One night last week while I organized my plane tickets for the summer, I decided to open up the calendar app on my phone to count exactly how many weeks of vacation I had ahead of me. To my surprise, I counted 15 weeks. Thats 105 days of minimal responsibilities and maximum relaxation.
Despite the relief of having no midterms or papers to stress over for three and a half months, I struggled when thinking about the ways I’ll fill my time. “What am I going to do all summer?” I thought. I realized that the impending summer will be the longest time I’ve ever been away from school. This notion was slightly overwhelming, but also fairly exciting.
Each year, it seems as though time goes by faster and faster. I look back on those grueling days
as a junior year in high school, going from exhausting tennis practices to hours of tedious SAT prep. It’s hard for me to comprehend that my freshman year is over when it feels like just yesterday I was finishing my last high school exam and throwing my graduation cap in the air.
My first year of college has been a rollercoaster of an experience. But I’ve valued every minute of being on this prestigious campus. I discovered new passions and formed lasting friendships with people from all walks of life.
By mid-April, however, with summer feeling so near, I began to constantly think about the comforts of home. There was nothing I longed for more than a home-cooked meal and a snuggle session with my slightly overweight dog, Jack.
Unlike many Boston College students whose families are only a short drive or plane ride away, my family is on a totally different time zone. I couldn’t go home on long weekends or week-long breaks. Getting home would take over 20 hours of travel time. So I found my own thing to do.
I remember arriving in Los Angeles from Boston for spring break with my friends. The flight was packed with college kids returning home to California for the week. At the airport, teary-eyed parents embraced their children. It was hard for me to watch, as it wouldn’t be for another few months that I would have that emotional reunion with my parents.
Regardless of a few little struggles, this year has left me with many more good memories than bad. I sat courtside at TD Garden, experienced my first snowstorm, viewed the awe-inspiring work of Monet and Van Gogh at the MFA, and interviewed Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ’09.
When I board the plane bound for Hong Kong in less than two weeks, there are things I will miss about my life in Boston. At home I’ll be living under my parents’ roof, and will have to abide by their rules. I can no longer wander around town without texting my every move to my mom. I will miss the independence of college life, with the city of Boston at my fingertips.
In just under two weeks I will leave Room 200 in Cheverus Hall for the final time, and likely never return to the dorm I called home for nine months. Despite my slightly resentful attitude toward the room, it’s the space where I formed some of my strongest friendships, and learned to live independently. It’s where I witnessed the Patriots’ historic comeback at the Super Bowl, and watched as Donald Trump shocked the world by winning the presidential election.
But like every other summer, it will somehow fly by. Soon enough, I’ll be back on the plane, making the grueling 20-hour journey back to Boston, wondering where those precious three and a half months of summer went. But until then, I’ll see you in 15 weeks.
Featured Image by William Batchelor/ Heights Editor
