Take The Long Way Home

One of my favorite parts of getting to know my fellow Lakers since arriving in Menomonie has been sharing our tastes in music. I’ve shared a lot of Supertramp, one of my personal favorites. In the days since arriving in Menomonie, I’ve been thinking about one Supertramp song in particular: “Take the Long Way Home.” 

In order to arrive at Stout, I traveled northbound from my home in Southeast Michigan, through Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, southbound for a quick stop in the Twin Cities, and eventually eastward to Menomonie. Had I taken the most direct route, the journey would have been completed in a mere nine hours. Instead, I turned it into a five day road trip and tacked on a few extra hundred miles.

Upon arriving on campus, however, I found a home of sorts. Since the very first night when we had dinner at the Waterfront, my research partner Nell has insisted on referring to our cohort as a family. And it turns out, seven days in, she’s not wrong. Some of this family-building has been forced (in a good way). We’ve been forced to all live in the same dorm, to work on the same research projects, and to attend the same events. But a lot of this family-building has been very organic; which, as environmentalists, we all tend to prefer. We’ve exchanged playlists and book recommendations and shared most all of our meals. We’ve explored the city and danced and played competitive games of billiards. Already, we’re a family.

The coming weeks are bound to fly by, and I’m trying my best to be intentional about soaking it all in. I am surrounded by nine ambitious, intelligent, and eager women who all have so much to offer to this research experience. With the help of our outstanding mentors and each other, I can’t wait to see what this family can do.