Stranger in an Unstrange Land

In May 2009, I donned a cap and gown and sealed the deal on my Villanova University undergraduate education. Four months later, I still feel as though that moment didn't quite happen.

No, I'm not crazy. Of course it happened. (Who could forget the surprise speech from Coach Jay Wright?)

What I mean is that the moment is still fresh in my past-- in our past (hi there, Class of 2009). Fresh enough such that I don't exactly feel like a graduate just yet. True, I have a job (knock on wood), but not enough time has passed to make me any more of an "adult" because of it. Simply put, I am a recent college graduate.

Therefore, when I visit my beloved alma mater-- which I have already done several times since my official exit from undergrad life-- I still feel like a student. And I have more than a few younger friends who are still blissfully caught up in college, so why would I not pay them a visit when I can? Makes sense to me.

Well, it doesn't seem to make sense to some other people. What I've discovered in the midst of this post-Villanova abyss is that even recent college grads like myself are often viewed as outsiders, foreigners, even as invaders when we reappear on the Main Line.

Example: It's a Friday night and you're in town headed to Brownies, a Villanova senior's favorite place to spend happy hour. You fork over five bucks, grab your cup and enter the bar. You're about to dash over to the buffet line before it gets ungodly long when you quite literally bump into an old buddy from the Class of '10.

Almost instantly, these few words are emitted from this person's mouth:
"What are you doing here?"

Ah. Except they really come out sounding more like this--
"What are you doing here?!"
or "What are you doing here?!"

Wow, that was awkward. This phrase is usually coupled with arched eyebrows, and a look of complete and utter confusion.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. In the span of just a few months, has my alumna status also labeled and subsequently denounced me as a "creeper?" Is it really so strange to come back to visit more frequently than once a semester? (i.e., Homecoming) And shouldn't us recent college grads cherish these visits to our alma maters while we can, while we still have friends who go there? (Honestly, after the Class of 2011 graduates from Villanova, I won't have much of a reason to be at Main Line bars unless it's for a reunion-type event).

I'm not going to have a random acquaintance or crappy Facebook friend make me feel like a weirdo when I'm back at my school. I won't allow it. Truthfully speaking, your real friends will be thrilled to see you again, and make you feel just as welcome as you should be.

After all, wasn't it just yesterday when we were playing beer pong on a Monday night and ordering from Domino's at 3 AM? Yeah, I thought so.