Arrival

Alright folks. Let's just say it. I live in the dorm again. I sleep in a twin bed and carry my shampoo to the shower a floor down. Unless I decide to give in and just use the men's bathroom on my floor for all purposes. Which I am close to doing.

I arrived yesterday after a whirlwind departure from NY that involved losing my drivers license, credit card, and ATM card. All a day in the life and not so upsetting but very inconvienent. I could go on about the departure but really, let's focus on the arrival. Specifially, the ice cream social. Did I mention that I live in a dorm again? And dorms have meetings when new people arrive. And as a reward afterwards they have ice cream socials. Let me give you one of the highlights from the ICS.

By far my favorite person so far is a young "kid" (a word I put in quotations because he is 20 and I am not) named Kenny. The week before we all arrived here Harvard signed up every new student on a List Serve and duly sent out an email telling everyone of such. Something in the email made people feel the need to send shout outs to the group. Things like, "Hi, my name is Michelle and my email address is michelle@michelle.com. I can't wait to meet everyone next week." Like that. A hundred emails just like that from total strangers. Except one. Kenny's. Kenny's email said, "i think it strange, for i prefer faces-kenny" Which in my opinion is genius but what do I know.

So fast forward to the ICS. The ice cream is melting on the table, students are packed onto the concrete slab underneath one of the dorm overhangs chatting about god knows what and I pass by one little dude with longish brown hair still wet from the shower in disorganized pieces around his head and he is yelling out indiscriminately, "Urban Planning! Anyone! Urban Panning! Am I all alone here? Urban Planning!" And he does it with a smile and abandon. No self conciousness. No worry. Just pure delight and zeal. To be yelling out to strangers with joy. As Mastercard says, priceless. I should add that Urban Planning is one of the smaller subsections of this whole summer thing. Architecture takes up the bulk with Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, and Urban Design taking up the significant rear with about 90 students total across all three fields. But back to Kenny, not being an Urban Planning student I let the man alone and took my ice cream elsewhere. But Kenny arrived in my little corner and introduced himself around and as soon as he said his name I knew...You! You're the one that wrote the only original thing on that list serve! To which he pointed at me and said...you read it! Ha! Did you write one? To which I had to admit I had...I couldn't resist flooding strangers inboxes.

All of which is to say, Kenny is a one of a kind and he has no idea. I want to shake him and say "Don't change!" Continue to wear two different color socks. Continue to shout into crowds indiscriminately looking for your kindred. Continue!

I think he shall.

As for me...well, I'm taking it in. I have to admit the dorm thing throws me a bit but I think a lot of things are going to throw me. Which I guess is part of the point with this time. Shake it up. See where it all lands.

If I have the time I will keep posting updates but frankly, they've pretty much laid down a rigorous schedule. But who knows. Talking to all of you seems just as, if not perhaps more important than a schedule of assignments. Continue!