Written by Sara Shaban
Wanderlust. Now there’s a fantastic way to use three syllables. The word drips with a craving for backpacking and hitchhiking, begging for journey and adventure. You can close your eyes and imagine the smell of someplace new and feel the distinct change in the air. Some of you may have been blessed with the opportunity to entertain this craving by eating a gelato at HUF, spending Spring Break on a campaign in Canada or maybe taking a family vacation to one of the seven Wonders of the World.
For some, wanderlust is satisfied with a roadtrip to Chicago or D.C.; for others it requires crossing the Atlantic Ocean. However, I would suggest that you might be surprised to find, there may be a significant number of people who appease their desire for journey by simply wandering around campus.
You know that feeling whe you suddenly realize that you don’t have the ability to juggle 18 hours of class, start a small group and participate in pledge week, all while finally picking up your syllabus to find that you have a research paper due at the end of the week? I believe that can be termed “overwhelmed” and “overcommitted.”
These are the exact students who find refuge in wandering around campus, with a caffeine-stricken look in their eyes that might be mistaken for passion. I’ve found that some students manage these circumstances by rushing in and out of the library, crossing “print worksheets” off their Harding bookstore planners and drinking copious amounts of coffee in an effort to appear as if they are actually accomplishing something.
They can often be found on their cell phones, pacing back and forth in front of the library, informing their inner circles of how much they have to do. These same students can also be found driving up and down Beebe-Capps blasting Dashboard Confessional, claiming they’re taking a break from their demanding to-do list. But, in reality, they’re simply wasting time until midnight when they’ll finally become productive.
Maybe the initial thought of wandering leading to inspiration is what causes these overachievers to take laps around the Trevi Fountain-favoring Lily Pond. Perhaps walking past the troubadours and tight rope-walkers on the front lawn is reminiscent of the enchanting characters in Europe. Or, quite possibly, the speakers in the American Studies building that broadcast a deceiving chime at the top of the hour, reviving images of Big Ben, are what reminds pretentious students that time is of the essence.
In any case, wanderlust can be remedied without an escape vehicle to The Heights in Little Rock or a virtual walk in the woods via Wii. Harding’s campus, as obviously mentioned above, is covered with a plethora of exotic landmarks. And, if you make sure to clad yourself in Chacos and a North Face rain jacket, you just might find an opportunity to hitchhike to the Cookie Basket for a hole-in-the-wall culinary experience.
