College Memories

Every May since 2012, I've had the luxury of looking back on fond memories of college as a new year's worth of fresh graduates hit the "real world." Before that, May simply meant a temporary break in the whirlwind of essays and exams.

This year the "Remember Whens..." are back in full force, particularly as I'm thinking about sending off yet another little sister to college this coming August.

Everyone who knows me knows that I went into college extremely reluctantly, kicking and screaming the whole way, on the inside if not on the outside. And I had a rough transition period that lasted most of my freshman year.

But in the end, I can say that I'm absolutely glad that I chose the college that I did, and I'm proud to have finished a Bachelor's Degree from Calvin--and if I could go back in time, I'd make the same choice to go to school there (I could not say the same thing about cosmetology school).

I did go into college keeping in mind the idea that although I have nerd-like tendencies...I knew that studying wasn't going to be what I remembered most from my college years. That turned out to be partially true, and partially untrue. The studying was intense, at times. What do I remember most from college days?

I remember Angel sitting across the table from me, paging quickly through endless pages of printed-out powerpoint slides containing info from his nursing classes, while I patiently copied Chinese characters dozens of times on the other side of the table.

Freshman year, I got roped into a talk show for our on-campus tv channel. Usually the guys kind of took over--my main job was introducing the show and saying goodbye, but we made sure to have "Ladies Night" one night!

I remember being brave enough to go audition for this commercial--and the 3 blissful days full of eating free food and pretending to be friends with students I'd never met before. Plus I got to get lost in a corn maze, it doesn't get better than that!

I remember going on a trip to Chicago in January with a professor and the rest of my writing class--and her insistence that we could walk everywhere and didn't need taxis. We walked all over downtown and I thought I might freeze to death, but it was one sweet trip!

I remember being the one person who came alone to nearly every event. I don't know what was up with that--I think it was the lack of roommates, or else my odd taste in student events. I went to a Valentine's party my Junior year solo...and I'd already been married for two months, for crying out loud.

I remember professors--the one who wore Japanese yukata to class everyday...the one who wore his "happy shoes" (rainbow colored) on exam days to cheer us up and coordinated his glasses to the color of his shirt...the professor who was younger than my own husband who invented raps in philosophy class and told long stories about his wife who he was so obviously head over heels in love with....the angry British professor who couldn't stand lazy American students and would refuse to teach if not enough students did their homework...the professor who was a professional reader for audio books and had the most amazing voice I've ever heard from a human being...

Studying for finals the week after we got married--at this point, this was the only chair we owned other than folding chairs. Isn't that such a newlywed grin?

I remember playing hide-and-seek in the dark late at night in empty buildings on campus. Twice. It was amazing.

I remember my stalker. He was very nice.

I remember going late-night "sledding" on garbage bags down the side of the hill, and afterwards wandering a forest which seemed positively enchanted in the moonlight.

I remember the three times I missed a class. Once because I was miserably ill. Once to go to my great-grandma's funeral. And once to attend my own wedding rehearsal.

I remember wearing my nice dress for attending a graduation ceremony, and afterwards, cleaning my friends' apartments, to help them pass inspection in time so that they could get their deposit back.

I remember tutoring theology students who wanted to fiercely debate the validity of the JEDP theory of Genesis with their professor instead of merely memorizing it for the exam (I myself was far more pragmatic as a student).

I remember playing Texas Hold'em for pennies with a group of guys I didn't know, and winning pennies at a rate that alarmed them. Their problem was that they thought I was too innocent to bluff successfully.

I remember sitting in the tiny backseat of Angel's car, with him and Jeffrey occupying the front seats, in the McDonald's parking lot, the three of us engaged in a vivacious discussion on the topic of "Why does everyone say marriage is so hard?"

I remember making char bee hoon in my Grandma's kitchen to take to an international students' dinner--I remember how hesitant she was to taste it, but how delicious I thought that little taste of home was.

I remember hosting a 6-movie Star Wars marathon at our house in honor of school being out for Christmas holiday.

I remember sleeping in the library when I probably should have been studying. That was the coziest place to sleep.

I remember explaining my midnight curfew rule by telling skeptics that I was Cinderella. Sometimes they believed me. Curfews can be a little difficult to explain in college.

I remember bribing friends into going with me to the downtown Hispanic festival since it was required for Spanish class and I didn't want to have to parallel park all by myself.

Got any fun college memories that come back to the surface once in a while? Tell me about them! What adventures are you proudest of?