Tufts Blogs

So, what’s it like, being here? I sneak a guilty peek at the string of unreplied messages sitting in various corners of my phone. Dear friends and family from home all seem to want to know how I’m doing, what college is like, what I’ve been up to and more … You’d think after nearly a month here, I’d have the answers by now, but truth be told, I haven’t even began to figure out how to articulate the wonderful experience being a Jumbo has revealed itself to be.

Now, let me try to put my thoughts on paper (screen?). As anticipated, life here at Tufts can get extremely busy – we won’t say we weren’t warned though! The average weekly class schedule may not tell much, but the thing about this community is that there is a bubbly, warm and ever-inviting plethora of activities going on, all the time. From the buzz of General Interest Meetings (GIMs) of the first few weeks, to first practices, to open lectures, to free food on the quad (always a priority), there’s literally stuff happening at every single moment, and it doesn’t take much dugging to find out cool things going on. By attending these events, chances are, you’ll get to meet cool people, whose interests intersect yours at sometimes unexpected points.

Classes are absolutely fascinating (most of the time, for me at least, but hey, I’ve always been the overly enthusiastic one). I find myself nerding out way more frequently than I ever have before, because really, every class I have the privilege of being a part of presents something new that nudges me to think differently in a certain way. At best, something we read or watch, or an insight a classmate or professor shares gently shifts my perspective; at the very least, I still find myself engaged, trying to wrap my head around new ideas and figure out my own stand on things. 

There is the most exciting sense of possibility that fills the air – almost every free wall in common spaces is covered with a rainbow of posters, all waving at you to join a club, audition for a group, apply for an internship, or just come for the free food (again, priorities) …

In just three weeks, I’ve found myself stumbling upon a dizzying array of little and big moments, including:

• Learning that it's all about human stories, and being moved to tears in Intro to Peace and Justice Studies, as our professor from the West Bank shared with us the extent of the atrocities happening in Palestine
• Lying on the couch in South Hall on a Friday night, talking to friends old and new about happiness, religion, love and death, while debating whether to order food (it was 4am – that explains a lot, eh?)
• Somehow joining Jumbo Raas, an Indian folk dance group that makes me feel so much happier after every practice, with its boundless energy and acceptance. “Guys, we’re Jumbos, but we can’t sound like Jumbos onstage!”
• Discovering a fantastic education non-profit just a couple of stations away from Tufts, and soon, getting to be a part of it!
• Getting extremely lost in Chinatown, with its strange smells and sights.
• Lying on the carpet with my classmates during our ExCollege course on Disney, watching a documentary about theme parks and feeling right at home.
• Spending an hour talking to a truly awesome pre-major advisor, about everything from love to home to water in Singapore … and to what falling sick means (it means you’re stretching yourself too thin and is a warning sign that screams: STOP! YOU NEED TO REST!)
• Dropping homework and running with a friend to Boston to buy warm clothing, when temperature plunged by 20 degrees in two weeks.
• Being the only freshman in an Education seminar and still loving it, because of a professor with enough wit and heart to comment: “Even though I’ve been in teaching for some time, I’m still afraid before every class! Well, it’s only been 40 years.”
• Lying on the Prez Lawn reading a great novel in the sunshine and beautiful fall weather, just because I can.
• Having the nicest takeout dinner with my classmates, as we reflected and ranted about the exhausting week that had just passed.

In short, Tufts seems to have a knack for bombarding us with questions, curious insights, weird ideas, overwhelming support and the nicest little moments. Here is a place where I feel comfortable to be myself, thoroughly, in all this warmth; but at the same time, am being stretched and challenged in the best ways possible.

Above all, the experience is about the people – they’re not lying when they say that everyone here has an incredible story to tell. You just have to be patient enough to get to hear it. I am so deeply grateful to be surrounded by these inspiring, humble, creative and often weird people who I get to call friends for the next four years and beyond.

At the end of my first month here, I am only beginning to get the hang of things (I’m not getting lost as much now!), but all signs and my gut instinct tell me that the road ahead? It’s going to be nothing short of amazing.