retrospect.

and so i have come to the end of my stay in palo alto.

i'm not gonna miss waking up in the middle of the night to thumps and bumps... but i'm gonna miss staying alone when i go back to sharing a kitchen and living room with seven other people.
i'm not gonna to miss waiting for a bus, taking a 20-minute bus ride, walking 20 minutes, getting my (heavy) groceries, lugging them back 20 minutes, waiting for the bus again and then sitting in it for another 20 minutes... but i'm gonna miss the golden sunshine and clear blue skies that kept me company through the ordeal.
i'm not gonna miss not having my friends from eugene and the ucf people nearby... but i'm gonna miss the palo alto library that has given me books and movies that have kept me entertained and educated for hours.
i'm not gonna miss not having the rec center five minutes away where i could play volleyball and badminton... but i'm gonna miss my (nearly) daily run around the neighborhood with many pretty gardens in the setting sun.

and... i have run out of things i'm not gonna miss.

i am also gonna miss bing, just hanging out with the kids and of course luring them into the mysterious but enticing gameroom.
i am also gonna miss the people i have met here who have taught me many things and have offered me more help and favors i had hoped for.
i am also gonna miss my bilingualism class.
i am also gonna miss the farmer's market.
and i am also gonna miss the beautiful buildings on campus that have such a historical feel about them.

i've been so encouraged in pursuing my field of work, my capabilities have received so much affirmation, and i've been treated with respect and as an equal by graduate students. it was the fuel i needed for my final(!) year of college.

it's been a well-spent summer thus far... and it ain't over yet baby.