Slice of Life 1
My favorite place in all the world is one I found the first time I set foot on the campus at Pacific Lutheran University.
I came back to college after a ten year hiatus from school. I meant to go right after high school, but life happened. So, two kids, a dozen odd jobs, a divorce, and a remarriage later, I decided to follow my passion and go back to college to become a teacher.
I spent the first couple of years at a community college, getting my prerequisites out of the way, but when it was time to move on to a university, I began to explore PLU as an option. I applied, was accepted, and took the 60 mile trip from Seattle to see the campus with my husband. I knew the second I set foot on the serene layout at PLU that I was home, but one place resonated with me more than any other.
It was a rainy, blustery March day. Toby and I spent the morning in the Commons, hearing about all of the options available to students, features about the campus, and various things to do. When it was time for the tour, I glanced at the sideways-falling rain skeptically, considering skipping it and going later. Toby urged me to go anyway, and to this day, I am so glad I took that advice.
We traipsed from one end of the campus to the other, in and out of buildings made of brick and glass. They were all very large, looming...collegial. It made me nervous and anxious, thinking about how big the campus truly was.
The tour ended in Red Square, which is not really red. It's a meeting place in the middle of campus, where various events happen. The building at Red Square is Eastvold, the campus chapel. Eastvold is, arguably, the most iconic building on campus because of the Rose Window. This window is made of stained glass, and has been PLU's logo and symbol for many years.
As I walked into Red Square, I turned my face upward. The droplets of rain ended their journey from the sky on my upturned face. I stood there that soggy afternoon, holding my husband's hand, knowing I had found my center. I had found the one place in the midst of all this overwhelming anxiety where I knew I could breathe.
I did choose PLU as my college home. I spent many days there, learning about both my chosen profession and myself. But I made a point to walk through Red Square at least once a day, look up into the light of the Rose Window, and say a little prayer of thanks: for my studies, for my children, for my life, for my love.
I came back to college after a ten year hiatus from school. I meant to go right after high school, but life happened. So, two kids, a dozen odd jobs, a divorce, and a remarriage later, I decided to follow my passion and go back to college to become a teacher.
I spent the first couple of years at a community college, getting my prerequisites out of the way, but when it was time to move on to a university, I began to explore PLU as an option. I applied, was accepted, and took the 60 mile trip from Seattle to see the campus with my husband. I knew the second I set foot on the serene layout at PLU that I was home, but one place resonated with me more than any other.
It was a rainy, blustery March day. Toby and I spent the morning in the Commons, hearing about all of the options available to students, features about the campus, and various things to do. When it was time for the tour, I glanced at the sideways-falling rain skeptically, considering skipping it and going later. Toby urged me to go anyway, and to this day, I am so glad I took that advice.
We traipsed from one end of the campus to the other, in and out of buildings made of brick and glass. They were all very large, looming...collegial. It made me nervous and anxious, thinking about how big the campus truly was.
The tour ended in Red Square, which is not really red. It's a meeting place in the middle of campus, where various events happen. The building at Red Square is Eastvold, the campus chapel. Eastvold is, arguably, the most iconic building on campus because of the Rose Window. This window is made of stained glass, and has been PLU's logo and symbol for many years.
As I walked into Red Square, I turned my face upward. The droplets of rain ended their journey from the sky on my upturned face. I stood there that soggy afternoon, holding my husband's hand, knowing I had found my center. I had found the one place in the midst of all this overwhelming anxiety where I knew I could breathe.
I did choose PLU as my college home. I spent many days there, learning about both my chosen profession and myself. But I made a point to walk through Red Square at least once a day, look up into the light of the Rose Window, and say a little prayer of thanks: for my studies, for my children, for my life, for my love.
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