Open Topic: Realizing the obvious

I seem to be realizing FULLY, the most "obvious" things lately. To have appreciation that I am able to go to a university, being able to study the things I am interested in, being able to meet people of many different backgrounds and sharing, exchanging thoughts through interaction, having chances and choices in front of me, also having friends and family.

I knew this before, or I thought I did. Either way, I definitely can say that I didn't understand FULLY. Adults say to me「感謝しなさい」"Appreciate with what you have." I thought I knew what they were saying, but when I think about it now, I didn't.

The famous phrase that the adults say to me 「学生っていいね〜」"Really enjoy university years. It's one of the most precious times in life"; now, it rings in me with depth. I think it is because these days I am working as a part timer, experiencing two lifestyles at once; university student life and also a part timer's life. I am automatically comparing these two lifestyles and I must admit, university life REALLY and TRUELY must be an extremely precious time, filled with many emotions and freedom. Again, I know it is the most obvious and an ordinary statement, but this is really what I am feeling now.

There are so many "colours" in univeristy life, especially at ICU. Going to classes is one colour, interacting with friends is another which occurs in English or Japanese, going to club activities, seeing videos, eating at Gakki, seeing people with different backgrounds, seeing the whole environment of ICU where underneath the blue sky you see fresh colours of greens and the natural colours of wood here and there.

On the other hand, the workplace feels as though it only has the colour of "work." Faces of work, actions of work, voices of work, clothes of work, and the language of work. Work, work, work, work, and work. Everywhere I look around, it is WORK. Compared to the colourful ICU, the workplace seems so black and white.

I looked at the adults who I work with and reminded myself that they come here almost everyday and work. I wondered, after I graduate (and hopefully I have obtained a position at a company) I would be doing the same; working day after day. Of coarse there are interactions with other employees and it is quite enjoyable, however, it is just simply and completely different, the gap between university life and work life.

Although I am in my 2nd year at ICU and still searching into things, finding myself, learning and experiencing, part of me is excited about working after graduation. By the time I am in my 4th year, I do feel that I would be mature enough to say farewell to university life and look forward to a new life of a worker. However, I feel that at some point in my life, I will look back at the life in ICU and of coarse realize even more, it was truly a precious time. If I meet students, without even thinking, I would probably be saying the famous phrase I once heard when I was a student, also reminding myself that I have reached the point where I am in the adult's position.

"Realizing the obvious." I'm glad I did.