Back to Campus

I've been back to campus for about a week now since the end of winter break and I'm so happy that coming back here feels like returning home.

It was really nice to go back to New Mexico at the end of last semester. I enjoyed being able to spend time with my family and celebrate the holidays at home, and it was nice to catch up with friends from high school. It was a nice relaxing break but after about 3 weeks I was feeling a little bit anxious to get back to the routine of classes. I flew into Portland late Sunday night and randomly met someone wearing a Lewis & Clark sweatshirt that was also a first year flying back. It was great to have someone to travel with.

By the time I got back to my dorm, it was almost 1am and I was exhausted but I opened the door and the soft fairy lights were on and my dorm room was just as warm and inviting as it had been when I left it. We had cleaned the room really nicely before we left so everything was nice and tidy and clean to come home to. Two of my roommates had gotten in earlier in the day and were already asleep and their bags were out and partially unpacked so the room felt cozy and lived in already. I was tired so I basically dumped my bags by my desk and went to bed. Waking up in the morning was equally as nice as getting into my dorm the night before. I got to catch up with my roommates about our breaks and then I met up with all my friends for brunch in the Bon. I actually kind of felt like I missed the Bon food which was surprising to me, but over last semester I feel like I've developed some pretty good Bon Hacks and I made myself a delicious egg sandwich for my first breakfast back. It was really nice to crowd around one of the round tables with all my friends and hear about everyone's breaks. We all talked a lot about how excited we were to be back and how much campus felt like home.

At one point we were all going around saying the things we were most excited for this semester and I think the thing I'm most excited for is being familiar with everything and not having to learn it all like last semester. Last semester was fantastic and especially at the begging, every week and every day was a new experience and I had so much to explore and learn about campus. But this semester I feel like I've already had time to explore and try things out and now I can slide back into a routine and invest in my interest more fully. Not only that but starting my classes this semester I already have a better idea of what to expect, and I have lots of friends or at least a familiar face in all my classes which is a nice change from last semester.

Overall this semester feels like it's off to a really positive start and I can't wait to see what the second half of my freshman year brings.


My name is Quentin, if you have questions or just want to chat about life at LC you can email me at quentingaul@lclark.edu