About a year ago, a windstorm hit Spokane. When the wind started, I was in Saga eating lunch. I headed back to my dorm after I finished, the first tree had just hit the ground outside of the Hub and everyone was looking around in wonder. I hurried back to my dorm and waited for as long as I could, hoping that classes would be canceled for the afternoon. Of course, as soon as I had gotten to the music building, the text alert arrived saying that classes were canceled and we were supposed to stay out of the Loop.
When I arrived back at Ballard, I joined the rest of my hall in watching the trees sway in the wind from the windows in the second-floor lounge. We talked and laughed as we drank tea and hot chocolate, enjoying the unexpected break from classes. As the afternoon wore on, we lost power, received text alerts telling us that dinner was canceled, and instructions to stay inside of whichever building we were in at the time. Uncertainty hung over some of us as we tried to finish homework by the light of the emergency exit sign. The storm continued to blow trees down, and one by one laptop batteries died, bringing everyone into enjoying the sudden reprieve from school work.
For me, this storm brought about the beginning of many adventures for the rest of the year. An acquaintance in Mac told me that he was planning on making a trip to Winco to get food since dinner was canceled, so a small group of us decided to join. We set off to the store to stock up sandwich makings, and pretty much any food that could be prepared without power. Upon our return, we found that all of the entrances to campus had been blocked by either downed power lines or fallen trees. The decision was made to park at a friend's house and make our way back to the dorm via the Back 40, which was in the lee of the wind. Once we stepped out of the lee to cross the parking lot, the full force of the wind made it difficult to walk. When we finally made it back into the dorms, we brought the food to the kitchens where everyone had gathered around, pitching together whatever snacks they had to feed everyone.
When it became dark and the wind died down a bit, a group of us decided to take advantage of the lack of lights in Spokane to go stargazing. We snuck out to the baseball field and bundled in blankets, laid down to look at the night sky, free from the constant light pollution. Conversation flowed and we savored the peace of the wind flowing over us while we stared up into the brilliant stars. As time went by, the group thinned until eventually the last of us were carefully making our way back to the buildings to hunker down for the rest of the night.
I've always loved storms, but that one will always hold a special place in my heart. For that one night, people were truly present. Phone batteries died and everyone started spending time with each other, meeting new people and learning to spend time together. It was a night that formed the framework for the new friendships that would come that year. Morning arrived to show us the damage the storm had wrought on our trees and buildings, but for that one night, there was an increased sense of unity among our dorm community.
