Vanessa Champagne ‘13, Lady Doak Fellow

It was a difficult goodbye. After two years living in India, it was hard to think that in a few days I will no longer be able to hop on my scooter and zoom through the streets of Madurai to my favorite restaurants. Savory dosas, biryanis, and idiyapums would soon be distant memories. Flash-forwards of me struggling to make sambars in my US home were accompanied by long sighs.

Vanessa Champagne ‘13, Lady Doak Fellow

I’ve honestly lost count how many times I’ve been told “come home sometime” by students, professors, and friends outside of Lady Doak College. So far, I have come to understand the statement in these ways: I am curious about you and want to know more of your story; I am a great cook and want to subject you to overwhelming portions of food that no one human being can possibly consume; I want to tell you more about the time I studied abroad, went on vacation, or about my relatives who live abroad.