After being with my class homies for two years, sometimes spending more time with them than with my own family, they have become family to me. i have an emotional attachment to these guys, needless to say.
Especially since i am the baby of the class, my older classmates have taken me under their wing. i was the young grasshopper for some, the techno-savvy powerpoint adviser for others, the i'll-try-your-strange-filipino-food person, the observant listener for all, the one with crazy socks, the comment-contributor in conversations, the mediator [it's true], the encourager, the one to email random catch phrases and inside jokes to....I played my part well.
There were so many times that i just wanted to rip my hair out because of my annoyance towards some of my classmate's tendencies [i.e. complaining]. it's the sisterly, child-parent relationship i have with them. i could talk about every one of my classmates on such a personal level though. for great and bad. and i've gotten to know myself more. that's what happens when you get put through the wringer for various reasons over the course of two years.
Like i said, we've gotten close from experiences we'e had together. from teacher's being fired for being unethical, to teachers taking vengeance out on students, insane classmates that literally had some mental disease, field trips to Touro and other places, hoarding wheelchairs against our will, contracting for fieldwork placements, mystery classes, financial aid, teacher's stepping up and taking responsibility just when we need them, confession sessions, not accepting a 2nd year class for probationary accreditation reasons (there was an article recently in the Las Vegas Sun that did a great job describing that situation)....all this? REALLY!!
Great career! needy program. it's had some definite improvements throughout the past year and is on the path to recovery (thanks to some amazing instructors and to us! the students).
This picture is old, we need a more updated group photo.
This is cheesy, but i don't realize how much people mean to me until i see my relationship coming to an 'end.' sure, we'll keep in touch. we'll see each other in the real world. but we'll never be together in a class setting like this ever again. the L-building where we've laughed, yelled, studied, ate, played [seriously, the OTA program owns toys and a swing set], chatted on multiple emotional levels, and even bawled our eyes out/teared up a little at the appropriate times [the happy, the frustrated, the stressed...all of it]. i love these guys! i'll get over it, but i'm going to miss them. i see a lot of nostalgia in my future coming up after this week.
Sue, Tia, Lucy, Amer, Maria, Jeremy, Dave, Carmen, Erika, Kate, Jessica, Kristin, Wendy, Thom, Leanne, Michelle....
WE DID IT!
It's the end of the road. this is our last week together. we have clinicals now and will go our separate ways. but we will need to get together to study for the board exams later this year. so we'll still be there for each other....won't we? i have small moments of fear that we'll all move on and never "need" each other again. that must be the Manasseh in me.
But. we're here. here at the end of all things (ahem, what movie is that from?)
This is what we've been waiting for!
Let's DO THIS!!
