The people in my program are the best. Sixteen individuals out to change the world. The first day of class our professor told us that we were going to be more than classmates and friends. We are the cohort.
I lived in my apartment, alone, for the first month, since my roommates' programs did not start until August. Baba helped me move in, which eased the transition a bit. It was hard once he left. I still had two days until orientation, so it was nothing but me and my thoughts for those 48 hours. I wish he could have stayed longer. My mom and sister were not able to get on the flight with us, so it was a rushed good-bye at the terminal. I was okay until Momo started crying. It broke my heart. I was the protector for almost twenty years and was now moving across the country. I miss hearing her play the piano, Baba rushing to catch the bus to work, and smelling the coffee brewing in the morning (even though I would never touch the stuff). Every day, I find myself wishing I was sitting at the dining room table with them, putting up with Baba's corny jokes, eating a home-cooked meal, and having Mama yelling at Momo, Nestor, and me to take our paperwork off of the table.
I miss my kids from work. I never realized how much I looked forward to lessons at the end of the week. The toothless smiles, fist bumps, know-it-alls, every new record they set, everything... I had the greatest job as an undergraduate student. Two and a half years of watching kids believe in themselves and letting them do something extraordinary.
Orientation happened and school went into full throttle with no signs of slowing down. I thrive on the work. Deadlines, projects, papers, and the creativity that goes into everything... It keeps me sane and going. As much as I enjoyed my semester off, being back in school reminded me of how much I need to be challenged.
I missed the first week of the fall semester because of shenanigans with Hurricane Irene. All the passengers on the cancelled flights from the weekend rolled over to the flights throughout the week. I fly standby because of my parents flight benefits, so I take the leftover seats. There were no leftover seats until Thursday. In Syracuse now, though, so I am playing catch up.
I miss her. I don't know what she did, or how we came to this point. Butterflies still take over every time she walks into a room. She believes in me when I doubt my own abilities. I don't notice when she undercooks noodles or rice because I cannot focus on anything but her anyway. We don't need to talk constantly when we are together, silence is acceptable. Every detail is significant. She challenges me and inspires me to be better, not only for myself, but for her too. She is the wilderness of my intuition.
This is all so different, exciting, and petrifying. We rushed into whatever we are, completely blindsided, and we are still standing (with a new kitten). Sometimes you get lucky. A person stumbles into your life for whatever reason, turns your world upside down, and makes it all worthwhile.
"Oh, all that I know,
There's nothing here to run from,
And there, everybody here's got somebody to lean on." -Coldplay
