Exactly one year ago...

One year ago from today I was on BYU's campus as a student for the first time. I was scared to death, didn't want to be here, didn't want to meet new people, didn't want to start classes, and I just wanted to go home and have a normal summer break like all my friends. A few days later I was wondering what I had got myself into. I didn't even know how to go inside the Cannon Center, so I didn't eat dinner Saturday night or eat the next morning. On the first day of classes I got lost on campus somewhere down by the Richard's Building and was late for my first class, which was English at 8 a.m. and lasted two hours, three times a week. It was the worst. The rest of the week wasn't much better either. And then I finally started hanging out with some people from my freshman academy group. At first I thought they were all weird and I didn't want anything to do with them, but they all turned out to be pretty cool. College started to be more fun. We went ice blocking every week, went to the Skyroom Cafe when our dining cards got maxxed out, and played night games around Helaman Halls. Today I talked to a few of the people that I met on my first day and it's crazy to think that it's been a whole year. I still remember the names we had to make up for ourselves to "help" us learn each other's names. There was Joking Jake, Joshing Josh, Magical Melinda, Tiny Tara, Grinning Gwen, Ecstatic Erica, Leaping Lindsey, and of course myself, Masculine Michael. Or maybe it was Musical, or even Muscular. Either way, they all apply. Anyway, I've endured classes that probably haven't helped me at all, like American Heritage and Human Development. I've had roommates from three different countries. I've had spaghetti and grilled cheese sandwiches at least once a week, and either Lucky Charms or Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast every morning. I've had enough midterms, finals, projects, readings, writings, and study groups to last me about two years. But there are some things that I am going to miss. My daily 30-minute walk to campus and back, mint brownies from Sugar 'n Spice, the bell tower ringing "Come, Come Ye Saints" every hour, seeing "Y Mountain" every day, studying in the library until midnight when they start playing classical music, night games on campus, pranking innocent EFY kids, and sleeping wherever and whenever I got the chance. I could keep going and going but I don't want to bore you :) Now I am getting ready to come home for good, only to leave it again to come back to Provo once more. And then it's off to Virginia where I will spend the best/hardest two years of my life. BYU, you've taught me a lot and even though I thought I would never say it, I'm going to miss you. See you in two years.