I went on a Reunion retreat this Saturday, like a "refresher course" for the religious retreats I went on in college. It was right near campus with a mass being held at a church in the heart of the University of Illinois. What a great university U of I is. In High School I was able to attend a studio charette on campus geared towards students who thought they would like to be architects. I immediately knew I needed to be an architect and needed to go to U of I. I was fortunate to make it in, and have parents willing to pay for me to attend.
So as I wandered campus in the middle of the retreat, I plopped down on a bench and wrote what I was thinking at the time....
I am bigger and smaller than the institutions that formed me.....
I am smaller. Here I sit on the campus of the Illini. A city in itself built around education, inspiration, challenge, acceptance and rejection. My 4 year visit is over, my belongings have been packed up and moved on. My apartments and dorms do not allude to my visit. My drawings no longer hang on the walls. The campus has taken on a new face. Not only nature's will, with trees growing and plant life blooming, but also new buildings, new pathways, upgrades in every direction. My visit is me, a visitor, I do not have a place where I belong. I am an observer.
I am bigger. I am larger than just this place. It is not the only experience. It only represents 4 of the 32 years I have lived. I have gleaned from this place a strong foundation for the theories and architects that have come before me. Learned the history of the world in built form. Listened to the opinions of others when I presented my own ideas. I created friendships, some long-term, some ending at graduation. I learned how to be independant and created an adult version of myself. And then I moved on......
While I am nostalgic for my time on campus, and my era of being a student, that time has become a part of my own history. A piece of who I am. I have continued to grow and learn in other ways, at other places, and with my own life. I look forward to seeing my children learn, it is their turn for school and learning. And my turn to teach.
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It sounds like you have some lovely memories of your college days! I really regret that I wasn't able to be a traditional student. I lived off-campus and (very slowly) worked my way through school, taking 7 years to finish my bachelor's degree. So I didn't have the whole campus experience, and I feel like I missed out on a lot.
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