7 and a half weeks until graduation. Damn, time goes by fast.
While my future provides me with an exciting possibility on one front, the winds of change demand that I return what I have treasured so much before I grasp my future. I am excited by the prospects offered to me in South Korea, including the possibility to work in an industry that is badly in need of some good public relations work. I am also excited by the chance to get out of the country, spread my wings, explore a new culture and travel a part of the world that I have wanted to see for quite a while now.
And after four long years of studying (and only four!), I will also finally have my bachelor’s degree. I remember one point in high school where I thought this was never going to happen. It’s amazing to think how far I’ve come since then.
But at the same time, I will be giving up some of the things I love. I have already completed my last assignment ever for the International Student Association as the director of International Week and Night, and only now am I beginning to realize how much ISA has shaped the way I approached college, friendships and the world around me.
Right now, I have three of the best friends a person could ever ask for; in a few short weeks, we will all be going our separate ways. I dreamed that I was about to go visit one of them for the first time in a year, and woke up realizing how good things are now, and also how much my state of contentness will be shaken up by our departures from each other.
I have been able to see my parents at least once every couple of months, but soon I may be wondering if I am able to see them once a year! I live in a world where everyone speaks my language and I take that for granted; soon, I will be communicating with everyone using limited English and however much Korean I can learn.
I stood outside today in the 80 degree weather, thinking about how content I was in my little paradise. The trees were coming back to life and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. But today had been prepared by countless days of rain, cold weather and unpleasantness, all of which today couldn’t have existed without. And days like today will give way to days that are less pleasant, because such slices of heaven cannot last forever.
These changes are cyclical, and these moments of pure content come and go. This holds true for the weather, as it does our lives. While our lives are linear, we go through cyclical progressions even as we advance in years. We treasure our moments of perfection and understand that these times are a result of times of hardship, and that without any hardship or discomfort, our states of content cannot exist.
And ths has caused me to understand that I cannot always stare ahead to the future. Right now, I need to live in the now, not worrying about the past or the future, because that’s the only way I can make the last days of my college career significant.
Thanks for the memories, everyone, and let’s make the next seven weeks kick ass!
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