Oct. 13th was the date for Hanover homecoming this year, an event I've never missed. I'll admit I was a little unexcited about this one because as far as I knew none of my friends were going, however it turned out to be another great, albeit different, homecoming experience. None of my "group" of friends were there, so it would have been really lonely except I went with Jenny and Jenny and I can always have a good time together. The weather was gorgeous and my dad had let me borrow his convertible sports car to enjoy the drive. We drove in on scenic, as I always do when I return to campus, and parked near the football fields. Jenny and I took a quick walk through the tailgating area but recognized almost no one. We've been gone long enough now that many of the tailgaters are too young for us to know. Weird. We met Becca and then went on the the Phi Mu house. We engaged a couple of "sisters" in conversation about what the house was like nowdays. Apparently, Greek life is suffering on campus: Beta is no longer and Sigma Chi is down to just 9 men...their house is being converted to dorm space! Phi Mu had something like 46 people but they were expecting a pretty decent rush class. ...and get this, they were actually having a hard time getting people to live in the house! Most things at the house looked and smelled the same, the one exception being the bathrooms which got a bit of a makeover. The green stalls and tile have been replaced with newer colors and the plastic covers were taken off the showers to reveal the original marble (who knew we had marble showers!). The same Mary Cassatt painting is still framed in the second floor hallway and the usual dry erase boards, posters and photocollages adorned the walls of the rooms. We peeked in a few rooms and marveled at how we could have three people's possessions in 100 square feet of living space! Walked through the rack room and instantly felt the need for a nap in what may be the best sleeping space ever (remember the perfect temperature and the hum of the air vents lulling you to sleep). We laughed about which bathrooms were the "poop bathrooms" and the made fun of some of the composite pictures as we left. Thought about raiding the small kitchen for a bagel or peanut butter and honey sandwich but i didn't. Ah...what great days.
The rest of the day was filled with soccer, football, and quick visits with people that I barely remember (of course I wore a nametag so that no one would be caught offguard by me). Jenny and I were quite entertained by a slightly intoxicated fan at the soccer field. I had forgotten how funny 21 year old boys can be and how fun it was to have no cares except for sports and learning. It was the first time there was no alcohol involved in my homecoming experience, but it didn't really matter, Jenny and I had a great time anyhow. I certainly missed partying with my gals though. ...and as we were walking through the tailgate area Jenny said, "do you think the Marvins will be here with that tent thingy - what do you call it?" ... THE PORT-A-SESH! Awww, I missed the Marvin port-a-sesh, balloons flying so we could find it and a Hanover flag hanging nearby....and all the tailgating supplies they bring - beer, wine, full on fireplace for roasting all sorts of goodies!
Before we left we took the requisite stop at the point and just kinda soaked in the emotions of the day. For me, visiting Hanover always brings on a complex mix of joy and sadness. Remembering what were some of the best times of my life and longing for being back again but also recognizing that life moves us along to other adventures and if we spend too much time living in the past we might night fully experience the present.
For those of you who weren't there (which is pretty much all of you), I missed ya and look forward to a gathering sometime soon. Each of you occupied at least a moments thought as I visited our history. I miss you guys. (you can start singing, "sisters are the chains that allow me to be free, sisters are the mirrors that let me....." now if you want). Enjoy the pictures and you can pretend you were there!
The rest of the day was filled with soccer, football, and quick visits with people that I barely remember (of course I wore a nametag so that no one would be caught offguard by me). Jenny and I were quite entertained by a slightly intoxicated fan at the soccer field. I had forgotten how funny 21 year old boys can be and how fun it was to have no cares except for sports and learning. It was the first time there was no alcohol involved in my homecoming experience, but it didn't really matter, Jenny and I had a great time anyhow. I certainly missed partying with my gals though. ...and as we were walking through the tailgate area Jenny said, "do you think the Marvins will be here with that tent thingy - what do you call it?" ... THE PORT-A-SESH! Awww, I missed the Marvin port-a-sesh, balloons flying so we could find it and a Hanover flag hanging nearby....and all the tailgating supplies they bring - beer, wine, full on fireplace for roasting all sorts of goodies!
Before we left we took the requisite stop at the point and just kinda soaked in the emotions of the day. For me, visiting Hanover always brings on a complex mix of joy and sadness. Remembering what were some of the best times of my life and longing for being back again but also recognizing that life moves us along to other adventures and if we spend too much time living in the past we might night fully experience the present.
For those of you who weren't there (which is pretty much all of you), I missed ya and look forward to a gathering sometime soon. Each of you occupied at least a moments thought as I visited our history. I miss you guys. (you can start singing, "sisters are the chains that allow me to be free, sisters are the mirrors that let me....." now if you want). Enjoy the pictures and you can pretend you were there!
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