The Quiet of the Campus

It was the day I was going home for Thanksgiving. Finally, I thought. I couldn’t wait. I texted my cousin, asking when he was going to be picking me up. It dismayed me to hear that he was going to be a little bit late.

Hours went by, and I grew confused at how long it was taking him to get over here from Kalamazoo College. After all, I researched their academic calendar and found out that his dorm was already closed for their winter break. What was going on? I called my mom, who was already at my grandparents.

It turned out that my cousin’s car had broken down, and I wasn’t going to be able to be picked up until my aunt and uncle came up from Ohio. Everyone in the dorms was filing out with their bags by the second, and I was stuck here alone. So what do you do in the quiet hours of the campus?

Well first, you get Jimmy John’s. Then you watch too many episodes of Gilmore Girls, read half a book, start your homework (the homework that, let’s be honest, you wouldn’t have started otherwise), then you eat the contents of your mini fridge and call your mom wondering when will you be picked up?

Amidst all of this, I stopped and listened. The campus was so quiet. I had never heard so much nothing at Hope College in my life. While I was stuck with no one around, I began to see something here that I’d never seen before: peace.

Okay, so Hope isn’t a war zone, but there’s usually something going on and there are always people making noise out in the alley between Dykstra and Gilmore. It was so nice to for once just hear nothing. I took it all in, all the stillness, the quiet, the peace. It was reassuring for someone quiet like me living in such a vibrant environment to experience this situation, especially before the holiday.

I’m thankful for Hope. Being alone here isn’t so bad, after all.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!