The end is oh so near

Tomorrow I embark on the beginning of the end of a very delightful journey. And I do not wish it to end. When I enrolled in my first classes nearly four years ago, "2009" seemed almost a futuristic date. And here it is...already. I don't even think I am the same person that enrolled in 2005. In fact, I know I am not.

People say college is the best four years of your life and I would have to agree, so far. But then, I thought high school was pretty grand. And come to think of it, I enjoyed every year of my life before high school with equal enjoyment as well. I am hoping that this enjoyment carries over to life after I graduate. Because right now, I am having a hard time imaging life without classrooms, professors, and long walks to class in every kind of weather. Then there is my house which I like to think of as Hogwarts, with a living/study room that my sister's and I like to call the Gryffindor common room. And what will life be like without early mornings and late nights pouring over notes with a steaming coffee beverage and a friend or two on the couches of Aspen? How will I know what time it is without being able to hear the campus bells informing me? What will summer be if not the interval between two grueling semesters? What will Christmas be like without a month of nothingness (assuming I have a job when I graduate)?
So many unknowns that campus life provides a safety net for. On the flip side, I will have a college degree. I will get to travel Europe for three weeks. I will have the world at my fingertips...or so they tell us here on campus. So while the real world could seem daunting at times...I am not opposed to finding out for myself which is better: life within or outside of campus walls. If it is anything like leaving high school, my eyes will very likely be opened to how little I really knew and how very much I have left to learn.

Happy first-day-of-classes, college kids.