List – Hello, Ann Arbor

Angell Hall, quite possibly my favorite building on the whole campus

This the sequel to my previous post. Like I said there to introduce the post, summer is almost over, I’m going back to school, blah blah blah. This list is going to be the ten things I missed about Ann Arbor/the University of Michigan.

That save a lot of typing and creative thinking. I should do all my intros like that. Oh wait, that’s lame.

10. No Thai. Of all the restaurants that I frequent in the AA area this is the one I love the best. Amazing Thai food, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, plus speedy delivery and easy online ordering. They even include the chopsticks. What more can you want?

9. Libraries. This sounds really nerdy but hear me out. Some of the libraries on campus are awesome. Take the Law Library, for example. I wish I had more homework just so I had the excuse to go there more. It’s like studying in the Hogwarts Great Hall. Probably because the Law Quad was actually considered as a set for the Harry Potter movies. Win.

8. Meals to myself. This one also sounds weird but, again, hear me out. Sometimes after a hard day I like being able to pop on my favorite music and head to a dining hall to eat as much as I want and not interact with anyone I don’t want to. It seems antisocial but it keeps me sane.

7. Homework. This one requires more explanation than the last time  this came up in my list (see this post). I miss the feeling of success when I have a giant load of homework that I manage to work through. I miss problem solving and working with other kids on projects. I miss being able to do things creatively. I also miss sounding like a raging nerd. Luckily I got that last one on lock now.

6. Football games. I know, we don’t exactly have the best record these last couple of years. Still though, the tailgating experience and then the feeling of cheering on the maize and blue is incredible. The feeling inside the Big House is incredible. The stadium is so big that there’s a delay between seeing something on the far side of the field and hearing it. That’s awesome.

5. Meeting new people. In Clarkston there is almost nobody new to meet. In Ann Arbor there are thousands of people who share the same interests and passions as me. Plus then I get to practice these ‘social skills’ that everyone is talking about.

4. Stockwell Hall. This one is technically cheating, as I can’t really miss something I’ve never had. However, I’ve seen enough on the brief tours I’ve went on that I know that I really really want to live there. I can’t wait to have my own room on the top floor. I’m so stoked for this that I need to remind myself that it is just where I’m living. Nothing more. Then I call myself a weirdo.

3. Walking places. Driving a car gets old fast. I love going fast and I love not having to worry about rain but, damn, I miss the fresh air and seeing of the sights that you get walking places. I promise I’m not a hippy. Not that that’s a bad thing. Uh oh. Abort, abort!

2. Friends. I love the kids I’ve met here so far. I miss our dinners, our parties, and our games of chess. I miss being able to walk up a flight of stairs to visit people and commiserating together when we need to do homework on a Friday night. That, and the people watching that inevitably happens when people start to stumble back drunk. Oh, so much judgement.

1. Independence. Being 18 I have as much independence as I can while I’m at home. Still, though, there is something about being able to do anything I want that is just addicting. I can’t wait to get back to it.

Typing this list has made me miss U of M even more than I already did. Why isn’t it the 26th yet?!