And here we go again. Another semester is over and now I am a (rising) senior. It is really scary to think about the fact that I only have one more year left of my undergraduate education. Before I get too sad about this fact let’s look back and summarize what junior year really was like at UNC.
You can read about all the specific events and trips under my other posts, but in this one, I will try to give you a broad overview. I will also go into some detail on a Florida trip and the last few weeks at UNC before coming home. So, as you already know I am already back home in Hungary and I am trying to figure out what I really want to be doing over the summer.
This constant trying to figure out what to do in the future is a common theme and is one that makes life a bit stressful. I feel like I solve a problem, or come to a conclusion but there are already 8 other ones in line haha. I think this is normal but it is. Still somewhat annoying. So that is one of the reasons why this year has been challenging. A lot of times I felt overwhelmed and it appeared that under all the workload I had I could not spend time on anything else. Doing research did not make the situation more manageable because it is really time-consuming, but I definitely enjoy research so that did not bother me at all. Either way, I am trying to figure out where I am going in my life but as you can imagine this is challenging.
Junior year was a roller coaster. Some days I was extremely ambitious and motivated. Extremely energetic and happy. On other days I was exhausted, a bit burned out, really tired and I could barely keep it together. I had to learn how much my environment and my interpersonal relationships influence me. Sure enough, I had people by my side every day, and all day if needed. Friends who would never ever give up on me, and even when I was completely crushed, they would pull me up and help me. I have talked about my appreciation for these people, but words are not enough here. I cannot be more grateful for them so Thank You! I also had people with whom life was not so smooth. I know exactly what mistakes I did that made certain friendships fade out and it is really hard to see such connections vanish. At the same time, I do think that any friendship rests on two people and no one alone is responsible for all the good or all the bad. (But this is just my personal opinion). Regardless of the details, the idea here is that losing people for me is really difficult and it has impacted my days significantly. At the end of the day, I believe that we all make mistakes, but I also want to believe that people leave their doors open in case an old friend comes by.
Now after all these “incredibly wise words” it is time to talk a bit about Florida and the end of the semester. Florida was amazing. It was so calm, warm, and relaxing that honestly, everyone should get a chance to experience it at least once. Thank you to all the people who made such an incredible trip possible and for hosting us! At that time of the year, I was really struggling and I really did not even want to go, but that place and experience were truly therapeutic. Going back to UNC, taking exams, and starting to study for finals was so hard. But once again we helped each other with the girls to get through it. I have to admit studying was a self-distraction (probably the most useful one) from all of my thoughts and feelings, and it certainly contributed a lot to my exam results. So, for anybody out there trying to escape your own mind, I recommend hitting the library and spending some quality time with your textbooks. 🤪
Once exams were done, I had to pack for which I had a fantastic company of friends to help. On the last day at the dorms, Miranda (UWCT) visited me, and we had a blast. Also, a lot of my friends and I could go out for dinner and said goodbye. Leaving was hard and literally heartbreaking but much needed.