Yes, loyal readers, that's right. I graduated from college in Spring 2000. And on one hand, it seems like just yesterday that I was roaming around the University of Maryland with tons of love in my heart for my undergraduate institution. And on the other hand, those days seem so far away. So, over the past two days, as I've watched the LMU students wander campus as Spring 2010 kicks off, I've been flooded with memories of what was going on in my life 10 years ago. Here are some of the things that have come to mind:
- I was living in the best townhouse on campus - Charles Hall 2102 (Right? Was that the room number?) I had the best group of roommates I've ever had. Jess and I were enjoying our second year bunking together, and we were thrilled to have joined Julie, Amy, Jen and Christina in our cozy home. By Spring semester, we had regular family nights as we all figured out what to do with our lives. We were always thrilled when Timmy came to visit Julie because he made all of us breakfast in the morning. And we even threw one big party where we got documented (ironic, given my current profession). Fortunately Christina took the fall for the whole apartment, and we had terrible RAs who didn't know the difference. (Let that be a lesson to all of my staff out there!)
- Outside of Charles Hall, I had other amazing groups of friends. There was my Orientation crew (Matt, Lisa, Maureen, Bianca, Cheryl, et al.) Even though we were no longer Orientation Advisors, our bond continued and we had lots of great times. These friends represented the wings that I grew as I began to get involved on campus and learn more about myself.
- I was still very tight with my Elkton 5 friends. They were my foundation. They knew me from the first day of college of freshmen year. Every quintessential college moment I dreamed of when I was in high school, I experienced with them. Kate, Sean, Alison, Dan, Dan, Ben, Russ...Four years later, they were still just as important to me, if not more, as they were that first year even though we no longer inhabited the fifth floor of Elkton Hall. I specifically remember a time during Spring 2000 when Sean was stationed at my computer working on a program (as he frequently was during our four years), and as I crawled into bed leaving him and Jess to their computer languages, I became overwhelmed with affection for the sight of both of them, in the same places as they always were, just as I always wanted them.
- I was working as an Academic Advisor in the College of Journalism and actively applying for and interviewing at graduate schools. I loved this job. It had brought me full circle from my own Orientation experience in the Summer of 1996. Now I was helping others the way I had always been helped. Olive was still by my side, advising me and guiding me. Eight semesters later, she was still helping me develop into a young adult. And during that semester, when I had to make the tough decision to either take a leap and attend graduate school in Ohio or accept a full-time job where I was safe and comfortable in Maryland, Olive is the one who encouraged me to leap and go to Ohio State. And I know that was a tough thing for her to do since she was the one offering me the full-time job. That was one of many lessons I learned from her about what it meant to be a good mentor to college students...a lesson I still think about today in my daily work.
- I often never got as much done at work as I wanted to because I was frequently visited and called by Dan so he could tell me about the latest girl who had fallen in love with him. I would teasingly call him "Dreamy," and he made me promise him that when he was a well-loved Governor of New York, I would pen his biography.
- Ben made me promise to start watching old episodes of Buffy that he had on VHS that he had bought bootleg off of the Internet. I told him I would watch two episodes just to appease him, and before I knew it, we had watched all of three seasons.
- When Maryland beat Duke in a major game that basketball season, everyone on campus ran out to celebrate in the quads. Eventually, people started burning things in the middle of Greek Row. I thought it was an amazing display of school spirit. Again....ironic considering my experience at UMass a few years later.
- Amidst all of these great people at Maryland, a huge portion of my heart still belonged to my high school friends. During the Spring semester, we all celebrated my 22nd birthday together. John, Phil, Evan, Jenny, Erica, Rosanna and I all made our way downtown for a night of dancing and drinking. We had a blast! And despite our intoxicated state, I was still able to direct the taxi driver from the bar back to the University (I still can't believe he didn't know the way)...and I convinced him that the Entenmann's Banana Crunch cake was the best dessert on the market. When we got back to the apartment, that Banana Crunch cake never tasted so good. I looked around at the faces of these people who had known me my entire life, and the love I had for them was palpable. In that moment, we had no idea what the next six months would have in store for us, but we did know that this was more than friendship...it was family.
- We spent Tuesday nights at the Fe for $1 Bud night. It was the best deal in town.
- I spent spring break in England with Lisa, Maureen and friends. It was only my second time out of the country.
- I made the best purchase of my life (at that point and maybe even to this day). I bought a brand new 2000 Volkswagen Jetta. The Jetta and I would spent lots of years and miles together.
- I laid in bed at night, falling asleep to Late Night with Conan O'Brien, giggling as he did his "In the Year 2000" skit. When I flew, my parents could sit at the gate with me waiting for my plane to depart. I rarely listened to my walkman because it was often out of batteries. I was getting a roll of film developed every week because I was taking so many pictures. I had just updated my cell phone plan from 20 minutes a month to 200 (and that was a big plan!) Gas was $1.06 a gallon at the most expensive stations.
I could probably continue this list forever. And I'm sure there is so much that I'm leaving off. I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night feeling guilty for forgetting something big. But there are so many memories in my heart, and I can't believe how lucky I was and am. And I really can't believe that it's been ten years.
