The past weekend was a whirlwind as the majority of campus finally trickled back to Camp Trin. Since I've been here for three weeks now, playing in the woods and braving hurricanes, I didn't have to deal with the stress of moving in and getting ready for school this past weekend. Instead, my Quest buddies and I celebrated in true TrinColl fashion, and welcomed back old friends and swarms of freshmen alike.
The first weekend back at school before classes start is a magical thing. No one has any excuse for not going out, so every night is packed. The weather was perfect, so even when Campus Safety decided to shut down frats (seeing one of them in the basement at late night is a weird feeling) we could still carry on outside. There were no responsibilities except classy trips to WalMart for dorm stuff and snacks. My roommates and I set a decorating budget and managed to snag some great stuff for our common room and bathroom, including a "peeking frogs" shower curtain that really brings the homey-ness to a new level.
While heading to Target and WalMart during Labor Day can be a Trin reunion in itself, the real purpose of the weekend is to reunite with all those folks you haven't seen since the stressful day of May finals. While I know Trin kids love to take New England road trips and hang out together on the Cape together all summer, that wasn't an option for all of us. I hadn't seen anyone all summer, so seeing everyone all at once was both overwhelming and much needed. There are several kinds of back-to-school reunions: meetings in Mather or on the Long Walk; when your roommates finally arrive and you help them move in; treks across campus to see your neighbors from last year; and the fabulous screaming, running, hugging, drunken reunions of those you may or may not be best friends with in the daylight.
Then there are those people you may not be super excited to see-- a lot of drama may have gone down last spring, you went home with someone you regret, or you grow apart from your freshman year besties. Since it's nearly impossible to avoid anyone on this campus, may as well suck it up. Chances are when you see that dreaded person in Mather for the first time and decide to just grin and bear it, differences will be dropped. Summer is a long time, and most people don't spend it brooding on all the people they "hated" last semester. Starting off on a good foot with everyone is the best way to have a drama-free semester.
On a more scholastic note (that's why we're here), today was finally the first day of school. After over a week on campus with nothing to do, I was ready for some intellectual stimulation. With no fancy internship or summer research project, it's been awhile since my brain has had anything productive to do. Sophomore Success attempted to jump-start my brain, but it really takes a good lit discussion or essay to get me going. We've hopefully all got a little bit of start-of-the-year motivation, but it's always a struggle to hold on to. I'm all gung-ho about getting more involved this year: in the newspaper, mentoring, the writing center, whatever it may be. I managed to miss the activities fair yesterday, though, so that's a great start. The one essay I got assigned before school started remains in introduction-only lingo, despite having nothing to do for the past week. But as we all get settled into a routine, the library will become home again and my brain will hopefully remember how to do its job.
And now, Shakespeare is calling me. Here's to a good year of working hard and playing hard, which is what Trinity does best.
No comments:
Post a Comment