Catch Up

A lot happened the past four weeks. So here, in brief, is a list of what I've been up to:

I graduated. That's still hard to believe.

I also moved back home with all my college stuff and realized I finally have to unpack this stuff (doesn't mean the unpacking has happened...).

I went to the beach on a vacation with my family and best friends.

I started working for Eco Partners for the fourth summer in a row (so lucky Elizabeth lets me keep coming back!)

I saw my older college friends for a weekend on the lake (and learned some things never change).

I've also done a lot of reading. And not studying for the GRE.

I've prepared for my move to Florida (1 month, 23 days!) by looking up packing lists and starting a new tab on Scribbling in the Margins for my Disney blog.

I'm nervous about graduating, but so so excited for my Disney adventure in August. I'm not 100% sure how I want to record everything that happens on my Disney College Program (weekly blogs? Monthly videos? More videos/blogs or less?) so let me know what you want to see in the comments :)

Leeann

Six More Days

I still have one (open note, open book) final left, but for the most part my college career is over. I turned in my last ever undergrad paper today and walked back to my apartment to do laundry.

Six more days.

It seems like a long time to wait, sitting in my room, hanging out with my friends, eating at our college town's finest. But in a lot of ways, it's not enough time.

Six days to meet up with favorite professors, one last time. Six days to see the people who populated my time at DePauw. Six days to visit each academic building one last time. Six days to hit up all the bars (all four of them) in Greencastle.

One of my friends signed a lease for her apartment today. Another found an apartment and is applying for jobs. Two friends finished their senior seminar projects. One came back after sending her fiancé to his first day of work. We're already adulting. College is basically over.

Six days to tell everyone how much they've meant to me. Six days to walk over to my friend's house because she lives just across campus. Six days to see everyone in person, without plans.

Six days left of being a college student.

See you on Sunday.

Leeann

Canada, Eh?

Niagara Falls is behind me, I swear.

Turns out, of the stereotypes associated with Canada, "eh" is the one that's not true.

But an obsession with maple syrup? Love of Tim Horton's? Kindness? Accents that make "sorry" and "about" sound like "soo-ry" and "a-boot"? 

Accurate.

My brief visit to Canada was everything I hoped for from the moment Danielle and I crossed the border and a McDonald's sign advertising a maple latte greeted us. While I quickly learned the stretch from Detroit to Toronto is simply the upper Midwest and we didn't see any moose, my adventure up north for Spring Break was everything I hoped for.

Favorite moment? Probably when our waitress at the most Canadian of pubs, Bar Wellington, told us "soo-ry aboot that" (sorry about that) when she forgot to refill our water while a hockey game played on the bar TV behind us. It doesn't get more Canadian than that :)

(Daily trips to Tim Hortons are high on the list, too.)

What are your favorite things about Canada?

Leeann

View from the CN Tower of the lake and west side of town (where Danielle and I stayed).

Thoughts on Turning 22

I'm turning 22 today.

Just writing it is weird.

In high school, I was always in the middle of my friends' birthdays; most of them aged up in April, a month after me. But in college, I'm one of the last ones, making my 22nd birthday today less of a novelty.

But leading up to 22 has felt different than my earlier birthdays. For one, it's the first year I haven't counted down the days until March 30. It's also the first year I forgot my birthday was coming up. At the Royal Ontario Museum last week, the ticket counter woman asked for my age and for a second, I wasn't sure. I thought I'd already turned 22.

Maybe that's because I've felt myself growing up a lot the past seven months as my school career comes to an end (for now). Suddenly I'm moving miles away from home, gradually becoming financially independent, leaving all my best friends behind, and dealing with a big empty question mark filling the next 10 years.

I hate not knowing, but I hate growing up even more. And 22 is the age where I'm left with no choice but to grow up.

My parents aren't kicking me to the curb and I'm moving to Disney World, of all places. I depend a ton on Mom and Dad. But I just came back from my first vacation I planned and paid for all on my own. As I drove the eight hours home exactly a week ago I realized I hadn't even asked permission to take this trip. I just told my parents I was going, and did it.

Come May, I'll have to slowly start establishing myself. Gradually, yes, but this is the time when I have to learn how to take care of myself by myself. I'm not saying I'll be alone; I'll always have my family. But I am going to need to lessen my dependence on them and strengthen my dependence on myself.

College prepared me for adulthood. I should be ready for this. I learned how to make friends I didn't grow up with and I'm no longer afraid to call people on the phone. I've been rejected enough times to understand working for what I want is going to take extra time. And I know I'm equipped with the knowledge and independence I need to tackle the world by myself.

Now I just need to believe it.

Leeann

P.S. Since it is my birthday, I want to end this on a happier note. As I wrote this post a few days ago with my cat by my head and Winnie-the-Pooh mug in hand, I knew that my 22 years have been amazing. I should have no reason to suspect that the next 22 won't be as wonderful. Growing up isn't all bad. It just feels all bad when you're in your twenties and have no idea what to expect. One day, I'm sure, I'll understand that.