Salvete all!
Well, the end is here! Actually, it has been here since my last shift and epic ride home on Saturday, but I got my wisdom teeth out Monday (which explains the delay in posts). Only my left cheek is swollen, which is a good look for me, I think. I cannot fathom the fact that I will be home for the next 4 months—it seems unimaginable after eight months of constant back-and-forth, five hours down and five back up—Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, Easter…where did the time go?
The last question on my last exam, Astronomy (bright and early on Friday morning), was one that caused me to reflect on this all-too-quick passage of time. It asked something to the effect of, “What was your favorite or the most interesting thing you have learned this year?” I know my professor meant “in Astronomy,” so after I answered about a concept we learned this year in class, I took the question to a broader scope. I have learned so much about myself this year, had so many wonderful experiences, and as I dotted my last “i” and crossed my last “t” on my exam all of the fantastic memories I have made this year came flooding back to me. I vividly recall making it to the top of Mt. Monadnock and looking around in shock at the fact that I had survived a mountain climb without getting seriously injured. I still remember my first trip to Boston, the beautiful city to which my friends and I already have plans to go back. I can still smell the change in the air when the leaves started to turn colors so bright that I could not help but stop and stare. I recall being so sick during study period first semester that I could not help decorate the hallway for Christmas, but walking out after all was finished and soaking up the season. A blur of memories involve classes themselves—rocking back and forth in my comfy chair in Montserrat, discussing some ancient piece of art which tied in brilliantly with our reading, or re-living my trip to Rome with Doc Bender, listening to him lecture once again on sites that I saw first-hand with him. Most of all, I’ll remember walking to Kimball at 6:45 in the morning, bundled up against the torrential rain or wind or whatever other crazy weather Mt. St. James was throwing at us that day, and loving every second of it. Fenwick at sunrise is a sight that you just have to see to understand.
The bad news is, you’ve got about four months until you hear from me again. The good news is that I’ll be blogging next year about my new adventures! I can guarantee that my sophomore year will be just as chock-full of shenanigans as this year has been. I have enjoyed writing this blog so much and I sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings. So, until next year! Valete (in the true sense of the word—be well!)!