Friday 22 August 2014

Back at our home away from home

The summer has been long and rewarding, busy and relaxing and very enjoyable, but now I'm back at my home away from home - and it feels great. We were away from each other for ten weeks and when you're used to spending every day together it feels like eternity. I've really missed my co-years, they're a great group of people and many of them a second family.

Coming back for second year was a lot easier emotionally for me than coming here for the first time in August last year. Now, I knew what was waiting both here, but also what was waiting in terms of being away from home for months. 

Bergen City
When we first came, we spent a day in Bergen with only our year group. We went to the top of a mountain with a great view over the city. After that we could do whatever we wanted, so a group of us first went to have lunch, and then spent the afternoon at a cafĂ© - surprisingly without being thrown out, considering the noise and how little we actually bought. 

The trip back to the school in the evening was nerve-wracking - we had yet to find out rooms out and prepared for running to our houses as soon as we arrived to RCN. Mady and I had been talking or a long time about being roomies, and as we stopped to wait for the ferry she came running into the bus I was in, telling me with a big smile "we're roomies!". No more nerves for me, the rest of the journey I had a huge smile on my face instead.

Once we found our rooms out (when we actually came back to RCN), Denmark Housers worked together to empty the storage room and then Mady and I started unpacking, with loud music on. We were halfway done, and it was 3:30, by the time we went to bed. The next day was also spent unpacking, and having several meetings to prepare for intro week and first years arrival.

My corner, with a picture of some of my favorite people ever
First year arrivals were amazing, so much fun, exhilarating, exciting, anxious and wonderful. With flags in our hands and on our backs, second years ran to the bus, yelling and screaming and banging the outside of the bus. I wonder who enjoyed it the most - us or the first years? This was done once in the early evening, once around midnight and finally at four in the morning. Our three first year room mates all arrived with the last bus, as did my personal first year. Staying up involved a lot of yawning and giggling, but in the end it was well worth it (though I have to admit I slept for an hour or so in the middle of waiting).

We have officially been second years for a couple of days now, organizing intro week and introducing first years to RCN life and all that is included. Doing this on top of school work and most importantly catching up with friends makes for a busy week, but it's also a great lot of fun.

Cutting hair the RCN way