Today, the day the Broncos were supposed to beat the Seahawks, was a beautiful, sunny day in Portland. Projected on the wall of my teammate's house, a devastating football game was played on the other side of the country. We watched, a mixture of diehard Seattle fans, loyal Denver fans, a handful of San Fransisco fans and some extras tagging along for fun. This, surprisingly, is an accurate analogy for the rest of LC's student body - it seems like most people you meet on campus are from either from Washington, California or Colorado; and Oregon, too but they don't have a majority by any means. Anyway, today as we watched the Broncos throw away their championship rings, I got to thinking about how much of who we are comes from where we are from. As soon as I moved to Portland, I became Kaitlyn from Colorado. I love that part of my identity but it had never mattered much before I left the place. The first questions everyone asks when meeting new people inevitably include name and where you're from. We categorize each other according to this piece of identity, and even though it's very surface level, knowing where someone is from helps to facilitate getting to know them. It gives you something to talk about, maybe you're from the same state and can bond over that. Today, I bonded with my track teammate as we commiserated over the Broncos' defeat. The loss today was a sad one for a lot of football fans around the country but that is something that brings people together. Whether or not they're from Colorado or just have a passion for this football team, we share in a community larger than ourselves. On LC campus, I'm beginning to realize just how big our community really is. All the current students, staff and faculty on campus plus all those who have come before us and will come after us. I am forever loyal to Colorado as my hometown but Portland and LC are now solidified as my second home.