Dear Samo construction,

by Crystal Chang and Camille De BeusYet another setback to the move-in date for the new buildings has led us to reflect on a famous adage “There’s no place like home.” The fact that our presence will never grace the freshly-painted walls and barely year-old concrete of the new buildings is indeed, a loss for the new buildings. We’d much rather stay in our humble abode ― the Technology Building.After almost four years of traveling daily to and fro the Technology Building, it’s easy to see that a high level of education does not necessarily require modern, sanitary, sound and spacious buildings. More than anything, we’ve found that these old buildings play progressive parts in the learning process. Every day, we cannot help marveling in the  character and history of our “home.” The literal hole in the wall ― undoubtedly kicked in by some visionary Samo student trying his hand at interior design ― next to Mr. Henderson’s classroom is an abstract and nostalgic touch to the Technology Building. And on those tough days when you need a big, tight hug, the charming lack of ventilation in classrooms make for an incredibly warm and interestingly suffocating embrace.We can’t forget the sounds of home: the immense sounds of construction machinery accent Mr. Cuda’s lectures on the American government system and serve to really drive his points home. The cranes and heavy trucks groan and grumble just as a disagreeable parent would. If you’re searching for some more tangible communication, you needn’t travel further than the Technology Building (because home has everything you need): rats, mice, and occasionally cats, coyotes and embarrassing members of your class who haven’t quite learned the subtleties and refinements of hallway conversion.On the top of great sounds, we can’t forget the air conditioning system in the College Center that gurgles loudly during presentations, always performing beautiful solos for its residents. It adds a unique touch to our school; it’s always amusing to see every college representative who visits our school get loudly interrupted by the air conditioning system, which is less than pleased and usually decides to state its sentiments once the representative starts discussing costs and admission rates. Engineers and scientists trying to create artificial intelligence need search no further, as the Samo campus offers this “chill” amigo. We’ve come to think of it as a supportive, surrogate parent, always speaking up for us when we lose the courage to do so. Shout-out to mom and pop construction.On the subject of air conditioning and the lack of it, we believe that after four years at Samo they’re onto a fundamental educational truth. There is no air conditioning in the History Building (except the tiny copy room on the second floor), because Samo wants us to develop endurance. They want us to be strong, independent students, who could survive the Sahara Desert, and definitely don’t need anything as luxurious as air conditioning. Many of our world’s geniuses lived lives void of AC; thus, the secret ingredient to a life of prodigy must be the lack of AC. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz didn’t invent calculus in classrooms with AC ― we must learn our derivatives and literally test our limits in 90 degree weather to the whirring cadence of an electronic fan. If anyone dies from heat stroke, we urge everyone to remember Darwin’s pearl of knowledge: survival of the fittest. How lucky we are to be able to witness natural selection at work! Thanks for keepin’ it #real, construction.Furthermore, we’d like to thank Samo’s old building architects, who realized that when studying wildlife, it is best for students to be able to observe it firsthand. This construction setback has also allowed us to experience every single science class in our own personal zoos, so that the science department never had to spare any expense for a field trip. As freshmen, it was so helpful to see rats that were still alive and scuttling around the Science Building while we were dissecting their dead counterparts. It gave us new perspectives, and truly increased the amount of learning that most students got out of rat dissections.So, thank you construction. You’ve made these four years at Samo interesting, enigmatic and filled with surprises. We wouldn’t trade any serendipitous moment that these old buildings have given us for those offered by a castle with a working heater and air conditioning system. We only hope that construction can be delayed for many years to come so that future generations can learn to appreciate all the quirks of these charming historical learning sites, just as much as we have. We’re starting to feel so mushy about these old buildings, that we’d like to conclude with a time treasured saying about home ― “Home is where you complain and no one listens.”cchang@thesamohi.comcdebeus@thesamohi.com