Chaos Again!

We all stood by our emails last night, to check the campus status for tomorrow. At 5:00 a.m., we were alerted that CSUN would be open for normal operation.

So it seemed fine this morning, but I couldn't help the eerie ominous feeling. Right after I switched from the 5 North to the 118 Freeway this morning, I saw flames licking the mountains to the right. It was a tremendous sight.

The smoke off the Reseda exit was stifling. Orange and brown covered my vision. Really, was it safe to go to school? I wanted to turn back, but I wanted my education. Seriously.

When I arrived to campus, the air was clear and I smelled no smoke. It seemed fine. But no one was at school today. I had about 10 students in my 9:30 class and the professor seemed reluctant to teach that day. She didn't. We just sat and workshopped stories.

Then Prof. Wexler's class, my 12:30, was cancelled. I actually bumped into him and it was a funny sight. The sight of a fleeing teacher and student, running away from chaos. The smoke came back. The fire had spread to Granada Hills and was in full force on campus. The wind wasn't helping. It picked up the smoke I had seen earlier that day and settled it right into the center of school. It was a terrible smoking dust storm.

I think it's an absolutely heinous for campus to be open today. It is so dangerous out there and the smoke is really debilitating. I really wished that they had just left campus closed today. It's a danger to the students' health and because dammit, I live far. I feel so cheated when I don't get to take my classes. It feels like a waste of my time and a waste gas.

On another note, let's continue to be vigilant and show our care and compassion for the evacuees and victims of the fires, which has now spread to Granada Hills. :(