Dear Freshman Year, (Just Around The Riverbend)

Song of the Day: Just Around the Riverbend from the movie Pocahontas

So a new semester has started! 

I really don't know how I feel exactly about starting a whole new semester right after the emotional roller coaster that constituted the end of winter semester. Because literally I was in one ward and one place last week, and now I'm in a whole new ward and place this week. 

Sometimes I feel elated because I have a clean slate once again but now with these past experiences I'm stronger and more mature.....

At the same time, I feel sincerely sad because I know that from now on, even if everyone does come back after two years, it will never be the same as freshman year.

Overwhelmed would not be the word I'm looking for. I guess a better word to describe this feeling would be...conflicted. But it's natural. Humans- especially myself- don't like change, especially when it means changing something that was already so good. 

 But you know what, I shouldn't feel sad that things will never be the same, I should be grateful and happy that at one moment in my life, I was able to be a part of this wonderful time. A time when a group of more than 100 strangers came together and became a family. A time when there was never a dull moment. A time when everyone knew they could count on people they didn't quite know yet. A time when the Spirit was felt strongly every Sunday. A time when outsiders that came to visit us felt welcomed because we were that spiritually strong and that united. A time when the people I felt the closest to were only a walk down the hallway or a walk through the quad.

Bishop was right when my parents and I came over and talked to him until midnight. We were talking about freshman year and we all agreed that it will never be the same again. But he also showed me that that was the whole point of the ward. We were in our own little happy universe within BYU. It was like we were incubated and during that incubation, we grew not only spiritually, but also we grew as people that will become the world's future leaders and parents. As cheesy as it sounds, it was true! 

Now I have missionaries I can write to and still maintain our friendship with (YAY!). Now I have friends that I know will always have my back and that our friendship will last for eternity. Now I have experiences that have helped me grow as a person (because let's be honest, I'm certainly NOT the person I was when I came to BYU). Now I have a stronger testimony. 

Though I may never see most of you again, I thank God everyday for the opportunity for me to be apart of something and for me to take away a lot of things from this. Looking back on it, they have all helped me to progress closer into the person I want to become in the future. Thank you Provo YSA 53rd Ward: for helping me become a better person and for showing me that "everything's gonna be all right".

In fact, I can't wait to see what's "just around the riverbend!" 

So, as I said in my Facebook status....

New semester.
New place I now call home.
New roommates.
New ward.
New job.
New chapter in life.
Bring it. >:)

Love, 

Maya

Be Alright by, Justin Bieber (cheesy I know, but this is my favorite song from him!)