It’s a bright June day in Malvern, England. With the sun shining and not a cloud in sight, days like this are rare and much appreciated in the British Isles. A fresh change from the gloomy and dark spring, sunny days like this mean big smiles and positivity all around.

I hop onto a bus with fifteen of my teammates. We take a short, bumpy, thirty-minute journey through the English countryside, passing by cascades of hills that have been taken over by fields of wheat flapping in the wind. The bus advances through roundabout after roundabout and makes sharp turns that lead to narrow roads with no one around us insight. Out of nowhere, we approach gates with the words “Malvern College” emblazoned on them in shiny, gold, lettering.

We drive through the gates and right in front of us is a scene that looks as if it was taken straight from the set of Harry Potter. A large gothic building with traces of olden English architecture stands directly across from us with large windows, spiraling towers, and a large flagpole drawing our attention. Uniformed students and smartly dressed teachers buzz in and out of the building like bees returning to their hive.

My team and I take in the sights in front of us for a few minutes and are then are guided through the huge campus by a student. We end up at our tennis court and begin to warm up with each other. My friend and I end up winning both of our doubles matches, and my team wins the entire fixture. As a team with quite a poor record, this rare occasion leaves all the members on our team with smiles on our faces.

While waiting for the other teams to finish their tennis matches, I decide to explore this beauty of a campus with a few of my friends. We erratically make our way through the maze, randomly making turns at every corner. We find ourselves in front of a beautiful chapel tucked away in the back corner of the school. I lie down on the tall grass directly in front of it and am soon joined by all my friends flopping down next to me. Apart from the occasional comment or giggle from this entanglement of limbs, all that remains is silence.

This is it. This is the moment.

Bright, sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. Taking in the English countryside. Rejoicing over a good win. Lying down in the tall grass with friends. My eyes peering straight above me at a beautiful tall chapel and stained glass. A light breeze. Laughs. Silence. A happy place. My happy place.

Every time I try to take myself back to this place, a plethora of assignments, upcoming tests, and commitments coming flooding back into my mind. They ping and ping and ping like notifications popping up on my phone. I try to take myself back to this place, but my brain simply won’t let me.

One day, I won’t even have to think about taking myself back to this place. The daily stresses of school work and other commitments will no longer be consuming me. One day, I’ll open my eyes and this place, along with the pure serenity that comes with it, will be right in front of me.