A Year in Review

Right now, I'm sitting in my basement in good old Wheaton, IL. The rest of my family has gone to bed, and the only sound I can hear is the dryer running in the next room. I'm wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a pair of thick socks. The weather outside? 52 degrees.

Judging by the last two sentences, it's hard for me to believe the following statement: summer has arrived.

It is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZING here. I spent the day in Chicago and had to actually sort of bundle up. It's MAY.

Coming home from college is always a strange experience. Usually, I feel like I've never left - the house hasn't really changed, Mom and Dad are still the same, my cats (Simba, a living version of Garfield, and Cassie, the cat who is afraid of anything and anyone) are still sprawled out all over the couch. But, I get the same feeling going back to school. Flying into Louis Armstrong International Airport, seeing Lake Pontchartrain and the Superdome for the first time, I get so anxious to get back to campus and start up my life. I lived in two distinct circles, but felt at home in both.

Now, after a week of finals, a bunch of packing, and a two-day car trip, I'm back living in my home circle for an extended stay. Yes, I love home, and I'm glad that I'm away from the stresses of homework and classes and that stuff for the next couple of months. But, I don't think I'll really be a whole person during those months. You see, the second circle, although a relatively recent development in my life, has impacted me irrevocably.

The second circle challenges me to work, to achieve. The second circle has some of the strangest, and yet most lovable, people I've ever met. The second circle makes me feel like I'm living abroad, since it's so distinctly different from the first circle. The second circle has beignets, Jazz, the streetcar, Mardi Gras, Crawfest, Granny Cart Lady, St. Charles Avenue, live oak trees, and some of the weirdest street names known to mankind (Tchoupitoulas? What were the French thinking...).

And, yes, the second circle is A LOT WARMER.

My freshman year at Tulane was probably one of the greatest of my life so far. I grew so much, learned so much (in and out of the classroom, about myself, about others...), ate so much (did I mention beignets?), sang so much (THEM a cappella rocks my socks), worked so much, relaxed so much. I was constantly changing.

So, for now, I return home with all of my dorm stuff, memories of freshman year in hand. I'll stay in Wheaton for the summer, scooping ice cream at Tate's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shop (stop by and holler at me if you're in the area!), and reuniting with my friends from my high school years.

But, throughout my summer, I'll keep Tulane and New Orleans in my heart. It's given me so much for the last 9 or so months of my life, and for that I am thankful. For that, I'm insanely proud to call New Orleans my home-away-from-home.

So, bye bye, Tulane! It's been fun. See you in three months! And, as always, laissez les bon temps rouler!

Oh, and I'll be updating this periodically throughout the summer. Just so y'all can creep. Peace out!