To say that first day was overwhelming or insane would be a gross understatement. As we pulled into the loop that all of the eight main campus buildings were located on, everything looked more miraculous then it had before. Something about knowing that this was really my fate gave that lively place an extra sparkle that day.
The first stop was the gatehouse. Per routine safety measure, though I wouldn't have feared for my safety with the lack of a gatehouse, they jotted down our license plate number with some cheery utterance of "Welcome" or "Good luck this year!" A smile and a nod in return, and we pressed on.
We passed by my dorm house and the sports fields as we rounded the loop to the Tech Center- a rarely used, small building that was kind of set aside from the rest of campus. During the remainder of the year, it would serve as nothing more than a convenient spot of access to the trails. That first day, though, it served a much more crucial purpose. It was where I had to get the ugliest picture of my life taken. And, of course, this was my I.D. picture for the year.
They printed it off then and there. My pudgy-looking face on a blue background was placed in the center of a yellow card. "Lena Sutter" it read on the top, and stated "Conserve School Student" down the side, with my I.D. number on the bottom. It would be my pass to get into my dorm and the LAB, on occasion. For an ugly piece of plastic, I thought it was pretty spectacular.
Next was a stop off in James House, the medical center. It was one of the five identical dorm houses on campus, and the only one not occupied by students. When I walked inside, the health wing was already filled to the brim with people who would soon be my friends, my family. At the time, though, they were strangers. So my eyes grew wide and I panicked.
The first stop was the gatehouse. Per routine safety measure, though I wouldn't have feared for my safety with the lack of a gatehouse, they jotted down our license plate number with some cheery utterance of "Welcome" or "Good luck this year!" A smile and a nod in return, and we pressed on.
We passed by my dorm house and the sports fields as we rounded the loop to the Tech Center- a rarely used, small building that was kind of set aside from the rest of campus. During the remainder of the year, it would serve as nothing more than a convenient spot of access to the trails. That first day, though, it served a much more crucial purpose. It was where I had to get the ugliest picture of my life taken. And, of course, this was my I.D. picture for the year.
They printed it off then and there. My pudgy-looking face on a blue background was placed in the center of a yellow card. "Lena Sutter" it read on the top, and stated "Conserve School Student" down the side, with my I.D. number on the bottom. It would be my pass to get into my dorm and the LAB, on occasion. For an ugly piece of plastic, I thought it was pretty spectacular.
Next was a stop off in James House, the medical center. It was one of the five identical dorm houses on campus, and the only one not occupied by students. When I walked inside, the health wing was already filled to the brim with people who would soon be my friends, my family. At the time, though, they were strangers. So my eyes grew wide and I panicked.
