Cairn’s SPA pulled off another wonderful coffee house and open mic night, after the successful turnout at the “New Season”  event in September. The room was warm and students occupied every square foot of space in the room.

It’s funny. I thought the spirit of this “taste of home” coffeehouse would have no effect on me. I am a commuter and I spend every night in my own bed. The sentimentality of “home” constantly surrounds me. Despite leaving my home to go to the coffeehouse, there was some sort of coziness in the air that gave the cafe a feeling of home.

It was the close quarters with my dearest friends; having to share 3 chairs between 4 people had us shoulder to shoulder, but it was far from uncomfortable. I loved spending time listening to my friends sing and recite poetry.

Maybe there was something in the cookies and coffee, but Saturday night reminded me that my home is also here at Cairn.

I may be a commuter, and my house in Yardley will always be my first home, but Cairn has also taken that precious title in my heart. Home is not the place where you lay your head at night or eat your breakfast; home is the place filled with the people you love.

Sorry if this sounds a little cheesy, but I believe it all. Cairn is my home away from home because of the people that attend here. We may all be really bad at remembering to bring a family picture, but we also are a family all of our own.

Not many campuses can say that really. I had lunch with Dr. Ebersole last week to discuss a Barbara Kingsolver book that I read over the summer. This time was for the enjoyment of both of us, because she has relationships with students that reach far beyond the classroom. Prof. Allen has attended multiple soccer games out of sheer support for our Highlanders.

That’s family.

We could have chosen big colleges where our professors would forget our first names after the semester ended; instead, we all came to Cairn. This small school in numbers is large in heart. We may not all get along all the time, and there may be tension amongst students; however, we also can all come together to support our friends and relax on Saturday nights together.

And that sounds a lot like home.