Kenyon, I Love You
If you happened to have been walking on Middle Path toward Old Kenyon just a few nights ago, you may or may not have noticed a random woman hanging from the front bay window of Leonard Hall. Let me explain.
This new school year has found me living in what I consider to be the most magnificent room on this entire campus, part of the division housing for my sorority, Epsilon Delta Mu (EDM). Adorned with Hogwarts-esque bay windows overlooking the South Quad, my room has access to the most picturesque Kenyon views of all time, in addition to being in close proximity to my favorite people of all time. It was because of this that when a beautiful sunset appeared behind the turrets of Old K, I had to take a photo. Immediately.
You may be able to guess what happened from there. Unable to get that perfect shot from sticking just my camera out the window, I made a slightly questionable decision (please don’t try this at home!). With my left foot on the window sill, left arm hooked around the open window, I threw the rest of my body into the air and clung from the window, camera in hand, ’til I was satisfied with my picture. Ignoring the fact that I had gone to extreme measures for the sake of Instagram likes, I have never felt more in love with Kenyon than at that moment, hanging amongst the trees.
When I first found out about Kenyon back in high school, my Googling led me to an unauthorized drone video of the Kenyon campus while “Kokosing Farewell” is sung in the background. I can’t quite explain how, but this video helped me to fall in love with Kenyon. For a place to be sung about so lovingly must have meant there was something truly special about it to love. Having just returned for my sophomore year, I can now guarantee that there is.
I will admit that I was pretty nervous about coming back to Kenyon after a summer “off the grid” as a counselor at a summer camp. My first year had ended so well — was it all downhill from here? As always, I was worried for nothing. I was able to catch up with the professors I admire so much at the Community Feast, run around Leonard Hall dancing to Cotton Eyed Joe and do much more in only my first week back. It’s definitely only uphill from here.
Photographing Old K just a few nights ago was the first of many memorable experiences I’m sure I’ll have this new year at Kenyon. While snapping that photo, it was almost as if I had stepped into the video that I had once watched so religiously. I was as close to soaring amongst the trees of Middle Path as I’ll ever get. Just don’t tell my Mom.
