lucky number thirteen.

As of today, I am officially done with my first year of college (aka, year 13, hence the title), and I cannot be more amazed.

With social media reminding me of all possible anniversaries, I have been looking back on the commemorations tying up my senior year through events leading to today, and I have to say, this past year has been filled with so many blessings.

I remember in high school, there were periods when I felt that time was going so slow, and I was constantly counting down until I would finally fall out of this stump that I was in. I was really just going through the motions of my academics, my extracurriculars, and whatever else I involved myself in. Many parts of high school were routine schedule for me, and I was just on autopilot.

However, these past 365 days or so have been full of nothing but me living. I don’t ever recall wishing for time to move faster — except for that week right before my college move-in, and that was mainly because had I saved packing until the last couple of days night before because we love a good adrenaline rush (procrastination ’til I die, amiright).

In fact, I found myself hoping that time would slow down.

I wanted to engrave every second into my brain — every late night studying in the PCL because I saved my weekly calc homework until the night before yet again, every step I took of the many miles I had to have walked per day, living on an urban campus, and every early morning I managed to roll out of bed five minutes before class started and oh shoot now I’m sprinting across campus because I’m late while also thanking myself that at least this time I didn’t sleep through three lectures like that one time I took a 3-hour nap (yea, it was supposed to be thirty minutes, but those dorm beds really be hitting when you stayed up until 4AM the night before doing calculus… and also forget to set an alarm).

I have always been a pretty independent person. However, I have learned and experienced so much in this past year than I could have ever imagined for myself.

I went on my first road trip without ~the parentals~, where I realized that all my guy friends better snatch an organized AF wife because they are all messy AF, and that I could so never be a housewife.

I went to my first camp (not outdoor camping, but a camp, like we had assigned cabins, and I shared a bathroom with 16 other girls type camp), where I met my best college friends (ily lots sKHOAd) and played sand volleyball for the first time.

I rode on my first “party bus” (aka, a glorified old school bus with LED lights), where I shared the best dances with sorority sisters but also had the worst time with personal space because there were never enough buses booked. This was my sorority’s means of transportation to events all first semester, and I am so glad we have since adopted an Uber policy.

I learned the deliciousness that is Cypress Bend’s gouda chicken sandwich, consistently started going to the gym for the first time (COVID-19 is life telling me to not workout though), and realized how thankful I am for the creation of the Apple Calendar because I literally had my days planned out to the half hour, there was just always so much to do.

This has been a year full of surprises, and I have grown in so many ways because of it. I cannot thank the people who have been apart of my journey thus far in enough words, and I am so excited to see where my next three years, and beyond (I sound like Buzz Lightyear), takes me.

Thank you Freshman Year. I am sorry you passed so fast, but you will forever be cherished.