The start of the 3rd year.

Well this is it. My summer break winds down to an end. 3 months of fun and relaxation.

What do I want to accomplish this school year?

I want to be able to get better grades and make some good friends. I want to be smart in whatever I do. No wasteful movements. Do things at my own pace, be organized, prompt.

I guess that's my resolution for the 2014-15 academic year.



A three-to-four hour drive later and I'm back on campus, at a new dorm. The first one here out of the four. I'd probably say it's the nicest dorm I've lived in so far, with a built-in kitchen and bathroom. There are closets (more like storage rooms) here and there in the suite. The only flaw is that it's pretty secluded from the main campus. About a ten minute walk. It took me about two hours to unpack everything and settle. Very few upperclassmen were moving in today.

I was left with a bag full of onigiri (rice balls), two bottles of green tea and water, along with fruits that my ma packed for me. This was my dinner. After eating in silence, I decided to take an evening stroll around the campus. I wasn't going anywhere specific, but I just wanted to walk around. Everything was closed anyway. I put on a pair of jeans, and fluffed on a light hoodie, and headed out. I tested my keys to the mailbox, checked out the laundry room, and took note of the distance between here and campus. The sky was already dark, and the mercury vapor lampposts lit the sidewalk. I was the only one walking. It started raining lightly but it didn't get me especially wet.

When I walked through the campus center there was not a soul. A few students, seeming like freshmen, came at one point, as if they were trying to discover where this place was. I walked through the main area. The convenience store became larger and cleaner and they replaced an eatery for a new one. A part of the entrance was blocked from construction. Other than that everything was just the same. I got out of the campus center and walked around the podium. But then something happened.

While walking in the concrete, an air of the past flew in me, and it took me back, to last year, where I always used to walk this area with friends and more importantly loved ones. I didn't mean to think about it in the first place but it just came. Certain areas on campus reminded me of her, because it was the place where we usually congregated or had meals or walked to her dorm. Certain areas made me realize how distant we were. They were like memories flying in. And these memories, for some reason, seemed like they happened years and years ago. It was frustrating and sad, like a leaf falling from a branch and getting crunched up. I halted and stared at the fountain, for no reason, imagining what kind of year I'll have. And without realizing, I shed a tear.

I got back, showered, and brushed my teeth. It was my last day to leisurely enjoy my time at the dorm alone. When four people come in, I may not be able to shower or use the bathroom when I want to. It's going to be loud, it's going to be hectic. I want silence and peacefulness. And cleanliness.

One time I visited their suite last year and their place was so messy that it was literally un-walkable.

I'm really hoping for cleanliness, silence, and peacefulness.

I turned off the lamp and went to bed, the crickets as my ambiance.