Earlier today, the Lewis & Clark instagram posted a photo of the spring flowers there, and it made me sad that I don't get to experience the flowers blooming this year. There are a lot of things I know I'll miss about being on campus with my friends and professors every day. I'm trying not to be sad about it though, so instead of moping around, I thought I could share with you all the things I enjoyed about the spring semester last year.
Enjoying The Spring Weather All Together
I've probably mentioned this before because it's one of my favorite little things about school, but when the sun comes out and there is a beautiful blue sky sunny day, it's like a mini holiday hits campus. Professors sometimes cut class a little short or they hold it outside if possible so that we can enjoy the weather together. It's just a nice feeling that no matter what else is going on we can all enjoy the sun together. There were a few little days like this before we had to leave campus, but the best portland weather is still to come later on in the semester. Last year my friends and I would text and plan to meet up on one of the lawns and procrastinate our homework while laying out on the grass and hanging out, I'll miss that this year.
If you want to check out the LC instagram, you can do so here, it's got lots of beautiful photos of campus, and you can see the post about the spring flowers that made me sad to miss campus.
Wrapping Up Classes
I loved my classes and my professors so much this semester it's sad that we won't get to wrap things up together. The approach of finals can be stressful but it is also an enjoyable time because you've gotten close with those in your class, and you know your professor well by this point. A lot of professors bring in food-- usually cookies or doughnuts or the like-- in the last few days of class. Once my professor assigned a final that took the full 3 hour period allowed but to make up for it he brought us doughnuts so it wasn't all bad. I also enjoy the ending of class because sometimes I can forget how much I've learned throughout the semester, but the end of the year is a nice time to reflect on how much I learned both in and out of classes.
Casual Hangouts With Friends
One of the reasons I love living on campus (and the fact that pretty much all other sophomores live on campus and many juniors) is that it's so easy to hang out with friends. Even if it's just meeting someone for lunch or sitting next to someone in the library while you study for different classes, it's nice to be around your friends. Or if you need to borrow something or if you're helping someone with groceries or some random little things it's a small opportunity to walk over to a different dorm and see each other. Living on campus lends itself to spontaneous hangouts when everyone lives just a five-minute walk away. It's a wonderful feeling, and while I'm happy at home with my family, I will miss my friends greatly.
The Bittersweet Moveout
Last year moving out of my dorm was a sad moment, but celebratory as well. I loved all my roommates so much, we worked really well together, and our room was cozy and felt like home. In the last weeks of the semester as well all took down our decorations and packed up our belongings, it was sad for the room to slowly go back to being just another dorm room. At the same time though, those last few days were a fun whirlwind of activity where everyone had their doors open and there was music coming from various speakers as people packed. My friends and I got a storage unit together and we helped move each other's stuff out, and it was a really nice moment because many of us had helped each other move in after our new student trip at the beginning of our first year. We at lots of junk food together and stressed about finals and moved out, and while it was sad to say goodbye for the summer, we all got to hang out and take a moment together to enjoy the year that we had. It's sad that we don't get that this year, but I'm grateful to still have those friends, even if we have to hang out from afar.
There are many more memories that I loved from the end of last year, and I have so many good memories from this year too. It's sad not to be on campus for the last part of this year, but I'm just grateful to have already had so many great experiences, and I'm grateful to know that I still have many more memories to make at LC in the next years as well.
My name is Quentin Gual, I'm a sophomore political science and hispanic studies double major. If you want to talk about student life, please just email me at quentingaul@lclark.edu, don't be shy! Email me if you need help choosing a dorm, or
if you want to know what classes are like or what to eat in the dining hall, just send me a casual email!