The Hunger Games Complex

Isn’t it strange how unpredictable and fast-paced life is? Let me present to you something that I have discovered for myself, which I like to call “The Hunger Games Complex”.

Now what exactly is The Hunger Games Complex? Well, I’m glad you asked! Let’s put it this way. The very first Hunger Games movie came out when I was 18. This was March 23, 2012. Actually, I was still a senior in high school then, still waiting to hear back from several universities, anxiously waiting where I would be going for the next four years. Let’s rewind back to the night of March 22, 2012, when I sat for hours in line for the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games. Life was so different back then! Fast forward two hours. Now that the movie is over, now what do you do? Well, obviously you wait for Catching Fire, which would be released… ONE YEAR LATER?! That sucks. But a sense of excitement brewed through my body that night. I still remember thinking to myself that in one year, I would be in a completely different place, watching the second installment of the series with completely different people.

Now, let’s just go back back in time to 2013, specifically November 22, 2013, which is the premiere of Catching Fire. One and a half years had already passed in such short notice, but hey, I was right. My life WAS completely different. As I stood in line for hours waiting for the midnight premiere to start, I noticed that my surroundings were completely different than that of last years. Different friends, different theater, different city, lots of different stuff. One short year has passed yet so much has already changed. I remember watching the credits roll and thinking to myself: Where would I be November 21, 2014 when I watched Mockingjay Pt. 1?

And that brings me to present time. As I finished watching the premiere of Mockingjay a few days ago, I noticed again that my surrounds were again completely different than of last years. This time, I was in a different city. Different language. Different age. Even a different continent. One year ago, I would have NEVER thought I would be in Berlin today. One year ago, I would have never thought that I would have spent my summer interning in Kenya. Isn’t it exciting how the future is so unpredictable?

And this is how I would summarize The Hunger Games Complex. Three years ago, I had no idea that I would be a student at Duke. I had no idea that I would be going to Germany. I had no idea about most of my future. But I did know one thing, and that was that there would be a movie coming out in 2014 titled Mockingjay. You can always know specific dates of the future, but the events and the journey to that day will always remain a beautiful mystery.

I am definitely looking forward to the next premiere and what the next year has in store for me! Who knows who will be sitting next to me during the midnight premiere?! Who knows which city I’ll be in? (Probably Durham though :)) All I know is that time flies and that during Mockingjay Pt. 2, my life will be different than it is today, and that is an awesome and exciting thing to think about.