land to run into and back

I miss Washington DC.

It's honestly not the being out and about for the entire day without any break, or the waking up at 6:15 in the morning even on the weekend, or the having to wear uncomfortable tights and look nice every day.  It's not eating the same food for breakfast every morning, or scrambling to take a shower before the bus left, or feeling physically exhausted by the time we got back at 10:30 each night and passing out on my bed before I could even get under the covers.  It's not the tour guides' rambling before each of the places we visited.

It is, however, being in a place with my entire grade.  Not unlike floatbuilding week, we were put in a position where we could (and were in some cases forced to) interact with one another.

It's funny, I remember on Friday morning at 4:30 when I got on bus number one and immediately felt that it was a mistake.  A million boys, who I had barely ever talked to, surrounded me and Julia in our seat in the middle of the bus.  Dread pooled inside of me because I knew that it was going to be the longest ten hours of my entire life, and the only other friends I had on the bus were sitting at the very front, a good seven rows ahead of me.  However, I very quickly realized that the ten hours were flying by, as Julia and I began to make conversation with the boys sitting around us.  It was amazing how friendships formed between us and how well we got along, just from a simple bus ride, but they did, and while I know others complained about being restless and bored and exhausted on the bus, I was fully awake with the adrenaline and excitement of meeting new people (even as a senior in high school!) and having new conversations.

We did this psychoanalysis game, and although I suppose you can assume that none of our answers really meant a damn thing about any of us, it was so interesting to see what people answered, especially when their answers seemed to line up perfectly with who they were.  I laughed so much on that bus ride, it's ridiculous.  Not only were the bus rides fun, though, all of the places we visited were very interesting and it was a completely new way of experiencing them, alongside my fellow seniors.  There was something cool about, you know, a bunch of kids, no matter what their political views and backgrounds, coming together and being dressed up and nice and polite in our nation's capital.

Yeah, yeah, I know, cheesy senior year bullshit, but I'm serious.  I felt very good about the entire trip, and I feel closer to my class because of it.  Plus, I had a great time away from my family (in a non-swimming environment, for sure) and with people I do not normally spend time with.  I got home, and immediately missed singing BIG BOOTY BITCHES for the entire bus ride, and playing stupid games, and doing immature government mad libs.  I missed constantly being around my friends, old and new.

I don't know.  I guess I am turning into one of those sentimental senior year saps.  But in a world full of lasts, it's nice to have a few firsts in there, as well.  And it's nice to take a little time to recognize them, in a blog or otherwise.

photo by julia carleton

photo by julia carleton