Most individuals wouldn’t want to be trapped in a room with three other people for 10 hours, but for me, that’s the best time of the year. I countdown the days until I can finally travel there. To me, the hotel during robotics tournaments is my sanctuary, where I can go to relax. All of the energy that was taken from me by the competition can be restored in this room. Each time, I gather another card that sits in my wallet, reminding me of all the good times. The card itself looks bland, usually white or grey background with the companies name on it. But to me, these are some of my favorite memories. 

I opened up the door to the room with the same type of clothes that I had worn the entire weekend. The team shirt that I had gotten the first day I had walked into the center, and black shorts that I had forgot I owned. The energy from my being had been sucked out throughout the day, and the only thing that I wanted was sleep.The hotel room reminds me of all the others that I have been to, bland white walls, two queen-sized beds, a TV, not enough room for 4 people, but this one is different. Up on every wall is a photo of people from the hotel’s past, each one had contributed to this building in some way. All of them left a mark here, and they are all but forgotten, except for the pictures. You feel like you are living in the past, as you soak in everything that they accomplished, everything that they contributed. It may seem overbearing at times, seeing the person’s entire life laid out in front of you. Unlike other hotel’s, you could go there a hundred times and never get the same room twice.

Outside, all the light had been sucked from the sky as it turned to night. All I could think about was how much I wanted to lay down and close my eyes. But I do not choose when the time has come, that is up to the three other people in the room. The TV blares as I try to drift off into slumber, knowing fully well that when I wake, my morning will be horrific. I think about how during the day, sleep deprivation will drag me down into the dark depths of exhaustion. I think about how I will 1000 yard stare into space, wondering when I can finally lay to rest. I think about how the hustle and bustle of the robots will make it worse. But for now, all I can do is arc my pillow into my friends head and politely tell him to shut up.

The next day I trudge into the room ready for another night of no sleep. Later on, the room fills with copious amounts of laughter as our eyes are glued to the TV. On the screen plays only the shows long relegated to very late night television. Those that are long forgotten, only to be unearthed when someone becomes so absurdly bored that they search the channels, hoping for some type of entertainment. These are the types of shows that you could only laugh at when your brain partly shuts off from sleep deprivation. But laying there in my bed at 1:30AM, the entertainment in front of me was the greatest I had ever seen.

The next day, the morning air feels crisp and fresh on my skin as I walk through the quiet streets. Small, quaint shops litter the town inviting me into their warm abode. There would be time to visit more, maybe even all of them later in life, but the here and now was already chosen. A wave of relief hits me as I realize that this is the last day of the competition. No more would I have to sit there bored out of my mind and wait for a problem to occur. This is the perfect end to the weekend, a beautiful stroll through a beautiful town.

Those days I can never get back, and the trips will never be the same. Even though we only lost one person, those days will never be exciting as they used to be. In retrospect, I should have enjoyed those stays more than I did. Some of my best memories come from those stays. But now they only exist in memory, and I get reminded by that everyday when I look into my wallet.