Good times on the Hilltop never seemed so good!

Might sound weird. Even I paused a little after writing this sentence. However, after a summer of worrying about not being able to come back to your favorite things: working in the editing lab, late nights on campus, playing sports with my friends, and seeing the people that I missed so much, everything seems better than it actually is.

As I finished decorating my room, I was wondering how long I will actually live here. Dorms are a part of my college experience, so I want to stay as long as possible. Coming back to my bed, where I have all the pictures with the special people in my life, is all I need at the end of the day. It might be a little too poetic, but for someone who traveled from my home in Romania, went through four airports in a day to get here, and who left America last semester with a great fear of being locked out of the country, everything that is happening is beyond amazing.

Even with social distancing, contentment can be attained without too much effort if one does what one is supposed to and still finds the joy of being back here, among many students who experience the same weird feelings. Having someone by your side who understands always helps. That is one thing that I noticed since I came back. I might have just been a naïve freshman last year, without being able to see the bigger picture at SMU, but I definitely feel that this year people are more tolerant and sensitive to each other’s needs. This makes me realize that everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t see it at the moment. I believe there is a reason I was able to come back and I am going to discover it as I am making more videos about what needs to be heard or said.