Although we hate to see the luxurious, sunny summer months of rest and relaxation dissipate, nothing dries those tears like arriving to Saint Mike’s campus. While the stress of packing up what we seemingly just unpacked may be maddening, the moment our overflowing cars pull out of the driveway and begin the trek back to SMC, stress immediately transforms into excitement. Before we know it we are exiting route 89 and pulling into campus as if we never left.
Lugging our “essentials” into our new rooms, often slightly sweaty and more exhausting than necessary, is well worth it as we watch a foreign empty room become our new home for the upcoming year. Friendly faces appear left and right as we gallivant around campus greeting friends that we have waited to reunite with all summer. The quad and the 3’s field are alive, everyone soaking up the last bits of Vermont summer. We spend the weekend laughing about last year’s shenanigans and hyping up what a new year will bring. We cannot wait to walk down Church Street, lounge by Lake Champlain or run the bike path, hike, and spend nights at the townhouses and suites. Somehow, it’s enough excitement that our first meal in Alliot even tastes okay. Sike—however being surrounded by much missed friends at last makes brings out the comforting familiarity of the cuisine. Monday morning, as our alarm clocks blare for the first time in a long time, we feel a secret excitement to get back into the groove of classes.
While this excitement may be taken down a notch the first time we return to the Durick Library, or catch a quick case of homesickness, we continue to hold on to those initial feelings of joy. Even though college may have its lows, coming back is definitely a high to keep in mind in the middle of February when you’re freezing, stressed and questioning whether this is all worth it. Trust me. It’s worth it.