Reunions on the Hill
With students arriving on a staggered schedule depending on where they are from, the last few weeks have been a time of joyful reunions around campus. If you walk down the president’s lawn, you’ll see large groups of friends, basking in the sun on the Tufts blankets that were given to all undergraduates upon arrival. Groups mask up and play frisbee on the field near Powderhouse Square, and engage in some competitive Spikeball outside of their dorms. One creative group even set up a projector on a sheet outside for a movie night.
In order to schedule meals and meetings with all of my friends, I have come to rely heavily on my calendar (Emma’s Advice #1- Do bring a calendar or planner to college). Since I finished my quarantine period, I have made a point of reaching out to my friends and classmates and arranging meals with them. One of the highlights this week was my Sunday night dinner. I am in the Tufts Tap Ensemble, and every Sunday after our dance rehearsal, a group of us used to get dinner together at Dewick, the best dining hall on campus. Last year, Dewick served ice cream sundaes on Sundays, and all of us tappers loved getting our Sunday Sundaes together. This year, due to the new safety protocols, the dining halls aren’t serving ice cream, so when we got out of quarantine, the four of us who were on campus masked up and walked to J.P. Licks, the local ice cream parlor in Davis Square. We got dessert to go, and enjoyed our melting ice cream from 6 feet apart in the park in Powderhouse Square, while watching the sunset.
Another truly happy reunion occurred Saturday during lunch, my first meal out of quarantine, when I met my friend who lived down the hall from me last year. A friend of mine from tap joined us too, and I had this worlds collide moment -- after I introduced my two friends from different arenas of my life, they became fast friends too. I love that here at Tufts, everyone is open to meeting new people, and mutual friends become close friends (Emma’s Advice #2- ask your friends to introduce you to some of their friends, it’s a great way to meet new people).
For me, the most exciting reunion is yet to come -- my reunion with my roommate and very good friend Mary-Joy. Mary-Joy and I met on Jumbo Day, also known as Accepted Students Day, and we reconnected on the first night of our pre-orientation. We learned that we both love rom-coms, game nights, and ice cream, and from there, the rest is history! She moves in this weekend, and I will be thrilled to move my stuff off of her desk (which I accidentally took over) and make room for my new roomie. We have a lot of catching up to do, but of course, first on the list is a rom-com night, complete with ice cream.
So the lesson learned here is first, bring a calendar to college, but second, the relationships that you make at Tufts are long-enduring. If they can withstand a pandemic, they can withstand anything, and with that in mind, I am so excited to start my sophomore year with my friends by my side!