A Last Hurrah in Athens

The day my semester ended and I was almost allowed to go home as an RA, I got on a plane and went to Atlanta, where my parents picked me up to take me to my brother’s college graduation in Athens. I jumped in their car and was taken straight to UGA where I was treated to days of shopping and other fun events where I went where I was told and enjoyed every minute of it.

I spent my day shopping at an occult shop that sold spiritual jewelry, a vintage clothing shop, and a locally-owned, independent bookstore, and then had low tea at a cafe in the afternoon and drinks on a rooftop in the evening. This was all my version of nirvana for those who are wondering. I spent my day looking at moonstones I couldn’t afford and vintage hot pants.

For lunch, we went to a cafe on Lumpkin, cleverly named “The Cafe on Lumpkin.” The appeal of going to “The Cafe on Lumpkin” is that, at around 3:00, they serve low tea, although how it’s any different from “high tea” is beyond me. Each person received a pot of their own tea and I chose “The Marquess,” because, naturally, I can be counted on to choose the one with the bougiest sounding name. With it comes finger sandwiches and scones, plus all of the jams that a person could possibly need to slather on their scone.

Many royal family jokes were made during low tea and all of them came from me. My older brother, the heir to my spare, graduated from college the very next day in a ceremony that made Joe Biden’s fireworks display look like a sparkler show.

UGA knows how to roll out the red carpet during a graduation ceremony. At my school, I’m likely to get two hours in an uncomfortable folding chair underneath a tent, at the end of which, I receive a diploma with a subtext of “we-will-not-speak-of-this-again-until-we-ask-you-for-money-in-a-few-years” and I’m fine with that arrangement.

At some point towards the end of the trip, I realized that this was likely to be my final trip to Athens, Georgia. Now that my brother has graduated from UGA and moved away, I do not foresee any reason to return. Now, I must say goodbye to Athens, but only after a long, wonderful trip visiting it. So, congratulations Bobby and Mikaela, and goodbye Athens, Georgia.