oughly three weeks ago we all walked out of our last exam, tired and hungry, not really knowing what to do next. Pack, maybe? Sleep? Go sell your books back to start funding your summer bucket list? Nonetheless, we were up and gone within a few days, whether we really wanted to leave or not. And pulling out of Morgantown was a bittersweet moment for us all, leaving behind all the year's memories and leaving your friends for the summer.
Like I said, here we are three weeks later. Though I try not to think about it, here are a few of the things I've come to miss the most after two years in Mountaineer Country:
1. Random Gee spottings.
President Gee always seems to show up in the most random places at the most convenient times. He's literally a local celebrity. Except he's the type of celebrity who insists you take a selfie together. Whether he's walking up and down high street at 1 a.m. sporting his most fashionable bow tie, or handing out cookies in the Lair, it's always cool to run into someone like such.
2. Woodburn Hall.
If you've never taken a picture of Woodburn, do you even go to WVU? It's beautiful on any occasion: on a fresh spring day, in the evening after it's snowed, all lit up during night time, in the fall when all the leaves are changing. Every angle, every season, every day—it's just as beautiful as the day before. And seeing pictures of it while you're not in Morgantown to take the pictures yourself? Heartbreaking.
3. Holi-daze.
Halloween? Oh, you mean Hallo-week. St. Patty's Day? Ah, you're talking about the entire month of March! Which ugly Christmas sweater party are you talking about? Because those span from the day after Thanksgiving to a little after New Years. Not only is it important you celebrate these holidays, but its also important you survive. Anything we do, we do it big. Not just students-- but the whole city of Morgantown. That's why missing holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July make it a little harder to be away from Morgantown. Even though we all love spending time with family, when you're used to spending holidays with your friends, it makes things a little harder.
4. Local Food.
Soul Brothers. Jameson's. Pizza Al's. Tailpipes. Mario's Fish Bowl. Of course, that's just to name a few. There is no doubt that Morgantown is home to some of the best food. Whether it's the small businesses or food chains we don't find in our own home town, we're living large August-May. Which makes coming home to a McDonalds, Wendy's, and Taco Bell much harder to adjust to when you're used to eating Soul Bowls & a Tailpipes milkshake once a week (minimum).
5. Darties.
Preferably on a Saturday or Sunday during the months with nicer weather (but hey, who ever stopped someone on a Monday-Friday? or in the middle of winter?, day parties, AKA darties, are no rarity to us Mountaineers. Typically occurring during the hours of 12 p.m.-6/7 p.m., this is when you find yourself making the most of your weekend. Whats better than spending all day in the sun, with your friends, eating hotdogs and hamburgers, playing cornhole (among other games *wink wink*), and listening to the best music? I can answer that for you: pretty much nothing. Whether its a huge event like the AGR Hog Roast or something small at a friend's house, you're bound to have fun. And what better to give us FOMO than the beautiful summer weather? Now we're temporarily left with memories. Ugh.
6. Freedom.
Eating frozen pizza rolls at 3 a.m. was, like, a normal thing at my apartment. So was not going to bed until 5 a.m. because my sleep schedule was so messed up. And not having to tell anyone where I was going when I left the house. Now I'm home, and I can't make pizza rolls at 3 a.m. anymore because I'll wake my family up. And now I've gotta dish where I'm going, when I'll be home, and who I'll be with every time I leave the house. It's a hard transition to make, and just as you get back into the swing of things it's time to leave again.
7. Friends.
During the school year, you meet people from all 50 states and beyond (though mostly from WV, Jersey and Maryland). Together you spend long days and longer nights, and slowly your friends kind of start to become your family. You share closets, stories, and sometimes even apartments. And when May rolls around and it's time to part ways (if you don't live close to each other at home), its heartbreaking to leave one another. We get so used to seeing our friends everyday that its weird when we go home and can only see them through the tiny screen on our phones. Nonetheless, you miss them. And since Morgantown is the place that brought you together and where you've made so many memories, you miss it, too.
8. LSB Stairs.
Just kidding, no one really misses those. In fact, we make every effort to dodge them. Walking through B&E, waiting 5 years to catch the elevator in Brooks. Next to the Law School stairs, they're the most dreaded thing on campus.
9. Tailgaiting.
I never knew the world could be so kind until I walked around the Blue Lot before a WVU football game. Tailgates are the ultimate aforementioned "darty". Every "Lets Go!" is echoed with "Mountaineers!". No stomach goes hungry and every thirst quenched. With what exactly? Who knows? Everyone is family! It's one of the few mornings you actually want to wake up early. Aside from game day traffic, and the possibility of a loss, Morgantown is kind of surreal on game day.
10. Singing Country Roads after a Mountaineer victory.
I often wonder if John Denver knew how massive the impact of this song would be. Even though practically the entire world has heard him sing Country Roads, it has a different meaning to us Mountaineers. It's like the song of our homeland or something. But now that summer is upon us, time presents no occasion to sling my arm around friends (and strangers with yeasty breath), sway side to side, and sing the words we all know and love. Or scream them as we storm the court.
Until fall do us part, I guess.
