Mum Takes on Erie & Mercyhurst – The College Drop-Off & Break Up

Travel Day

As I mentioned in the last blog, I was the chosen one to take Hunter back for the start of college at Mercyhurst (Gonna hold onto that forever) Although some of our interactions had me questioning my purpose (and my parenting!), but after a bit of reflection, I realised this is just the next phase for Hunter—and for us as parents. I also have to keep my expectations in check as these are my expectations not my son from a different generation expectations. Accepting and navigating this is easier said than done at times. Hate to admit it but it’s like looking into a mirror of my own actions at the same age... well, karma’s a funny thing, isn't it? I’m so sorry, Mama!!!

Travel to Mercyhurst involved three flights this time: Auckland to Sydney (3–4 hours), Sydney to Dallas (15 hours), and finally Dallas to Cleveland (2.5 hours). After that, we were picked up by one of the coaches for an hour-and-a-half drive to Erie, Pennsylvania. TBH, it was brutal; my legs felt like lead. Since we left in the morning, it felt like a wasted day. Usually, when we fly into New York, it’s an overnight flight—leave at 7 p.m. and land at 7 p.m. the same day—so you can watch a movie, have dinner, and sleep the rest of the way.

We snagged an exit row for free, which meant extra legroom, but the downside is the TV and table are tucked into the side. When the bro next to me fell asleep, he leaned right into that in-between section, trapping my table so I couldn’t eat breakfast. First-world problems, right?

Lucky Hunter was with me, though. When we hit Dallas airport, I didn't realize there were different terminals; we had to navigate the Skylink to our gate. It’s not surprising, but the airports are massive compared to lil' ol' New Zealand.

We arrived at the hotel pretty late. Hunter was keen to get back to his dorm, much to my disappointment, but I "forced" him to walk me into my hotel before he headed off. I DoorDashed dinner from Arby’s, which was actually quite nice, including that "Horsey Sauce." I have no idea why it's called that, and it's hard to describe the flavour, but it was yum! I crashed and slept for a solid 11 hours.

Day 1

Hunter came to pick me up the next day, he did not have as much sleep as I. lol. He is so much like us when he’s tired, even if he's still in denial about it!

Campus life is in full swing, and it’s cool to see him experiencing it all - for now, at least!

Having Hunter drive me around on the left side did feel weird, but I'm thankful to the bro who lent him the car. We even drove past a drive-through bank; that was different - I think it’s mainly for deposits, but I’m not 100% sure.

The weather was nice, but it’s that "catch you off guard" kind of hot. It would be considered a hot summer day in NZ.

The boy was hungry, so we hit up Chick-fil-A. It’s a popular place! There was no parking and two to three drive-through lines with people taking orders on iPads while walking among the cars. They also had curbside pickup spaces. We ordered inside, but there were no seats available so ended up eating in the car. Chick-fil-A sauce is fire!

Finally fed, we made our way to Walmart. I don’t know if it was the white concrete, but it was so bright! This Walmart is on steroids compared to the one in Pittsfield; it even has a grocery section that’s basically a full supermarket.

I had a whole list, but my son was tired, hoha, and impatient plus he’s a minimalist, so we didn’t get nearly as much as I planned. Now that Hunter paying for stuff he doesnt need as much. Bless!

Back at Mercyhurst, I met Hunter’s roommate, a nice local Erie gentleman.

His dorm has a bed, desk, chair, and drawers, plus a decent closet and a bathroom. There’s a window between the beds with a nice view of the football sports field.

However, the toilets still creep me out—the water level is way too high! I guess that keeps things cleaner, but it’s a bit alarming.

Hunter then showed me around Mercyhurst (A little reluctantly…still tired and perhaps the jetlag coming out). It’s very green and well kept campus. Seeing the squirrels around still buzzes me out and all 5 ft 7 of me felt like a giant in comparison to some of the students there.

We had lunch at "The Grotto," one of the campus spots. Hunter is on an unlimited food plan, so he can bring a guest for free. The setup was amazing: different stations for salads, burgers, deli, pizza, roasts, breakfast, sweets and daily specials.

You clear your own plates, and then you place them on a conveyor belt - I was too whakama to take a video, but it was pretty cool.

We finished the tour at the sports arenas. They have an ice hockey rink, and apparently, the girls' team is ranked one of the top in the country! The basketball and gym isn't crazy massive, but it’s sharp. Each sport has its own locker room, which I thought was cool, though it was a bit weird to see all the other conference team logos on the wall - respectable, but weird.

The locker room was tidy, with a kitchen stocked with snacks and protein shakes on one side and toilets and open shower on the other side. 

Hunter hit the boards and got some reps in with a teammate and I then headed back to my hotel. Day1 done!

Day 2

I bummed around the hotel until I got bored waiting for Hunter to make contact. Taking my husband's advice to "not wait for him to make plans and make my own," I caught an Uber to the Bicentennial Tower. Beautiful views of Lake Erie! Fun fact: I was "today years old" when I realized the Mercyhurst "Lakers" name comes from the lake, not the LA Lakers. Lol.

After taking in the views from the tower,  I walked along the lake and found Woody’s Backyard Barge and Grill. It’s a cute place on the waterfront, giving off "Dawson's Creek meets Florida" vibes.

I ordered a “Wobbly Worm” cocktail—it was pre-made, nice, but super sweet.

I also tried fried breaded pickles for the first time. They were pretty yum! I’ve noticed they’re incredibly generous with sauces here, and they don't even charge extra for them—love that!

Hunter eventually joined me and finished my leftovers (though he wouldn't try the pickles—what a prude).

We hit up Oliver’s Beer Garden for mini-golf, which Hunter says is the local starting spot. I had a lemon-lime slushy with a splash of tequila, and I was impressed they had cup holders at each hole. Hunter won, just. It was nice just hanging out, and I think I managed to avoid giving any lectures!

We headed back to his dorm, but I ended up taking a snooze in his room—the sun and drinks got me!

Later, I put my "big girl panties" on and had dinner by myself at Applebee’s. Does anyone else feel a bit out of their comfort zone eating alone? For 20+ years, I’ve always had Val or the kids with me. Everything is so big here, and I was shocked they put red onion in their mashed potatoes.

I was also a bit gutted to find out later that the Northern Lights were visible from Lake Erie that night, and I completely missed it!

Day 3

Hunter had his first day of classes, so I went shopping. The mall was massive—much bigger than the Uber driver led me to believe—and my feet were so sore from walking that I had to get a foot and body massage.

Hunter organized dinner at Serafini's Trattoria, a family-owned Italian place recommended by Coach Kyle. The pasta was likely fresh, and it was delicious! We had a strawberry vinaigrette salad that was fire and had to try the Watermelon Ranch Water (Tequila). We finished with fresh tiramisu. It was a lovely mum-son date.

Day 4

More classes for Hunter, including an 8 a.m. start. I had another date with Walmart, which was also across the road from the hotel. I easily filled a trolley with Kyla-Rae's requests and a few extras. Hunter came to meet me at the hotel to hang out and catch dinner... I was hoping he’d meet me at Walmart to help with the bags, but his timing was out, so he caught me at the lights three-quarters of the way back with my hands full. The crossing buttons are weird; you select the opposite one to cross the other way. There were arrows, but I didn't really believe it, so I stood at the lights of an eight-lane road for ages like a dumb ass. Any who, Hunter came and hung out... aka had a nap in my room while I got my washing done.

We then hit Texas Roadhouse for dinner, which was pretty good! It has a lil Lone Star vibe, but steak is the main attraction. Fat as lean steaks are pretty reasonably priced. Their mash wasn't as good as Applebee's and it still had red onion in it. I got an $8 spicy margarita but couldn't finish it—that’s a first for me!

We had a nice walk back to the hotel, and Hunter finished watching Tokyo Drift... cute to see the lil kid still in him. He's not quite grown yet. Love that for me.lol

Day 5: Home Time!

After checking out of my hotel, I had to swap to Hunter’s bigger suitcase to haul my Walmart purchases. I picked up some Mercyhurst merch - the shop even has a Starbucks inside! I missed meeting head coach Manchel, but hopefully, I'll catch him next time. Coach Josh drove us back to Cleveland, and the long journey home began.

It will likely be nine months before Hunter returns to NZ. Although I’m excited to see my son thrive at college and I know he will be fine, I’d be lying if I said I didn't still worry about him and I miss him even when he's pissing me off from half way across the world!

Although it felt like somewhat of a breakup with my son of some sorts - the goodbye didn't feel as heavy as previous ones, and there were no tears at the airport. Mostly because Hunter was in such a rush to head off that he barely walked me in. I’m telling myself it’s because he didn’t want to hold up the coach in the drop-off zone and I’m trying not to catch feels on that - he is blissfully unaware re these small gestures that I overthink. lol.

Thank you, Hunter, for sharing Mercyhurst and Erie with me. It means more than you know.