Sometimes it just hits me. I love it all.
Yellow, red, and orange leaves crunch beneath my feet as I walk down The Avenue of Saint Mary’s. October 15th, South Bend, Indiana and the weather is still comfortably cool, sunny as can be, and I’m on my way to ND sailing practice. How did I deserve this? Coming from the sunshine state, the last place I ever thought I would fall in love with would be South Bend.
Rewind to two years ago, I had never thought twice about the state of Indiana, let alone going to school there. Actually though, it’s my favorite place on the planet. The measures of happy things that have happened to me are immeasurable and unaccountable. I love school. As I roll tack on boat number 3 on St. Joe’s lake, I am flying past the dome, sun shining upon the statue of Mary, gracefully pointing the way home; to Saint Mary’s.
In the year I’ve been on the Notre Dame Sailing Team, this is my first time successfully skippering a boat rather than crewing. The wind is spot-on, the sun is shining on my face and reflecting upon the water, one of the best friends I’ve ever had is crewing with me, and we are going super fast.
I have never been happier. But I say that so much here. I love everything. For every negative feeling I ever have, I quickly remind myself that there is a reason behind everything and it is all perfect and brilliant. Yes, parietals are annoying and inconvenient. But without them…we’d be just another state school.
Yes, the Sophia program that every Saint Mary’s girl has to complete over her four years is such a hassle. But I am going to graduate from this school as the smartest, most well rounded person I can be. I am more than blessed.
I love basilica mass (Like BRB just going to mass in my mini-Sistine chapel). I love LeMans. I have wood floors in my dorm room. I have a gorgeous view of stained glass windows from the LeMans chapel and the most luscious tree one will ever see.
I have free laundry. And ghosts, but they’re friendly. I mean come on, Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s have only been around for a million years…what do you expect?! I love my professors. They smile, they know my name, they say hi to me, they give me candy. I love people running around in shark costumes on South quad asking to support a club (or else they are going to attack me…)
I love yelling “noise!” at a football game when we are actually supposed to make noise…duh Notre Dame. We are obviously way too smart for that one. I love hating that as a freshman I actually went to hip-hop night at Legends (oh and dubstep night…yep, that happened). I love La Fun at 3 a.m. and being order number 3358197 at Taco Bell (But if you ask me to go to Taco Bell during the day…yeah…not happening).
I love my friends. Like true love, over-the-moon, head-over-heels, I might actually have to move to Chicago after senior year kind of in love. I love the French cross logo that is Saint Mary’s. Like be more cute and classy, please. Love it, love it, love it.
I love that I have to have a fishing permit to fish on campus. Do I have one? Yep. Do I know how to fish? Nope.
In all seriousness, I am more than blessed to be where I am. Saint Mary’s is my favorite place in the world and Notre Dame, Indiana’s zip code of 46556 will forever be my favorite five numbers.
Sometimes it just hits me and I have to write about it.
I love it.
Hannah Drinkall is a Saint Mary’s College contributor to Her Campus Notre Dame.