I love college– really, I do. I love my friends, I love my classes, I love Stan the Muscovy Duck and that little bench just outside Stone D that looks over the lake. I could write a novel about how the chapel lawn smells after it rains or the warm and fuzzy feeling of walking up to Freeman First and seeing my favorite people spread across the common room floor. But you know what I love even more? The thought of being back at home in less than two weeks. I love that idea so much, in fact, I have mentally left campus already. Winter break is so close I can taste it. It tastes like non-dining hall food and candy canes. It tastes like decent coffee and sleeping in every single day. It isn’t a homesickness sort of feeling because Wellesley is my home. It’s just an itch to get away from this home to another home where I have a Christmas tree and no assignments to finish up.
I can’t leave campus though because of class, and finals, and the Child Study Center, and Mock Trial, and the thousand other little things that have me tied to my desk this past week. I have decided to only do what is required of me these last weeks and focus on the lighter parts of college life. Aside from writing my education final paper and studying for my Spanish exam, I have been spending a lot of time with the mock trial team this past week. What a shocker! We had a scrimmage with Amherst College on Saturday and emergency practice for that on Friday night as well. It’s important to note that I had no role this weekend since we restacked teams (again) so I was mainly there for comic relief and emotional support. We were gone on Saturday from 7:20 am to 6:00 pm, getting back just in time to light the menorah.
Sunday was more menorah lighting for the Hillel Hannukkah Party that afternoon. I won dreidel for the first time in my entire life which was very exciting for all of us. That evening, after some quality time at the Bates Hall study room, we had our mock trial Big/Little reveal event. The “Littles” were picked up at our doors and brought to the mods, these ugly temporary classrooms the college is using until they finish the Science Center. They are so ugly that nobody ever reserves the rooms so mock trial tends to hold all of our events there. After our Bigs were revealed, we played the Newlywed Game. Everyone would get asked a random question like their favorite pie or place they are found on campus. I would write down my answer and my Big had to guess what my answer was. Then we switched roles so I was guessing her answer. Turns out, I am terrible at gameshows, but so is my Big. We tied in last place even though we cheated, but I think the struggle brought us even closer.
On the agenda for this week is a Spanish paper due on Thursday, Shabbat dinner on Friday night, and an end-of-semester get-together with some of my friends at Tupelo Point. I’m heading to the Saturday afternoon choir concert to see one of my best friends and maybe a mock trial social event that night– the plans are still very unclear. Monday, much to my exasperation, is more class, but there will be therapy dogs in the library to get me through. Then LDOC (last day of class) on Tuesday and a Spanish final exam on Thursday. And Friday, I finally finally finally get to go home!
With love,
Jessie