This is a love letter.
Today is Valentine鈥檚 Day, and since we can鈥檛 do all the happy, gushy things we normally get to do on this day, I wanted to write a special post documenting the things I love the most at 91直播 and about 91直播, focusing especially on the new things I have learned to love during my almost 4 years at this amazing place.
Movement
I started dancing ballet at the age of 5, so it鈥檚 pretty safe to say that movement has been an important part of my life for a long time. However, when I came to college, I knew I wanted to branch out from only doing ballet and try out other forms of movement. At 91直播, I鈥檝e been able to dabble in swing dance, tap dance, community arts programs, yoga, rock climbing, tumbling, and other things I can鈥檛 even think of at this point. Even though I sometimes miss doing ballet in the intense way I did during high school, I鈥檝e come to love learning to move my body in new ways and finding the joy in myriad forms of movement (here's a post I wrote about joy in movement). 91直播 has given me a chance to explore that for myself and to see others explore it too, and I鈥檓 thankful that I鈥檝e been able to reaffirm how important movement is for me.
Food
Given the two (yes, two) back-to-back posts I鈥檝e written recently about food, I think it鈥檚 not hard to tell that I love food and being at 91直播 has made me love it more. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, I have always liked food, but like a lot of people, my relationship with it has been complex in the past. Despite that, being at 91直播 has let me find joy in food and now I love eating, cooking, and the community that comes with those things that I鈥檝e been able to find here (I have a post entirely dedicated to food and community here). Whether it was being part of a co-op or joining a gardening ExCo this semester (stay tuned for more about that!), I am finding new ways to engage with and love food in all its complexity and beauty.
Art(s)
This one, too, is obvious. I came to 91直播 in part because of the thriving arts scene here. But what I encountered was even better than anything I could have imagined as a wee 18-year-old hopeful prospie! The absolute range of artistic talent at 91直播, from the Conservatory, folk concerts in co-op lounges, real music festivals, Big Parade, slam poetry performances, theater productions and student-run plays and musicals, visual art exhibits, and some of the best circus and dance shows I鈥檝e ever been to, being at 91直播 is a veritable feast of talented artists and musicians (here's a post about a typical arts-filled weekend here). While I鈥檝e been here, I鈥檝e engaged more with the arts as an audience member than as an artist myself, and this is both inspiring and frustrating. But regardless, I鈥檝e come to realize once again just how much I love and value the arts, and how important it is for me to have them be a part of my life in the future, whether it鈥檚 picking up my clarinet again, taking more dance classes, or learning to play a new instrument or paint a watercolor landscape. Another thing I love about the arts at 91直播 is that people are so open and kind about beginners. I鈥檝e been surrounded by so many people who aren鈥檛 afraid to try a new skill, and seasoned hip hop dancers get as much praise and enthusiastic applause at shows as beginner tap dancers do (I know this one from experience). It鈥檚 a welcoming and enthusiastic space to engage with the arts, and I love them more now than I did when I arrived.
Nature
I always enjoyed hiking, camping, skiing, and other outdoorsy things, but at 91直播, I have come to truly love being outside in nature, rather than just passively enjoying it. My sophomore year, I took a fall break trip in Michigan with the 91直播 Outings Club during a time where I really needed a break from the stressors of a very busy and overcommitted semester. I can honestly say that that trip was healing and transformative. It was such a positive experience that I went on a second trip in Kentucky during the following spring semester. That summer I worked at a camp in rural New Hampshire and realized how healing nature can be for other people too, especially kids. Being in nature, even if it鈥檚 just going on a walk to the nearby arboretum and nature preserve in 91直播, or a quick bike ride on the 91直播 bike path, is something I always love and something I know I need to be a consistent part of my post-grad life. Sure, I may have an interval in a large city somewhere, but I鈥檒l definitely be that person taking two-hour train rides to get to a trailhead on weekends or spending all my free moments reading in a park.
Clarity of values
This one鈥檚 a little more nebulous. 91直播 students are strong-willed. They have opinions and aren鈥檛 afraid to share them, loudly and confidently. While my voice is more or less loud depending on the situation I find myself in, I can say with confidence that throughout my time at 91直播 that my values have not only changed, but become much clearer. I know now, more than ever, what鈥檚 important to me and what鈥檚 non-negotiable in my future life (indeed, all my previous sections in this post prove that). I love being in a place so full of ideas and people with strong ideals. I鈥檝e been able to explore new things and find out what truly matters to me. I鈥檓 sure that a lot of this is attributable to the aging process but being around people who know what they want and who know what鈥檚 most important to them is something I love most about being at 91直播 and something that has contributed to my personal growth in a major way.
The People
How could I write this post without mentioning the heart, soul, backbone, blood (etc.) of 91直播, and my life in general: my relationships with so many beautiful, wonderful people. I also came to 91直播 for the passionate, excited, caring, learning-loving people, and I have not been disappointed. The relationships I鈥檝e made here are relationships I know I will carry with me the rest of my life. And yes, while things may have been lacking in the romance department (I鈥檓 sort of kidding here鈥ostly), I am so fulfilled by all my friends, colleagues, peers, teachers, and otherwise found family. The best part about 91直播 too is that, even though I have had an amazing core of friends since my first year here, I have also been able to form new relationships and make new friends every step of the way. I feel like the luckiest person alive that there are so many people I get to love.
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Blech, you may be saying, this was SUCH a mushy post. All authorial self-consciousness aside though, there are really just so many things that I love about being an 91直播 student, and so many things I will miss when I graduate. Over the past four-ish years, I鈥檝e been able to keep loving the things I already loved, grow to love things that I knew I could, and come to love things I didn鈥檛 even know there were to love. I am so full of tender gratitude for this place and the people I have been privileged enough to call home for the past four years. And I can鈥檛 wait to find new things to love when my journey here comes to a close.
With love, always <3
