Returning to Campus!

This past fall, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, and it was amazing. I am super thankful because I had an even better experience than I could have ever imagined (more blog posts to come on this). But as I spent my break back home in Virginia, I couldn’t help but get excited about my return to Carleton. Reflecting on my first days back in Northfield, my excitement was justified. Here are some of the reasons why:

Friends

Even though we kept in good touch, there is nothing quite like being back in person and hanging out with all of your friends. I have enjoyed walking around campus since I have gotten to run into familiar faces and catch up. Of course, there’s a whole new class of unfamiliar faces too (16 new first-years on my team!), but that only adds to the excitement. And it helps that I live in a fantastic room in Evans Hall with two of my best friends, both named Aaron.

Sully!

One of the best things I have done at Carleton is joining Project Friendship as a volunteer mentor and getting matched with Sully. I wrote about my experience in a previous post, but seeing Sully every week again is a highlight. I look forward to our winter meetings sledding down the hill by Bell Field (and my dorm, Evans Hall), skating on the Bald Spot’s ice rinks, and drinking hot chocolate at Sayles.

Profs!

Carleton is #1 in undergraduate liberal arts teaching and there is a good reason why. I was immediately reminded of how wonderful Carleton professors are; all of my profs this term have made it a point to meet one-on-one with us by the end of the first couple of weeks. It is just another example of how much profs here care about us as their students. 

The Campus

I was also reminded of how beautiful our campus is, evidenced by the number of pictures I have already taken and sent over to my parents. The snow looks magical, and the extra perk is that the weather hasn’t been too cold yet! I also hope to get back out to the Arboretum soon.

Dining Hall Desserts

I have previously confessed my love for dining hall desserts at Carleton in a previous post. The dining halls haven’t disappointed with the desserts, and the ice cream machine has been well-utilized by me (yes, even in winter). My favorite so far has to be the Vanilla Meringue; it was very classy.

Kai is a junior excited to be back at Carleton after studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a Political Science & Psychology major and prospective Public Policy Minor from Charlottesville, Virginia. He loves working in the Lutsky Social and Personality Research Lab, volunteering for Project Friendship, playing piano at the Weitz, hanging out at Sayles, taking walks around the Lakes or in the Arb, and pitching/playing infield for the baseball team.