The Agony.....Or the Ecstasy?

Dear Readers,
There is nothing like a good night's sleep. Yes, it is raining outside and I am trapped in the library right now, but I'm absolutely OK with that because of one thing: rest. Which is the reason I'm writing this: I'm in a good mood at the moment.

This semester has dragged on and on for me; all two weeks of it. Really, right now I just want to be off-campus, preferably in Italy (where I am applying to for the fall semester!).

I'm closing in on my third year here at Westmont. These years have been the most productive, stretching, and enjoyable years of my life; yet, there is still a part of me that wants to get away, to experience the world outside of Montecito. I really have nothing to complain about: my semester looks great this year, I have an amazing schedule, I'm involved in countless activities around campus, and I feel like I'm still learning at an exponential rate. But, for all of this, I want to leave. Its the strangest thing knowing you should love and appreciate the place you are at, but still long for a place far away. I don't want to go home; I want to go around the world, although not quite in 80 days.

So, what can I conclude? This semester is shaping up for me nicely so far, but there is still that longing, nagging feeling that I should be across the globe. Maybe I don't have a conclusion for myself: sometimes we have to live with the uncomfortable, to bask in the ambiguity, to wade into the unknown. And that is what I hope to accomplish this semester: become comfortable with the uncomfortable.