Wow, it has been a while. :-D And time really does fly. My final fall semester has come and gone. The China/Taiwan trip has come and gone. And now I am back at Case, rolling in a new semester... and looking for my final co-op term.

Isn't that insane? I feel like I just got back from Philly, and here I am looking for more co-op fun. ;-) Hard to believe that just a year ago, I had just started filling cuvettes with samples and running them through the UV-vis. And it has made me think - am I still the same person as I was a year ago?

Part of me wants to say no, simply because I now have some more schooling and personal experiences under my belt. (My hairstyle is different too... but that's external.) Co-op really did change me. But the other part of me doesn't feel any differently than I did a year ago. I still run into much of the same feelings now as I did while I was on co-op.

But then again... I really have changed. I have learned not to believe those who say they'll miss you because I know most of them will just get busy with their activities and some of them will even forget you. I have become much tougher, no longer so vulnerable emotionally. I now find hall activities stupid, immature, and petty, and I usually decline to participate. And I have learned to depend on God in the times that I am alone.

Some of the change is for the better, though. I have really learned to appreciate the times I have to be goofy and relaxed with friends. I have seen how important it is to do well in academics. I have seen that tests and grades are small compared to the stress in the workplace.

I know the time will come when I will have to put away the butterfly clips, let go of my goofy, youthful ways, and move on. That's both the beauty and the struggle of co-op: the fact that you get the chance to go back to the carefree student life after having been in the real world, yet you are fully aware that you will not be the same when you return.