How is it possible? We literally have just a matter of a few weeks left before the semester is over.

It really seems like just yesterday I was pulling up to Stevenson Hall, nervous about starting out my junior year of college at a university, away from home in a place where I literally knew no one.

I was not sure that I would survive. It took me four years to get through community college, so needless to say I was a bit nervous about the prospect of finishing college in two years. I did not think I could make it.

Fast forward to a few days after moving in. I had friends. I was meeting people.

Here we are eight months later, and we are almost done with the year. I have made friends here that will be in my life forever. It feels like I have known them my entire life.

I have learned so much about Charleston and Eastern. It feels like home.

It is crazy to think in just a matter of eight months, you grow up so much and you become accustomed to so many new things.

I never did see myself living on my own. Of course it was something I wanted to do, but I was not sure I could do it. I was nervous, and I was afraid.

Here I am now, and I am practically a master at it.

So many people are talking about how they cannot wait for the semester to be over with and wish it was already finals week.

I may be the only one on campus that thinks differently. This year, especially this semester, has flown by faster than I wanted it to.

I have about two weeks left and have so much to do. I have a 15 page research paper, I have finals and other projects to get done.

I just wish I could yell real loud, “slow down!”

I am so grateful that I made the decision to attend Eastern. Had I not come here, I would have not grown in the ways that I have, and I would not have met so many people who are now major parts of my life.

I would not have learned what it was like to be out of the small town of Taylorville that I was born and raised in.

I would not have learned what it was like to work at a daily newspaper writing columns and articles, interviewing people and working my first semester here as a copy editor.

I have experienced so many great things here at Eastern, and it only makes me look forward to next year, which will be my last year if I can get in all my classes and graduate on time.

With all this being said, I hope everyone else had a great year here at Eastern, and I hope you all can look back and say the same things that I have.

Good luck with the last few weeks we have and good luck on final exams.

Andrew Paisley is a junior journalism major and can be reached at 581-2812 or at abpaisley@eiu.edu.