Frozen In Forever.

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As I approached the opportunity to study abroad with the JSB program this summer, I was met with many mixed emotions. Because I will graduate upon my return from my semester abroad, before leaving for Italy I not only had to say goodbye to my best friends and family but my college years and Auburn which has become my home. I experienced overwhelming sadness and fear as the end of my last spring semester drew closer. Time seemed to be moving faster and faster and all I wanted was for it to stop. I wished I could be eternally frozen in time in my frilly pink living room of my college apartment on a weeknight with my best friends sitting on our squeaky pleather couch in our sweatpants while eating our favorite meal and watching one of our ~lame~ reality dating shows. I know this may sound dramatic, me wanting to stay in a seemingly unremarkable moment forever, but it was true and I hope whoever is reading this one day will understand the feeling of love and peace that those moments with those people gave me.

Stepping on the plane to Rome was a different experience for me understanding that this was my last summer of being a ‘kid.’ In the fall I am moving to a new city, starting my career as a designer, and beginning a new phase in my life as an adult. I find myself continuing to will time to move slower and slower. A month has already flown by and while this experience is different from all I had expected, it has been the most eye-opening, incredible opportunity. Meeting new people, immersing myself in a new culture, and experiencing places that I have spent the entirety of my education learning about and dreaming of seeing with my own eyes, is something that is a rarity and that I am going to cherish.

Being in such a transformative stage of my life has encouraged me to slow down, take in the moment, and remember how fortunate I am to be here in this beautiful place. It is not always easy. Sometimes the anxiety about the future creeps in and in those moments, when your mind is spiraling into the unknown, it is hard to continue to be in the moment. But for now, I am creating new moments here in Europe, like those that I had back in Auburn, that provide me with the same warmth and appreciation for my life and I find myself yearning to be eternally frozen in forever.

This is a photo of me living out my ~Mamma Mia moment~ in Santorini, Greece. Sitting on the ledge looking out onto the vast view was definitely a core memory for me and one that I would love to be “frozen in forever.”

By Caroline Moberly