Late-night Campus Walkin'

I walked through campus last night by myself at 1am. Generally, there are people out and about. On a Tuesday night at 1am during the second-to-last week before finals, it was deserted.

I walked in the glow of familiar lights, past buildings I have never explored completely, on sidewalks with cracks and bumps my soles know like friends... I've spent all of my time on this campus for five years. I came here a single, physically ill 18 year old. I'm still here as a single 23 year old with more aches and ailments to list, many of them seemingly in my mind.

The campus has changed significantly in five years. Most recently, a building disappeared! The jolly, cracked-paint, broken-windowed exterior of the science classroom building has been replaced by a large gaping hole. I'm not entirely sure what they're building.... The sidewalk that connected directly to the top story of that ancient temporary place of learning has been sawed off and a simple chain-link fence protects the passers by from the gaping hole of the construction site. I stood there last night for a good 15 minutes...Staring at the abyss where my favorite building once stood.

It wasn't a fancy building, but it had comfortable classrooms deep underground. They had ancient chemistry posters on the walls. The Science Classroom Building was built in 1940 and was never meant to be permanent... it made it all the way to 2009. The University is generally a temporary place for its residents. People spend 4, 5, sometimes 8 or 9 years here, but never much more. Teachers stay longer, but they too come and go. People pass through the halls of Walter and Coffman... they call this place home. They pay little attention to the place that grows and evolves around them. They walk through Northrop for what is possibly the first time since the first day of classes on the night they receive their diploma (holder). Then they leave. They rarely come back. 60,000 students here at the University, all destined to leave.

Colleges are like home towns. People have fond memories here... stories to tell, you name it. But if there aren't relatives or reunions pulling them back, there is no reason to let the idyllic vision in your head become tainted. Polish it. Make it sparkle.

I decided to stay here. Year 5 ticked off on the prison wall in my head. I love Minneapolis, and I love the university. Soon this place will no longer be my home. Will I leave and let my memories flourish? Will I stay and let things like the destruction of the Science Classroom Building taint the map in my mind?

I walked the rest of the way home. Alone... looking for the stars overhead. There weren't any.

This campus is just too big for the both of us.

Given an opportunity, I call or text my sister and ask her if she'd like to get food with me. Today, I had an opportunity, and plans were made. She had 30 minutes between classes, and I suggested that I buy some pita chips and hummus and we eat them together by her classroom. This sounded like a fantastic idea. I purchased some of the aforementioned ingestables from the sandwich-cart/thing at the electrical engineering building and also bought a bottle of Pibb Xtra. Little did I know that the next 20 minutes would be filled with absolute confusion and mayhem.

"Yeah, my class is in third floor ...aaake"
"Where? Tate?"
"Yeah."
I shrugged, thinking That's not very far from here... but continued over to Tate, the physics building. I didn't see her, so I called and asked which side she was on.
"Oh, I'm over by the ...in..amn..."
"You're by the Tin Man? Well, come over here, I'll stay where I am by the bike rack."
"Ok"
I stepped outside the physics building. I could practically see the tin man from where I was standing, how could I have missed her? I called her back.
"Where the heck are you, I haven't seen you walk by"
"I'm up on the third floor."
"Of Tate?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll head over there... but I'm staying on the phone with you"
"Kay."
I walked back to the physics building, mumbling to Tara about how I didn't see her. I walked through the WHOLE third floor of the physics building.
"You have a class up here?"
"Yeah in the computer lab."
"Uhh..."
I paused. There is nothing but OFFICES on the third floor of Tate.
"Tara, are you sure your class is in the physics building?"
"Physics building? No, my class is in ... aake"
"Tate?"
"No, PEIK."
"Gaaaah. I thought you said Tate. You're all the way across campus"
"Well, I've got 10 minutes, head over here."
"Nooo we wouldn't get the chance to eat anything, it takes almost that long to walk over there."
"Okaaay. When are you going to be home?"
"NEVER."

This campus is too big, with too many buildings with similar sounding names. Especially when using a big smart phone with poor reception.

At least these pita chips are tasty.