This weekend it hit me. While Dan and I were at our friend's get together this weekend I realized that I was not going back to school. . . Ever Again.
At one point during the night there were nine of us hanging out in the driveway and everyone but me was going back to school this week, as a teacher of course, but still, they were going to school and I wasn't.
I'm not sure what took so long for me to realize this. I should have had a little bit of an idea that I wasn't going back when I graduated, or when I moved out of my apartment, or when I started my job. But I didn't. It just hit me now.
I loved school. Well maybe not school, but I loved college. These were my favorite things about college, and what I miss the most since I'm not going back next week.
1. The Union. Not only was this in a great location on campus where I could duck in and walk during the cold months, but it was a great place to take a nap, get something to eat, and study. I took many afternoon naps on the cozy couches of the union, a fantastic way to catch up on some much needed rest, or recover from a hangover mid-day... There were many of those day after I started bartending. The basement of the Union was where I would do my best studying, excuse me, I mean cramming. I hated to study at our apartment because I was always so distracted. I preferred to wake up early on the day of exams, grab a cup of coffee from Starbucks and lay out all my papers on the big tables in the Union and Cram. I then just had a short walk to my class to take the test.
2. The HTM Cafe. I somehow made it there every day. If I wasn't working in the John Purdue Room or the Cafe it would be to grab a cup of coffe or lunch. It was kind of a secret spot on campus. Not a lot of people frequented the cafe, mostly people in HTM, it was our little hang out. There was always somebody there to study with or work on accounting homework with. During the last semester of school we mainly sat around and worried about getting jobs. It was a great place to take a break during the day and catch up with your friends. I would love to be able to have lunch with everybody again in the Cafe... just one more time.
3. Walking... everywhere, and being surrounded by your peers. Purdue's campus is amazing. You can go anywhere, do anything you want... on foot. There is no need for a car. You wake up, walk to class, walk to your friend's house, walk to go to dinner, walk to go to the bars, walk home, it's fantastic. But the best part is that as you are walking you are surrounded by your peers. When I walk in the city today I'm surrounded by mean angry people just trying to get somewhere. Nobody wants to chat about the classes your taking or the paper you need to go finish. I haven't really seen anybody doing a walk of shame lately... and those girls always brough a smile to my face. Trust me, I still walk a lot, but it's just not as enjoyable as it was when I was at school.
4. Our apartment. For several reasons, first of all when anything went wrong I could call my landlord, now we're in charge for everything that happens here. I was expecting this, what I wasn't expecting was not having Amanda around all the time. Especially now since Dan is at football quite a bit, I have been kinda lonely. . . and Dan doesn't let me watch the Real Housewives. I definitely miss sitting on the couch with Amanda, eating snacks, and watching trashy TV. . . And yelling at her from my bed to tell her something funny, or her making fun of me for laughing out loud at the television.
5. Harry's Chocolate Shop. I love this place. Not only did the establishment make me a lot of money and allow me to put down payments on a car and house when I got out of school, I had so much fun and gained a family from Harry's. I probably spent half of my college career inside the bar. If I wasn't working I would stop in for lunch or to watch the Bengals or Reds play (God Love MLB and NFL Networks), I could never leave or come into town without stopping by. The regulars from the bar were my friends and family. I miss these guys more than anyone can imagine and I miss sitting at the corner of the bar, listening to funny funny stories. If something good happened, I was there. If something bad happened, I was there. And if I felt like I needed to skip a class, I was there. K9 would always enjoy when I stopped by on a slow afternoon.
Boiler Gold Rush starts this week. When I think back to that week I have great memories. It was the week where I met my best friends from college. I would give anything to go back to the third floor of Duhme Hall for just a day. I'm sure I would get a few quiet hour violations while I was there. But for now, I'm just trying to let it sink it that I am not going back to school this week. . . Or ever again and try to accept my Alumni Status
Hail Purdue!
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