Hello Booths! Greetings from Vermont! *insert post card of Hurricane Irene*
At my new 4-year school, Marlboro College, all new students (even us oldey-moldey transfers!) go on a week-long orientation trip with other new students. Adorkable, I know. My trip was a kayaking/camping trip, and it was frickin' awesome. Among other things, every night we would sit around our camp fire and say our "Rose" our "Bud" and our "Thorn" of that day. Meaning the best parts of our day, what we were looking forward to for the next day, and what maybe-kinda sucked about that day. We all did it with a sense of humor, but took it pretty seriously too. Adorkable, I know.
Anyway, that's what I'd like to share with anyone who's reading this - the best parts of my trip, the little annoying things, and what I hope for as I begin my first semester at Marlboro. Cheesey to the point of puking, yes...but have you met me? Cheesey is what I do.
Roses:
-The people. I was afraid of going on this trip and getting sick of everyone super quickly - that each day would get worse socially. In fact it was the opposite, and each day made me love everyone more and it was kick-ass. I made some awesome friends who I get to sit with at meals every day now, and cuddle with. It's a beautiful thing when people aren't annoying.
-Kayaking. We got to kayak in solo boats AND two-person boats called tandems. We spent some time on both smooth and choppy water, and I feel like my kayak skills reached a new level. We also spent a lot of time singing "I'm on a Boat", and other Lonely Island songs as they applied.
-Singing. We sang. A lot.
-The Butterfly Funeral. We found a stunningly pretty dead butterfly at one of our campsites, and held an impromptu funeral, joining hands and singing "Taps". It made me feel super confident in my choice of school, because obviously the people I go to school with are dorks like me. Also, I accidentally got the lyrics wrong at the end and sang "God is high" giving a whole new meaning to the song.
-Mindfulness. We were so busy every day - moving boats around, setting up and taking down camp, cooking all of our meals...I had zero time to be homesick or grumpy. I lived in the present for a whole week and it was blissful.
Thorns:
-Allergies. I had some issues with the tents and my sensitivity to air-borne stuff. One morning I woke up very early with one eye completely sealed shut, and I took a zyrtec and sat out on the rocks, waiting for the swelling to go down and admiring the lake. Then I saw a naked man chilling on his boat. So maybe that was a Rose too...
-My hair. I didn't get to wash it. It was gross, and it bothered me a lot. You can ask my fellow trip-mates...when I did get to wash my hair I cried I was so happy. Or maybe I didn't, it was raining so that's still up for some speculation.
Buds for Marlboro Fall Semester:
-I hope my roommate and I continue to be the awesomest roommates ever. There's no reason this wouldn't happen, in fact it's definitely going to continue to happen. Claire is awesome; I love her. Also, we have a doormat (Thanks Nell!) that proclaims our room "Party Central" and we have received many compliments on it.
-I hope to meet even more people who are interesting and wonderful, although it seems everyone here is so I guess that's a guarantee.
-I hope to stay in touch with the people I love in various states across the country.
-I hope my classes don't kill me.
-I hope my family doesn't forget all about me and turn my room into a swimming pool or a pie factory.
-I hope to grow creatively and intellectually. That's why I'm here. Durrr.
Anyway, I hope all the Booths are doing great, and I can't wait to read your posts! That includes you Jenny...I want to read Paws!
At my new 4-year school, Marlboro College, all new students (even us oldey-moldey transfers!) go on a week-long orientation trip with other new students. Adorkable, I know. My trip was a kayaking/camping trip, and it was frickin' awesome. Among other things, every night we would sit around our camp fire and say our "Rose" our "Bud" and our "Thorn" of that day. Meaning the best parts of our day, what we were looking forward to for the next day, and what maybe-kinda sucked about that day. We all did it with a sense of humor, but took it pretty seriously too. Adorkable, I know.
Anyway, that's what I'd like to share with anyone who's reading this - the best parts of my trip, the little annoying things, and what I hope for as I begin my first semester at Marlboro. Cheesey to the point of puking, yes...but have you met me? Cheesey is what I do.
Roses:
-The people. I was afraid of going on this trip and getting sick of everyone super quickly - that each day would get worse socially. In fact it was the opposite, and each day made me love everyone more and it was kick-ass. I made some awesome friends who I get to sit with at meals every day now, and cuddle with. It's a beautiful thing when people aren't annoying.
-Kayaking. We got to kayak in solo boats AND two-person boats called tandems. We spent some time on both smooth and choppy water, and I feel like my kayak skills reached a new level. We also spent a lot of time singing "I'm on a Boat", and other Lonely Island songs as they applied.
-Singing. We sang. A lot.
-The Butterfly Funeral. We found a stunningly pretty dead butterfly at one of our campsites, and held an impromptu funeral, joining hands and singing "Taps". It made me feel super confident in my choice of school, because obviously the people I go to school with are dorks like me. Also, I accidentally got the lyrics wrong at the end and sang "God is high" giving a whole new meaning to the song.
-Mindfulness. We were so busy every day - moving boats around, setting up and taking down camp, cooking all of our meals...I had zero time to be homesick or grumpy. I lived in the present for a whole week and it was blissful.
Thorns:
-Allergies. I had some issues with the tents and my sensitivity to air-borne stuff. One morning I woke up very early with one eye completely sealed shut, and I took a zyrtec and sat out on the rocks, waiting for the swelling to go down and admiring the lake. Then I saw a naked man chilling on his boat. So maybe that was a Rose too...
-My hair. I didn't get to wash it. It was gross, and it bothered me a lot. You can ask my fellow trip-mates...when I did get to wash my hair I cried I was so happy. Or maybe I didn't, it was raining so that's still up for some speculation.
Buds for Marlboro Fall Semester:
-I hope my roommate and I continue to be the awesomest roommates ever. There's no reason this wouldn't happen, in fact it's definitely going to continue to happen. Claire is awesome; I love her. Also, we have a doormat (Thanks Nell!) that proclaims our room "Party Central" and we have received many compliments on it.
-I hope to meet even more people who are interesting and wonderful, although it seems everyone here is so I guess that's a guarantee.
-I hope to stay in touch with the people I love in various states across the country.
-I hope my classes don't kill me.
-I hope my family doesn't forget all about me and turn my room into a swimming pool or a pie factory.
-I hope to grow creatively and intellectually. That's why I'm here. Durrr.
Anyway, I hope all the Booths are doing great, and I can't wait to read your posts! That includes you Jenny...I want to read Paws!
The naked man chilling in his boat being maybe a rose made me laugh. You are hilarious, I love you. :)
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