College life has its perks, but so does being at home. There are just some things that I can't have or do while I am on the hill in St. Peter, which makes summer vacation that much better. Being at college makes me realize how much I miss some of the little perks that I can't have at Gustavus, so I thought I'd take the time to share some of those things since it is my first official week of summer!
1. Air conditioning
I am starting with this one because it is definitely a component that I never had to miss before college life since I never lived without it. A lot of my friends at other schools are living in air conditioned apartments already, and their life in the dorms is a past memory. For me, I will be going three years strong in dorms without A/C. As we hit these 90 degree days this past week, I will tell you that there was no worse and helpless feeling than sitting in my room, fan on full blast, but still no use. I must say, the heat really created a sense of unity and bonding within the dorms because everyone embraced the fact that there was no way to look good and be cool at the same time. It is a lost cause trying to put makeup on while you are sweating it off at the same speed. Thank goodness I was all moved out before it hit 98 degrees!
2. My own shower
You know how everyone complains about how small cubicles are? Well, this is how I feel every time I have to shower in good ol' Gibbs Hall, except worse. If the showers were the size of a cubicle, that would be luxury. There is nothing more annoying than trying to shampoo my hair and knocking my elbows on the wall, and don't even get me started on shaving my legs. This is one thing that could have been added to my "Perks of Being Short" post, because I can't even imagine what it is like showering as a tall person in those things. My first night home, it honestly felt weird being able to reach down and grab my soap without knocking my head on the wall in front of me. It was also nice to be able to close the shower curtain without the whole rod falling down! My own shower means no squeaky shower shoes walking down the hall back to my room, no custodians walking in on me, no middle school tactics to dry myself off without flashing my neighbor, and the ability to blast as much country music as my heart desires.
3. Real food
Even though our caf at Gustavus is nationally ranked, I do get tired of having the same old thing at the same old place every single day. In a town like St. Peter, there are not many options if you want to change up your meal plan a little bit, and being gluten, dairy, egg, and soy free, that limits my options even more! You know the running joke about craving Chick Fil A, but only on Sundays? That's how I feel almost every day of the week about every place back home such as Red Robin, Old Chicago, Bonfire, Chipotle, Jimmy Johns etc..Being back home gives me so many more choices, and nothing is better than a homemade meal from my mom! There is such thing as too much caf food, especially when you memorize the meal schedule. Those who go to Gustavus know that every day of the week is dedicated to something. Mondays are caesar salad, noodle bowl Tuesdays, grilled cheese Wednesdays, steak night and mac and cheese Thursdays, and Gyro and mandarin orange Fridays. But as a person with allergies, my meal plan is more like grilled chicken and broccoli Mondays, grilled chicken and carrots Tuesday, grilled chicken (or carved turkey!) Wednesdays, grilled chicken and cauliflower Thursdays, and grilled chicken and green beans Friday. All I have to say, is soy is in everything!
4. Permanent parking spot
This one is probably the most appreciated because I like my spot in my garage, and I am sure Goldy (my car) likes it better too. While it is nice having a car with me on campus, no one ever wants to go anywhere because they lose their parking spot. It sounds very counterproductive, but if I get a spot in the lot closest to my dorm, I will not go anywhere until I absolutely have to because in my mind, having to park all the way in the Collegeview apartments parking lot is just not worth it.(It's not even a 3 minute walk, those reading this that go/went to a big school are probably laughing at me). I know that cars don't have feelings, but every time there is a huge storm or a blizzard, I feel bad because I think my car is getting too cold, and that it gets sad whenever it gets rained on. Overall, it is nice being able to actually use my car and not be scared that my spot will be taken a minute after I leave!
5. Cable
As much as I love Netflix, it can get a little old after a while. Before college, I would always be home at night with the news on in the background while I did my homework. It is amazing how out of the loop I get when I am up on the hill. There have been many times where my mom asked me if I heard about a certain (very important) current event happening, or saw a movie trailer, and I had absolutely no clue. I like to say that I live in a little bubble in St. Peter. I also am very fond of Dr. Phil (psychology nerd), followed by Ellen DeGeneres, and would come home from school and watch it with my mom, but not anymore! Not that I have any time to watch TV during the semester anyways, but it really is nice knowing what goes on in the world again when I am back home. This also allows me to watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette on a full screen TV instead of my little laptop...it's a big deal.
6. The suburbs
If someone asked me one of the main reasons I chose to go to Gustavus, the fact that it's in a small town in the middle of no where would absolutely not be one of them. Growing up in Eagan/Apply Valley, it doesn't get more suburban than that. I have always been very involved in my community and neighborhood, so every time that I leave, I do get pretty homesick. There's nothing like driving Johnny Cake aka "the curvy road" with the windows down, music up, as I venture my way from Eagan to Apple Valley and often times pull up at a stoplight knowing the person in the car next to me. There are so many places to go and see such as the many restaurants I have gone to with my friends growing up, The Apple Valley Waterpark, movie theater, TAGS gymnastics which is my home away from home, and of course, Eastview. It was always fun going to Raising Canes after baseball games in high school, and other popular places around town. As much as Gustavus is my home now, my home city will always be my true home. Growing up in this area could not have been better, which makes it so much harder to say goodbye to every time I go back to school.
7. Lifetime Fitness
I am fortunate enough to live right across the street from Lifetime, which happens to be a shorter commute for me than the commute from my dorm to our athletic facility. Just the fact that there are more than 7 treadmills and ellipticals is such a blessing whenever I come home for the summer. I always feel excited being able to work out at Lifetime again because there are just so many options, it's like a kid in a candy store. I never thought that I could have fitness equipment withdrawal, but I have learned that it is possible, and worse than caffeine withdrawal. It's also nice being back at Lifetime because of the fact that I am close to my community as I mentioned above. Just like there are "the regulars" at the Lund Center, there are "the regulars" at Lifetime which I have come to know very well. There is always at least one neighbor, or one friend, that I see and work out with everyday. And not gonna lie, it is nice not having every single TV turned to either the E Network or ESPN. Variety is key, my friends.
8. Christ Presbyterian Church
During the school year, one of the things that I miss the most is my church. Gustavus does have a great traditional service on Sundays, but I prefer the contemporary service at my home church, CPC, every Sunday. It was the place I got dedicated, baptized, went to Sunday school, and became familiar with the pastors. Having a "church home" really is important, and even though I cannot call the Christ Chapel service my home, it makes coming home to CPC that much better. I try to stream it on my laptop while I am at school, but nothing can compare to being in the sanctuary, feeling the bass of the drums, the echo of the piano, and hearing in person the relatable sermons that Pastor John blesses me with. My family has a Sunday routine of going to our service, then going to brunch, and that is a simple thing and privilege I enjoy whenever I come home. It is one of the main reasons I am excited to be home for the summer.
9. My parents
My parents (and dog) are also only a perk I can get when I am only at home, and I would hope this is the case because that would be extremely weird if they were at Gustavus with me. It's nice being taken care of every once in a while because juggling classes, extracurriculars, laundry, and remembering to keep myself alive can be hard! I also enjoy the company of my parents, and being able to be with people who truly understand me. My mom is my workout, movie, shopping, walking the lake, and lunch buddy during the summer, and I definitely miss the quality time I spend with my parents when I go back to school. My dad is my road bike buddy in the summer, as I cannot imagine biking down 169 by myself, and would never want to bike down that highway in the first place! As much as I have heard that people this age are itching to get away from their parents, I do miss them when I am at school.
10. High school friends
People say that the friends you make in college will be friends for a lifetime, and while that may be true, there is something about high school friends that makes me feel at home and are a comfort. I find it impressive that people keep their friends from high school despite being at different schools because it requires effort, but also reveals just how strong the bond is for those friendships that do survive the first years of college. I am fortunate enough to have stayed best friends with my "squad" in high school, and even though we talk less than we used to, it doesn't mean anything between us has changed. Seeing my friends when I come home from school feels just as exciting as Christmas morning, and I never realize how much I miss them until that first time I reunite with them for the summer. While I may be "opening the yearbook" again, that's just because there is no reason to close it.
As I have said in my past posts, "it is the little things that count." Each year that I head back to the hill, I discover a few more little tidbits that I miss while I am away, and start to do more adulty things. Catching up with one of my friends from Eastview today, it made me realize just how much of a homebody I am, which can make it hard when I am in love with Gustavus and my city at the same time. There are more little things that I could add to this list, and there probably will be a lot more as I become more of a big girl doing big girl things! I enjoy both the lives that I live, but there are just some things that if I created a Venn Diagram, there would never be an overlap which makes me appreciate certain aspects about both my homes.
Have a great week, folks!
~Lauren