Back To The Future at Colby

Last weekend I went up to Colby College to meet up with an old professor of mine and to catch part of a track meet on the new facility. I hadn't been back to Colby since graduation five years ago.

I went up to campus spontaneously--not really processing what it would be like to be back at my alma mater and in the middle of nowhere Maine; and in a blur--trying to reach my destination as quickly as possible. As I finally reached Waterville and was trying to recall how to navigate the roads to campus, I noticed some small differences. I was shocked to come off the highway and not find the WALMART, but some other large store called Mardens. What happened? In Waterville, Walmart used to be the center of shopping unless you wanted to high tail it to Augusta to the more upscale Old Navy or Barnes & Nobles....What Colby student didn't easily waste $50 when you only went in to buy, for example, a $3 notebook? What happened there?

Anyways, I passed the Mardens and remembered to take a left at the first light. This road leads directly to campus. I am glad to report that nothing has changed here. Still lonely, narrow, and filled with potholes. So many TREES! All of a sudden, there's a bend in the road and, VOILA, a clearing in the trees gives way to a breathtaking view of the Pond, Miller Library, Bob's, the Athletic Center, and the various sport fields.

I parked next to the pond, stepped out of the car and almost died of shock. It was sooooo gorgeous! Dumbstruck, speechless, overpowered...these are a few words to describe the wonder I felt at being back at Colby. Sure, I had a picture in my head of the picturesque campus and I knew that it was beautiful, but seeing it was a different matter. I uttered the following two statements about every other minute: "I used to live here??" "Oh my God, sooo Gorgeous!"

You also have to remember that I've been living in Philly for the past five years. As much as I love Philly, I still have to run 2.37 miles to experience any semblance of Nature and trees.

I waited at Bob's to meet up with my old advisor, mentor, and friend: Professor Jim Webb. As I waited for him there--in a place that I'd waited for him countless times before--I felt as though no time had passed. Not true, of course. I've had many experiences since last I saw him that have taken me on a different path than the one I had envisioned at Colby years ago. I had no idea back then that I'd love biochem, signal transduction and would want to apply to MD/PhD programs. I hadn't even expected to run multiple marathons or become a group exercise instructor.

Life takes us in interesting directions; directions that can't be predicted. Along the way we discover new aspects of ourselves. In this process we sometimes forget our old goals, opinions, and feelings until we are somehow reminded of what used to be important to us. At these junctures, maybe you decide that these feelings are no longer a part of you. Other times, like for me at Colby, you decide it's important to remember those feelings and incorporate it into your present goals.

As a parting gift, P. Webb gave me a copy of his new book, Humanity's Burden: A Global History of Malaria. I started reading it and was transported back to Colby again when I was his research assistant and he my advisor for my Senior Scholar's project; both of us working on mosquito research. Last weekend, we "jokingly" said that someday we would do a collaboration. I hope we do! I want to keep alive my ties to Colby. I feel very proud to be a Colby grad and have been sporting my "Colby Track & Field" hat all week.

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights. ~Pauline R. Kezer