I’m a morning person, typically up by 7 a.m. But a couple of Thursdays ago, my body sprung awake at a shocking 5:45 a.m. Even as a self-proclaimed early riser, that is quite early for me. Yet, I didn’t feel tired or groggy, and when my eyes fluttered open, I simply felt the urge to get up.
“What should I do with this extra time?” I thought to myself.
It was too early to expend energy on academic work but I didn’t want to scroll on my phone either. Suddenly, I remembered that Iron & Kin in the Claremont Village opens at 7 a.m.
Knowing that I was overdue for a good walk, I decided on an early-morning stroll to my favorite Village coffee shop. I hadn’t been to Iron & Kin all semester. As I put on my shoes, my taste buds tingled.
“Should I get the Courageous latte — my go-to order — or the Graceful matcha?” I wondered.
I leisurely made my way down to the Village, enjoying the solitude of the moment. There was nobody outside — all I could hear were the sounds of my footsteps and the rustling breeze. While walking, I began to admire the trees, which had been my favorite part of Claremont’s scenery ever since I visited Pomona College for the first time.
I laughed as I glanced at the expansive foliage around me, remembering my short-lived Pomona tour guide days when I would tell prospective students that the campus was full of “real trees!” I never meant to hate on palm trees, but for me, Claremont’s trees were a refreshing change in scenery from the ones in my hometown of Orange County. As a student here, whenever I looked at these trees, I would smile, feeling like the trees were covering and protecting me as I walked.
This early-morning meander ultimately allowed me to (re)appreciate Claremont’s beauty, breathe in the air and have a moment to myself before going about the rest of my busy day. I knew I still had a couple of months before I bid farewell to Claremont, but as I walked, I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, I am surely going to miss this.”
By the time I stepped into Iron & Kin, it was 7:06 a.m. To my surprise, there was already a line.
But I was in good spirits as I waited. Smiling at the thought of the Claremont trees that have covered me for all these years, I eagerly awaited a glorious concoction of lavender and ube matcha.
“While walking, I began to admire the trees, which had been my favorite part of Claremont’s scenery ever since I visited Pomona College for the first time.“
The line moved rather quickly, and when it came my turn to order, I spent some time chatting with the baristas.
This Iron & Kin trip was an unexpected trip down college memory lane: First, I remembered my love of the Claremont trees; then, while ordering, I remembered the many hours spent here studying. One such time was co-writing with my friend, Vivien, in the coffee shop for an English class last spring.
I ended up sharing this story with the baristas, laughing at how we even incorporated Iron & Kin into our final paper title: “Iron & Kin(nection): A Joint Exploration of Dirt and Abjection.”
It was a sweet moment of remembering and being able to share that memory with the people who made this final paper meaningful. The baristas even told me to bring a copy of our paper next time I visit if I felt so compelled.
“I’m gonna share your story with the team on Slack!” one barista said, grinning.
Eventually, I left with my matcha — all of its layered green and violet beauty — and as I walked back to campus, I felt content. I admired the trees once more, but this time with the matcha’s earthy sweetness on my tongue. I greeted the dog walkers and early-morning joggers moving through the streets. The town was waking up.
By the time I made it back to my dorm, it wasn’t even 8 a.m. yet. As I sipped the last of my matcha, I felt refreshed for the day ahead, but I also felt immense gratitude. Gratitude for the trees that have covered me for seven semesters and will cover me for a couple of months more. Gratitude for co-writing final papers that can hide surprising joy in a coffee shop. Gratitude for having spent my college years in this cozy little place — with the most delicious matcha.
I don’t know if my body will wake me up at 5:45 a.m. again this semester but I hope it does so that I can enjoy the morning stroll to Iron & Kin again.
Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. The paper she co-wrote with her friend was based on “Miles from Nowhere” by Nami Mun, which is undoubtedly her favorite book that she read in college.
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