The morning air was brisk when I said good-bye to my childhood home. My parents got in one car, and I got in another. We drove to the same place, but the separation had already begun. Two cars winding their way towards one location but with two different purposes. I was heading to my new home. They were heading home afterwards. I parked in a lot signifying my upperclassman status. They parked on the street, foreigners in a land of students. When we met again at the front of my dorm, the wind swirled all around us, blowing us together for now, but soon it would blow us apart. By now the sun was high in the sky, but still the temperature remained cool. Fall whispered that it was coming, and the leaves rustled their agreement.

Standing outside, looking upon my new home, I was elated to start this chapter of my life. I was truly an upperclassman now. I could, without consulting a map, tell anyone how to get just about anywhere. I knew the quickest paths and the most direct routes. There is a sense of comfort in knowing a place inside and out. A sense that conveys security and authority. My feet know just where to trod when my brain is engaged in conversation or mathematical conundrums. When I walked up the three flights of floors to get to my suite, luggage stuffed precariously in my arms, my journey was launched. I will walk those steps countless times, going to places near and far. From here I will begin and end my days. Sometimes I will sprint in breathless hurry, and other times I will trudge along, bogged down by sleep’s stupor.

When, at the end of a long day, my parents had left, I was exhausted but also exhilarated. So many possibilities lie ahead. With a suite full of friends, and outstanding teammates, I am ready to take on the world. So many adventures, good and bad, are about to cross my path. I do not know where my journey will take me, but I do know that it will be something great.