It was a weird day; today was the last day I'd be at my hall before I move out for good. To be honest, I never really thought I'd miss this place as badly as I did. It didn't really impact me that much until the final week when I realized my stay here in England was coming to an end.
Seeing my blockmates leave today and realizing I probably won't be seeing them again felt a bit depressing. Nikki with her witch-like laughter, Anna, my next door neighbour who I never really talk to much to be fair, John, who's probably my best mate at my block, Sam, Charlotte, Peter the fake Korean, Ha Man, Jae Min, Ryan the West Ham supporter, Baz, Natalie and the rest.
Good times, good times but such is life, we all have to move on. There really isn't much choice, or time for that matter, to dwell on it too much. Cliched as it sounds, it's just another chapter in life.
Walking past the Portland Building, I recalled my first week on campus when I was still new to the place and trying to soak in the surroundings. It was funny being a newbie around the place feeling so excited about his one year stay in England and having a long checklist of things to do and places to visit. The campus was really scenic and beautiful but time has a way of making everything seem ordinary after a while.
I suppose being out on my own felt great as well. No hassles from anyone and being free to do whatever I wanted to. Not that my parents had an iron grip over me back home but still, that feeling of freedom is amazing. Even for a year though, I started to realize that the sense of responsibility that automatically comes with that "freedom" makes you grow as a person. It could be an exaggeration but after all that exposure, you definitely come back from your overseas studies a more mature and wiser person.
I'll be going home in about a week's time and I get the feeling I'll look back at my time here a lot. Not just the place but the friends and the company I've had. All the laughters and fun we had is definitely something I'll be reminiscing regularly. All the stupid stuff we did at the bar crawls and parties and our trips.
I'll miss the bad dinners at the halls, the annoying cleaning lady that wakes me up every morning, the missing of lectures, the late night assignment deadline scramble, getting on the bus to go to the city and catching up on Lost, Heroes, Prison Break with my blockmates. All the little things. Strolling down memory lane is a lot of fun.
Dr. Vincent once gave a great advice to me and it was to never let your subconscious mind take control over your life and it rang so true. I've been routinely going to lectures, worrying about assignments and chilling out with my mates to actually stop and digest the experience.
Oh well, time will always move too fast for everyone's liking but I can't say I didn't cherish my time here. Even so, when the time comes to go our separate ways, I still can't help but feel dispirited and depressed.
I had quite a walk yet. I reached into my pocket and started to untangle my ear phones desperately as my Ipod screen started to get blurred out by the drizzle. It took quite a few more tugs at the wires before I finally manage to stick them in my ears. My thumb reached for the play button and the shuffle of songs brought out a familliar tune.
John Mayer's acoustic ballad, "Daughters".
Just like I suspected, and I really didn't want to be proved right on this occasion, the rain started to turn into a heavy downpour. I pulled the hood over my head but that obviously didn't save me from being fully drenched. Not a single thunderstorm in my 9 months here and God decided to take the piss today.
"Just perfect," I smiled.
