A Bittersweet Thanks

As my last day as a freshman ends, a mixture of emotions overwhelm me. I have lived by myself away from home. I can deal with my own problems in a healthy, responsible way. I am a master of microwave meals (and cooking instant noodles at 2 in the morning). I used to complain about writing a paper every 10 days in high school; now I write 3 papers a week without even batting my eyes.

What can I say? I've grown a little.

When I set out on this journey 10 months ago, I had no idea what to expect from my first year at college. This year has been full of exciting new experiences. It has been a chance to redeem myself. Start fresh. Create a brand new me. And I'm happy to say that it has been truly great.

I believe that it is impossible to grow alone. In order to develop and progress, one must expose themselves to what the world has to offer. One must put themselves out there, and simply experience. This post is to all of you who helped me experience, who pushed me out of my comfort zone, who made fun of me till I got mad, who were there for me during the not so good times, who made the special days even more special.

Mumma and Papa, thank you for being okay with me being so far away from home. Thank you for trusting me and having faith in me. Thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity- one that many people don't have. I can't wait to see you.

Saloni, thanks for the daily Buzzfeed articles and funny stories about Merlin and just your life in general. I've missed my best friend. Can't wait to get fat with you this summer.

Divya, why are you so unbelievably short? You're a midget but you're my midget. Thanks for constantly insulting me, ain't nobody can do it like you. Rooming with you next year is going to be awesome (esp. the part where we live in a five star hotel but that's not a big deal).

Annie, thank you for constantly sharing food/dog videos with me and occasionally going with me to yoga ha ha. I will never forget that first night at DJ's. Ha.

Hanna, God you really get on my nerves sometimes. But truth be told, you've been there for me on some of my hardest days. When I truly need you, you're there. Also, you're the only person who understood my pain when the ice skating rink closed down (WHY?). Can't wait to keep on skating with you next year.

Sayem, although we stopped hanging out as much, you'll always be my first real friend at Cuse. Highlight of our friendship: the body in the toilet incident HAHAHA. Also, our gourmet meals at Graham.

Savannah, life was going great until you left (I hate you). Although I didn't get to spend as much time with you as I would have liked, I'm still glad I got to spend the first half of this year with you. We still need to figure out how to make pink popcorn.

Arva, Bianca, Paola and Vicky- you girls are literally the most fun people ever. Thank you for signing me into plenary lectures when I couldn't wake up (I owe you okay). I can't wait to spend more time with all of you next year.

Besides my friends, I also wanted to thank my professors. I had amazing professors throughout this year who didn't teach me just content- they taught me life. In particular, I have a special message for Señora Coco, who teaches SPA-201:

Gracias para este semestre. He aprendido mucho de usted, no solo sobre español, pero sobre la vida. Gracias por tener altas expectativas de mí y de mis compañeros. Usted es realmente impresionante.

Thank you to everyone who made freshman year so exciting. I love you all.