8 months ago...Time passes us by

We go through life day by day, struggling through the tough ones and wishing that the wonderful ones wouldn't end quite so soon. Somehow time seems to pass us by. Just 8 months ago, I was entering my freshman year of college, not knowing what to expect or how I was going to adjust to the new life I had to create for myself. Now 8 months later, I have built a family for myself here, and it seems as if I have known my friends forever. Looking back at the beginning, I thought I was never going to find a group of friends as strong as the ones that I have back at home because those friendships were built on years together. Before I knew it, the friends and family that I have established at Lehigh built a strong bond based on less than a year knowing one another.

Time passes us by. We wake up every morning, go to work or school, and await the next day when we have something to look forward to and keep us going. While some of us go through life in this monotonous pattern, others live for change and adventure. During the past 8 months, I have experienced some of the greatest changes and tackled daring adventures.

Nonetheless, 8 months ago, I was a different person. Yes, I still have the same appearance and mannerisms. But, the way I carry myself has changed; my interactions with people have changed; my outlook on life has changed. We don't realize what is happening - that we are living our lives, adapting to our new surroundings, growing as people.

While talking with juniors and seniors, I was told that college goes by so fast and to enjoy every moment of it. Get involved in as much as you can. Don't sit back as a passive observer but stay engaged and active in your life. Even just the first year has flashed before my eyes. While I remember saying farewells to my friends and parting ways with my mom in August, they seem like distant memories and a part of a separate me, a separate identity and life. When our lives seem like they are passing by too fast, just remember all that we have achieved, the moments that we have enjoyed, and the great extent to which we have grown.