We’re nearing the end of the semester, Tigers, and I’m so ready for it.
This whole semester has been a roller coaster that only has steep declines. So, technically, it’s just a downhill slope with an angle of 75 degrees. We’ve all been riding along, each in our own seat but still linked together by anxiety, 3:00am Door Dash orders, and secret drinking parties.
A whole weight has been sitting on my chest this whole fall term, and I know for a fact that it will go away as soon as I step back into my own home in Akron, OH. To even be around an optimistic energy like my dog is a blessing. The sweet taste of real, home-cooked meals that don’t give me second thoughts or an upset stomach dances through my dreams. It’s self-torture that I didn’t mean to inflict onto myself. I can’t wait to be in the presence of people that I don’t want to punch every hour of the day. I miss the feeling of safety that my home has, and I’m heartbroken at the idea that Wittenberg doesn’t make me feel that way anymore.
I’m ready to go home and ready to start my spring semester in a new location. No, I’m not transferring, but I am taking a semester to go “abroad” to the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC. I can finally pop that Wittenberg bubble and have an experience that I’ve been working towards since my first day on this campus.
With that, this here is my sendoff to you. I want you all to try your very hardest in the next few weeks and end this marathon of a semester strong. It’s truly been hard for all of us in our own ways, and this might not mean a lot to you, but I’m proud of you. Enduring this situation and then coming out of it still alive shows how resilient and strong each of you all are.
The spring semester, hopefully, will go more smoothly because we all are not diving into COVID-19 college life blindly. Here’s to the additional hope that you will be once again in-person, or at least hybrid, for spring classes. Man, what would a whole semester of online classes look like? Gosh, what a scary thought.
I wish you all, once more, the best of luck with your finals, projects, and tests. Let your November and December holidays be merry, bright, and relieved of tension from academics. Enjoy the little things that come along and be thankful for those moments you have with family and friends. COVID-19 has taken so much from us, so, try to appreciate what you still have left this holiday season.
