near the end

Will and I had a sangria night tonight, which meant good conversation and interesting tangents, as always. But just before leaving, Will reminded me that there are only 9 days left. And... I didn't start crying, but it was close. Because there is so much good stuff happening in the next week; seeing all of the interesting projects presented at Expo, going to events like Exporesso and the carnival and others for seniors and for students in general, getting to spend time with my family, who I probably won't see again for seven months. And there are still stressful things to take care of, like preparing for SCOPE Expo, finding a place to live, and figuring out the logistics of moving. And there are the last few bittersweet moments to spend with faculty and staff, with friends, with Simone. It's too much for 9 days, and too much for me to handle... I want to soak up every last minute at Olin that I can, because I'm terrified that I'll never find another community like this.

It's interesting; graduating from high school meant next to nothing to me. I had/have some good friends from those years (hi guys), but I never had second thoughts about leaving that hated institution. I never worried that high school had been "the best years of my life," and that it was all downhill from there. That would have been ridiculous. But, while it may not be rational, I do have that fear about Olin. I worry that this is as good as it gets, or as good as it will get for me, at least.