With roughly two weeks left until move out, I am filled with bittersweet feelings. Freshman year came and went ten times faster than senior year of high school ever did. Now I have to pack up and leave nine months worth of memories behind when it felt like just a few weeks ago I was coming down the Avenue to my new home. For now I’m preoccupied with the piling anxiety of finals, but as I slowly start filling bins and taking down pictures, it gets harder and harder not to choke up at the thought of leaving my sisters for three and a half months.
Domerfest may have been the first weekend of school, but I still vividly remember donning my bright purple t-shirt. I remember everyone telling us to avoid Zahm House at all costs, and having the 10:36 shuttle crammed with girls heading over to Notre Dame for the night. Then classes rolled around the next week and suddenly I felt like I was living the true “college experience”. I’ll miss the simplicity of wearing a sweatshirt and ponytail to classes every day simply because it’s socially acceptable in college. Group projects and advisor meetings suddenly jotted down in my planner. Either choosing to take a power nap or take notes between classes was the definition of indecisiveness. I’ll have to say goodbye to my favorite study spots here and at Club Hes. What I won’t miss is losing sleep over research papers on Socrates or making flash cards for the constant flow of quizzes and exams.
It’ll definitely be a blessing not having to bring my wallet and ID downstairs to my kitchen every time I’m hungry, or wearing shoes into the shower, but I cannot deny that I’ll miss hearing someone blasting country or rap every time I walk past the showers. Suddenly I’ll be going from hanging out with girls in my section at all hours to being back in my quiet home. From May to August the sleepovers in one another’s rooms and dinner trips out after studying will be on hold. When there’s friend or guy drama I’ll have to make a FaceTime call instead of walking up two flights of stairs to rant to my best friends. I’ll miss sharing a room with the sister I can tell anything to. Having the group chat constantly going off asking, “what are u wearing” or “will you go to the gym with me?” will be forgotten. The separation anxiety will be at an all time high as we’re hundreds of miles away for what’ll feel like an eternity.
Never did I think I would be so dreadfully sad to leave school for the summer. Yet it’s more than saying goodbye to school, it’s now saying goodbye to the sisters you relied on to help survive the first independent chapter of your life with. The innocent beauty of freshman year is coming to a close as we now blend in with the juniors and seniors. Real classes aimed towards fulfilling our major will replace all the pre-reqs that made it feel like high school again. Jobs, interviews, and internships will become regular vocabulary as we start planning for the future. But for these last two glorious yet miserable weeks, I am going to bask in the unforgettable memory that is freshman year.