End of an Era

Yes, my attendance at BYU has been an era. Four years is a long time to be stuck in Provo. I have to admit, the first couple of years here I loved it, and then I hated it. And the more people I talk to, the more agree with that statement. There's not too much to do, snow in April is EVIL, hiking a mountain to get to class isn't fun, and drivers here are just plain scary. So are some of the pedestrians for that matter. But I have been blessed to find some great friends in Provo, and on nice days like today, I realize I'm going to miss it. Sort of.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hear Murray Pittock speak twice. Once at a small gathering where we discussed his paper, and another time that afternoon where he lectured on Robert Burns. This is one of the foremost Scottish Lit scholars, so meeting him is kind of like meeting a rock star. Ok, not quite. He's a pretty awesome guy and I got a chance to talk to him about my research interests and am looking forward to maybe working with him in the future. Meeting with him and talking to him about my interests makes me really excited to graduate and get over there. Of course, he kept saying he loved how the mountains were "right there" and that he could actually look at things since his head wasn't in the gutter to avoid the rain. The funny thing is, I'm looking forward to the rain. Yes, I'm weird.

Today was pretty cool, too. I got to meet one of my dad's friends from his mission. He was at BYU to speak about the history of the church in Spain, and when I told him who I was afterwards, he just kept going on and on about how awesome my father was. My dad's not much of a bragger, so I don't get to hear all of the mission stories (plus, guys tend to not talk about their missions as much once they've been home for a year). I know some about his mission, of course, but it's really cool to hear from someone who was a new member when my dad went to Spain and how much love he has for my dad. All kids fight with their parents, especially during their teen years, so I think it's great to get stories and meet people that know them and love them. It really helps you to love them even more.

I think since my semester here is ending, and my graduation is coming soon, that I'm looking around a lot more. I mean, the JFSB is one of the coolest buildings ever. I'm going to miss my home away from home. I've basically lived there these last four years. And, this is going to sound nerdy, but I'm really going to miss our library. I know where everything is, for one. I have specific study spots for when I know I really need to get down to work, where there's always an open computer when I'm too lazy to bring my own, and I even know the best hiding places for sardines. I know, I'm waxing sentimental. But when you spend four years some place, even if you have a love/hate relationship with it, well, it tends to have an impression.

I have only a little left to do before I leave. I have 3 classes left. 3! One of which is tomorrow, and the other two are the last creative writing classes, which is basically a party all the time. We have a lot of fun in that class. I've packed about 1/4 of my things (stuff I won't need, that'll end up in my parents' basement for awhile), and I've got my fair share of homework. But really, after this week, it's looking pretty good.

• Novel revision that I turned in today.
  
• One 10 page paper, 2 four page papers due on Thursday.
• Study for an oral exam for next Tuesday.
• One 10-20 page paper due Thursday the 16th.
• Finish my online D&C course. This entails a few quizzes and the final that'll take about an hour to get done.
  
• Pack everything I own (which always seems to multiply when you have to put it in boxes).
• Say goodbye to people I'm going to miss.
• Get my final transcripts set to mail to Stirling.

Yea, I love how I've really finished the first 10 page paper, I just have to revise one of the four page papers, and half the paper due next week is done. It's kind of weird having all of this wind down. You never really think you're going to finish college when you start. At 18, four years seemed like forever, and now it feels like it flew by.

And yes, I'm graduating BYU without my M.R.S. Many people back home will be ashamed. But I don't mind. I'm moving to SCOTLAND!