-^-for posterity-^-

the semester begins and everyone returns. the school felt a bit empty without all of the students running about, playing their games and courting one another. now we’re back in full swing.

they return carrying one suitcase. one suitcase for the semester. in the states, we use minivans and rented trailers. they pour out of busses and taxis and amble towards their dorms. the freshmen are wide eyed and you can spot them a mile off. they’re the ones that are looking left and right and up and down with a smirk on their face. they’re one of the 10% that passed the entrance exam. they know how lucky they are.

the nights are different, but better. the courting couples sit on benches. they sit in the shadows of the night. they sit next to each other but not too close. they never kiss and rarely hold hands. they could be brother and sister but who, in their right mind, would steal off in the middle of the night to hide in the shadows with a blood relative.

the seniors return proud. this is their campus now. they are the sages that are now responsible for imparting wisdom. they know where to go and what happens, where classes are being held and where the best coffee shops are. this may be the most important they feel for the rest of their lives.

there are no abercrombie sweaters here or creased, new jeans. everyone’s trying to impress each other but much more frugally. most people wear their an giang university t-shirts proudly tucked into their six year old pair of stone-washed denims. no twenty four inch tv being drug up the steps by overweight fathers, nope, just a suitcase.