Dear Dickinson,
I will never forget the feeling I got when I first laid eyes on you. As I pulled up to your doors, just a small, scared freshman, I have to admit -- you were not the most comforting sight. You reminded me of a prison from the outside, and then when I walked into my room I thought I was walking into a psych ward that left me with little to no personal space. Not to mention that creepy trail. However, my mom always taught me "don't judge a book by it's cover" so I decided I would give you a chance.
On my first night beneath your white, cinder block walls, I had the worst sleep of my life. I was hot, my bed was hard as a rock, and I was sleeping next to some chick I didn't know. To say the least I hated your guts. I was miserable and you had become my worst enemy. College was scary enough, and you weren't even there to have my back. I wanted nothing to do with you, and all I could do was count down the days until you would be out of my life for good.
However, things soon changed. I learned that you were so much more than white walls, small rooms, and a place for stink bugs to dwell -- you were home. You have brought some of the best people I have ever met into my life and forced me to form friendships that will last me a lifetime. Your common lounge was more than just a place to study. It was a place to hang out for hours on end watching movies, playing N64, or just gossiping about our weeks. When I had to leave you, all I wanted to do was go back to that first night.
Now, three years later, it breaks my heart to know that your doors will soon close for good. When I found out that you would be leaving this world I called my mom in hysterics. She couldn't understand why I was so torn up about this. The only thing I could tell her was "from the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it."
So, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the smiles, the tears, the friendships, the memories, and everything in between. Thank you for becoming a home and bringing me friends that turned into family. Thank you for putting up with my mess and being a place to store all of my crap. You brought me an experience like no other. It is a feeling only people who lived in your halls will feel.
And thank you to the friends I made there. Thank you for putting up with me and sticking by my side. I love you guys so much and am so happy we are still as close as those first months we met!
