It's been the best summer of my life, but also the worst. It's been filled with memories that I'll never forget, laughs that made it hard to breath and adventures to tell my future grandchildren about. In the midst of all of the happiness and exuberance that comes with summertime, I would get these pangs of sadness that snapped me out of whatever blissful bubble I was living at that moment-- in the middle of swing dancing at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown GR, I'd remember that I only have 3 more weeks that I can go to Swing on Tuesdays. At work, I'd wonder how many more times I would be able to small-talk with the regulars, making their drinks before they even walked into the store. Every time my friends and I ventured the 40-minute drive to the pristine lakeshore, I wondered if this would be the last.

And then the beginning of the ends actually began.

The things that tugged at the corners of my happiness slowly sped up until I was hugging my best friend goodbye, crying on my way home because I realized that all the things that were in the back of my mind were now tangible and happening now. We were all leaving each other behind, leaving behind not only all the good times we had but the possibility of these good times in the future. The goodbye's were beginning, and there was nothing I could do to make it any easier other than keep the memories that were made close to my heart.

So Gabi, hahah, oh Gabi. Thank you for all of the adventures we had, and all the times you made me venture out of my shell. You taught me the value of being able to say what you want/need, without caring what anyone else thinks. Without you, I never would have had the guts to rap Bonfire by Childish Gambino at an open mic night [for poetry]. See you soon.

Rachel, thank you for being my first friend at a brand new church. You helped me grow in so many ways, most importantly in my faith. You showed me love no matter what, whether it was asking you to pick me up after work while my mom was out of the country (I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't helped) or speaking French with each other, choosing not to hear my evident accent and grammatical mistakes. Au revoir, ma chèrie.

Lorik, thanks for busting my butt in the gym and on the track. You keep me rooted and no matter how foreign I feel, I can count on you to be darker white than me. Keep getting those gains.

Senthuri, you have the sweetest heart I've ever met. You never have a genuinely mean thing to say, and I can always count on you to ask me how I am, truly am. Your enthusiasm is contagious. I cannot wait to see you Sparty with me this year, and hopefully the next coming years as well.

Tim, oh Tim. Sometimes I really hate you, like when you tell me I should've gone blue or to stop flirting with the French exchange students (which I clearly was not). But at the end of the day, I wouldn't have wanted to spend 5 years of French with anyone less cynical and/or sassy. Bonne chance à U of M, même si MSU est meilleur.

Brooke, hi Brooke. I really cannot believe that I was able to be one of those people that could say they stayed friends with her childhood best friend. I'm so incredibly blessed to have a person as driven, intelligent and funny as you are in my life. From our late night talks in the hotel rooms of Model UN conferences (can't wait to do those again this winter!) to pretending to be a bride and a maid of honor downtown, the memories will be cherished. I can't wait to see all the adventures that we will share eventually.