As a choir member, I'm invited to sing at graduation every year. This year and last, I've stayed on campus an extra week, almost completely alone save the other choir members, student staff members, and the graduating seniors. My roommate -- nay, my entire suite, or maybe most of my floor -- has moved out. I spend lazy mornings sleeping in, cook on my two-range stove, and sometimes don't leave my building. One might think that I'd be lonely, or bored, or that I should want to be home.
To which I say: absolutely not.
First of all, I picked up an extra week of working at the school pool. Though my fellow guards and I don't talk too much, I get to say hi to community members getting in their workout. That minimal, polite interaction is just enough for me, honestly. I get to see people and speak with them briefly, and them I'm good for the rest of the day. And if it's not? I have a couple of choir practices to keep me in the loop, and I can catch a last few meals at the caf with graduating friends. It's all good.
Secondly, I don't have to deal with the hectic scramble to finish finals, pack, and move out all on the same day. Seriously: I had five finals this semester, three of which were major papers. Taking time between hand cramps to fold clothing and call my mom to let her know exactly when my last exam ends? No, thanks. I now have another whole week to leisurely pack up some of my junk and patiently await her arrival. So much easier.
This extra week gives me a second to breathe and take stock in a space I've occupied for almost four straight months. I can reflect on classes as I sift through old notes and box textbooks, laugh at a forgotten inside joke as I toss my character shoes into a suitcase, and smack my head against my palm as I finally figure out that that's where I put my DS? My room provides an introspective therapy as I sort through my literal baggage to prepare to go home for the summer.
No classwork means my only obligations are work, choir, and cleaning, so that means I also get some solid, solitary free time. When was the last time you got to read a book for fun, you guys? Or binge-watch detective anime? Or walk to get Chinese takeout with a friend? Or dance around your room in a bra and fancy skirt? Or, God, take a crazy-long shower while singing the entirety of the "Hamilton" soundtrack? If I'd have gone home, returning friends, chores, and the unpack/repack turnover for camp would have gotten in the way of all that self-indulgence. I regret none of it.
So, yeah, I'm still here. And OK, yes, it is pretty surreal to be at school without having any learning to do. But it's such a relaxed, refreshed space that I remember why I came to my school in the first place. It's home.
