This morning I woke up excited—today I get to see a friend I haven’t seen a long time!

Partings and reunions become as common as breakfast, lunch, and dinner when you go to college far away. Having more than one home, it becomes a fact of life that I’m always missing someone—I’m either at home skyping friends from college or at college skyping friends from home (or, more recently, in Brazil skyping friends from both!). Mostly the partings and reunions are centered around the times when I travel, though: at the beginnings and ends of semesters I say a lot of hellos and goodbyes, on either end of my flights.

Today, though, I get to have a reunion—and I don’t even have to leave campus for it! One of my good friends actually lives in Middlebury, though he goes to college somewhere else. I met him a few years ago when I was living and working on campus for the summer, and we bonded over a mutual love of swing dancing and travel. He’s just been studying abroad in Thailand, and I’m excited to hear about all of his adventures.

I’ve been amazed at how many people from the town of Middlebury, commonly known as “townies,” I’ve come to know over my time here. Some I meet in the desk beside me while they’re auditing a class and bringing a different perspective to the classroom. Some are the regulars that faithfully attend dance department performances. Some are more coincidental, like the very friendly people that work at my favorite off-campus place to do homework, Otter Creek Bakery. The reunion I’m having today is with just one of my several townie friends—and I’m looking forward to saying hello!