A Letter to the UVic Campus

Dear UVic Campus,

It’s me, Izzy. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m one of the thousands of lucky students that’s been hanging around you the last four years. Well, three years really because of co-ops, exchange and now… well you probably heard about the pandemic that is keeping us all at home. That’s why most of us haven’t been around to visit you lately.

In the year since I last saw you, I’ve learned, explored, and changed more than I thought I ever could. I’m sure you’ve changed too. But what remains the same is how excited I am to see you once more.

I miss wandering around Finnerty Gardens and forgetting about my worries for a little while. This is where I come in search of spring, first looking for snow drops and then daffodils. I miss doing my class readings underneath the trees that line the quad and the glowing yellow colour they turn in the fall. I can only imagine how beautiful and lush Mystic Vale must be right now.

And how are all your buildings doing? Are they getting lonely now that we’re not there to fill them? I never thought I could become so attached to the Clearihue Building, but I can hardly wait to get lost and confused looking for a prof’s office once more. The empty lecture theatres must be a bit eery. I’m sure McKinnon Gym was confused about the lack of nervous students during exams in April.

And how about the libraries? Are you taking good care of all the old books in the Special Collections? Is the Law Library happy now that it has achieved ultimate silence?

I brag to my friends at other universities about the beautiful windows both our libraries have and all the times I’ve been sitting in the staircase of McPherson Library only to find a deer casually chomping on some grass on the other side of the glass. That reminds me, hope the deer are keeping well! And the ducks, and rabbits, and also the bugs that are no longer being caught for biology labs to study.

Do you know what I miss most about you? It’s not a specific place really, but the state you’re in on a weeknight evening. In my first year, I’d leave my residence and walk around you after dinner when I needed to clear my head to write an essay or if I was feeling a little stressed.

I loved peering through the windows of Cornett and seeing attentive students in late lectures. When it was a clear night, you could see the stars between the tree boughs, and when it rained the concrete reflected the sky and the street lights like a mirror. I always came back to my dorm room elated and refreshed.

Anyways, I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. We’re all keen to be reunited with you! Until then, remember almost every student is missing some part of you and we’ll be together again soon.

Much love,

Izzy

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