Time flies...
Hi, everyone!
It’s finally that time… remember me telling you about this moment during spring break? It’s here: the time for packing and moving!! The horror of it! And as I warned you back then, you’ll have to put up with my whining.
So, to introduce some logic in this entry, classes ended last week and final exams this Wednesday. All students were supposed to leave after their last exam, but I’ve mentioned before that I’m staying over the summer, to work in my professor’s lab. So I’m one of the last ones left. And, as great as it is to have a room (actually, an entire dorm) to myself, I miss everyone. I think I now understand a bit how our parents and friends must have felt when we left home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to be here, but it’s odd not going to classes and not having my friends here.
For 2 days I kept saying goodbye to people and I realized that I had grown quite fond of a number of them. It’s odd. You’d think that 8 months isn’t that much time… The funny thing is that some bonds formed after Spring break, for example. I guess this is one more of the many college experiences. Some people reach this point earlier than others: a few of my friends started calling campus “home” in November, for instance. The idea is that, when you reach the point where you don’t want to leave school and where you miss the people here, you know there’s no turning back: you’ve set the building blocks for a new life. It’s a gradual, unconscious process – for example, if I think back at, let’s say, December, when fall semester ended, I was, emotionally and socially, in a condition where I could have left UNE and gone back home, making fall semester feel like an extended trip or something. When I think of that now, I feel that, if I were to leave, I’d be leaving a part of me here; it would be a change similar to that experienced when I left home. And I’m sure that as more time goes by, this sense of belonging will grow stronger. (My ideas lack any logical flow, but I’m just writing them down as they come to mind.)
So, back to more prosaic things: tomorrow is my last day at the library. I want to work here again in the fall, but this summer I’ll be working full time in the lab, so I can’t do anything else. I will have summer work study, which, as I recently found out, is different from usual, year-round work study, in the sense that it’s not financial aid, so anyone is entitled to it (including non-residents like me). Also, for those staying over the summer, if they’re enrolled in classes or working full-time, they benefit from reduced housing rates (i.e. half of what they’d be paying otherwise). I’ll be moving out of Assisi and into Featherman on Sunday, which is bound to be a nightmare. I started packing last night and I have no idea when, how, or why I managed to gather that much junk. A piece of advice for all you in-coming students: don’t bring any luggage, you will never use it. A toothbrush is enough.
Anyway, for the following 14 weeks I’ll only be doing research, which is going to be amazing. After that, I’m going to RA camp:) That’s a whole new adventure that I’m looking forward for. I’m really excited about my classes next semester, as well. Not only because I managed to get into all of the ones I wanted, during the times I wanted (and this way put together a very convenient schedule), but because I’ll be with many of my friends in most of them. I’ll be taking Organic Chemistry, Genetics (both with labs), Bio Statistics, and 2 honors courses that cover the Social Global Awareness and Human Traditions sophomore year requirements. One of them is a psychology course (Mental Health and Society) and the other one I think is an English course. But, again, as excited as I am about these courses, I’m going to miss a couple of the professors I had this semester (and being in their classes). If you can have the experience of loving the simple fact of going to class, of looking forward for that class just because it’s so much fun and so stimulating to sit in it and to see the professor giving his lecture, then you’re getting the best of the academic side of college; I’ve gotten a great deal of that this year.
Anyway, this summer I also really want to touch base with my friends and family back home, read, walk (I miss walking just for the sake of it), and take advantage of the fact that the beach is just 10 minutes away, and so on :)
On that note, have a warm and sunny summer, everyone! Make the best of every moment! Thanks to all those who’ve read these entries - it’s been a great year. If you ever have any questions or thoughts you want to share, leave a comment and we can connect via e-mail.
Best wishes,
Anda.
