The semester is off and running! As I anticipated, I am thinking about Middlebury in different terms than I did in previous semesters. Many of my friends have returned from living abroad and we are all spread out on campus due to the changes in the Commons system. While I was a fan of the original Commons, I am thrilled to live in a new place with friends from other dorms—an option that was not as accessible before.
The Middlebury community feels both bigger and smaller with these changes. I have met new people, even in the space of a few days on campus. These new acquaintances traveled the globe with my friends or are simply the neighbors of my old Ross hall-mates in dorms with which we “Ross Rhinos” were previously unaffiliated. When you consider how many people there are to meet each year, it is astounding, even at a relatively small school. People who were abroad all year seem to feel particularly unfamiliar with the campus community because they know, at best, only half the school. (No small feat!)