Nothing will resonate with me more than my sociology professor’s words during Halloween weekend celebrations “Athens just seeps into your heart.” It’s so true, yet those words helped me connect not just with OU but with the community of Athens.
I have just signed a lease to live on Court Street next year. Why I chose Court or felt that innate want to be closer to OU, I never examined. But after reviewing everything OU has taught me, not just education wise by internally, I realized OU becomes a part of you. I don’t know why Athens has this mystical power of making you feel a sense of home while being so far away, but it does! There is a sense of community, formality and friendship that you feel with the town and university. You make friends there, you live there and you find happiness and fulfillment there.
To me, Athens wasn’t a party school because of the number of parties we threw; it was a party school because going to OU was the ultimate invitation. Schools around Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky wanted to join, but there is a sense of exclusivity. I felt OU as my home the minute I set foot on campus. The campus and town itself are breathtaking, lively, and homey. But when you experience the bar life, the frat houses and the dorms, you get another sense of what it means to be a Bobcat. You feel as if Athens itself is not only a place you live and work in. It’s the center of your universe! For me, it feels almost human. The memories you make makes it seem that way.
My sociology teacher said it best, you don’t have control over it. Once you accept it, it becomes a part of you. The last homecoming was one of the best experiences I’ve had at OU. But with this year being at home, I’m sad, like a lot of other Bobcats, that I can’t see Athens in all its glory. But something we all should consider is that Athens is not just a place, its a mindset.
During Lalapalooza 2019, one of the 21 pilot singers said this in Chicago. I think the same can be said about Athens. “This week there are only 2 places in the world, Athens Ohio and everywhere else.”