Welcome back! Second semester is here, and I’m not going to lie, I already miss first semester. It’s so cold and dark outside. 

Although the weather is quite depressing, it’s not my low. Yet. 

My low is that I feel like I’m starting all over. My first few weeks of college, I was, in one word, discombobulated. I kept forgetting things (my books, soap, jacket, etc.). I felt like every day flew by, and I never had enough time to do everything I needed to do. 

I thought it would be better this semester because I had already been at PSU for 16 weeks. Boy, was I wrong. 

I started second semester strong. I lost my dorm key. I must’ve dropped it when I was walking across campus, but I didn’t realize it was missing until I got locked out of my room. Thank goodness my roommate was willing to come all the way back from the library to rescue me from the hallway. 

At first, I thought I left my key in my car. I searched the whole thing twice. I looked under the seats and in every crack and crevice, but my key was nowhere to be found. I went a day without it, but after a full 24 hours of fruitless searching, I realized I was going to have to get a new one.

I sat down at my desk, defeated, after combing through my car, my room, and all of my backpacks a second time. I opened my computer make sure I didn’t overlook any assignments. I was already missing my key, the last thing I needed was to forget my homework too. 

As I hovered over the Canvas icon to bring up my calender, I noticed I had an unread email. I saw a message from the commons desk, which was weird, because I didn’t have any packages – it was only the second day back. 

It was an automated message. They found my key! Someone turned it in at the desk, and the angelic email informed me that I could go pick it up any time. Thank goodness. 60 dollar crisis averted.

The next part of the story is just ironic, not part of the low, but I feel like I have to include it. I was on the phone with my mom, telling her about my missing key and how a mysterious person found it and turned it in. Just as I was hailing the key-returner as my savior, a boy walking by said, “hey, I turned in a key at Redifer yesterday!” 

I met my hero. Just outside of Simmons Hall. I’m assuming he was the one who found my key, because there couldn’t have been two missing keys turned in the same day, right?

Anyways, that’s the story of how I still haven’t learned to keep track of my things. Even as a second semester college student, I’m still doing things that someone would do on their first day on campus. Lost key? Rookie mistake. 

Also, let my experience be a lesson to all: turn in any dorm key you find to the commons desk. Someone will be 60 dollars in your debt.

My high is that I went back home for Presidents’ Day weekend – call me lame, but I’m always happy when I have a home cooked meal, a real shower, and my queen-sized bed.