From the day I left campus, I was counting down the days until I crossed the bridge back into Atchison and spotted the Ferrel Academic Center upon the bluffs of the river. But now that I am back, let's be honest, things have been a little too crazy to enjoy this little town.

Do not get me wrong, I am beyond excited to be reunited with my fellow Ravens and the incredible women I get to call suitemates, but that also means a few other things. It means classes, homework on syllabus day, mental breakdowns, and learning how to be social again. Trust me, it has been quite the struggle.

After a summer of seeing your family and the same coworkers every day, I bet none of us were quite prepared to intermingle with the 600 freshmen, let alone all of the other students. We were not ready for the cawing outside our windows as we tried to fall asleep after the Beanie Banquet, and we definitely we not prepared for the mental breakdowns that came with the first day of classes. Picture this: three girls laying on the floor of their suite laughing, crying, and just plain dying with dread of the work that will come with this semester. It was not a pretty site, but it is a good story to share.

But friends, we survived week one, and, hopefully, we will survive week two...after that there are no promises. But really! We are going to rock this semester, 17 credit hours and 20 hours of work and all! (At least that is what I keep telling myself..)

Being a student at Benedictine may mean hiking up the only hill in Kansas, avoiding the caf at every meal, watching construction crews build another statue, and racing for the last parking spot in the Apartments, but it also means so much more.

It means friends that will lift you up when you are on the floor having a breakdown...or friends that will join you...professors that care about more than just what grade you earn in their class, caf workers that greet you at the door to make your meal a more pleasant experience, classmates who will encourage you up the Raven Walk...and not judge you for being out of breath at the top...monks and religious to inspire you in your faith, and friendships that make memories that will last a lifetime.

Yes, it has been quite the insane week here on campus. And, yes, I have been hiding out in my room to avoid learning to be social again, but there is nothing I would do to change it. There is no place I would rather be than here at Benedictine College. I have the best community, the greatest friends, and the only place I want to call home for the next two years.