner. I missed my family in Miami, I missed my handful of friends and I missed my parents’ soft accents. I never felt smaller than my first time on that large campus—and it was all I could think about.

The isolation and loneliness began to get to me, so I became something I’ve never become before. I became impulsive.

If I’ve learned one thing at college, it’s this: There’s nothing quite like the feeling of sweaty palms, a racing heart and a small handful of dying succulent leaves while panickily speed walking out of the Walmart garden section on a casual Tuesday night. It really feels like getting away with murder. Yes, dying succulent leaves and yes, Walmart. College kids out here need to hustle, remember?

My big secret is out. I steal the dying leaf stems from the dingy floors of garden centers and then propagate them in my tiny college room. I am a thief. However, I personally like to identify myself as a prop-lifter. I think I’m kind of funny sometimes.

My Tuesday runs to Walmart soon became the highlight of my week. But don’t be fooled. I wasn’t just lifting any old leaves—I lifted ones that reminded me of home. I lifted wilting rosemary, just like the ones in my grandmother’s old garden. Or I recovered a damaged bougainvillea stem, the same color as the kind that make up my front hedge at home. I stumbled upon my mom’s favorite flower here, my dad’s favorite spice there. I wanted to recreate the fragrances and textures of my childhood in my bedroom. This new addiction soon rainbowed over my academic responsibilities.

To tell you the truth, I know it’s not really stealing. I always ask for permission, and I always make sure to thank the workers there. But do I still feel like I should be arrested on sight after leaving the crime scene? Yes. That feeling has yet to go away.

In all honestly, I just felt desperate for a glimpse of my life back at home.

My weekly trips turned into my guilty pleasure. My budding propagations became the only thing that made me feel connected to my family back at home. Taking care of those small plants and nurturing them into blossoming adults made me feel like I had purpose at college. I was making a difference, branching out and I was staying true to my roots while doing it (pun intended).

However, I was living in the past. Even though I worked hard to make these little reminders of home grow, I wasn’t growing as a person. My new comfort circle included my fertilizer, soil and ceramic pots. A real squad, am I right? I fell back into my old ways of refusing to challenge myself.

During this epiphany, I noticed a few of my mom’s favorite herbs began to wilt. I soon let the rest of my little “rescues” die off. They were coming along steadily, but it was time to let them go.

That week, I read about stress-induced flowering. Plants sometimes need to be challenged and shaken up a bit in order to inhibit some blooms. Just like people—and me.

I let my tiny tokens of nostalgia wilt away, one by one. Staying in my comfort zone set me up for failure. I needed a change if I wanted to truly flower and grow. The death of my mini garden from home was my first step in growing at college. I’m not quite there yet, but I hope that soon, I’ll flower.

Shares38FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Life

About Lianne D'Arcy

I'm a sophomore in journalism at the University of Florida. In my free time, you can find me on a lake with my rowing team, collecting new exotic houseplants, or sleeping in a hammock on campus.

You May Also Like

cultural identity and language

Language Abilities Don’t Define Your Cultural Identity, Unless?

How I Turned My Personal Journals into a Published Book

songs to belt out

21 Songs to Belt Out in the Shower

15 Alcohol-Free Activities for a Friday Night In

Reflecting on Fall 2020: How to Recover from One of the Hardest Semesters

How to Make Money From Home Without Taking Off Your PJs

15 COVID-19 Safe Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in 2020

Top 10 COVID-19 Safe Activities to Do Near Fresno, California

Breaking the Binary: My Journey into Identifying as Non-Binary

The Döner Project: My Berlin Budget as a College Student

CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

A Tale of Two Twin Flames

movies to binge over winter break

Battling Boredom: 10 Movies to Binge Over Winter Break

Being an Asian-American: Learning to Accept Both Halves of Myself

How to Become a Published Poet

ADHD or the Enemy? At Least My College Helped Me

berkeley outdoors

10 COVID-19 Friendly Things to Do in Berkeley, California

Top 10 DIY Gifts for Your BFF

Christmas

10 Gifts For Parents That They Want But Haven’t Asked For

friend group dressed up as Big Hero Six characters

Animation Nerds Unite: 10 Gifts for Animation Lovers

gifts for your girl squad

10 Gifts Your Girl Squad Can’t Live Without

10 Virtual Gifts for Your BFF that Will Make Them Love You Forever

Real News: 10 Gifts for the Future Journalist in Your Life

Previous Post: « 24 Things to do in Williamsburg in 24 Hours
Next Post: 10 Best Things to Do in Montreal things to do in montreal»

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

CampusLife_sm
53

CM’s Top 10 Schools Doing Residential Life Right

coffee w heart
14

A Barista’s Guide to Making Delicious Coffee Drinks at Home

6

5 Tips for Getting Your Social Media Ready for the Professional World

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.