Yesterday afternoon my mom called me to talk about how I’d be getting home at the end of the year, and when my last final exam is scheduled for. Upon hanging up, I couldn’t help but feel shocked by how quickly my First Year at UVA has passed. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was moving into my dorm, getting adjusted to college classes, and finding my way around Grounds. At that time, even booking a flight home for Thanksgiving was the furthest from my thoughts. Suddenly, there’s only five weeks of school left before everyone leaves (or, if they’re lucky, stays) for the summer.
It’s funny to me how in grades K-12, summer was the most exciting thing to look forward to. Now, I’m dreading the day that I’ll have to say goodbye to Charlottesville for more than three months and return to a (mostly) boring Connecticut. As my roommate and I talked about how quickly the year has flown by, we tried to figure out just why time passes so much faster here than it does at home. The way I look at it, Sunday morning-Thursday afternoon is a monotonous schedule of: wakeup, go to class, go to the gym, go to the library, sleep, repeat. Thursday-Saturday night, Virginia students are mostly in a party/unwind mindset, so these three days tend to be a whirlwind of social activities. Before I know it, it’s Sunday again and I’m another week closer to finishing second semester.
As excited as I am to start second year (new classes, an apartment, etc.), it also makes me nostalgic to think that I now only have three years left. At the best University in the country, I am enjoying myself more than ever before, and I wish it could last forever. With the realization that my time here is limited comes sadness, but it has only made me appreciate being a wahoo even more.