Diagnosis: "Post-Grad Blues"

Alright.  We all knew it was coming sooner or later. Sad post...and it's loooong. I apologize in advance!

I.want.this.year.to.be.over.with.  Well, by this year I actually mean this year off...gap year...non-traditional year...whatever you wish to call it.  (Althought I am SUPER excited for this summer...like by the end of May, I’ll be happy again.)

I graduated from college last May - exactly ONE year ago.  Lemme tell ya...it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.  I miss college. I hate being an adult. I miss living with my best friends. I think they call this the “post-grad blues” - psychologists might call it depression (half kidding).

For the past few months, I have been bombarded with Facebook updates, Instagrams, and Twitter posts from my younger friends about their impending graduation, their celebratory bar crawls, their last days of classes, and their fun nights out with friends.  There is nothing worse than these constant reminders that “the best years of my life” are behind me.  

I think my “elderliness” started to sink in when I realized most of the people on The Real World are younger than me.  I don’t usually gauge the quality of my life against MTV productions but it’s just something that struck a chord with me.

One of the worst parts about moving home after college was coming back to a town that I don’t belong in anymore.  By the start of my senior year of high school, I already had one foot out the door.  I was so ready to get out of my little suburban bubble and meet new people that I only applied to one college in-state.  I WANTED OUT.  

Unfortunately this is still the case.  As of tomorrow, almost every person that I have maintained some form of contact with from high school will have moved away or has not even bothered coming back after college.  So really all I have left here is my family, my boyfriend, and work.

Notice: I am very close with my family (...technically only the maternal side) and my boyfriend and I have been dating for over 6 years so I am also very close with his family.  It is going to absolutely KILL me to leave them behind. Really it’s just this town I want to leave, not my family.  They are HOME to me...but I work all the time so I don’t even get to spend that much time with them.

Anywho, here I am.  Twiddling my thumbs and living day to day with this inane work schedule. For now I tend to find myself focusing on all the things I miss about college which subsequently leads to complaints and tears. WAH.  Without further delay:

Top 10 Things I Miss About College:

1. I miss my friends.

I could never, ever replace the friends I made in college.  They were the girls I procrastinated studying with - watching endless Sex and the City marathons, making unnecessary Target runs, taking frat laps after dinner, getting Polar Pops for the heck of it, sharing clothes, makeup, and more, and wiping every tear that ever came our way.  It's cheesy, but get over it.  I wouldn't be where I am today without these beautiful, smart, talented women (plus many, many others not shown above.)

2. I miss Nick.

We are both completely nuts. In a good way, of course.  6 years together will do that though!  We've been together since junior year of high school but in Cincinnati, we live about an hour apart on completely opposite sides of the city.  At school Nick lived right down the hall on my dorm floor freshman year and the rest of our years at IU he was only a 5 minutes walk or drive down the street.  We saw each other pretty much every day which makes me miss him like crazy...absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?  

3. I miss the beautiful Indiana University campus.

Source

Source

If you say IU's campus isn't one of the prettiest campuses in the world,  I say you are either blind or just plain wrong.  GORGEOUS!  Especially during the spring and fall. The campus is so lush and green - just another reason why you would never want to leave.

4. I miss my sorority.

My experience at IU would not have been the same without my sorority sisters.  These women are some of my best friends, my future bridesmaids, and the reason I was finally able to get out of my introverted shell!  I had the opportunity to meet so many diverse individuals within my chapter and in the Greek system - some of which will even be my classmates in August.  I can't talk enough about how positive my experience was and how proud I am to be an alum of my chapter.  

5. I miss basketball (and football tailgates)

Indiana Basketball - You haven't experienced college basketball until you've been to Assembly Hall.  As for football, it's all about the tailgate.  We've never lost a tailgate...

6. I miss going to class.

Dissecting a porcine heart in Physiology

Holding a live Blue Jay in Biology of Birds

I actually love school.  I love learning so I guess it's a good thing I'm going back to school for some more fun.  Honestly though, I had some amazing classes and professors at IU.  I took everything from my required science courses to political science classes to Hip Hop dance.

7. I miss celebrations for any reason at all (including Little 5).

There is always a reason to celebrate at IU.  Welcome Week, Homecoming, and Little 5 are the three big weeks but every moment in between there were paired parties, themes, formals, day parties, birthdays, free movies, speakers, events, and more.  No one could ever say they were bored (like I am now!)

8. I miss walking everywhere.

This isn't IU but I don't have a picture walking around campus...

IU is such a walking friendly campus.  You can get just about anywhere you need to be by walking, biking, or taking a bus - no need for cars unless you go off campus. This is especially handy when planning a night out - walk there and walk home (obviously never alone).  You really take for granted the logistical nightmare this presents when you rely on a car to get everywhere at home.  

9. I miss Kirkwood.

Kirkwood Ave. is where many of  the shops, bars, and eating places are centered around - it's the heart of Bloomington and also the home of some of my favorite places: Nick's English Hut (home of Sink the Biz and amazing food - including Biz fries), Village Deli, Kilroy's, and more!

10. I miss FUN!

Most of all, I just miss the spontaneous fun we had each and every day!  Whether we were sitting outside on a sunny day studying or staying in for a movie and wine night, I always had a blast.  It wasn't until after I graduated that I realized how much I took for granted having 100 sisters to hang out with at all hours of the day.  4 years goes by so fast but I definitely made memories to last me a lifetime.

Here's to you IU! Miss you, boo.