This week has been …a little weird. Last Friday, I drove up to Boston for my best friend, Jillian’s, birthday weekend. This was my first trip back since finishing school in December, and I didn’t think it would feel that different to be back. I’ve only been away for a month and a half. I thought wrong. 

Friday night, I decided to go to make an appearnace at a sorority event, even though, technically I’m not in the sorority anymore. The event is the first one after bid day when we get a new class of girls, and it’s basically just an apartment crawl so the new girls can meet all the current sisters. It was really nice to see the other seniors again, but as the night went on and the freshman girls got drunker and drunker, I just felt older and older. I don’t think I was the only one – other seniors said they felt a little past apartment parties and questional punch mix drinks – but I just kept thinking “I shouldn’t be here anymore.” 

The rest of the weekend wasn’t as jarring as that first night, but there were some weird moments: sleeping on the couch in “my” apartment, while a new, unknown roommate slept in my old room. (I kept walking out of the bathroom and going for the bedroom door only to catch myself before intense awkwardness ensued.) Listening to everyone talk about activities I was involved in and finding myself not caring nearly as much as I used to. Hearing about classes and thinking how soon, I’ll have to teach one of those myself. It’s like, all the sudden, I had become an outsider without realizing it. 

I did have a lot of fun with Jillian, Josh, Megan and some of Jillian’s friends. We ate delicious Mexican food, danced at at euro-trash bar in downtown Boston (along with a 50 year-old lesbian couple and some Mickey Rourke look-a-likes – if only my camera battery hadn’t died! Those pictures would have been EPIC.), went bowling at Lucky Strike (where I got a whopping score of 36), and sang karaoke. I attempted to avoid the drama of last semester (as I have successfully avoided talking about it here to my constant amazement), and I even got to spend some time with my uncle and cousins (one of whom wrote on the chalk board at my uncle’s house “Amanda you are so nice!” and then told me that I would make an excellent teacher because I have excellent chalk board handwriting. I need to hang out with 2nd graders more often. Big confidence booster.) 

I think the weirdest part was when people kept saying to me, “You’re at home? God, you must be so bored!” I kind of nodded and laughed, but I couldn’t really agree with them. After 18 years of constant work and schedules and goals, it feels nice to take a break, to read a book, to cook a big dinner, and to wander around a mall. I thought I would be so home sick for Boston or ready to pack up and move to LA already, but I’m really enjoying this time off. I’m losing some weight (more on that soon!). I may have found a perfect part-time job. I’m saving up for a computer and (hopefully) a Nikon D90, and I get to spend time with my family. I know that come June, my life is going to be one giant ball of stress and craziness, so right now, I’m just trying to enjoy the break, accomplish some things I haven’t been able to, and relax. 

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And now a quick announcement for any Delaware, New Jersey, and Philadelphia area bloggers! The lovely Rachel of Confessions of a Jersey Girl and I are trying to organize a little blogger meet-up for the greater Philadelphia area! If you are at all interested, shoot me an email, and I’ll fill you in on all the details!!