"Lullaby of the midnight train" or "I'm in a glass case of emotion"

So, this is it. My last day in Madison. Maybe forever. My emotions have never been on such a ride.

I thought I would take a second, while I have it in my busy day, to reflect upon my summer. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be here - to live here and to work here. Not only is this city amazing, but the people I have gotten to work with this summer in the Center for the First year Experience are more so. This office is the most purely collaborative, fun and friendly setting that I have ever worked in. I think I finally understand the perfect balance between challenge and support, in a way that I never realized I did not know before.

I could not say enough about the university itself. It is such a cool place, with such an interesting student body. There is this thing here called The Wisconsin Idea, which basically states that they believe in holistic education, a proclamation if you will, and they stick to it. Pretty phenomenal stuff.

I don't know what I would have done without the people here: Sarah, Tricia, Melissa, Kevin, Derek, Carren, Chris, Wren...the list could go on and on...They have made this summer so much easier for me to have been separated from Austin and my other friends.

I feel like this summer I got a glimpse into what my life would have been like if I would have come here for undergrad...I almost did. It's still so weird for me to think that I was born here - a block from where I sit now. Sometimes I find myself imagining what my parents life was like when they lived here, young newlyweds. I can visualize the streets that they walked everyday, the places they worked. It's pretty amazing.

Not only have I worked here, but I have played here and enjoyed every minute of it. The people I work with are so much fun. There is always something going on here, and I have met friends of friends, who I like to think have become my own. Such cool people here, always doing something fun and interesting.

Today is a bittersweet day because it is the end of such an amazing experience, leading into a day of grief and sadness tomorrow, and the extreme excitement for next week.

So Madison, I bid you adieu. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

On Wisconsin!