So, UGA’s “fall break” gave everyone Halloween off from classes. My natural impulse when something like this happens? Yup, you guessed it. GO HOME!
Since I didn’t (and still don’t) have a car to drive, I took a transportation shuttle in Athens called “Groome” and it took me all the way to the airport for $36. Maybe a little pricey, but the convenience hours are so sooooo good. Anyway, my mom met and picked me up from the airport once I got there, and bam, I got home. Quite a challenge, but I dealt just fine!
Before I went to sleep that night, I came up with the idea of taking advantage of my weekday off from classes and visiting my favorite high school foreign language teachers + a few old high school friends that are still high school students. So, I messaged my old French teacher on Facebook and asked her if I could come in, and (of course) she said that I could!
So I woke up on Halloween morning, got ready, borrowed my mom’s van and drove it to my high school, and got “escorted” into the building by my friend Devon, who I’d also forewarned about my visit. I went to his French III class and served as a guest speaker, which was a loooot of fun. I got to tell the class a little bit about UGA and college in general. It really made me rewind back to a few years ago when I was sitting in their sits listening to college guest speakers come into my teachers’ rooms and talk all about college and how great it was compared to high school. What a wonderful feeling it was to BECOME one of those people.
Then I visited my real French teacher, who had been teaching a French I class. Her name is Madame Barber and it was quite an experience getting to speak a little bit with her in French and to just reunite in general. I even got her phone number (because hey, facebook before phones?) which is great because now I can text her whenever I want to!
Before the day ended, I visited my old AP Spanish teacher (right next door) and I reunited with her a bit too. I even saw my friend Kimberly, who happened to be in her class at the time and who had come and stayed with me at UGA at the beginning of the year!
Walking down the high school hallways and seeing all of the renovated construction done really made me nostalgic. I’d spent the last four years of my life in that school and just thinking of all the lessons I learned and the people I met during my time there made me proud to have enjoyed my high school years. I may not be in high school anymore, but I can sure always pretend like I am by at least visiting the people who mean most to me!
Then of course, we had Halloween in the evening. My mom’s boyfriend (I suppose?) Greg and my dad came over and we all ate pizza and hot wings together. Such a glorious holiday affair, as you can imagine. My sister dressed up as an angel this year and we got a number of pictures next to Greg’s carved pumpkins and beautiful Halloween scenery that was around our house! All I did for most of the night was talk to my friends (both here and abroad) and chomp down on sweets.
Quite a successful little Halloween it was, and another successful little Halloween will hopefully come to follow again next year. From my pumpkins to yours, Happy [post] Halloween!