Emily lays awake at night listening to the sounds of the Boston nightlife. While it is nothing like that of her West Coast hometown, she nonetheless finds comfort in the vicarious laughter and squealing brakes of the passing taxi cabs. It is times like these that she misses home the most. During the day she can distract herself with school work and coffee with acquaintances, but the night; the dark, dark night isn't so forgiving.

She has almost forgotten how it feels to wake in the morning and breathe in the fresh San Francisco air. Boston. Boston. Oh it just doesn't feel like home.

Before coming to Harvard Emily had imagined a life very different from the one she finds herself leading. Back home she had a boyfriend and a large enough amount of friends. Back home she had hobbies. Back home she had a life. Here, at Harvard, she finds it hard to befriend anyone: the childish boys on her floor, the blonde girls in 302 and 304, who, despite appearing intelligent enough probably relied on a generous donation from daddy to gain admission over what Emily could only think were other individuals far more deserving of the opportunity. She could attempt to make friends with the boy across the hall that has made a number of shy attempts to attract her attention, though she is fairly certain that his mother calls to check in on him about ten times daily. She thinks: I'm a sweet, smart and trustworthy person: a great friend. The others will notice eventually, and when they do they will kick themselves for not having noticed sooner.

David. She doesn't know how to feel about being away from him. At the beginning of their relationship, nearly three years ago now, he told her that if she ever left, that if she ever went away, that she was going to have to take him too. She wonders then, how he let her get on that plane.

Boston. Even the name sounds boring to her.

Harvard. It's the only reason she moved all this way. It's the only reason she left her home, her family and her friends for the first time in her life. Emily takes a deep, long breath and thinks: this is why I'm here.

For as long as she could remember it had been her dream to attend Harvard grad school. Every paper she wrote and every test she took was in preparation for this time in her life. While her friends back home scoffed (in jest) Emily's desire to be at Harvard had never wavered and never faded. Harvard is where she is destined to be. That the prestigious school happened to be in Boston, Massachusetts was the obvious downside.

Almost a year ago now Emily made a trip to Boston with David and another couple for a few days to scope out the campus and, more importantly, the city. While she was impressed with the sheer size of the Boston Commons and found the "Baw-ston" accents oddly charming, there was nothing about Boston that truly welcomed her with open arms.

The couples had rented a single room with two double beds in the heart of the city and made sure to make it to one of the many Legal Seafood restaurants spread across town. Emily left the restaurant full and satisfied but knew that she could not base her decision to truly give Boston a chance on the amazing Lobster Bisque and the fact that they were able to take home their half empty bottle of wine.

Whatever had done it, she returned to San Francisco more than willing to give Boston a chance.

Of course now, sitting in her dorm room after only three weeks in the city, Emily feels utterly alone and begins to regret her decision, Harvard or no Harvard.

It's late but she can still hear noise coming from the nearby rooms. She wonders how and when any of them get any of their work done. Only three weeks into her first semester she feels overwhelmed and tired. Actually, she was tired the moment she started; the moment she walked in to her first class; the moment she realized that she was going to have to be here, in Boston, for two whole years. Two years - it feels like an eternity. She just wants to go home.

Emily lays awake at night thinking about home, friends, school and love. No wonder she cannot sleep.

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