Dormitory

Like any good child of the nineties, I read Harry Potter. Like any devotee of the Wizarding world, I wanted nothing more than to live in a dorm. I'm not going to lie, the fact that my new school is a boarding school (WITH DORMS) was a definitive factor in my own choice to go. Now that I'm here, I will tell you some interesting anecdotal truths about dorm life. 1. A good roommate is everything: fortunately, I have the best roommate anyone could ask for. She is neat, punctual, solicitous, has no odd/noisy habits, does not play a musical instrument, does not talk incessantly, does not blast loud music, does not decorate her side of the room with Disney channel stars and starlets. It helps that we don't see each other at all during the day, so going "home" at night and just chatting with her is really fun and relaxing. And she's got a very dry sense of humor. Always a good thing to posses, in my book. 2. Wear flip-flops in the shower: because you just don't know who was in there before you washing with what. Granted, us B***** H*** girls are one the whole a hygienic bunch, it guards from foot fungus. Oh yes...To the girl who leaves hair and random pairs of underwear in the showers: STOP DOING IT! Please. Thank you. 3. Don't let anyone cut your hair: amazingly, one girl let another girl do this, and it turned out fine, but the prospect of another high school student, as artsy as we all are, is terrifying! 4. Study hour is anything but, at least outside our room. Study hour is this great little implementation stating that between the hours of 9 and 10 PM, all students must be in their rooms studying or reading silently. Music must be listened to with headphones, and visitors are not allowed. That being said, why, last night was Kanye West spluttering from the room across from us? I sound like the biggest prude ever, but reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles isn't fun when I've to wade through crappy lyrics. 5. Don't eat the cake sitting in plain sight in the communal refrigerator: Just because the Cheese Cake Factory box is sitting cruely open and all the chocolatey/peanutbuttery goodness is eeking from the doggy back, doesn't mean you can eat it. Food is a very big issue around here. Apparently that was a big issue last year; people taking each other's food and not reimbursing them...that sort of thing. All things said, dorm life is hilarious and good fun, even when people blast music and run up and down the hallways. It's like living with forty-odd sisters. It's great. It's crazy.

Leda and the Swan

As I sit at my computer listening to the Indigo Girls and reveling in the fact that my writing studio homework is done, I have to ponder a certain poem. Aforesaid poem is Leda and the Swan, by William Butler Yeats.

I first read this poem in English nine honors amidst contorted faces and gasps as the swan had its way with poor Leda. We knew it was Zeus and somehow that made it more accessible, but I remember the prospect of him being in the form of a swan was absolutely disturbing to some people. In all honesty, I was incredibly irked that most of the class was hung up on the inherent sexual nature of the poem. So we spent the rest of our time with the poem discussing the weirdness of Zeus and his libido. Not to mention poor Hera. Anyways, today in Writing Studio, I got a second chance with the poem.

Let me tell you, going back to a good poem or book is like going back to a favorite movie. All of a sudden it all made sense. Helen of Troy, Leda's expectations and shock when Zeus drops her like a used rag, the stark portrayal of commandeering gods. It all fell into place. I thank my amazing verse teacher, who not only made us all bust a gut (I believe his exact phrase was, "Zeus's feathered glory"), he helped us appreciate the poem for its structure and its meaning. But I won't go off on a poetry tangent. I worry I've already lost you, reader, so I won't preach to the choir.

Oh yes, yesterday I met the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction. You know, Paul Harding? Tinkers? Ring any bells? Even if it doesn't (I would've had no idea had I not been required to read his book for summer reading), this guy was amazing. Having done a very close out-loud reading of his book tinkers in class for the first two weeks of school, it was that much more wonderful to be able to discuss the work with its creator. he was insightful, obscure, and spoke mostly in metaphors. And he appreciated that I read his book in the boondox of the Alaskan wilderness. What a wonderful place I'm in.

City Venture

Behold...The Gypsy Children!

Yesterday the majority of the Writing & Publishing studio broke out from the school bubble (or plastic hamster ball, as it is slightly more difficult to penetrate than a bubble...I'm sorry, I'm making no sense) and went into the city. We walked for six hours, took subways, ate cake and lunch, drank coffee, shopped, discussed, sweat, and then went back to school.

The city, unbeknown to the blogosphere, is beautiful. It's bustling and hot (at the end of summer, obviously), sprawling and dense, and packed with cafes for us hipsters to sip beverages at.

My friend got carrot cake, I indulged in a slab of pumpkin spice cake. We split them. 'Twas amazing.

Shortly after this we braved the city subway to get to the Garment District, where I proceeded to buy pounds of vintage clothing and, wait for it...a pair of perfectly functional Birkenstocks for not fifty, not twenty, not ten bucks...but 30 CENTS! Yes, you read it correctly. Aside from us all being tired, hot and grouchy by the time we finally made it back to school, it was a highly satisfactory day.

Some gems from my day.

"And then the squirrel people invaded Europe!"

-My History teacher

"Feed the homonculus. She's hungry."

-Daniel Bosch (my Verse teacher)

"Because I don't have enough talent,

I depend on reality."

-Poet Takamura Kotara

"To Generalize is to be an Idiot. To Particularize is the Alone Distinction of Merit."

-William Blake

"Do you like sloths?"

-Luke Smithers

"Do you like babies?"

-Luke Smithers

Willow reeds and acorns.

It's hard to believe that it is already Friday. It's also hard to believe I haven't done a Fantastical Friday post for awhile. Because all Fridays are fantastical, especially this one, thus far. It's seven twenty in the morning here, ten minutes before I'll migrate to the dining hall. An hour ago I was trekking and exploring the early morning on campus. I've been running/ellipticaling every morning this week, and decided that my energy wanted to change it up.

Much to my roommate's probable dismay, I set my alarm for 5:45 (I only let it ring once) and then dressed for the trees. It was wonderful. The fog had yet to lift off the ground by the time I was out there (around six) and continued to rise ephemerally until 6:45, at which time I finally returned to my dorm to get ready. If one had seen me flitting around in the trees in the dead early day, they would've thought me rather crazy. I was talking to the trees as well, which adds to the potentially precieved nutsness. Speaking of nuts. There are acorns EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere. And they are beautiful. I found myself meditating for a long time under the willow tree, which will supply plenty of good willow reeds for Mabon (Autumn Equinox festival I plan to celebrate this year).

A very fantastical Friday morning indeed. Though, I must divulge, I wouldn't mind crawling back into bed for a few hours.

Sweating Tea

I don't know if it comes with a passion for writing, but the entire writing studio(myself included!) drinks tea like the apocalypse in imminent. In on of the corners of the room, by the wall of windows looking out onto the field, we have a cabinet. In this cabinet, we have cups and bowls and an oddity of utensils. Upon the cabinet is a microwave, should we want to genetically modify our foods' cells (but that's a different story). On top of the microwave is a black wicker basket. In said basket, is tea. Bags, and bags, and splenda, and bags of tea. And it's wonderful. We also have espresso roast, but thus far we've all been too lazy to make a pot. Aside from the fact that I have to pee every fifteen minutes, it's lovely. It's relaxing, and I can only hope all this green tea is bolstering my immune system and not just squeezing my bladder every quarter of an hour.

In fact, I am writing this from a Writing Studio laptop with a steaming mug of organic herbal tea. Good fun.

The trees are not dying.

They are losing their leaves. It's called Fall. Oh, right, Fall. I don't have many clear memories of fall, other than when I was about two and I was in my front yard in Alaska with my dad. I have some baby pictures in which I'm eating crackled crimson leaves, but nothing concrete in my mind. So now, in New England, I'm learning about Fall and all the acclimation and assimilation that comes with it. Last night we had an enormous, cold thunderstorm. This morning it is cloudless and brisk. And, perhaps the best thing of all: I can leave my dormitory and go to breakfast (walking, I may add) and not end up drenched in sweat. What a world.

I don't even know

why I haven't been updating my blog. But now I'm back, so all is well.

The first week of school has been the first sprinting leg of a ninth month marathon. A good sprint, but rather tiring nonetheless. I've realized that I am functional away from my parents, aside from a wee moment of damp-eyes when my friend played my mom's favor

ite Norah Jones song (oh jeez, here I go again). But I am functional. I can eat, exercise, shower, brush my teeth, do homework all without someone telling me. Simple as it may be, it's comforting to know that for some reason.

Yesterday was the school's annual Harbor Cruise. Honestly, I haven't spent much time on boats. I've romanticized them and told myself I'd be a great...er...boat person. I know your probably expecting a story about me vomiting off the port side for four hours, but it wasn't so! I was able to keep my sea legs under me the entire ride, except for a slight bought of nausea at the very beginning (and after I ate an entire cup of fondue chocolate, but that's another story).

And the dancing helped as well. Okay, people at my school can dance. Not just ballet dance and coreography dance. But dance. Even I danced, though not nearly as well and with that awkwardness known specifically to white females who get excited because everyone else is dancing and they want to too and end up looking like an awkward white person. But I had fun. Lots of it. It was four hours of dancing and friends and other such happy things.

My dad wrote me a very touching email yesterday. During my skype session with my parents, I related to them how much I missed them. I always do, but I guess I really did sound pitiful. So a little while later, my dad wrote me a message about the importance of routine in combating home sickness. Taking out the trash, running, going for a walk, doing dishes, doing homework and so on are all good routines to have. I'd been doing those, but on automatic. If I can see that I'm doing that to stay happy and sane (as humans go), I think I'll have much fewer Nora Jones incidences. But it's been great here. The people are great, the teachers are great, and the vegetarian selection is tres bien.

Alors, I must go and start another beautiful fall day.

In the Moment.

I shall not even begin to pretend that this is an original title for a blog post.

It fits with my thoughts at the moment, so I'll ask you to bear with the cliche. I realized that what strikes me about the people here is their present oriented existence. Almost everything is in the moment, or pertaining to the moment. We sit out under acorn trees and weeping willows with our writing, or our violins or our dance steps or a song to belt across the field and we enjoy the moment. We perform and create endlessly and without sweat in most cases. We appreciate each other's art, in the moment of its birth and every moment it laces the air until it fades away. Then we clap and hoot and joke and enjoy being young people doing what we love.

Thanks you cosmos.

In good company.

That I am.

Last night, after an ice-cream sunday social with the entire school, six of us gravitated towards the field and proceeded to enjoy two hours of conversation under the stars.

The level of reflection and maturty of the people here is startling. I've not had such an insightful talk with people my own age in, well, ever. And the best thing about it is, we know we're young. We know that over half of what we say will sound like ingenuous drivel in twenty years, but we play anyway. We weren't afraid to play with our minds, and the outcome was amazing.

This morning I skyped with my beloved mom and dad, who are turning out to be quite the honeymooners with their empty nest and all. It is such a relief that they're happy, healthy, and peaceful. As I said before, it would be next to impossible emotionally for me if one or both of them was against this whole shabang. Today we're going to the enormous mall to do some serious shopping. I hope to find some sort of winter coat and some cooler weather styles. On monday we're off to target to buy things for our dorm rooms. I am greatly looking forward to that. Schedules also come out on Monday night, and classes on Tuesday. I can honestly say I have never been more excited for the start of academic classes in mye ntire life. What a world.

Happily Here.

I meant to post en route...it was even going to be titled "En Route", but I was distracted by the plethora of stores and other stimuli. Anyways, I am safely in Boston. I am on cloud nine. The campus is b-e-a-utiful and filled with trees and oxygen. The flights went well and I even slept eight out of the eleven hours from Taipei to San Francisco, and then absolutely nothing on the San Fran Boston flight. But it's alright, because I was awake and alert to watch a flight attendant bawl out many a person for holding their bags in their laps, or milling about the cabin, or not knowing how to operate the emergency exit down to the nub. Granted, I want someone who knows their stuff sitting in the emergency exits, but I don't expect a thesis out of them. But, I digress, again. I use that phrase far too much on this blog.

The people here are amazing. I already have friends. They are all incredibly mature and hilarious. Right now, as I try to write this, we are chillaxing in my dorm room with my roomate (who is quite amazing herself), and two other dorm mates. Right, so, here are some pictures of my journey. I promise to post more of the campus and my room after I decorate a little more. It's amazing to be following a dream and to be following that dream at a place like my new school. Thank you cosmos.

I think I'll go to boarding school today.

Right after I...

1. Wake up and bustle about the house with mom and dad.

2. Eat Huevos Rancheros with mom at our favorite Friday breakfast place.

3. Walk Louise.4. Blog this post.

5. Carry three bottles of water up five flights of stairs for my parents.

6. Run to curb some of my excitement.

7. Get my nails done.

8. Try not to cry at all the people and things I am going to miss.

9. Cry anyway because it's healthy and I know I'll be back all too soon.

10. Take a shower and shave my legs.

11. Watch "Deadliest Catch" with my dad. (We are so Alaskan)

12. Dust and vacuum so that my parents have a clean house to mope around in.

13. Eat Thai food with my crazy, wonderful parents.
14. And FINALLY, I will go to boarding school.

It's bound to be a very fantastical Friday.

TOMORROW! TOMORROW!

I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a daaaaaaay aaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy...

Enough said.