Summer in Gambier
I take the chicken out of the oven. The microwave is beeping with the now unfrozen veggies inside, while the potatoes are sizzling on the stove. It is a Wednesday night in Gambier, Ohio. My five friends and I sit down at the table. Having gone through a couple rough years, it is nice to be able to spend every dinner with your friends.
We start to discuss our days. I am working in Admissions, while my friends are doing science research. Very quickly, the topic flies over my head. I try my best to keep up with the conversation, usually cracking a punny joke that my friends are less amused at than I am. Eventually the conversation feels more familiar and we will start to sort out seconds to make sure everybody gets their fair share. We linger around the table for a bit after the food is all gone and then we bring our plates into the kitchen where someone cleans up.
Unlike the school year, we have time to relax and do not have to do homework or go to a meeting for a club that we are involved in. At times, I felt the need to go to an event to support a friend rather than work on a paper. Last year, I got burnt out a bit. Recovering from the pandemic, I got involved in too many things hoping that my fire for Kenyon would reignite. Instead of a roaring fire, the flames quickly died down having too much on my plate. Board games were always a nice time to relax during the school year, but it was rare to play more than once a week due to the necessities of college. This summer, we play a board game almost every night. Tonight, my friends are dealing the cards of Dominion to the group. We go around the table continuing our dinner discussion. It is not long before laughter once again fills the room.
After a few games, I decide to go call my family back home. I step out of the apartment to go for a walk with my AirPods in and I hear my mom’s voice on the other end as I start my lap around the block. We talk about our days and what is happening back home. Sometimes I wish I was back in the DC area with my family. Of course I miss them, but I am quickly reminded by myself and my family that I am glad to be on campus.
Last summer, I did not go back to college after winter break. I longed to be back in Gambier. Spending a whole semester with your family when you are supposed to be six hours away in a little Ohio village, makes you ready to get out and do something different. I returned to my high school job at a swim shop and continued to spend time with my family last summer. August arrived and I was eager to make the drive through the mountains of West Virginia back to Kenyon. I got to go back early to train for my brand new job as a tour guide. Little did I know, Admissions was going to deepen my passion for college. At the end of this year, I was invited to work this summer, fueling the fire for Kenyon more.
Admissions has given me a whole new experience. Not only do I get to give tours, but I also get to be on info sessions and conduct interviews. One of my favorite parts of being able to do everything in the office is to be able to more clearly see the spark in prospective students’ eyes. While I often take being at Kenyon for granted, I remember being one of those shy, nervous, 17 year-olds hoping that I would find a college for me. This summer, I am very grateful that I get to share what it is like to be at the place I consider a second home.
On the weekends, I get to go golfing at one of the four nearby courses with my friends. To save money and get exercise, we walk the course. My bag that I received as a birthday gift in the dead of winter has worn in. I know where everything is, including my orange golf balls. The feeling of the bag has changed a bit over the summer. When I started, I was shanking the ball yards off the fairway near the wooded areas. The bag was heavy when I wandered around the rough by the trees hoping that I saw a spec of orange in the tall blades of grass. Slowly, I have improved to keep the ball within the area of play. I don’t feel the weight of the bag when I am able to hit my ball straight down the fairway. While hitting a nice iron shot onto the green feels good, nothing will compare to walking over 250 yards to a well struck drive. My friends and I will keep score. I always finish last, but I don’t care. They just want to see who can win. Next weekend, I can count on going golf, like death and taxes in life.
The conversation with my mom wraps up, and she hands the phone to my dad. Usually I repeat the same information, but the questions will often be different. My dad and I will bond over the Mets. Oftentimes, I will turn on the game or another sports game in the background of playing board games or watch it when my friends have something else to do in the evenings.
When the clock approaches half past ten, we start to wrap up the night’s festivities and begin to head to bed. I walk upstairs to the third floor. As I lay down on my pillow, I can see the night sky out my window. Having just passed the summer solstice a week prior, the sun usually does not set until after nine o’clock, so it is not fully dark outside. Back home in the DC area the sun sets around half past eight at the latest. In addition to it being lighter out, there are different birds chirping for background noise. Back home, there were cars that would pass by or the occasional train in the distance with a plane flying overhead sometimes.
Being in Gambier during the summer is a slower pace of life. After a few hectic years, having a chance to breathe is refreshing. It helps that I am surrounded by the beautiful Ohio countryside. The school year is less than two months away, but for now, I’m content spending my days talking about the place I love and my nights hanging with my friends while spending my weekends on the golf course. This summer gives me a nice chance to rekindle my fire for Kenyon and rest up for the busy school year ahead.
