Cassandra Caggia's Weblog

I’ve been Roman Catholic from birth, so when I moved to Florida and couldn’t find a Roman Catholic church that really reminded me of St. Anthony’s back home, I pretty much stopped going. I’ve been through a lot of hardships lately and decided to bring church back into my life. So I went with my boyfriend and his family to their Baptist church. It was such a different experience for me. I was surprised at how they didn’t say prayers like the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” and how the Father didn’t stand up and say things that we had to repeat. I was surprised at how much they sat down where Roman Catholic’s would be kneeling. I was surprised when service ended and there was no communion. It was all a very different experience for me, but I realized that I can still pray just the same as I always have. It did feel a little like I was in the wrong place, but I still learned that I can be myself even if it is in a different place. I can still believe in God in the way I used to. I just wish I could find a church down here that was exactly like the one I went to in New York. I received my Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, and everything in between in that very same church. It felt like another home; but from my experience at this Baptist church, I learned a lot about myself and my beliefs I never would have if I hadn’t had this opportunity.

I live at home, so what I find the hardest part of living with my parents is being able to experience my college life like a normal college student does. They don’t usually care what time I come home at night, because they know I’m safe and make good decisions, but it’s difficult to experience the college life when it takes me a half an hour to get to campus. Most of my friends that I hang out with daily live in Riverview, so I don’t usually get invited to the campus parties or to hang out with people I talk to at school. I get along with my parents and can talk to them about everything, but for a college freshman, I’d like a little more freedom and ability to do as I please. My parents agree with how I handle my social life and school work most of the time, but sometimes they get on my back about putting off work a little longer than I should. It’s alright for now that I live at home, but I’m saving up to move out next year with a good friend. I know at first it may be difficult living with a friend, but I know that we can make it all work out for the good.

My first two weeks at USF have been a fun, scary, hectic, trying, exciting past two weeks. It’s been a great experience meeting new people, doing things on my own schedule, and figuring out what is best for me now and in the long run. I finally feel like I’m doing things for myself and making progress towards my dreams. It’s been scary to have so much responsibility in getting to class on time and getting my work done. I knew I’d have no problem with that. I commute to work already, so the commute to school is actually shorter. I do have to make sure I plan out my schedule very carefully though so I don’t end up driving from Riverview to Tampa twice in one day. My planner comes in very handy! It’s been trying because I have to balance my time so I can work and get my homework done without missing anything! I even found time to make it to the first football game of the season, and watched the USF vs. UCF game last night. That was CRAZY! All in all, I’ve enjoyed my first experience at USF in so many ways, I can’t even name all the reasons! GO BULLS!