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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Time Flies...

...when you're having fun.

This is definitely a statement which applies both to this semester's study abroad program, as well as to my university experience as a whole. This afternoon I finished my sixth week of lectures at the University of Exeter (meaning that I've passed the halfway mark for actual classes), and yesterday I filed for graduation at the College of William & Mary.

I can't believe how quickly college has gone by. This time next year I will, hopefully, have some sort of job lined up for when I leave William & Mary and enter the "real world." It certainly doesn't feel like it has already been nearly three years since I moved in to my freshman dorm in the oh so lovely Botetourt Complex (Goochie Mamas where you at?) and it definitely doesn't compute that I will only have two more semesters on, in my completely non-biased opinion, the greatest campus ever (like I said, no bias at all...none whatsoever).

Anyway, I can't say that I wasn't completely terrified to be leaving my comfortable home town for college life, just like I found each move to a different state (or even a different house) unnerving. I might not get homesick while I am away, at least very rarely, but I do have a tendency to create unnecessary anxiety leading up to change. There's something about leaving a community that you find familiar, and the people with whom you have developed relationships, for someplace new. As the period of change approaches it almost doesn't feel real, and sometimes it takes some time to believe it happened even after it's already passed, you wonder how you can ever create the same sense of community someplace else. But you know what? You always do. It never takes long before you find some group of people with whom you share something important, be it a love of a particular TV show, band, or life-changing experience (like being a study abroad student perhaps). A few weeks later, or days or months (it all depends on who you are, and where you're going of course), you find yourself feeling just as at home in that new place as you did in the old, and you will find yourself being just as opposed to moving on when the time comes.

While I understand the desire to settle in one place forever, of being one of those families who have never moved, even from their neighborhood, I don't think I could ever do that. There is something wonderful about seeing someplace new, whether it is a spectacular city abroad, or simply a small town in your home country. There's so much variety in the world, how can you not want to see it all? Change can be something amazing, it can give the chance to remake yourself and expand your perspective about what is out there for you.

I guess what I am trying to say, however clumsily, is that there's no reason not to believe that the changes coming will bring something wonderful into your life. I would never have imagined myself as a show choir vocal director, a yearbook editor, an aspiring public relations professional, or a blog writer. You may find yourself somewhere completely different from where you thought you'd end up, but who's to say that there's anything wrong with that?



2 comments:

  1. well said Kat. Moves as a military brat - California, Florida, Virginia, Connecticut - college student - Virginia and the UK - the different neighborhoods, schools, friends, and experiences you have encountered along the way have prepared you well. You are ready for whatever in in your future path, no matter which forks in the road you take or don't take.

    KEYG.

    Peace and love - Dad

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  2. I have an exceedingly wise daughter! Whatever you do, Katie, and wherever life takes you, know that you will carry my love and pride with you always. May your enthusiasm for new experiences remain forever strong and bring you happiness and fulfillment in life!

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