When I first entered the Graduate Collegium,

It felt like opening the first page of a new book.

I smiled in peace, feeling welcomed;

miles away from home.

Yet for me, it began in another light:

one evening, after dinner,

on a bench bathed in soft glow,

the night air carrying the song of insects.

Outside the closed gates of the building,

I felt it: peace. A sense of belonging.

Months passed in a haze,

each day turning its own quiet page;

mornings with coffee runs and classes,

afternoons wrapped in never-ending assignments,

evenings on the couch we claimed as ours,

drinking hot chocolate after class,

finding friends in once-unfamiliar faces.

And the seasons changed.

Nervous feet carried me once again

into the same buzzing place.

The next chapter had begun;

a smile, pasted on;

real yet trembling.

My first pot of coffee brewed,

a badge pinned to my t-shirt.

My first job

Serving the place that once served me,

creating warmth,

building community.

I came in as a student leader,

and the year turned

like pages in a well-loved book.

Now, every nook, every corner

holds laughter,

memories strung with Christmas lights,

the printer humming through winter evenings,

summer afternoons alive with BBQ luncheons,

my playlist drifting through the speakers,

laughter over team dinners,

early mornings with pancake breakfasts,

the scent of chocolate muffins in the air.

Like unfolding memories on soft paper;

so warm,

so familiar.

A place known.

A memory lane.

A new family.

An opportunity to lead with heart.

And as every favourite story must,

this one reached its final page.

We gathered again,

for our last event.

We passed the torch, said farewell,

laughed through tears,

smiled with heavy hearts,

and cleaned the final coffee pot.

As I wiped the board,

there it was, written in red ink;

the title revealed itself all along:

Home Away From Home.