I have officially travelled my way back to Ames, Iowa, from Colorado, and it has been a complete journey. With a pandemic going on and moving between three states, I was a bit anxious. Students and students’ parents already know the protocol for moving in to dorms: get tested for COVID-19. 

If you’re positive, you have to quarantine in a separate dorm for two weeks.

If you’re negative, you get to stay happily in your dorm! Lucky you! 

I have certainly been doing my best to avoid contracting COVID-19: wearing a mask (properly), social distancing, using hand sanitizer every time I get in the car, not touching my face and staying sanitary. That was my biggest challenge. 

Because I live out of state, my mom had the genius idea to keep most of my furniture in a storage unit on Duff Avenue. It was nearly scary how many people weren’t wearing masks and how many people there were in the same square foot vicinity. 

On the bright side of things, I’m all moved in and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’m back home! Even though the freshmen are having quite the unorthodox first semester and move-in process, I am sure they will come to love Ames just as much as I have. 

It is a mostly bittersweet revelation to be back in Ames, but yet have it feel so foreign. I have a feeling a lot of us will remain in our dorms for the majority of the semester to abide by our new guidelines of social distancing. 

While all of you move in starting today, I encourage you to take a look around and remember this is still our campus and this is still our home. Take a step out of your own way to help a freshman or someone new to campus; remember, this isn’t how the year was supposed to be. 

We can’t let the magic of Iowa State fade behind all this madness. It just wouldn’t do it justice, now would it?