This week I hit the road again for one final trip to one of my favorite places in the world. My alma mater - Ohio University. Being almost a year out of school now, I had to head back to my old stomping ground to see old friends one last time before they make their own transitions into life after college.
It’s funny how once you’ve been gone from a place for a while, that place you knew so well becomes foreign. No longer is Athens my home, and it was obvious as I began to trace my old routes and shortcuts across campus.
No longer was I rushing to classes or meetings, and no longer was I passing familiar face after familiar face as I meandered through College Green. Yet, that strange familiarity still lingered - OU in some small way will always feel like home. The only difference is that now it houses only my memories of what my life used to be only a few months ago.
After a short trip down memory lane, I made my way to my favorite building on campus. At Konneker Alumni Center, which houses the Ohio University Alumni Association, I took care of a little business and visited a few people, with whom I worked closely during my time on Ohio University’s Student Alumni Board. It was great to see them again and even better to see my favorite student group still doing so well.
Then it was off to see friends, so I made my way to the student neighborhoods and was not surprised to see that not much had changed down there. The decrepit houses were still on the edge of being condemned and the students still spent their Friday afternoons out in the sun as opposed to the library. (If I remember correctly, that’s what Sunday evenings were for anyway.)
The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying time with friends minus a few obligations here and there. The weekend was definitely a success! I even managed to spot a few alumni in the crowds of undergrads and catch up with them as well.
It is a funny feeling knowing that I will never again call Athensand Ohio University my home. But as I look ahead, I know that I will always carry those years and this place with me, and I now, more than ever before, understand the saying that I repeated for so many years. “Students Now. Alumni Later. Bobcats Forever.” And a Bobcat I will forever be! How did you feel when you made your first trip back to your alma mater?
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