First new post in a while... and it's probably going to be the last one for a while. I am going home tomorrow and then heading overseas on Sunday. And here I am, all by myself, for my final night in Howe.

It's strange to think about. No more crazy suitemates. No more watching folks on the elephant stairs from my room and having friends do crazy things to get my attention and wave. No more 8x10 boxes to live in. Naw, folks, this is it.

I was just thinking back about all of the myths I had heard about college prior to coming here. Some were true (you DO stay up late), some were not (older guys DO NOT come chasing after you when you are a freshman). And then I started to think about the myths I heard about the "real world". Having been there for a short time, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but there are some distinct differences.

As I continued to think about things over a game of Collapse (it's on Yahoo... yeah, I am a real nerd), I realized that there are really a select few people who understand me. These past few weeks have been very trying times for me, and it's amazing to find out who I can talk to in depth about stuff and who I avoid trying to talk to about these things. I think it's made me tougher, but at the same time, I've become more sensitive. I think I know what to say to folks who experience these sorts of things in the future. And then you have the folks who try to understand you, but are far from it. If you're struggling, all they want to do is tell you positive things to make you stop talking about negative stuff. But if you only do that - you miss the point. You don't see where the individual is really struggling with and where the heart of the issue is.

Another observation I came across is that most folks try to give you advice based on who THEY are or what THEY might do; very few people try to look at it from your perspective or tell you what you should do based on who they know you to be. And it's amazing to see someone who DOES look at it from your perspective - one of my friends was giving me advice in my coop dilemma yesterday and I found that this individual, unlike so many others, told me I should do one particular thing because it was something that suited ME and that because I am the person that I am, I would love it. It was the first time someone said that to me - most folks would say, "oh, go to fill-in-the-blank, it would be a good experience" or "hey, go to choice-1, because choice-2 is not as exciting" when really it's just that individual's opinion of the place, as opposed to what he/she thinks of YOU going there. Isn't that funny? But it's only natural, especially in American culture, to go from your own perspective.

Well, I gotta get back to packing. But I did want to tell those of you that are graduating that I'm really going to miss you and I wish with all my heart that I could spend even more time with you. Rest assured that you have made the past four years memorable for me, and I pray that God will lead each of you where He wants you to go.

Heart ya!