I'm not in Denmark anymore

Today was the first day of Spring Fest at the University. It is a long weekend of activities, music and free food for college students. Its the 3rd time I have attended and I must say I felt out of place this year. The first year I was an undergraduate, which 90% of the participant are. Last year I was with a large group of graduate students who stuck together. This year all the graduate students in my department including myself just ran down, grabbed some free food and returned to the office. It was also indoors, instead of outdoors as it has been the previous years, because spring is resisting to bloom. Safe to say, it did not make a lasting expression. However the fact that it is a returning event that I can reminisce about tells me that I am reaching new milestones in my Alaskan life. I not only remember last year, I am also critical of how things develop and romanticize the good old days. I wonder if I am loosing that feeling of being somewhere new, somewhere inherently foreign. Is Fairbanks becoming home in that boring, same ol', same ol' way? For a second I catch that feeling and then I turn to get some water in my kitchen without running water, I look at my dog who is sleeping next to me, or I read in the local newspaper that the first bear has been spotted out and about. No, I am not in Denmark anymore (I will be in 5 weeks though). While these guys hold down the fort: