College Reminiscing

Sometimes I think I miss being in college. And sometimes I think I'm crazy. I don't necessarily miss the constant rush of midterms and final exams and pop quizzes and the stress of taking Spanish and Mandarin oral exams on the same day.

 I had a locker in college. Did you?

But I miss studying and speaking Spanish and Mandarin with other people who were passionate about the languages. I miss writing papers on the culture of sports fans and throwing in snarky comments that received smiley faces from my professor. I miss the philosophy professor who started every class with a comedy routine, usually about his latest adventures in life with his wife--who he was clearly head over heels in love with. I miss my professor who wore kimonos to class, the professor who tried to cut off my arm with a magic trick, and the professor who wore his "happy shoes" on exam days to cheer us up. (That same professor never failed to notice and compliment me on my especially colorful outfits.)

 For someone who's not that much of a philosopher, I sure got stuck in a lot of philosophy classes. 

I try to hide it, or ignore it, but there's a lot I do enjoy about the world of academia. I know I'm a geek, and I spent a lot of time studying in college.

But one of my most precious memories from college is a time that I didn't study. Angel was there on a visit, and I had a history midterm to take at noon. "Let's go to Baskin Robbins," Angel said. I left my books, and I ate ice cream with Angel. I could have spent a few extra hours that morning studying the the pre-1911 history of China, but instead I ate ice cream with a cute guy. And it was the best test-prep I could have done! I got a 99% on that midterm.

 All I can say now is that I'm definitely having Angel take me out for ice cream before my state licensing exam!