Hello Reader,

If you can’t tell what the topic of this post is by now, I’ll give you a hint…

*whisper* It’s about my freshmen year in college.

This is your first and final warning, this post is about to be LONG, but pretty entertaining. Read at your own risk!

As of right now my mind is being obscured by the screaming of: “I DID IT! I SURVIVED A YEAR OF COLLEGE!” 

1) I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to go to Western and the resources to survive (financially, mentally, academically, physically, and emotionally) this year.

2) I want to thank the two human beings that created me, the parentals, for allowing me to leave the nest and explore the world on my own. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have experienced such amazing things this year. You did such an amazing job at adapting to life without me in the house (as I read this out loud this could be viewed in a positive or negative light). Ultimately, thank you for supporting me in all my decisions and having my back even if you’re 2,100 miles away. Here’s a round of applause…*applause* *applause*.

3) I want to also thank the rest of my family and friends (back home) for supporting me with words of encouragement and love. You all inspire me to work hard and achieve for success. To my family (in Washington), thank you for making this transition from CA to WA so easy. You’ve spoiled me this past year (birthday, sakura-con, ice-skating, food, parties, etc.) and made this year unforgettable. I decided to go to school in Washington because coming here when I was 3 or 4 is one of my favorite childhood memories; all of you made me feel that same happiness and joy again.

4) To my best friend, Anthie Yue Sze Poon, I’ve gotten to know you in these past nine months and as I look back on this school year, I thank God EVERY SINGLE DAY for letting me meet such a wonderful human such as yourself. There are really no words to describe how grateful I am to have met you (really there aren’t enough words because I’ve told you so many times and I’m still not satisfied with my gratitude). Thank you for all the late night talks and being my support system. Thank you for all the tears of laughter and sadness. Thank you for bringing me closer to God. Thank you for helping me grow as a person. Thank you for all the food we’ve eaten (thank you God for not letting me gain weight from all the food she’s made me eat). Thank you for pestering me to go to the gym. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I can’t wait until you come to California and we could eat all the creative cuisines you find on Instagram and Facebook. OH! AND ALSO THE FACT WE’RE ROOMING TOGETHER NEXT YEAR! (Currently praying we don’t get sick of each other or kill each other at Birnam next year).

5) To my lovely roommate and suite mate, Emma and Maddie. Thank you for being unique and different. We had more differences in interest than similarities, but that’s whats so beautiful about it. You’ve taught me so many different ways of living life and because of our differences, it brought new topics and ideas to the conversation. You both were the best roomie and suitee I could ask for and the thought of not rooming together breaks my heart and I hope we maintain our relationship throughout college.  PS: I would like to apologize for all the late nights that Anthie and I stay awake talking.

  

6) To all the wonderful friends I’ve made this year (you know who you are), in all honesty…I THANK GOD I MET YOU BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID I’D BE A LONER IN COLLEGE.  Thank you for all the laughs and adventures. Thank you for all the unique conversations during dinner. Thank you for giving me a break from homework. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for all of us and see all the accomplishments we make in the future! I can’t wait until all of you get married (and if you don’t invite me, you already know I’m crashing that wedding) and I can tell your spouse about all our crazy college stories.

7) To Western Washington University (WWU) thank you for giving me amazing professors and not-so-amazing professors. Thank you for creating such a friendly and engaging academic environment for me and my peers. Thank you for challenging me academically (and at times emotionally and physically). I can’t wait to return to you next year!

So yeah…this year had it’s ups and downs, but looking back at the whole school year I regret NOTHING. If I didn’t come here, I wouldn’t have been able to do half of the activities I did this year back at home: sledding on cardboard, kayaking, almost setting my dorm on fire, learning the piano, jumping in leaves, and so much more.

And to the reader’s that have made it this far, here is my word of advice: You are granted this one life and it is your duty to take advantage of every opportunity you are presented. This life is to short to sit around and do nothing, make your life worth sharing about. Even if it’s the simplest of tasks, DO IT; because before you depart from this life, I hope you will look back at everything and say to yourself “I lived the life that was made for me to live.”

With love,

Kate