Friends Forever

I'm still in shock that today has been the last day of school. Even after sitting in my final class, I couldn't believe that it would probably be the last time I saw my professor and all the classmates I've grown close to throughout my three weeks in New York. I wanted to make sure that I spent my last moments with the people I was closest to. My friends Ann, Lexi, Euginia, and I all decided to get dinner at the Park Plaza Hotel for our last dinner together. It was really enjoyable, but it was also very sad realizing that this might be the last time we'll ever see each other or talk face-to-face with one another. We reminisced on all the good times we had together and tried to create plans to see/meet again or at least stay in contact. After our dinner, we got mini cupcakes from a shop called Baked By Melissa. They were some of the most amazing cupcakes that I've ever tried. After we all ordered what we wanted, I tagged along with the group to get groceries from Whole Foods. By the time we were finished, it was almost time for our midnight curfew so we headed back to campus and went our separate ways but as clichéd as it sounds, everyone in my cohort will remember their friends forever.

I'm really going to miss all the connections I've made during the trip. I hope the memories that I've made during this time will always follow me. It's so hard to think that tomorrow I'll be leaving New York because it feels like home now and I'm not ready to go back to California. I'm so fortunate to have gotten this experience--to be able to live by myself in such an amazing city and not only learn about business, but also learn about myself.

This trip has been emotionally challenging, but at the same time it's been incredibly rewarding. Being in the course has taught me to think outside of the box, being on my own has taught me responsibility, and being with a different group of people has taught me to be more open-minded and accepting of others.

Now that I'm packing up, I'm finally realizing that I'm actually going home and this may be the last time I can do common New York things like order Mozzarella sticks at midnight, see an off-Broadway show on a whim, visit a world-class museum, see fresh flowers at John Lennon's memorial, go to a famous coffee shop, take a train ride for less than $2, or walk down Columbia's College Walk. As I'm leaving, I can't help but think about how special these my new friends have become to me, how much I'm going to miss the simple things that New York has to offer, and how I'll miss being able to enjoy a class on a subject that I've never been exposed to.