The bright summer light at the end of the next two weeks seems to be shining brighter these days. (Sidenote: there will be a "super moon" on Cinco de Mayo where the full moon will seem to be larger and glow brighter than any other full moon this year.) After my spring semester at Cal State Monterey Bay is complete, I will be heading up to San Francisco to spend a long weekend exploring Alcatraz, finding The Pink Ladies, and discovering a new city.
After a quick night flight back to the East Coast (quick as it is only five hours to fly from SFO to NYC but eight going NYC to SFO due to wind), I will be enjoying the week off I reserved for catching up with friends, sleeping, cooking, eating, and working out only.
Unfortunately, one of the things I think about in the middle of finals is that when I get home, school is not over. I will be taking a summer class this fall at Ramapo. There is a silver lining in the fact that I will then be spending more time with friends living up north and with my grandparents.
The cherry atop my perfect summer sundae is that I will be commuting a few days a week to New York City for an internship! (I won't be getting into details as not to jinx anything.) I can't believe that soon I will be trading Monterey's mountains, bay and beaches for sunrises and skyscrapers.
I've seen so much this semester, discovered things and became interested in things I never have thought much of before. I got to kayak in the Monterey Bay, do yoga on the beach, hike up mountains, camp next to the Carmel River, became a local at cute coffee shoppe downtown, relaxed on the Lover's Point Beach, had some fun times with really interesting people, the list goes on and on.
Making the decision to come back in the fall was something that left me a bit uneasy. I realized that this was probably because it is such a drastic change. I will never be playing field hockey at Ramapo again. I will never be seeing the mountain change color in the fall. I will never be hiking up the Reservation. There are many things about Ramapo College that I will miss, but the things I will be gaining in California is far greater.
Next semester I am looking forward to meeting the new NSE students, having my own room again, biking to downtown Monterey, going to Yosemite, trying to make a trip to Southern California, taking another outdoor sports class, and continuing to write. This is another list that doesn't seem to end.
Taking a second to step back, see where I've been and where I'll be going is exciting and essential. I vividly remember doing this multiple times in Italy. Two of my favorite moments here was looking at the sand dunes and the beach for the first time and standing in the Ventana Wilderness looking out into the dense woods thinking that just last year I was on top of Florence's Duomo saying goodbye to an enchanting city and now I'm camping in California preparing to pack up and go back home.
Saying goodbye this time around is nothing to dwell on since I will be back, although I will be missing some friends I've made. Leaving people at the end of every semester is something I always dread, but its a part of life.
I've got memories to look back on, an exciting new few months ahead of me, and a chance to relive some California fun in the fall. At this point, I couldn't be happier.
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