After a long week filled with two exams and countless assignments, it would be an understatement to say I was excited to see my parents. Although my mom visited me two weeks ago, I hadn’t seen my parents together since August.
I spent Thursday waiting in anticipation as my parents drove five hours from Miami. When they pulled up outside my apartment, I was overjoyed. We went out to dinner at P.F. Changs with my roommate Bri and her parents, as well as our other roommate, Nikki. When we got to the parking lot, I hugged my parents extra tight.
We spent the rest of the night getting caught up and swapping stories about what my roommates and I had experienced in Gainesville so far as freshmen.
Friday marked the beginning of the real festivities.
At first, it felt strange showing my parents around. I had told them about my day-to-day life often, but I never really expected them to live it with me. In the evening, we went to Lake Alice and watched the bats take flight.
Saturday came along, which I looked forward to the most. Because I’ve come to enjoy UF football culture so much, I was especially excited to share this experience with them.
My roommates and I trekked down University Avenue with our parents in tow, passing by public tailgate spots, eventually making our way to the Gator Walk. I had never watched the players walk down Gator Walk before, and my parents and I were in shock at seeing both Billy Napier and DJ Lagway in person.
We stopped at the Reitz Union and spent time at the Family Tailgate. While it was hot, we had fun sitting and chatting with live music playing in the background. It felt refreshing to see so many Gators spending quality time with their parents.
Finally, game time rolled around. I was a little nervous walking into the stadium (considering our recent track record), but I was proved wrong.
The atmosphere in The Swamp was electric. After the game, my parents told me that they had the time of their lives, and my mom said she even looked up the words to the “Go Gators” chant so she could cheer with the rest of the crowd.
While my parents did want to take 5,000 pictures of us in different places, I realized this was a new experience for them just as it was for me.
Even though we may want to seem like independent college students, sometimes we just need some quality time with our folks.
Isabella Cabrera is an 18-year-old political science freshman.
Isabella Cabrera is an 18-year-old UF political science freshman.
