Whenever he gets lonely or misses her, he takes out the scrapbook they made together and flips through its pages.

Before leaving for Eastern, Dominic Recca, a freshman finance major, made sure to bring a scrapbook with photos detailing his time spent with his girlfriend.

While it was exciting, moving to Eastern also brought miles between him and his girlfriend.

Recca said it was important he brought the scrapbook to remember her by.

“When I flip through (it), I just think about what we’ve gone through and how we have so much more to go,” he said.

Recca said the book represents their relationship and love for each other.

He said it took about five hours to complete, but it was spread out over a week’s time.

The book acts as a keepsake with photos detailing their relationship and the things they have gone through together, Recca said.

Not only did he bring the scrapbook he and his girlfriend made, he has a necklace his mother gave him representing their catholic religion.

Deciding what things to bring to Eastern can be taxing, requiring students to be conservative when moving in. They can bring items as endearing as Recca’s scrapbook or as simple as a plant, which David Sanchez, a junior finance major, made sure to bring.

Sanchez said gardening grew on him because he has a family that is in touch with nature. He has taken a plant from home for two years.

He said his plant represents luck and fortune, but also brings him closer to home, which stood out to him in the store. Originally, he wanted a bonsai tree, but the awkwardly braided Pachira Macrocarpa tree, or “luck tree,” caught his eye.

“Plants bring out life, (so) it brings out life into your home,” Sanchez said.

However, some prefer to keep their sentimental items at home.

Alexis Alvarado, a freshman art major, said she has kept her stuffed bear, Grover, ever since she was a child.

She decided to leave her item with a trusted friend because she was afraid it would be lost.

Grover went everywhere with Alvarado and it is important to her because she has had it since she was a child.

“It was always a part of me, it reminds me of my childhood,” Alvarado said.

When Alvarado was approaching her early teen years, she said she stopped taking it everywhere, but in many ways, Grover never left her side.

“He hasn’t left my bed, I still cuddle with him at night,” Alvarado said.

She said one of her friends was upset that she was leaving Grover behind. Alvarado lent Grover to him so that he could have a piece of her while she was at Eastern.

Recca and Alvarado said students bring various items away to school because they remind them of home and a sense of belonging.

“It makes them feel like home and (they’re) more comfortable where they’re living,” Recca said.

Roberto Hodge can be reached at 581-2812 rlhodge@eiu.edu.