the wonderful world of veena.

25 May 2012

so long, small pebble.

Today I said so long to Little Rock. After all these months of gearing up to be gone for next year, I was actually quite sad to leave. Having never spent more than a weekend in Little Rock prior to moving there last July, I had no idea how much I would enjoy living there and how much it would come to be an adopted home for a short while.

I have to say, it was nice to be back in Arkansas for a little while. That was not something you would have heard me say a few years ago, but I think the years away made me appreciate the state more. It was nice to be back in the land of the Razorbacks and to be able to tailgate and attend a game at War Memorial Stadium.

I loved being in town for all the buildup to Catherine and Drew's wedding; having missed so many weddings and showers and babies these last few years, it was really nice being able to attend all of those things this year, since they were practically in my backyard. And it was great getting to spend so much time with the Hughes family - I do love finding adopted families everywhere I go.

While I certainly had my ups and downs over the two semesters, I'm so glad I decided to apply for my program. Having the opportunity to listen to and meet President Clinton, Secretary of State Clinton, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Erik Holder, Room to Read Co-Founder and CEO Erin Ganju, Women Thrive Worldwide Co-Founder and CEO Ritu Sharma, Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and fellow Rhodent and Clinton School Class 2 alum Julie Gehrki, all within the span of 9 months, is pretty awesome, if you ask me. And having the opportunity to learn from some incredible professors and some awesome classmates has been an invaluable experience.

I think, most of all, I'm going to miss the people. My fantastic roommate, my classmates, my professors, my adopted families, my bartenders at Town Pump, and all the new friends found along the way. Thank you to all of you for making this an unbelievable year and for making it so difficult to leave.

And because I hate saying goodbye, I'll say farewell for now. See you next year.
xx

2 comments:

  1. Oh how I love and miss you, sweet Veena. I love keeping up with your travels and often wish I could walk in your shoes for a few months. You are amazing and the world is a better place because of your wonderful gifts. One of these days we'll meet again and it will be true bliss. Good luck, my dear friend. Xo

    Claire

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    1. My sweet E-Claire. You have no idea how much your sweet comments warm my soul. You and your family are never far from my thoughts, and I cannot wait for the day when we meet again. Take care, big hugs to you and Daniel, and a kiss for each of those beautiful boys of yours. xx

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