The rain trickled down the windshield of the car as my dad and I pulled away from the peaceful quiet that accompanies Kenyon’s campus at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in November. I clutched my favorite sweatshirt as my newfound haven slowly disappeared from view, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me. Yes, I was exhausted, and felt ready to welcome Thanksgiving break with open arms. At the same time, I couldn’t fathom not returning to campus for nine months. Zoom was about to become my new reality. Walking across campus in the fog on an early morning or hiking up to the observatory to watch the sunset would just have to wait until I returned for my sophomore year.
The sights and sounds of Kenyon never fail to amaze me, even way back on my first visit. I remember going on my first tour in the rain during the junior visit day, whispering into my dad’s ear that the campus looked just like Hogwarts. Despite all I had read about Kenyon up to that point, pictures do not—and never will—do it justice. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve spent quite a bit of time stalking Kenyon’s Instagram page obsessing over the perfectly lit photos that capture our campus on the Hill. But there’s something so peaceful and magical about being able to experience it for yourself. Every walk to and from class was an opportunity for me to clear my head or catch up with friends. Especially with the de-densified campus this fall, I became even more grateful for the abundance of Adirondack chairs scattered across campus, practically begging me to sit down and take in the sights.
The first thing that I noticed when I got home was how quiet it was in my room. While the quiet moments at Kenyon are some of the greatest, I’m a people person. Some of my favorite memories from the fall semester were chatting with classmates and professors before class (I even arrive 20 minutes early to my political science class to do just that!). Every smile in the hallway, fit of laughter in the Deli, and wave across Middle Path felt special—especially coming out of quarantine. The first night I got home, I crawled into my bed and turned off the lights, then attempted to close my eyes and drift off to sleep. But something felt off. After about five minutes, I grabbed my phone and texted my friend: “It is way too quiet in here to sleep.” While I myself couldn’t believe it, I missed the noise of living in a dorm. I had gotten so used to the lively and friendly banter that accompanies all things Kenyon that my first night at home felt incomplete without it. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
Maybe only Kenyon students can relate to me on this last point, but I’d really love a cupcake from Peirce right now. Or a plate of pancakes from the deli…a burger from the VI…I’m not sure if it was the food itself (though I’m not kidding when I say the pancakes from the deli are legendary) or the wonderful company of students and Peirce workers each night at dinner, but I’m feeling a longing to sit down at one of the long wooden tables on Old Side and laugh with friends over the day’s adventures.
This is becoming more and more a rant about some of my favorite things about Kenyon. I could go on for ages about how I’ll miss Chamber Singers rehearsals, checking my P.O. Box at the post office, and climbing the flights of stairs in Caples to get back to my room at the end of the day. All in all, I feel abundantly grateful and blessed to have had a wonderful in-person semester at Kenyon this fall. While my heart will yearn for the magic of the Hill this semester, I feel so grateful to have gained a wonderful new community.