Wednesday, April 25, 2012

"Things go away to return, brightened for the passage." -A.R. Ammons

As I people-watch from the second floor of the UL on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, more fondly known as LDOC amongst the community,  I can't help but reflect on my first year at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Admittedly, I did not venture far from home.  The trip back to my house for the summer will take no longer than 10 minutes.  I'm sure I could come back an visit anytime I'd like, and I'm positive I will be seeing Franklin in the near future.

However...it will be different.  There won't be thousands of people around to watch me stumble on a loose brick.  This campus is teeming with life, especially now on LDOC, when every classroom feels like a growing bubble that's about to pop.

Though I will be back next year, and 2 years after that, each semester will be different.  I will make the transition between dorms, meet new people, try out/fail new classes, and I probably won't see a lot of the people I see on a daily basis today.  College is not like high school.  At least my college, anyways.  At my college, you can sit in the window of the library and see faces that you've never seen before...and may not ever see again.

I can't believe how fast it's already flown by.  I was on the phone with my dad last night, an occasion that I wish I would facilitate more often, and he told me that it's only going to get faster...and blurrier.  Unfortunately, as I'm caught up in a whirlwind of finals and papers, I can't seem to find the time and appreciate my school for the last week I have here.  So this is my tribute to you, Carolina.  I never want to leave.