Graduation.
I haven't had a moment yet, in this whirlwind of activity, to realize that the chapter has ended. I know no one really cares what specific parts of Mother Fair I will miss, but I think writing them out would be cathartic for me.
Walks around the lake and through the bio trail
Dressing up for Halloween
Formal functions
Laughing in the kitchen with my closest girlfriends until my eyes actually start to leak profusely
Relationships with professors
Jazzman's coffee shop
Visits to the Tavern, the Silk Road, and other small shops in town
Making sure that there are at least three errands to run before venturing into New Castle or Hermitage, because otherwise it isn't worth the trip
Inventing errands so that you can justify a trip to town (spontaneous dates to frozen yogurt, or a liquor run)
Easy access to workout facilities
Strenuous voyages to the fourth floor of Thompson Clark to visit the best academic department on campus
Laying out on a blanket in the grass on sunny days to study
Lazy weekends
Tuesday is Monday
Free laundry facilities
Knowing every face that walks by
People that hold doors for you when you enter a building
Learning
Amish horses, buggies, and people -- especially their adorable children
Babysitting or tutoring professors' kids
Living within an 8-minute walk to any of your friends' living spaces
Sigma Kappa anything: chapter meetings, mixers, jokes, decorations, chapter room, Ferg Hall, Greek Week, Sing 'n' Swing, philanthropy events, TUB table, smiling faces, getting to know new sisters, recruitment
But I won't let the closure of this era depress me. I'll think about leaving behind the horrendous potholes, the Sodexo food that makes me ill, the expenses, the immature drunkenness outside my window at 3AM... on a weekday. I'll come back again, for graduations, for homecomings, for sisterhood. I'll give back to the college that gave me so much. I'll keep in touch with those who meant the most to me. I'll move on, because that's the best thing there is to do.
