John Denver once sang the wise words, “country roads take me home to the place I belong…” 3300 Poinsett Hwy. It has been a whirlwind of a year living overseas for the two of us. After numerous scones and pounds of pasta it was time to return to the wonders of the DH. Oh how we have missed you. Our first encounter with the DH was overwhelming to the point of passing out. Crowds of unrecognizable freshmen, extended tables, and the relocation of some of our favorite foods made the DH feel like we were freshman on our first day of school. How does one cope with such a conundrum?

We head to the old standby, the PDen only to find that it is no longer the same. What is the Trone Zone? A new filming location for the next installment of The Avengers? Sadly no, it is home to cozy leather couches, a classy fireplace made of stones for those frigid afternoons, and a multitude of TVs one would only find in Lebron James’ house. With all these amenities, it is no wonder we cannot find a parking spot in the UC.

After a somewhat easier semester abroad, heading to the library is the last thing on our list. However, the workload of Furman classes is yet another adjustment we have had to make. On the first day of class we received a 100-page reading assignment, and only after printing said assignment did we become aware of the new printing quota. It looks like we will be spending some Benjamins on our reading assignments. Since when did it cost money to do homework?

Apparently Furman is trying to conserve its paper use and as a result the post office has switched to email notifications in place of the more traditional paper slip. Who would have thought after being abroad for just a semester that the post office would move to the 21st century. It sure makes checking Office 365 a little bit more crazy.

Though these adjustments have come as a bit of a shock to the two of us, it is always comforting to return to Furman and realize that not much has really changed when you receive the parking ticket from Officer 21.