this time around...

It struck me today as I walked around campus how different the university experience is this time around. Last time I was at university it was a whole new world, it was the first time I had lived away from home and it was a chance to discover myself.

I was hugely involved in campus life. At Waterloo, the student government was the Federation of Students and over my four years there (to get a three-year degree) I served in a countless number of different positions. I also sat on University and local town committees. I knew the issues, I ran campaigns, I even got the chance to help organize a new provincial group to represent students. I was even a local organizer for a federal leadership campaign.

University was my life. I lived and breathed student politics. Every Thursday it was a rush to get the student newspaper to see what was said. All my friends were involved in the same things. We lived as a large group, living our lives in each others laps, figuratively, and in some cases literally.

This time the university experience is something different. Walking around today I realized there is a referendum going on that I don't know anything about. I'm not even sure when the student newspaper comes out. I can't tell you the last edition that I read.

I'm at a different point in my life, where I know who I am and what I am doing. I've had a career, a mortgage, I'm not here to discover myself. Maybe because I'm in a law school, I just feel that university is a means to an end. I need the degree to do the job. I'm enjoying learning, but it's not the same. I'm having fun, but once again it's not the same. I do like that my life is broader than just the university, which is a positive change.

I guess the realization hit me today; I'm a little sad it will never be as good as the first time.