Well, here I am at about 11pm in my 45-year-old dorm, enjoying some green tea as I prepare for the next semester to begin. Only one of my residents is here and she is moving all of her stuff back in.

I always love the beginning of each semester, and this one, being my last, seems much more poignant. I am so ready to begin the final chapter of my undergraduate career, to finish up some two-year projects, to get my diploma and my honors and start my life. The dorm is ready for the influx of residents, it even smells like fresh paint, my new nametags are up, and I am stocked up food for emergency dining hall disasters.

Sometimes I think about the people that have lived in my dorm--even the people that have lived in my RA room. What are they doing? Are they happy? What did they go through when they lived here? Do they look back on their days here with sentiment or resentment? Did the windows stick when they were here?

While I'm exuberant about graduation, I am going to hate leaving this school. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I would have not gone here. I'm sure I would be more introverted, less confident, less Christine. I know that when I look back on my undergrad life, I'm going to look back fondly. I've pushed myself in nearly every way possible. Many find New Mexico as isolating, but I can't disagree more. Though it isn't the most social state, how can you ignore the natural beauty of the sunsets, the mountains, the rivers, the SKY?

I'm not entirely sure why my parents decided to live here. I have never dared to ask. But something in my soul recognizes New Mexico. Everytime I return after a long sabbatical, my inner self just SETTLES back into the landscape. Even though I spend tons of money on lotion during the dry winters, even though you don't dare drive during rush hour without some sort of road rage, I love this place.

Though I may leave my school after this semester, I leave a whole person. A person full of idealism, passion, knowledge, and a tiny bit of courage...which was never there before.