Love Notes: Small Town Hospitality

Why are my thoughts of Madison and DSU filled with a great sense of care and love? I’m not from this town, nor am I from this state or surrounding states. Home for me is a good twelve hour drive down a dark and lonely highway, yet Madison has infiltrated my heart and left a warm mark upon it. Something about this town, the campus, and the people surrounding me makes me feel at home.

Perhaps the warm feeling in my heart comes simply from the town and the small town feel it reflects to its inhabitants. Every person, stranger or close friend, greets with a smile and a thoughtful hello. Normal as that may be to those who are from here or surrounding areas, for me it is strange and an uncommon courtesy never shown at the places I’ve been.

Though I do love the town, the DSU campus was my first home. Because of that, I cannot wave away the warmth sparked in my heart for it. At DSU there are a great number of faculty and staff that have showed me kindness. Here the professors speak to students by their name, and the class sizes are small enough where they can take the time to learn about each of their students. Here it is possible to form friendships with a professor. Even office workers, cooks, and custodians take the time to say a kind “hello” and offer a smile to the passing student. But, my favorite part of campus life resides with the clubs. After joining a club catered to my particular interests, I was able to make friendships that have lasted through my four years enrolled here.

Friends, to me, are the most important part of my college life. As someone who lives far away from most of my family, my friends have become a sort of foster family to me. We even celebrate holidays together (yes, even including the couple-oriented Valentine’s Day).

There are many more things I could say about Madison, DSU, and my friends. For me, that means there isn’t an end to my love for them. I will always be thankful that I found this small school while applying for colleges. Attending DSU has made a very positive mark on my life.

Featured photo taken from Wikimedia Commons