By the time this article is published, I will have been in Italy for three days. As a former news editor of The Villanovan, I have spent much of the start to spring semester missing structure.
Every week, I had a routine. This familiar order paved the way for me finding my place at Villanova, and is one I never really appreciated until I was watching it go on from afar both seamlessly and without me.
I knew that Monday nights meant section meetings, and putting together a comprehensive list of just about anything happening on campus with my co-editors. I could always count on writing an article for that next edition, and the privilege of speaking with so many different people from each walk of life and every corner of campus.
Tuesdays consisted of long hours putting together the physical paper with some of my closest friends. While arduous, these nights included Dancing with the Stars viewing parties, CampCo family dinners and late night walks back to West Campus, all of which became a routine highlight of my week.
Wednesday nights, I’d watch as my roommates and best friends brought back physical copies to our apartment, culminating in a stack of editions that would reside under our TV until we moved out. This kind gesture is one I am especially missing.
I’ve always loved to travel, and studying abroad has been an ambition of mine stretching all the way back to the early days of the college search, long before I even chose Villanova. While that excitement is still at the forefront, the actual reality of leaving home for that long has become far too real.
My structure has been flipped entirely upside down. I am looking at a Google Calendar right now that is full of different countries each weekend, and suddenly all I want to do is be back on campus. Back in that office. Back with my friends.
Despite my absence, I know that those facets of the routine I appreciate so deeply are going to continue. Section meetings will keep happening, articles will continue to be written, production nights will go on and students will grab the paper each Wednesday. While I’d like to say that this provides me some comfort while abroad, I would probably be lying. I love playing a part in that routine, and I feel a bit lost without the organization.
However, The Villanovan itself hasn’t always been such a straightforward and comforting piece of my life.
I can distinctly recall how terrified I was walking down the steps of Corr Hall for my first meeting freshman year, and just how much more frightened I was doing the same before my editor interview.
That first production night was certainly uncomfortable for me as well, as I stayed in the office making edits to my pages until 11 p.m. (a special thank you to Brooke and Nicole who had to suffer through that).
The first article I ever published was anything but original after all of the changes that had to be made. The first section meeting I held, only three people attended. The first edits I made barely scratched the surface of all the work that goes into finalizing an article.
Yet after all of those uncomfortable moments, I was able to carve a space out of Villanova where I feel a sense of belonging. It wasn’t naturally comforting. Far from it, really. But now, it’s a place I can’t wait to return to my senior year.
This abroad column is immensely different from anything I’ve ever put in the paper. News is formulaic and structured, and an area where I found myself excelling because of these characteristics. These pieces, though, will change depending on where I am, what I see and what I find to be important. Whether it be a political phenomenon I get to witness up close, a particularly interesting activity, a meaningful conversation or just where my head’s at while abroad, I am embarking on this project of observation relatively blind.
In spite of all this uncertainty, in establishing this column I have brought this piece of home with me while travelling, and I’m so grateful for that.
So whether you’re also abroad, still on campus or elsewhere I’d like to formally invite you to my experimental section. Wherever you may be, I hope we all can navigate our new routines and find some comfort in that uncertainty.
Until next week,
Emma.
