Sigh, Graduation
It's that time of the year, when either you're ready for summer and all of the fun it entails, chillin' before getting ready for summer school or an internship, or saying goodbye to the last 3-4 years of your college life and getting ready to step into the real world. Yes, it's graduation time.And as I was talking to some of my graduating friends these past couple of weeks, I realized that while all of us are a little relieved to finally take a break from studying and taking our final exams and get paid for doing work, we're also quite nostalgic about our college memories and apprehensive about what awaits us in the "real" world. I talked to a few friends who have defined majors and exact professions such as pharmacy, nursing, accounting, etc and already have jobs and a typical template future set out for them. And yet, they're still a little lost, still a little wary of all the responsibilities and independent path that's ahead of them. But then, I've also talked to a few friends who are searching for jobs and hoping to find one that they're passionate and enthusiastic about. Something that challenges them and something that they're not apathetic about. They're a little lost because now they are really starting their lives, have to pay the bills, need to pay taxes, and really have to think about what they want to do to when they "grow up." Is this the right career path? Did any of my classes really help me? Yeah, maybe I'm going to make thousands of dollars, but is this really what I want to do, and am I really happy doing it? Most of all, it's about leaving this sort of secluded paradise, walking out, and realizing that well, life ain't what it used to be. It's a tough world out there. Of course I'm completely romanticizing college. There was a lot of bullsh*t that went on. From drama with friends, to dealing with suicides, to troubling classes, disappointing grades, trying to stay atop all of the competition, trying to get a job/internship, coping with the idea of "time-management", realizing, that, yes, I actually have to cook, clean, go to class, and attempt to have a social life all at the same time.
Of course, I also know a few others that just want to live on campus and still keep livin' the college life. And to all them brothers and sisters, I'm with you!
I recently graduated myself, and I must say, I have mixed feelings. I was happy to be done with all the studying and exams and in a way, ready to move on and explore new opportunities. And, I realized I was probably (although you always SAY you're going to stay in touch) never going to see many people again as they move to various places and started new jobs or moved on to new colleges. Some I didn't even know that well, they were more like acquaintences, but they were such lively personalities that I didn't want to say goodbye to them. But you wish them well and you wonder if someday they will be future senators, CEOs, artists, or gain fame or satisfaction or happiness in their own way. And that sadness, sense of loss, the idea of time passed, along with some regrets, enlightening experiences, and hopefully, much more wisdom, suddenly came to me a few weeks after my graduation.
No more afternoon naps, no more eating whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted (i moved back home), no more staying out till the wee hours without having my mom worry about my wherabouts, no more casual, random meetings with professors and t.a.s to discuss absolutely nothing, no more $3 movies, no more cool lectures, events, and concerts right at your doorstep, no more learning about random things (such as the "how to identify a limestone" and "greek mythology and history") you probably would have never learned if on your own, no more using "studying" as an excuse to get out of practically anything (because as our parents ingrained in our minds, "education comes first"), no more having gayatri cook for me (thanks g), no more getting addicted to peach iced-tea, no more random visits to people's apartments, dorms, makeshift shelters, no more being called "Treasurer" of an organization, no more standing around enjoying the daily protests on the quad about something that you did even realize was an issue, no more dedicating entire days to movie/tv show marathons, no more "sex in the city" party nights, no more making fun of the frat/sorority people, no more blaming all of our woes on frat/sorority people, no more complaning about our social life because we were stuck in the middle of cornfields, no more having coffee with my favorite professor evah!, no more random trips to Meijjers at midnight, no more cleaning the apartment at 4am (shout out to Liz and Tasha), group all-nighters at the library (what up Grainger!!), no more waking up at 12pm for a 2pm class, and no more, bothering my roommates with my music, weird sleeping habits, conversations at 2am, and other annoying habits.
Damn. Now I'm just a working stiff. But hey, now I get free coffee, surf the internet, write on a blog, actually see my parents everyday, and get PAID!!
But sometimes I wonder, wouldn't it just be great if I could just go back to the good ol' days!
If you're graduating, congrats, good luck, and I hope you acheive all that you dream of...
posted by payal @ 4:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home