Finding K in the weirdest places

Today, I realized that I am exactly half way through college. Not only do I have two more years of study, but my summer just hit the midway mark. In just under seven weeks, I will be on a plane to Budapest, Hungary to start my study abroad experience.

Where has the summer gone? I think I have fully recovered from one of the toughest quarters I have faced at K. I have spent most days lounging by the pool soaking up the sun and staying cool. I do not have a “normal” summer job, but I take care of my younger brother. He has autism and is 17. We both sleep until noon pretty much day. This leaves me with a pretty flexible schedule.

I have met my friends for the occasional Biggby run, read a few books, and caught up with a few friends from high school for some Michigan summer bonfires. Every summer around the Fourth of July, my family convenes in the Thumb where our family farm is located in the small villages of Port Austin and Port Hope – each about a mile from Lake Huron. In Port Hope, there is an annual Fourth of July festival with all the regular fixings: flea market, antique tractor show, tractor pull, chicken dinners, and a fireworks show. The festival is put on by Port Hope High School and the proceeds go toward the class trip for the seniors. In this town of just a few thousand people, you could never guess what I would find: a Kalamazoo College Zoonique poster! 

I was filled with feelings of pride and surprise at the sight of such a familiar building. An illuminated Hicks Center was pictured on the poster. I could actually point to the couches in the high windows and say, “That’s where I eat my lunch!” It was such a welcome vision of the campus that I won’t see for another six months. The only other college poster was from Central Michigan University. I could not stop smiling. Kalamazoo College always seems to pop up unexpectedly and in a good way and always making me feel like a proud Hornet.

I am currently planning a road trip out west to visit my former roommate and best friend before we part ways for study abroad. I am also planning to reunite with some other friends and head to Chicago for a couple of days! I wish I had not left all this excitement for the last half of my summer, but now that I have relaxed I am ready for the next adventure. Neither my trip to Chicago or out west would be possible if I hadn’t met these friends at K.