The past three years, I have spent my spring in four different cities, and each city had its own special brand of spring.
Spring 2016
In 2016, I spent my spring in New York City as my last year in high school came to a close. This was a bittersweet time because it was the last spring where I lived at home. The last spring where I was not a semi-adult studying in college. The last spring that I spent together with all of my high school friends. New York City in spring is also just a wonderful time altogether. Flowers bloom and trees grow green, new leaves. This was also the season where my class celebrated “Senior Skip Day”, a day where every single student in our grade just didn’t show up to school.
Now, this is something that happens every year, so the teachers are very much aware of it. It’s basically a school-sanctioned skip day. Yet, rebellious or no, it was still an amazing time. I got to spend an entire day underneath the sun in Central Park with all of my close friends. We had all been accepted to college that made us happy, and we knew where we were heading the next year. Our future seemed set.
That is what freedom felt like.
Spring 2017
2017, I spent my spring at Dartmouth College. It was my freshmen year and spring at Dartmouth is not your typical spring. It might be April and you might be expecting some warmer days, but what we got was snow. Lots and lots of snow. This is not quite what I had expected. In addition to that, college was not everything I had hoped for. Every term, I was struggling to pick classes, because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and my future seemed to be one big blur. I also had some trouble forming deeper connections with people, so my spring was a mix of grey skies, muddy ground and a feeling of not really belonging.
Spring 2018
2018, I spent my spring in Paris. I was studying abroad with other Dartmouth students and had an incredible time. One of my close friends and one of my cousins were studying there at the same time. And spending time in Paris in spring with people I love was just a wonderful dream. From one week to the next, the trees exploded with colorful leaves and flowers. It was so incredible, and just thinking about it makes me smile. I realized college was not so bad after all, and that surrounding myself with people I care about and that care about me is one of the most important things in life by far.
Spring 2019
2019, I am spending my spring in Los Angeles. The past three years seem like yesterday but also a lifetime away. I am doing an internship in the city of stars after being in the city of lights last year. This internship is a big step because I am in this city completely by myself. I do not know anyone. Is this what adulting feels like? I am not quite sure. The internship is proving to be a good experience, but a great learning experience for some real-life skills is navigating the city on my own. I went to high school in New York City, so I am used to big cities and I do not feel lost or anything in a geographical sense. I do feel a bit lost without people I know. It is a weird feeling and I am currently trying to figure out how to make friends as an adult. (I guess that means I really did reach an adult-stage.) I will get back to you if I figure out a way to overcome this challenge!
This was a great reflection for myself and these last couple springs really proved how far I have come.