On November 7, I attended the last lecture of my mentor at
BYU. Dr. Mandleco was my faculty advisor for my honors thesis, so I was able to
get to know her quite well during my last year there. She mostly talked about
her research and how it was enriched by her work with students. (I even got a
mention.) Afterwards, there was a luncheon in her honor. However, the fire
alarm went off, so it was cut short. I found it slightly hilarious that I was
at BYU for five years, and this was the first time that I experienced a fire
drill.
Every time I go back to BYU, I get very nostalgic. Despite
all of the drama those five years entailed, they really were some of the most
fun years of my life, plus all of that drama shaped me into a much better
person and also better equipped me to handle drama. Most of all, I miss all of
my friends, especially my many roommates. Keeping in touch on Facebook and
stalking their blogs just isn’t the same as being able to just chat with them
whenever I want. However, I don’t miss the stress of school. Yes, I know that I
am in grad school right now, but BYU was so much harder. There was constant
pressure to keep my scholarship, as well as be accepted to the nursing program,
plus trying to keep all of the information from four or more classes straight
got kind of dicey at times. I also shake my head at my younger self when I
think of all the drama because most of it was self-inflicted. I really had it
pretty good. Plus, the whole being an old maid thing worked out in the end, and
I am grateful that it worked out the way it did, even if it means I pretty much
have an aquarium in my basement. I think Kevin was worth the wait.
P.S. I thought I had a picture of Dr. Mandleco and I from graduation, but apparently I failed at getting one. Oops.
