I am overwhelmed by the complex emotions of leaving a place I have so recently come to love so much. This is far from the first time I've confronted this immense sadness, the songs I cried to when I left St. Paul last August seem just as applicable to leaving Southern Indiana this weekend. The entire town smells like lilacs, the streets are filled with busy people, and those who aren't busy sit on porches and patios sharing pitchers of beer with true friends. I don't know the next time I'll be back to Bloomington, Indiana. It could be 16 months, or it could be just eight. I've spent a good many walks from Collins (my dorm, as seen in the picture) to Ballantine (our classroom building- not worth a picture), wondering what it is about my character that compels me to leave a place right as I begin to fully live happily in it. Or why I seem to always become most comfortable in a place right before I leave.The other side of the coin of course, is how exciting it is to imagine the next three months in the Twin Cities. Bloomington has shown me a pretty amazing last month- I've had more fun than I thought I ever would in this place, and surprised myself. Now there are boxes to pack, goodbyes to say, and a few finals to finish up. I'm making lists of things I want to do this summer, to try to take my mind off of how absolutely unsure I am about leaving Bloomington. For as great as things have gotten here, I have to remind myself that this summer, and the year of adventure that awaits, could be even better. If they're not, I'll come back appreciating a small town in South central Indiana more than I would have ever imagined possible. If they are, then I have nothing to worry about in leaving.
I guess I'm going to put some books in some boxes. It's like graduating high school again, everything I do in this place feels so signficant.
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