Yesterday I drove up to Winston-Salem to visit Juliet and Edward. We had a wonderful time sitting by the pool, grilling, and reminiscing and talking about anything and everything new. It's always nice to have those friends that you can just meet up with and it's like no time has passed (no matter how bad either one of you are at keeping in touch). How one word set us off in a fit of laughter, to the point where we are crying and can't breathe. Some things don't even have to be said. We had a wonderful time trying to remember all the crazy hostels we stayed at in Vienna, all the crazy people we met, and all the wonderful experiences we had. Then come to notice our cars are parked one car apart, and we both STILL have the coin we got from Prague, and silver heart a street vendor in Barcelona made for us hanging from the rear view mirror.
Today after I left Juliet and Edward, I decided to go over to Wake Forest and replace my hat that I lost somewhere, and buy a shirt. It's very strange going back to college years later, especially when none of your former friends are with you. Just like when I was in college, I was roaming campus expecting to run into friends (or at least people I recognized) and instead all I saw were these children wandering around in their rainbows and Polo's. (good to see nothing has changed, except everyone is SO YOUNG) and I know I look like I'm 12, but I felt old!! It made me feel better that the lady at the bookstore thought I was a student! So I go to the bookstore, I walk into the chapel, and then of course I wander over to Scales (the appropriately named music building that was actually named after a guy, not to be punny or cute. My friends from high school always thought i was a huge dork going to play scales when I said I was "off to Scales").
Just as I'm being ok with walking around and not running into any of my friends or people I know, I go down by the practice rooms and who walks out of one but Ryan! An old friend who graduated a year after me, and I used to work with him. He is a phenomenal jazz piano player who is now getting a masters in jazz music (not at Wake). It was weird as I don't think I've spoken to him in at least 3 years. It was wonderful to catch up with him!!
Being at Wake brought up all these strange feelings. It's like going home almost. Life was always exciting, always about to take some unexpected turn whether it was the party that night or the big decisions coming up. I remember sitting on the swings or the quad by the magnolia trees making huge decisions: Vienna vs. Spain, Medicine vs. Music, choosing where I was going to spend the next 3 years of my life. And here I am, off on another adventure, another blank slate, a new beginning. It's a strange sort of homesickness going back, I miss all my friends and am sad that lots of us haven't kept in touch at all. I miss the every day randomness, the reliable madness, and having best friends only a dorm room away. Not that I could ever go back to college being where I am now. All in all, a very reflective and fun day and a half. I miss this place and all my demon deacons!
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