Auburn From My Room

It’s eleven o’clock in the morning of the 18th of September, and the feelings of fall are apparent all around me. A cool breeze blows throughout the complex outside in the courtyard of the dorm residence I live in. The clear blue sky and mostly sunny conditions show the beauty of the day to come. There are a few clouds that pass across the suns pass casting rays and shadows across the ground. Unlike other humid days, the air is easy to breath and is relaxing to take in. I sit outside in a folding lawn chair outside of my door, as many others are doing also. My everyday surrounds engulf me. The triangle shaped courtyard is full of life in every corner. Three bike racks are filled to every slot possible and overflowing. All the bike racks are in the middle of the six buildings encasing the courtyard. Wavy sidewalks curve around randomly dispersed pine trees. Many of these trees have the bark peeling from the trunk, a possible sign of an early death. In the dead center is a rose bush with a single pink bloom. I watch two crows communicate from two distant trees. Other birds chime in and out with their own morning songs. Pinecones and fallen limbs are scattered across the patchy but green grass. Each building has 24 rooms on three stories. On the second story in the center is a blue door, where the RA of the dorm lives. Every other color door is white and dull, each individualized with the building and room number. The structures are built out of red, orange, and brown shades of brick. With an angled roof and brick columns every two buildings are connected with an open aired staircase, as well as a stairwell on the ends of the buildings. A room also consists of a double window at the front. Through these windows are the kitchens. The Community Center is at the far end near a parking lot with volleyball and basketball courts. Inside this building are a laundromat, game room, and the mailboxes. The majority of life files in and out of the Community Center. Every corner is marked with a security camera pointed to the courtyard. A few people sit outside, in a similar setup as I have, studying books and notes. Others begin their walks to class or to the Tiger Transit bus to get a ride to campus. Almost every person that passes has a cell phone in his or her hand. Some people open blinds to the kitchen to let in the sunlight. Through these blinds I spot students prepare breakfast or study. Most students are wearing the colors of orange and blue as they so often do before game day weekends. The background noise is almost more noticeable. I hear several kids push the accelerator to the floorboard to put out a low rumble from the exhaust tips. Large trucks and fast cars pass by on the main road throughout the hour. People shut doors and jingle keys as the footsteps echo down the breezeway. In the distance the never-ending construction echoes sounds of hammers, lawnmowers, saws, leaf blowers, and drills. Also, the sound of the warning the larger trucks give in reverse comes from cranes and other vehicles. As the weekend approaches, there are several groups of tailgaters I see setting up tents to get ready for the game on Saturday, a common occurrence in Auburn prior to game day weekends. People everywhere are already sparking the grill and sitting in chairs having lunch at their tailgate spots. Football controls most of the fall semesters. The feeling of a big win is in the air as well, and it makes me excited.