Back to School

I had a unique opportunity recently of going back to my alma mater at the University where I spent my last two years before I graduated.  Being on campus and seeing the beautiful buildings where I had taken so many classes brought back many memories of days past.  Walking along the same sidewalk with all the trees that line it, seeing the administration building where one would have to stand for hours to get registered, (unlike today where the computer does all the work for a student at his leisure and at his home to get his classes), was fun and exciting.  There was a certain feeling that came with being there that made me feel like I should be carrying a ton of books and be headed for the library to study.  My boyfriend (later this handsome boy became my handsome husband) and I would spent every evening there, each studying our perspective courses' homework.  Sometimes I would be so tired that I would lay my head down and have a short nap on those hard oak tables.  Once in a while we would walk down the hill to an ice cream shop and treat ourselves to a cone afterward.  Then he would walk me back to my apartment that I shared with seven other girls.
  I was not prepared for the nostalgia that came with this experience because the purpose for my visit was to meet the first recipient of a fellowship that was established in the department of Science in my husband's name.  Koushik is a very nice young fellow who, with his wife, has come to the University from Calcutta, India just 5 years ago.  He is a graduate student studying the mobility of flagella in the field of microbiology.  He took me on a tour of his lab and explained his research.  I also met with the Dean of the College of Science who interviewed all the candidates and helped choose Koushik.   Afterward, the three of us walked down the hill to a lovely restrauant where we had a delicious lunch together and talked about Koushik's plans for the future.  What a nice way to spend a fall afternoon!