Last Post in Gainesville For a While

Finals week is here!! This semester is finally drawing to a close. This is the last Monday that I will spend in Gainesville until August...I can hardly believe it. This first year of college really flew by and I figured it would be nice to reflect on this past year and some things I have learned.

1. College kids will do anything for free stuff. 
I had always heard that college kids were cheap, but I never really grasped how cheap they were until I came to UF. Students will wait in lines for hours, but instead of getting on the roller-coaster "Shiekra" they get two pieces of pizza and a Pepsi. Absolutely insane.


2. College exams suck.
I've never been the best of test takers, and college is almost all exams. I was really nervous coming to college primarily for that reason. However, I'm smart enough to know that I need to study for exams and that college classes are way harder than high school classes. I spent countless hours this semester studying, but it's paid off thus far! Even though I've done relatively well....exams still suck.

3. Family is amazing.
Moving away from home was way harder than I thought. I've had a lot of alone time this year, probably more than I would have liked, and it wasn't always easy. Looking back, I definitely could have made a larger effort to get involved and will do so next Fall. I have such an amazing family (my parents in particular) and they have been my support system through what has been a wonderful, but also very emotional and trying year. Daddy and Momma, thank you SO much for answering all my late night phone calls and being there for me when I needed you. Love you.

4. Even luxury dorm life isn't perfect.
Before I make any comments about Windsor Hall, it really has been a great place to live this first year of college. Any problems that I had can easily be accredited to "enhancing the college experience"...but that being said, being woken up by a vacuum lady every day at 9:30 is less than awesome. The floors between the first and second floor are not as thick as I thought, and Morgan and I can testify to shaking ceiling fans and walls from our upstairs friends. Hallways echo, particularly at 2:30 am when loud girls return from their night out on the town. And finally, when you have no control over the A/C unit, get used to wearing sweatpants and a hoodie all day in your room. :)


5. Bike aggressively.

I bike to class nearly every day, as it saves me a lot of time. When I arrived at UF, I wasn't the best biker nor was I the most aggressive biker. 9 or 10 months later...that has definitely changed. In order to be a successful biker at UF one must learn to weave in and out of crowds, squeeze by pedestrians with inches to spare, and move with a quickness.

6. Appreciate home cooked meals, and being home for that matter.
I love my momma's cooking a million times more than frozen dinners or Compleat's Chicken and Dumplings. Unfortunately, my diet consists mostly of the latter. College taught me to to really appreciate each and every time I went home and enjoyed a real meal. Stuff yourself when you're home, because the amazing food is limited. Also, appreciate all the little things that your parents do for you when you go home. Laundry is probably the most obvious. I have to remind myself that even though they're my parents, it's still important to thank them.


As I get ready to head to Rome on May 24th, I am getting more excited every day. I am excited to leave Gainesville and be home for almost a month. This upcoming summer is such a blessing and I am looking forward to it. Gainesville will be here when I get back (for the next three years), and I'm (almost) sure that I will be glad to return come August 22nd. Until then.....Ciao Gainesville!