Getting settled while dealing with separation anxiety

After nearly six months spent in this building on the corner of Third Avenue and Gumwood Street, my editor finally decided it was time for me to grace this page of the newspaper.

It took more time than I care to admit to decide what I was going to write about. My love of all things caffeinated? Maybe. My dog? I'll save that for later. Work? Boring to most except my co-workers, and I doubt most of them would enjoy a conversation about photo placement and font choice.

Finally, I opted out of trying to be humorous or clever and decided to write about something very near and dear to my heart.

I love WSU.

I spent four years in Pullman purusing my recently attained bachelor's degree and while I'm adjusting to life a bit further west, I've also been coping with my separation from my alma mater.

I hated Pullman and its unpredictable weather. I hated waiting for the bus and trying to find a parking space on College Hill. I hated the disappointing losses in Martin Stadium and long lines at the Bookie. I hated that the CUB was closed for a majority of my college career.

But I love WSU.

My love for the university is one of the main reasons I've come to feel at home in Moses Lake. It seems everywhere I go, I see the Cougar logo on sweatshirts and baseball caps and am forced to resist the urge to yell, "Go Cougs!" thus inevitably embarrassing my companions.

You could talk to me about the disheartening football season we've seen so far this year - I'll defend the team, despite their losses, to the end. And don't get me started on men's basketball - I feel like I watched that team mature into the NCAA Tournament veterans we know today. I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming season and you can be sure I'll be watching them every step along the way.

I can't talk about WSU without mentioning the student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen. I learned more at The Evergreen than I did in any classroom, but that's not to do any injustice to the university's faculty.

I love WSU.

There's something to be said about the feeling so many Cougs feel upon entering Pullman. Whether returning to school after a summer or semester break or just going back after a weekend at home, there's a certain sense of belonging that always overcame me whenever I descended the hill pulling into town.

I haven't been to Pullman since May when I finished moving my belongings to Moses Lake, but I know that feeling will be there, waiting for me, when I return in November for the Apple Cup.

So what does all this have to do with me, here and now? When I accepted this job in April and realized I'd be moving to Moses Lake, part of me was afraid I'd never feel as at home as I did in Pullman. Turns out, I was wrong.

Go Cougs.

Kaci Boyd is a Columbia Basin Herald staff member. Her cohorts in the newsroom are mostly Cougars too but there are a couple planning on providing her some pleasant grief come Apple Cup.