Summer break is almost over, the new school year just around the corner. Naturally, as one chapter of my life closes, I tend to look back and reflect on the changes which have taken place. And if there is one word to sum up my experiences over this summer, change would have to be it.
To fully comprehend this, we must go back to approximately Christmas break of last year. I had finally decided on my school choice for college (virtual cookies for whoever can figure out where!) I’ve lived all 18 years of my life in the wonderful state of Massachusetts (or is it the state of Insanity, I can never remember which…) That being said, a move up to Vermont is not that far of a leap. Far enough away from parents to not worry about them checking up on me too much, but still close enough to not worry about transportation home for vacations.
Now, fast forward with me to late April, early May. My father, who had been out of work for about the past year, had found a good, long-term job. Great, I recall thinking, college is kinda expensive, and more parental cash = less student loans! Of course, this job happened to be in Virginia. Now, I have nothing against Virginia. In fact, if you discount the summer humidity, I enjoy being down there very much (though you can easily tell which side of the Civil War they fought on) In fact, Washington DC, which wasn’t terribly out of the way from my father’s apartment, is one of my favorite cities. What can I say, I fell in love down there… with the Metro, that is.
Now, why am I telling you all this? Because right after the craziness of graduation which I’m sure you can all remember, you know, the getting your diploma, saying goodbye to high school friends, and making the rounds to family members, something strange happened. I found myself packing up everything from my father’s Massachusetts apartment, throwing it into a moving van, and driving all the way down to Virginia. Two weeks of my summer, completely taken up by moving.
Eventually, I get on a plane back to Massachusetts to spend the rest of my summer with my mother. Surprise, surprise, mom’s also going to be moving out of Massachusetts. Not to Virginia, not to Vermont, but all the way across the country to Arizona, her home state. Apparently, my mother has this strange urge to move back to where her family is, imagine that! Ok, can’t really blame her for that.
So, my summer has consisted of two main ingredients: packing/moving (for three separate moves. THREE!) and preparing for college/corps (and I’m pretty sure that it’s the corps that I prepared the most for, and yet am least prepared for). Maybe this is a good thing. At least I’ve been practicing dealing with curveballs and stress. Isn’t that part of leadership skills or something?
Anyways, as far as plans for the imminent future go, not dying during Rook Week and figuring out possible flights for vacation seem to be the direction I’m heading in. Norwich, here I come!