The time has come. I have started marking my calendar with the dates and locations of my final exams. I am making finishing touches on end-of-the-semester projects. I have called my mom to double-check my moving date, and I have begun assessing how much shoe-shopping money I will make from selling my textbooks.
Even though I have that familiar feeling once again, the end of this spring semester is unlike anything I have experienced - it is now that I say goodbye to UF.
For my final column, I have decided to give tips and advice to all of you who are looking forward to future semesters at this fine institution. As for those of you who are signing off like me, see this as a tribute to the place we will never - as much as we might like to - forget.
I will miss you, Plaza of the Americas, and all the entertainment and relaxation your grassy lawn has offered me over these past years. Tightrope walkers, jugglers, people who bring their dogs to campus, Frisbee throwers: you have all given me a reason to smile on days in which I thought frustration would be my sole emotion. And I thank Krishna Lunch for keeping me full on two - yes, two - servings of vegan delicacies at least four days a week for a price that makes me feel like I am stealing from you.
I wish I had spent more time with you, Library West, since you have so much to offer. For all those assignments that required resources, I turned to the Internet and neglected your thousands of shelves. I shouldn't have taken you for granted. And even though I could never find a place to park around you, I would gladly welcome another semester for a chance to snuggle in your third-floor booths while sipping an iced latte.
I can't say "thanks" enough to you, bus drivers, for successfully shuttling me short distances during the rain or when I was just too lazy to travel by foot. Even though you only blasted the air conditioning on a chilly day, I will miss those 20-mph, stop-and-go rides.
I'll never forget you, little alligator sunning yourself outside the pond off Museum Road. I should have visited you more often. Just seeing you lying in the sun without a care in the world helped me to relax more often than you know.
And as for you, Harn Museum and Florida Museum of Natural History, I regret not spending more time within your walls, learning about ancient artifacts and the many different types of butterflies. I always said I was too busy. Now I wish I had made time.
If I could go back and do it all again, I would have visited you more often, UF Southwest Recreation Center. Not just because my jeans are a little snug, but when I did frequent your facilities, you gave me so many opportunities to release stress in a healthy and positive manner. Who knows when I will ever again have free access to a 100,000 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center? I don't know if I should be apologizing to you or myself for taking you for granted.
Finally, I don't know what I am going to do without you, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, besides spending endless Saturdays in bars outside Gainesville pointing at the TV set and telling everyone I see, "I used to go there!"
I promise that it is my plan to come back and visit, go to at least three home games a season and always pay my alumni dues. Then again, I planned on using all the resources UF had to offer while I was a student, and that didn't happen. So as I say goodbye to the place I will probably start to miss once football season begins, I would just like to say thank you for everything, UF…and to the remaining students: don't take it for granted - seriously.
Rebecca Ganzak is a journalism senior. Her column appears on Thursdays.
