Between the excitement of getting hilariously confused in a new country, and the frenzy of the Target Extravaganza (more free stuff!) happening in just a bit, I manage to catch one of those quiet moments college orientation rarely affords you.
Time slows down, as I lie on my bed in the cosy room I will call home till next May. At the end of a bed, a weirdly warped world map is plastered on the wall; birds are chirping and singing outside my window, on an oddly warm summer evening; my roommate is in deep discussion with her mom on Skype, and I understand not a single word of the French she speaks.
If I could sum up my first week of college here as a brand new baby Jumbo, it’d be this: Nearly everything has been as nice or even nicer than anything I could ever have dared to imagine.
Now, I know that sounds like a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. The eight long months – between being accepted Early Decision I back in December and finally arriving on the hill last week – allowed me way too much time to think about and imagine my time here.
Disbelief turned into delirious happiness, into pure excitement, into nerves, and quickly into fear. I was terrified that because of all these expectations I’d built over the three quarters of a year – expectations that, try as I could, I just couldn’t wipe away – I’d hopelessly, inevitably be disappointed by the reality.
Yet, since stepping onto campus for the very first time on that breezy evening last Friday, it’s been a wonderful journey thus far. Tufts has been constantly unfolding, slowly but generously revealing different facets of herself to the Class of 2018.
You don’t always notice it happening, but perhaps it’s about times when you catch yourself saying out loud, “Damn, this place looks just as gorgeous at those admissions brochures!”; or couple dancing with President Monaco on his lawn at 9pm as part of International Orientation; or when you’re sitting with your mouth open like a stuck goldfish, in utter awe at the amount of verve and heart, as you cheer on fellow members of the incoming class at a late-night talent show; or eating lunch at Dewick, at a table with people from Malaysia, Syria, Georgia, Nigeria and Turkey, all at once, by chance (like what?!); or the questions about knowledge, privilege, identity and culture that will continue to be thrown at you over the next few years, as you slowly figure out your place in the great big world; or the instant connections you build, with people you can talk to for hours, as though you’ve known each other for years, despite coming from different continents and having just met.
Sometimes, it’s in the beauty of this place that takes your breath away (literally) on your morning jog. (Uphill). Other times, it’s in the still astounding that fact we’re here, poised to explore new things, try our best to surprise ourselves, traverse new peaks and valleys, and celebrate people and the world. But perhaps most of the time, it is in the quiet conversations shared, the ideas exchanged and memories we continue to write together.
I know, I know, college has only started for a week and I’m getting all sappy already. Am I scared? A little bit. This new environment still presents itself with certain bits that are terrifyingly foreign, and I don’t think I’ll ever figure out what I’m actually doing.
But I guess the bigger idea I’d like to allude to, what I really want to say is simply, thank you for the opportunity. I am so insanely lucky to be experiencing this, on the other side of the planet, surrounded by people who are open, caring and unendingly curious, in one of the best environments of learning, growth and celebration I could ever ask for.
So this is it. This is what we’ve been waiting for. It’s time to bring our “authentic, messy selves”, to open our minds to possibility and beauty in diversity It’s time to take those baby steps, and lean into this new adventure, with a whole lot of heart. I have a feeling we’ll all be surprising ourselves as the next four years unfold.