Bitter or sweet?

So as I start my fifth year of college, I don't really know how to feel about it being my last year in college (knock on wood)...

After ending my fourth year of college at Mount Mercy University, I couldn't have asked for a better time in my first time living out of state, and of all places...Iowa.

I'm not going to lie, at first, I thought I was going to hate going to school and living out here in Cedar Rapids. I mean, come on, its Iowa. It's about 2,000 miles away from Torrance. I can't just go home to visit my mom, my sisters, my dog or eat my mom's delicious home-cooked meals.

I remember that when I arrived here in Cedar Rapids, I met a couple of soon-to-be teammates at the time that were born and raised from Iowa, but I also met a bunch of people from California that were out here for baseball as well. At times, I felt home sick, but hanging out with them made it feel like I was at home away from home.

Things that happen in the school year of 2011-2012, I would never forget or change it for the world; I made some of people that I now call family, had a good baseball season though it didn't end how we liked it to and the memories every single day living in a dorm room that was literally like a 6 by 6 prison cell.

But now, going into week 4 of my "senior" year, I just want to graduate and get the hell of out college, but at the same time I want to be in college for a little bit longer. Talking to my teammates and also my friends from high school, I ask them about how life is like after graduating. Most of their responses are:

"The real world sucks. I come home and I shower, do laundry and do the dishes at night and I think to myself 'I have to do this all over again tomorrow' Its not like I can skip class or anything because I can get fired."
"I dont like it."
"It blows! I want to go back to college for one more year!"

But they also tell me that they don't miss the fact that they don't have to do homework every night or reading 100 per night.

I started to get mixed emotions about turning in my intent to graduate. But why should I worry about the future when it's not even here yet. I was always told to "Live in the moment."

So until the time comes, I'll try to make it a great college experience, even if I'm at a university as small as Mount Mercy. But I know that bittersweet feeling of graduating this year will still be in the back of my mind.

-Jun

"Cheers with a smile, love is whatchu get, 'cause if you're living for the now, there's nothin' to regret" -Mike Stud