the return of vassar life
By Tamika Whitenack
Some snapshots from life back at Vassar:
the new sensation of labored breathing that only comes from a brave long run in 4˚ weather
a packed Asian Student's Alliance meeting with 40 people
making peanut noodles and veg-tofu stir fry in the adventurous place that is the Raymond kitchen
a climbing wall at some remote camp in upstate NY
a bearded professor with a fiddle. Some college students in fun dresses. Some college students in jeans. A contra dance!
copious amounts of tea, every day all day
200 pages of reading Silent Spring
40 pages of reading about the Scottish kilt
100 pages of reading about white bread, and it's role in Cold War politics, American consumerism, counterculture and feminism, and oh so much more
100 pages of reading how old white men conceptualized the American wilderness
more reading
some reading on the treadmill
some Spanish poems
some maps
some reading about genetic climate systems
the polar vortex
3 hours of lecture on the entire history of the United Kingdom....love war royalty famine, such drama, such intrigue
a salt lamp
staring out the window to discover that visibility does not exist, only whiteness
emails, emails, emails. received, and sent
a treadmill visit, and serious regrets at the decision to return to my dorm without putting my sweats back on
library time with a 5-year-old
quality conversation with a friend. and another friend. and another friend.
the jarring sensation of bright hallway lights as one attempts the nighttime voyage to the bathroom.
snatches of acapella rehearsal, or piano practicing, wafting from above as i study
a morning glimpse of a pink sunrise
a peaceful afternoon of work
a chaotic afternoon of running from meeting to appointment to deece to work
an indulgence in sunflower seeds
additions to the vegetable and fruit sketches wall
a letter reading before sleep time
another string of cranes
Ahh yes, we are back at Vassar. A life that moves at an incredible pace, where learning and growth and social development feel ever present and accelerating, where quiet moments of reading and tea are both a regularity and an anomaly. I am happy to be back, enjoying my 5 classes, my 3 orgs, my work at the ALANA center, and the addition of a new off-campus babysitting job. I'm still playing flute, though not in a formal setting, still finding some time for recreational baking, and of course, still running. The weather has been thrillingly chilly.
The past week was long and busy, and I suspect I won't be blogging very regularly due to an endless to-do list of Vassar-related tasks...but I will be blogging daily for my Brexit class trip, as it is a requirement! I'm excited for the semester, and know that there are many memories and stories to be made, thoughts to be had and shared, accomplishments to achieve and failures to ponder...wish me luck? No, I don't need luck, just an abundance of baby spinach, a good pair of boots, and a smile that gives happiness, peace, and hope for whatever is around the next corner.
Have some pictures!
Some snapshots from life back at Vassar:
the new sensation of labored breathing that only comes from a brave long run in 4˚ weather
a packed Asian Student's Alliance meeting with 40 people
making peanut noodles and veg-tofu stir fry in the adventurous place that is the Raymond kitchen
a climbing wall at some remote camp in upstate NY
a bearded professor with a fiddle. Some college students in fun dresses. Some college students in jeans. A contra dance!
copious amounts of tea, every day all day
200 pages of reading Silent Spring
40 pages of reading about the Scottish kilt
100 pages of reading about white bread, and it's role in Cold War politics, American consumerism, counterculture and feminism, and oh so much more
100 pages of reading how old white men conceptualized the American wilderness
more reading
some reading on the treadmill
some Spanish poems
some maps
some reading about genetic climate systems
the polar vortex
3 hours of lecture on the entire history of the United Kingdom....love war royalty famine, such drama, such intrigue
a salt lamp
staring out the window to discover that visibility does not exist, only whiteness
emails, emails, emails. received, and sent
a treadmill visit, and serious regrets at the decision to return to my dorm without putting my sweats back on
library time with a 5-year-old
quality conversation with a friend. and another friend. and another friend.
the jarring sensation of bright hallway lights as one attempts the nighttime voyage to the bathroom.
snatches of acapella rehearsal, or piano practicing, wafting from above as i study
a morning glimpse of a pink sunrise
a peaceful afternoon of work
a chaotic afternoon of running from meeting to appointment to deece to work
an indulgence in sunflower seeds
additions to the vegetable and fruit sketches wall
a letter reading before sleep time
another string of cranes
Ahh yes, we are back at Vassar. A life that moves at an incredible pace, where learning and growth and social development feel ever present and accelerating, where quiet moments of reading and tea are both a regularity and an anomaly. I am happy to be back, enjoying my 5 classes, my 3 orgs, my work at the ALANA center, and the addition of a new off-campus babysitting job. I'm still playing flute, though not in a formal setting, still finding some time for recreational baking, and of course, still running. The weather has been thrillingly chilly.
The past week was long and busy, and I suspect I won't be blogging very regularly due to an endless to-do list of Vassar-related tasks...but I will be blogging daily for my Brexit class trip, as it is a requirement! I'm excited for the semester, and know that there are many memories and stories to be made, thoughts to be had and shared, accomplishments to achieve and failures to ponder...wish me luck? No, I don't need luck, just an abundance of baby spinach, a good pair of boots, and a smile that gives happiness, peace, and hope for whatever is around the next corner.
Have some pictures!
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| my chocolate collection, masquerading as greens |
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| books books books |
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| meal prep for the babysittees |
 |
| doughy things |
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| a true vintage outfit |
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| a library book! |
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| well hello, rachel carson |
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| noodle reconnaissance |
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| pumpkin bread + geography notes |
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