On Change: Getting Old, Saying Goodbye

I’m horrible at introducing myself. I’m not that great at saying goodbye, either, so I thought I’d get it over with at the beginning of this post. This is my last post for Life @ U of T. Blogging here has been the best ‘responsibility’ that I’ve ever had in my life. I feel super blessed to be attending an institution that offers such great opportunities, and I’ve met the coolest people on campus through this blog. I really, really encourage you guys to look around — there are so many awesome things to do on campus. Bye people. This has been awesome (picture me awkwardly patting you on the shoulder). Now, let’s talk about change. Last week was my birthday.

I turned 20. I keep telling people that I’m old. I am old. I’ve been alive for two whole decades. I’ve lived for 5 world cup finals (and another one this summer!), the rise and fall of email, and the completion of the human genome project. I’ve lived 170 times longer than the life-span of summer-born monarch butterflies. I. Am. Old. I’m freaking out because I feel like things are happening too fast. There is no way overalls are considered vintage! What do you mean, I’m already halfway through my undergraduate career?

My time at Life @ U of T is over? I’M TWENTY YEARS OLD? It’s scary thinking about how fast time flies. I can’t help but think of all the things that I could have done, experiences that I should have had, and wonder why I didn’t take advantage of the opportunities when they were sitting in my lap. At the same time, though, I think about all of the awesome crap that happened, too — my prom, my first time on an airplane, my acceptance into the University of Toronto, the first awesome job I’ve ever had — and I can't help but be grateful to be living the life that I do. In a nutshell, I am happy. I'm ready to take on the next decade — and the next year — and whatever comes with it. This has been an awesome year, and I'm looking forward to see what the next decade will bring. Love, Hawa