Despite my only being 22-years-old and a youth in the eyes of the majority of people in the world, my pool of human interaction is quite small and thus makes me feel ancient. Living in a college town, most of my encounters are with people between the ages of 18 and 24 with the exception being professors and employees who are still very outnumbered.
So when the freshmen show up to campus each year and I am further and further from being able to relate with them, it is entirely apparent to me how simply being 18-years-old does not whatsoever, in any way other than legally, make you an adult.
Because my roommate is still in the marching band, we had a couple freshmen staying with us until they were allowed to move into the dorms. In terms of being a young adult, five years makes a HUGE difference, and I was confronted with that the minute these freshmen were sitting in my living room not knowing what to do with themselves or how much food they would need or what to pack for an extended stay.
Missing items included: a towel, any blankets or pillows whatsoever, accessories for the instrument they were supposed to be playing all week, food, money for food... I could go on.
Questions I received regardless of the fact that I had never had any experience with the topic (but I still was able to figure it out): how do I buy an Amtrak ticket online? What classes does my major require? What time should I leave? What should I do now that I ran out of food [after the first night]?
I bet they'll be just as annoyed as I am in a couple years.
I think my almost #adulting abilities have made me cynical...