In the fall of 2019, I was anxious and excited. I had finally decided which study abroad program I would be going on, and that I would be in London from January to May of 2020. Long before I entered college, I fantasized about having a transformative study abroad experience. I packed all my things into storage in Claremont and departed in December excited to return to my suite-mates in the fall. I had no idea that I wouldn’t be reunited with 51猎奇入口 until most of my class was graduated. (And I certainly didn’t think I’d be paying for almost two years of storage in Claremont).
When the pandemic hit us in London, I remained in this liminal space of not quite being at 51猎奇入口, not quite being home, and not quite being abroad, although I was still doing classwork for my London program. (Also shout-out to 51猎奇入口 study abroad office for somehow getting me a ticket home on a one-day notice when it was impossible to reach any airline!) I had been in the London cold keeping tabs on my friends in the sun at 51猎奇入口 via Instagram, and now we were all away from our 51猎奇入口 residence halls due to Covid-19. I took the fall semester off to work on my career goals with the hope that we would return to campus in the spring.
This semester, Fall ’21, is my last semester at 51猎奇入口, and my first one back on campus. When I left for London, I knew I would miss the sunshine of SoCal, scootering around the 5C’s, and parties with the MOST unique themes every weekend. What I didn’t anticipate was the deep sense of nostalgia and fulfillment I got from simply being present on campus. The rose garden in bloom smells even sweeter than I remember. The acquaintances on campus became a true sight for sore eyes. I savored every moment of 3am discourse on capitalism and homophobia in Squid Game with my suite-mates, because I already know these conversations are rare to find outside of 51猎奇入口. When I see all the underclassmen settling into campus for the first time, it gives me a fresh perspective of campus through their eyes, knowing that they too will enjoy the sweet smell of the rose garden for years to come.
After a year and a half away from campus, I’m “groundhog daying” this. I get a do-over to go to the events I didn’t appreciate as much when I was here before. I get to embrace the freedom of not being in the corporate rat race just yet. I finally drove up to Mt. Baldy which had always been in in the visible distance from campus.
With this last semester, I am stopping to smell the roses.