On May 15th at precisely (or more like around) 9:37 p.m., I officially moved out of my dorm and completed my first year at Rutgers. At this exact time, I had to leave my home away from home and move back into the room I share with my sister. Considering the fact that its June 19th, I've been away from Rutgers for a little over a month and I miss it more and more every day.

However last week, I had the opportunity to drive up to my second home for training with OIT for the upcoming semester. I arrived on College Ave an hour and a half before I was meant to be there, leaving me with ample amount of time to gather in all of the details that make up Rutgers' original campus. Although a little quieter than usual, due to the lack of almost the entire student body, everything else was the same. Starbucks was still bustling with people, people are still trying to study, and the grass is still being mowed at literally all day. It's all the same, granted at a much smaller scale.

Whatever was going on, I was reminded of exactly why I love being at Rutgers, why I consider it my home away from home. As tired as I was, I could feel myself becoming more awake, more energetic. After getting my usual Starbucks order, an iced nonfat chai with vanilla, there was still an hour left before my training. I took this time to walk up and down College Ave, taking in my surroundings and just basking in the sun. It was amazing to be back, my training could not have taken place on a better day.

While College Ave was not my first choice of campus to live on, I could not imagine living anywhere else. The energy, the people, just the overall vibe (of every campus!), cannot be found anywhere else. These things are easy to feel, to understand regardless of who is on campus and what's going on. There is never a shortage of things to do, see, and experience. Overall, it's an easy place to miss.

Even though (some of) the classes give me headaches and studying is definitely how I spend most of my free time, I'm counting down the days until I get to move into my new dorm at Rutgers. Its only been a month but I've been looking forward to the summer CIT training days I have to attend, simply because I get to be back on campus, back home.

And I guess that's the beauty of college. You get to find another place where you shine. Another place where you meet the people you are most comfortable around and a place to create your future, create a home. I've said this before, but Rutgers was not my first choice of colleges, and now I cannot imagine myself anywhere else. I hope that everyone finds a place they can consider their home away from home, just as I consider Rutgers as mine.