My First Snow Day

So you'd think, what with us all living on campus, that college students would be deprived that wonderful thing called a snow day. But yesterday I had one.

Although not all classes were cancelled, my philosophy professor was unable to make it to campus because of the two inches of snow that must have filled her driveway. But by the time we found out, it was already time for class and all of us had already gotten out of bed, pulled on our boots, and walked to class. 

So instead of climbing back into bed (which at that point was a bit far away for me at least) we climbed up the stairs of the philosophy building and onto the roof. Up there, surveying the white campus and the bundled up passers-by, we had a snowball fight. There were some girls from Georgia who had never seen so much snow before, so they eagerly ate snow and made snow angels.

But even us northerners were excited.

After our fight, we went down to the Kohlberg coffee bar and got warm drinks. We chatted about the classes we're picking out for next semester and warmed up. 

My second class was not cancelled. I spent the whole thing staring out the window at some kids building a huge snowman. 

Mmmmh. Snow.

My First Snow

It snowed today!!!

I've seen snow before, but not here.

I dropped my work and ran outside to run around and childishly attempt to catch the tiny flakes on my tongue.

My First Game of Assassins

I've been so paranoid and stressed all day. No, it's not the amount of work I have and it's also not the squirrels that have a tendency of getting way too close as you pass by them. 

I've been looking over my shoulder as I walk because we're playing a dorm wide game of assassins. Basically it works like this: Each player is assigned a target. To assassinate that target, you have to grab both of their butt cheeks. If you fail to assassinate your target within three days, the death squad (a group of RAs) comes to get you. There are safe spaces: bathrooms, the dining hall, your dorm room. But what's the fun of staying in all day? 

I got my first target out today. Grabbing his butt wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Someone upstairs said that she met her boyfriend through a game of assassins...

Anyway. If I get "killed" I can try again during the school-wide game in the spring. Or, if this proves to be too nerve wracking, I can always opt out.

Wish me luck! 

My First Blackout

I am so behind on work and my blog entries. But somehow, knowing that I've got only a few more weeks of pass fail, I've decided that updating here is more important. 

Last Saturday, in the midst of all the usual parties, the lights went out! When the music goes off and you can't see the faces of the people you're talking to, you start to notice how awkward parties really are. But that didn't stop us.

Instead of the usual Saturday night scene (one that I'm already getting a bit bored of because I suck at dancing and prefer small groups), I encountered a new one illuminated by flashlights and emergency generator lights. 

With no music, Swatties made their own. In Paces, a Saturday night dance spot attached to the bell tower, there was an intimate acoustic session, complete with girly songs and hostess brownie bites. When that ended, my friends and I moved to the trailer attached to my dorm and sang some of our favorite songs--American Pie, Wonderwall....basically anything we could remember the words to. Embarrassingly, I could only make it through one verse of American Pie. I must learn the words.

The night ended in my friend's room where we all piled on the floor to talk. At around 1:30 the lights came back on. We greeted them with cringes and shrieks and promptly turned them off, preferring to return to the dark world where we could have our own kind of fun.

In other news: 

I've been picking classes for next semester (Probably one of my favorite aspects of life at Swat. There's so much possibility in an empty schedule grid.) I got into poetry workshop! So that's definitely one of my classes. I'm also going to take Spanish, Latin American History, and English...but I can't decide which English course to take.

I also got my first paycheck! I've decided to put the money towards my possible trip to Ecuador this summer through the Village Education Project.

That's all for now. I've gotta finish my reading for Philosophy and (maybe) watch a bad movie before going to bed.

My First Swim Meet

Victory for the Swarthmore women's swim team! (And Obama!)

I was so nervous all day. I wondered if I had slept too little last night (watching the returns come in on the basement lounge couches last night with my hall mates was most certainly worth the loss of several hours of sleep) or if I ate one too many cupcakes at Sharples. Class provided a wonderful distraction. But that last hour, between my Childhood in Latin American Literature seminar and the meet, was the worst.

Luckily, my roommate jumped in and put on a familiar episode of Gilmore Girls. Although watching Lorelai struggle to keep up with all the Yale banter at dinner was a bit painful, it helped me keep my mind off the dreaded meet. 

Meets were always a problem for me in high school. I was on a local club team full of girls two to three years younger than me and about ten times as fast. I received little support from the before, after, and even during my races.

But today was amazingly different. We began and ended the meet with a cheer, and the in between part was filled with joyous and encouraging screams. I think I owe the fact that I went my personal best time by five seconds to the amazing support of my teammates. 

Thank you!