I'm a Grown-Up Now: School 101

Whoa whoa whoa. I'd forgotten everything. I'd forgotten about buying books, how it feels to actually go to class, how much sweating is involved with walking around in Alabama August heat all day long, how to grab lunch in 20 minutes and run off somewhere else, how your shoulders feel after lugging around a back pack for three hours. Moreover, I'd forgotten how wonderful it feels to "get it," how gorgeous our campus is no matter what time of year, how incredible it is to be able to hang out with your friends any old time you want.

I started school on Wednesday and whoa: I'd forgotten. It took me a few days to adjust. I'm allergic to change, and August always, always forces me to do tons of it, but this has been welcome, happy (albeit occasionally stressful) change. Still, I had to learn how to work commuter parking, which involves stalking walkers to their cars and then edging forward as they reverse so the guy on the other side knows I STALKED THIS WALKER, IT'S MINE, BUCK-O. I had to spend approximately $73,409 on books, which means I'll never, ever eat again. I got lost! (I found it, but really, isn't that more of a 2009 sort of thing?)

But people, I fell back in love. I get to learn, see. That sounds cheesy, sure, but I'm a first generation student, and when they asked me in an interview for a FG scholarship what it meant to be able to go to college, I said, "I feel really, really privileged to be the one who gets to keep learning." And I still feel that way. I'm still getting used to walking down the street and running into people who spent the last three months light years away from me, but isn't that a splendid change? Uh, yeah!