Traveling Show

Summer is nearly over.  The stress that marks the boundary has arrived.  Moving at the beginnings and ends of semesters, the sensory issues that accompany communal living, and a somewhat introvert-unfriendly school culture are challenging.  I hate change, noise, smells, smalltalk, new faces to remember as best I can, names that slip my mind.  Agnes Scott allows me to live alone and keep cafeteria-induced sensory overload to a minimum.  The college’s flexibility makes it bearable.  Before these accommodations were in place, it was worse.  At times, it was difficult to eat because I felt constantly ill.  My memories of the first month and a half of college are spotty.  I could not sleep.  The tension now is mere memory of pain.  Then, it was current, livid, hot.

I still did well.  It helped academic blessings in my genes insulated my GPA, but the saving grace was grit.  I kept reading, writing, attending courses through the three semesters before helpful accommodations were in place.  I looked like a wraith, worried people, and turned in good work.  The moral of a story more personal than this blog’s usual fare is encouragement.  If anyone else here has these problems, do not feel alone.  Seek out what helps.  Hang on.  Cussedness buys time to find supports.  If you surmounted the educational obstacles too many autistics face, reach college, you owe yourself the last mile.  It will probably not kill you.  Quality headphones help.  If you need a sympathetic ear, this ask box is open.  Anon is on.