Words of wisdom from an almost graduate

It has been nearly a week since I left my beloved Paris, and I’m only finally wrapping my mind around the fact that I was actually there.  It’s just so weird.  I feel like I’ve returned to my normal life, but even that isn’t normal anymore.  I don’t know what normal is!  But I think I like it.

I successfully arrived back on American soil last Sunday night, after a few travel woes, but nothing too awful.  I mean, I almost didn’t make my flight from Dallas to Tulsa thanks to the insanely long customs/security process.  Not to mention the fact that I arrived in terminal D but had to be in terminal A (on the complete other side of the airport) for my flight to Tulsa, in 15 minutes.  Oh, and then the tram car I was on decided to stop working midway through our journey.  You know, no big deal.  I made the flight, after sprinting through DFW, and arrived in Tulsa only to find that my bags didn’t come with me.  You know, no big deal.  I only had to wait around for 2 more flights to come in from Dallas before I saw my bags.  Like I said, no big deal.

The first thing I saw when I got to Tulsa though, was this:

Welcome home!

It was great!  And she even had a cold Dr. Pepper and some apple cider donuts waiting for me.  My first American meal was at a Mexican place.

Since being home, I’ve noticed many things that are different from what I’m used to.  It’s just the little things, really, that I notice.  I’m afraid I might be getting annoying when I’m always saying, “Well in France…” but I think I’ll get over that soon enough.

This week has really flown by.  I’ve been in Stillwater since Monday, giving my final presentation on Tuesday.  My days have been full of seeing people and trying to be productive.  The best moment of my week was getting to Skype with my class.  It was so exciting!  They had questions for me, told me news, sang me a French Christmas song and even gave me a virtual hug.  I love technology!

I gave a presentation to a class of 2nd graders who wrote on our class blog to my class.  They were a wonderful audience, oohing and ahhing at the right moments.  I showed them a picture of the snails I ate and they went ballistic.  It was great!

Tomorrow, I graduate.  I don’t really know how I feel about this.  I think I’m okay with it, because I’ve been so far removed from college this semester, that it’s like I already graduated.  But for some reason, I’m not really extremely excited about it either.  It’s a transition, and transitions tend to be a bit uncomfortable.  I think once I have a job lined up, I’ll get a little more excited about this change, but until then comme ci, comme ça (the French for “eh.”)

As I sit here typing this, I’m looking at my graduation gown.  It makes me think about the last time I wore one of those.  I have changed so much in the course of four and a half years.  It’s just amazing.  I’m sure if you knew me in high school, and you look at me now, you’d be surprised.  Or maybe you wouldn’t.  I think we all change in college, for better or for worse.  There’s something about doing something new, and being around new people that marks you somehow.  Stepping out of your comfort zone and forcing yourself to adapt, you stretch and you grow.  This is true of my entire time in college, especially the last 3 months.

In Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) we have a motto: Life, light and legacy.  I would butcher the whole thing if I tried to write it, so I’ll leave it at that, but I’ve reached the point of my college time that is considered the legacy portion of this motto.  More than just in Cru, I want to have impacted people.  I’m not saying I want to change the world, though we know it needs it, but I want to have at least changed someone.  I hope I have been able to blaze a trail for other students who want to expand their horizons and move beyond the options set before them.  Seek out the opportunities that you’ve been dreaming about.  Don’t back down.  I need to remember this myself.  If I want to do something badly enough, it can happen.  If it’s in God’s plan, it will happen.  But don’t be scared to try something, just because you think you might fail.

So there you go.  Words of wisdom from an almost graduate.