Greetings from an Amtrak train car currently waiting to depart South Station…spring break is finally here! I already feel like there’s a weight off my mind, although now that I don’t have quite so much work to think about I’m starting to realize how tired I really am.
I really love my train rides home. Some people get sentimental on plane rides, but since I don’t have one of those, I get sentimental on the train instead. Sitting in South Station made me realize how comfortable I’ve become getting places on my own. My first year, just sitting in South Station was this huge stressful thing…having to assert my independence, act inconspicuously, and knowing that if I messed something up, I was going to have to be the one to deal with it. I’m not the same girl who nearly cried her first time going home when she couldn’t find the right bus terminal. Now, long-waits in South Station are almost enjoyable. The people watching is fun in itself, but it’s also nice having some time to myself just to watch and reflect on how the outside world has changed while I’ve been in my Wellesley bubble. The station-wide ad campaign has changed has changed since January, and so have I, I think. I know a lot more science, that’s for sure. South Station feels like the heart of Boston. Maybe not the emotional heart, but more of a functional one. Maybe South Station is like the right ventricle of Boston, but you can get a grasp about what kind of city Boston is if you sit there long enough, I think.
Waiting for the mad rush to the train
Another thing I love about my train rides home is the scenery. Sure, you get your back entrances of strip-malls and your sewage treatment plants, but you also get the classic New England harbors and sometimes a long stretch around bays leading to the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes nature just demands you look up from what you’re doing. Just last night, the last night before spring break, we had a sunset so beautiful it could easily make my top 5 sunsets I’ve ever experienced. Everyone was worn down and it had been a grey day, but then from the grey clouds the sun illuminated the tips of the trees bright orange. The tower glowed gold, and it looked as if it could be the gates of heaven, or something horribly corny like that. It was so beautiful, I felt like crying. I was also exhausted, but that’s what it felt like. It was like Wellesley was reminding us all, quite literally, that there’s a light at the end of every tunnel. And then the gold faded to pinks and blues and my phone ran out of juice, so I just kept staring, determined to soak it all up while it lasted.
When I saw this…
…I ran to capture this
Seniors, I know decisions are coming out soon, and I wish you all nothing but the best of luck. College is going to be a wonderful and difficult at the same time, and sometimes you’ll just get the most glorious sunset right when you need it.
Ever lovely yours,
Eleanor