Letter to Mom.

March 3, 2017

Mom:

Today was a good one! As usual, you would love to be here. And I would love it if you were. I was on my way to work and I realized that spring is definitely on its way! You know I always send you pictures of the dead trees and the somber look they give to the campus. Well, today it has been pretty warm! Actually, it has been this way since I came back from Winter Break. I have to confess I am glad it is. I was tired of using boots and double sweaters! You know how easily cold I get.

Anyways, the campus has been warming up for the past couple of days. A few days ago, I went outside with a big jacket and I had to return to my dorm to take it off! The trees look exactly the same, though. I keep waiting for the leaves to slowly start growing. I wonder, do they just sprout overnight? Or does it actually take time for them to grow back? I guess I will find out when they do!

It is funny, you know. All this time, the thing I notice the most is the grass. As I walk across the quad every day, I stare at the grass. Sometimes it seems dry. It is definitely mushy a lot of the times. I should know, since my beautiful converse get muddy all the time as I walk straight into the grass when I am running late for class. And after it rains, it seems so alive, mom. So green. It is fascinating to see the tiny drops of water shining on top of them. I find that it reassures me. It is like they are telling me there is always a rainbow after the storm. By the way, I was taking out the trash one day and saw a rainbow! A rainbow on the floor! Ironically, the rainbow seemed to follow the path I took while I dragged the trash outside. Ironically enough, it seemed like the trash was spilling colors.

You always ask me what I do when I have free time. Well, I think that the most interesting thing I do aside from writing papers and mopping floors (you know I am a FA) is being outside. I have never been an outdoorsy person, yet my time at Berea College has contributed and now I have a love-hate relationship with nature. You see, I walk everywhere, which is exhausting. But it also gives me the opportunity to see everything outside. I love walking out of my class and feeling the wind brush my face, or breathing really hard so that smoke will come out of my mouth (nothing to worry about, mom). Also, a bird pooped my laptop screen. I just wanted to point that out. I guess I can say that being here definitely made me appreciate the nature around me.

For the past semester, I have made two discoveries. First, squirrels are your friends! They are fearless. When I walk back to my room from an exhausting day, I like seeing the squirrels running alongside me. Sometimes they stop and stare at me. Sometimes they run right in front of me. And sometimes they just do not care about my presence and just dig rapidly, looking for food. I wonder how many of them are currently on campus.

The second thing I discovered was the pretty flowers growing outside. You would be surprised at how fast that happened! First, it was just one. In the middle of the quad, these tiny, beautiful flowers appeared out of nowhere. My next encounter with them was a day after I saw the first one. They were by a tree near my dorm room. I googled them and apparently, they can also be called Narcissus. You probably have heard of them. As the days go by, I see them grow taller. They have a sweet yellow color and they make the quad so beautiful! It is as if they decided to be born next to a tree to keep them company. It is so interesting to watch! Every day, I walk by the same exact spot to see them grow. At first, I just see something green popping out. Next time I look, there is a whole flower! And not just one, sometimes two or three grow together! I feel like I want to take some to my dorm one day, but I am afraid I cannot do that for some reason. Well, I am still happy just by seeing them.

Overall, I think I have been doing good, mom. This is definitely not like home, it is different. The weather, the cold! I have never seen this many trees. I really thought I was going to get lost here, but it is beautiful. You were here once, but I wish you could be here right now. I wish you could be here every day, and see the flowers grow with me. I am glad I get to talk to you and to tell you everything. There are so much things we have to talk about, but you know what is better than writing them to you? Telling them. I will call you as soon as I can, okay?

I love you. Tell dad, Vicky, Zeus, and Apolo I said hello. And do not forget to give them a big hug for me!

-Daniela