It’s my final semester in college. A lot has changed since my first article on this site. Oftentimes, I find myself reflecting on what I could have done differently, on where maybe I could have retraced my steps. But I also find myself thinking about the friends I’ve made and how things are going to be different when I move away from this little town. The ending is inevitable for all of us, and I know it’s going to hurt.
But why think about the future and uncertainty of what’s next when I can reflect on the amazing memories I’ve made thus far with them? I hope that there are others as lucky as me to read this and see themselves in this article too, because everyone deserves to have friends as amazing as the ones I’m going to tell you about now.
So this is to the friends I’ve made since my first footsteps on campus. A toast to the memories I’ll forever hold dear. This is for them.
I’ll never forget our weekend brunch dates during the first year, when someone would spam our group chat until people were awake. The debates on which dining facility we’d go to for breakfast, and who was going to have five minutes to wake up and run in the rain across campus for the same food every single weekend. To the excitement whenever french toast sticks were on the menu, or when I tried to sneak an uneaten donut out of the place because it was “too pretty to go to waste”, and thank god I had a backpack with me.
Our game nights are always going to be highlights in my mind. The nights where we celebrated defeating an encounter in a weekly Dungeons and Dragons game, teasing each other about our weird stats and creating memes only we’d understand. To the nights where we made a camp in someone’s apartment living room and played games until 1 AM. The night where I beat whoever was playing Bowser in Mario Party on one of those nights was my biggest highlight, especially since I wasn’t doing too hot in the first half of the game. I also adore every Jackbox memory we have, even if maybe some of us were too tired to be serious (but that’s the point of these games, right?). Even if we tease the heck out of each other for a dumb game move, or for constantly getting “OK” scores on Just Dance, we found happiness in spending time with one another.
The best memories also seem to center on whenever we shared dinner together. Once we all figured out what we wanted to eat, there was the fun of making it for all of us to share. Having a kitchen is such an upgrade from microwave dorm food, and honestly, cooking with friends is probably the most fun you could have. Thank goodness we were able to salvage that garlic bread that was almost fully burnt, and I love how everyone gets so excited when we decide on one of our favorite meals. Seeing everyone come together, spend time with one another, and share delicious food. It’s something I didn’t think I’d have in college.
It’s hard realizing that college is coming to an end. Things are going to change, and there’s no stopping that. But I think the most important thing to remember is that we’ll always have each other. No matter how far we go from one another, we’ll always have contact with each other. It’s 2022, not 1999. And since we’re not too far from one another, we can always find a way to visit one another and do this all again.
These are the memories worthwhile from college. Not endless partying, not forever studying, not working ourselves to exhaustion. Moments with a friend group you can wholeheartedly trust are the best. I was where I needed to be at the right time, and that was with my second family.
Thank you for everything. Let’s make more memories together and finish out this journey.