I'm in the Union right now, just finished with my writing assignment that was due today... Monday of Fall Break, that is. I was initially (and maybe a small part of me still is) frustrated and angry to probably be in the only Davidson course that had a midterm assignment due during the break - OK, Dr. S, everybody knows Fall Break is an illusion, since pretty much everyone has homework, reviews (ps: a "review" is a test in Davidson terms, just saying) and other stuff to study for; but at least you could have helped us maintain that illusion and find internal peace by formally assigning the midterm deadline a bit later - but, now, I'm actually quite thankful for that deadline being there, since it helped me hold myself together and to build a break schedule that I - sort of - kept to to a reasonable extent.
Apart from feeling relieved to have finished my essay on Queer Culture right now (I'm so proud of it I'm giving you you the link to read it here if you're bored and have nothing to do; which I doubt is the case if you are studying at, or planning to apply to, Davidson), I can actually say I have enjoyed the break so far. The whole campus is admittedly much, much emptier; there are only four of us still left on my hall, my roommate Tyler is coming back tomorrow and the Union is almost as quiet as the library - however, I'm lucky enough to still have a handful of my very good friends (including our Luna) staying here.
Best thing about fall break: SLEEP. Worst thing about it: You actually have to figure out a way to feed yourself on your own, since the meal plan is not going on during the break. Suggestion: Walk to Harris Teeter (or drive there if you mind walking uphill with grocery bags stopping your hands' blood flow) and find stuff to cook or microwave, or go to El Paraiso for some tasty fajitas or chicken with rice.
By the way, yes, I belong to the minority of students who actually stayed on campus for Fall Break, although I did not originally plan to do so. Until two days before the break, I had been signed up for an environmental service trip to Ashville, which was a collaboration between our student organization "Alternative Breaks" and the environmental project team "Greenworks". I do feel irresponsible to have dropped out of the trip at somewhere close to the last minute, but I'm still strongly held to the opinion that I would probably be dead by now if I hadn't. As the weeks from the time I signed up for the trip went by, I gradually realized how much I needed that break. I might sound healthy and refreshed right now, but this is precisely due to my decision to stay here. Up until that very last Friday, I was exhausted. Like, really, really exhausted.
Which brings me to my point, and to the reason why the Meow-obsessed me hasn't posted a single "purr" since August 27, the first day of classes, although my first two months here have been far from devoid of news to share.
I don't get much free time around here, to be perfectly honest. In between doing Calc homework, writing essays about queer culture, trying to find time to study for Organic Chemistry which I love, going to classes, shooting and editing videos for my work-study, procrastinating by playing the piano in the Union, taking a break by learning how to fence (HELL YEAH), going to the Lake Campus for my Waterskiing class (DOUBLE HELL-YEAH), pulling all-nighters writing about Ancient Greek philosophy and ironically sleeping through half of an "extraction of caffeine from tea" lab on the next day, I try to make as much time I can for my friends and beloved boyfriend. Not that they are in a much better position than me, either. At least I'm happy not to be alone on that matter; I admit it, I have had a couple of break-downs (like, for example, last Monday, when I missed Commons lunch for 3 minutes working on a pre-lab and could not eat at the Union since my work-study on that day was from 2 to 5pm, i.e. exactly the period during which you could have lunch there), but I by no means regret my decision to come here.
Why is that, you ask? Because I have finally found myself in a place where I'm not afraid that showing who I am is going to hurt me. Also, I find that people here are much more open; although Davidson is, of course, not a perfect place with perfect people, I generally get the feeling that there is far less "labeling" and far more honesty in my relationships with other people than in high school... Probably because we are all more or less on the same boat. I don't feel bad "nerdy" for spending more time in the library than in my own room, because the vast majority of people I've met here don't feel any "shame" in working hard and admitting that they do so.
And, for those of you who could be reading this and not have visited or known about Davidson before, no, this is not a nerdy place where everybody sleeps in the library, has breakdowns and wants to kill themselves after the first month. It's definitely NOT that kind of college. I can't really explain why, but, somehow, one will always find something fulfilling for them here, whether it will be a new passion you discover, a new person you meet or a new crazy club you've never joined before but suddenly had the urge to.
Oh, and another reason Davidson is awesome: if you walk near the woods around campus at night, you are mostly certain to see a deer. Or Two. Or More. Enough said. Picture time!
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| Photo taken by my friend David, near his house, just across the parking lot. "It's true; Bambi lives in our backyard" |
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| If you look very closely, you can see me and Lauren Lu in fencing suits. |
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| Somewhere early September, studying Calculus at too-late o'clock. |
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| My favorite place |
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| One of my favorite moments at Davidson: the sun that comes after heavy rain... |
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