Graduation!

Graduation went as expected. In the morning we had our departmental precommencement which was nice, as it was a little more intimate than actual commencement with 1300 other people we don’t know. As for graduation, thankfully, we got a parking place downtown, and Mom and Dad found the perfect seats.
Other than that the afternoon was filled with mixed emotions and classic activities: crossing the stage in a haze, shaking hands of people I don’t know, adding “BS” to the end of my name, and moving the tassel from right to left. Afterwards, we had a great dinner in little Italy, and moved the first of the boxes out of my room. In the evening, a few people came over to enjoy refreshment and each others’ company.

Today has been a leisurely day of packing and stripping the walls. I have a feeling this moving thing will get harder before it gets easier.

Now that it’s come to an end, I made a list of ‘UMBC in review’. It grew as I gave it more thought, remembering all of the things that will make the last three years of my life very special. Countless stories, ups and downs that I would never trade.
UMBC in 100 words.

living on the floor
roomies
Isabel
A&P
five more minutes…
blood drive and blood donating
snowy search weekend
D-hall, yum?
X-box and Halo
crack rummy
paramedic classes
walker avenue
Lord of the Rings
classmates
gargantuan book of death
riding bikes and becoming pilots
pre-class videos
drugs can kill people, and so can I
too old to trick-or-treat?
the semester from hell
oh, the puns!
field trips
Chinese food and ER night
clinicals
NREMT
peanut-butter burritos
kayaking
Baltimore city
cadaver labs
London
snowkayaking
flying with MSP
high performance Thursdays!
sleepy search weekend
oral boards?
hair donating
NREMT reprise
cookie cakes
commencement

“The gigs have been champion, the laughs have been from deep within the belly, the sleep has been less than usual.” Exactly as it should be. Most importantly, friends who remind me every day that I am truly blessed.