Once again it’s Veishea time and, for me, it is my last as an Iowa State student. But Veishea means more to me than parades and non-stop drinking. It has a mystical quality that only now, as I look back on my college career, do I recognize.

I don’t know about karma and reincarnation or anything like that. In fact, I tend to think it’s all a little hokey. And, three years ago when my birthday present from my mother was to have my astrological chart done, I thought surely the woman had gone off the deep end.

Now, I just shrug and say “who knows?” Perhaps with the Star Wars trilogy back in the spotlight, people will give destiny a chance.

This is why I no longer fight the cosmos:

The first time I ever visited Veishea I was in high school. My friends and I were 17 and recently acquired the ticket to freedom — a car. So, we trekked up here from our hometown, a mere 20 miles away, in search of (what else?) college men.

After driving around a bit, we parked the auto and set out on foot. As we neared Campustown, a voice from above, literally, beckoned to us. A young man called to us from atop an apartment building to join the rooftop party. We didn’t need to be asked twice.

We clambered up the steps, and one-by-one we were hoisted to the roof. I remember very vividly, thinking that this is what college was suppose to be: unabandoned fun.

Fast forward three years to my second Veishea experience. A sophomore at the University of Iowa, I came to Ames to visit a friend.

As she showed me around the campus, I knew I had made a very important decision: I was going to transfer to Iowa State. We celebrated my decision by sneaking in the back door of Tazzles, the first bar I’d set foot in in Ames.

Once again climb in that time machine and zip ahead to my second apartment I lived in as a Cyclone. My first real home, other than my parents’. I had my own room and roommates I got along with. Very nice.

So what do these stories have to do with destiny?

Well, the night I decided to transfer to Iowa State changed my life. Since I’ve come here, I’ve had nothing but good fortune.

I found a major I like and have been successful. My grades have most certainly improved. The friends I’ve made here I will have for life.

I no longer have to sneak into Tazzles. In fact, I practically have my own booth. Thank you Dooley and J.R. for the fun.

The apartment which I think of as my first real home that I created for myself still plays a role in my life. My boyfriend lives there. I met him two years after I moved out of the very room he now occupies. How’s that for weird?

Oh yeah, and that apartment building that I climbed on top of? Well, just like my first Veishea, I will be partying on that rooftop for my last. You see, I live in that same building that gave me my first taste of abandoned fun. What a ride it’s been.

Kris Fettkether is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Ankeny.