First full day of Dickens Universe

I feel like I'm at summer camp. When Andrew left, I had that same feeling that I used to get before Bible or 4-H camps -- that feeling like, shit, are you LEAVING ME HERE? (Although when I was in grade school that feeling never went away and I ended up calling Mum to tell her she NEEDED to come rescue me. Except one year, at 4-H camp, they knew how that plot would develop, and didn't let me use the phone.) I have a roommate. It's been a long time. I forgot how strange it is to hear someone you've just met, breathing at night. (Clearly, I didn't sleep well.) Even the smell of the bathrooms reminds me of the showers at Camp Morrow. Proust got memories from madeleines, I get them from bathroom cleaners and mildew.

UC Santa Cruz is another world. Deer wander around outside the windows of the dining hall. Strawberries are served with every meal. From the main classroom, we get a view of the redwoods. And in walking down the hill, you can see the ocean.

Today for my free afternoon, I went wandering alone in the woods. The trails were confusing... and I don't have the patience/ spatial reasoning skills for maps. So I left sticks in the shape of arrows, to mark where I'd been, a la Labyrinth. I was a little disconcerted when I came across one of my arrows before I had turned back -- must have taken a loop. But it was beautiful. I came across this fairy ring of redwoods -- someone had built a little fort in the middle.

I think it's going to be kind of a crazy busy week. I'm going to bed now (only 11:20!) so I can wake up early enough to grab breakfast before the morning session...