As I look around I can see a desk, a door, a lamp and a flight of stairs. To my right there is a dresser and to my left there is a bed; but not just any dresser and not just any bed. I’m also constantly fighting the urge to snuggle with the little fuzzy white dog laying diagonally from me. This isn’t my average 8 o’clock on a weekday night.
And it’s all because I’m home!
It’s a little funny writing this post sitting on my bedroom floor as opposed to my dorm or a campus building. Being that this is my first time in Wayne since fall break, it feels great to be back. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is already tomorrow. However, New Jersey gave me quite the surprise this morning when I woke up only to see an absolute winter wonderland outside! All the powdery snow makes it easy to feel like I’m home for my two months of winter recess, but I quickly remind myself I’ll be back in the place I like to call “Scrantyland” on Monday, although only for two more weeks.
A few days before I left for home, I was lucky enough to witness yet another incredible campus play. This was my second University Player’s Production and it did not disappointment! The Pillowman follows the life of Katurian, a short story writer whose works often depict violence against children. His gruesome imagination is the result of having heard his mentally disabled brother Michael being abused by their parents. Katurian is arrested by two detectives, Ariel and Tupolski, who have noticed that some of his stories resemble recent child murders. However, the tables turn when the audience learns Michael has actually committed these murders, saying he was just trying to see if the short stories his brother has told him could be true. The play included reenactments of Kuturian’s stories, such as “The Writer and the Writer’s Brother”- an autobiographical piece telling the tale of Katurian’s discover of Michael and how Katurian, after learning this, kills his parents by suffocating them with pillows, “The Tale of the Town on the River”, “The Pillowman”, “The Little Jesus” and “The Little Green Pig”. I highly suggest reading about this play online! It was a production that truly grabbed me and kept me thinking; my friends and I couldn’t stop talking about it at dinner afterwards.
On a brighter note, since The Pillowman might not seem like the most positive play, Thanksgiving is tomorrow! For the first time in a few months I’ll be able to see my grandparents, aunt, uncle and baby cousin who I have all missed so much. Being that it is so close to the start of the Christmas season, I find it’s easy to overlook the Thanksgiving holiday. But we’ve been hearing it since we were in elementary school; Thanksgiving is not just about the food. Thanksgiving is all about being surrounded by those you care about, sharing a meal while sharing stories and remembering how fortunate we truly are. There is no holiday like Thanksgiving, and being home for only the second time since the start of the semester, I appreciate it just a little more.
Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! Even though I said Thanksgiving isn’t all about the food, I hope all your tummies are stuffed with a copious amount turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce! (Those are the best parts right?)
Catherine E. Bombard
Hi! My name's Catherine, but you can call me Catie and I'm a sophomore from Wayne, NJ here at the University of Scranton. I'm an English major, Communication minor hoping to have a career in publishing one day. I'm a member and the publicist of Octaves, an a cappella group on campus, along with being a writer and editor for The Aquinas, the student newspaper. Thanks for checking out the student blogs and I hope you enjoy hearing about my "Scranton Experience"! :)
