This past weekend I got to re-view Dartmouth through 'shmen eyes. Last Wednesday, my sister, who is a member of the incoming class of 2003, came up to visit me. She was here for four days and during that time I was able to re-experience Dartmouth through the eyes of someone who is experiencing it all for the first time. When she first arrived I opened the door to find her bending under the weight of a thirty pound backpack and a duffel bag the length of my room. Interestingly, although she brought three dresses, eight pairs of pants and 22 tank tops, the need for a towel, shorts or toothpaste never crossed her mind. Furthermore, not only did she bring over 20 outfits for four days, but she somehow managed to wear all of these clothes and over half of mine.
A second clear indication of her emerging "freshmaness" was the fact that Snood, which had been banished to the dark recesses of my hard drive years ago, was exhumed. Once again mindless hours were wasted sitting open-mouthed in front of my computer screen in an attempt to make the ugly, smiling, little Snood faces disappear. In addition to Snood, my sister fell in love with BlitzMail. Not only did she feel that every message needed to be opened, but under my sister's freshman eyes, even mass blitzes and forwards were read with scrutiny. One of the results of this was that last night I wound up attending three hours of festival D'Artmouth. Now, for the first time since my freshman year, I can say honestly that I have attended a performance of every single accapella group on campus.
One of the more disturbing aspects about being with a freshman is that they don't view your guy friends as "just friends." For example, imagine that all of a sudden, your friend "Jon," whom you have known forever and think of as a brother, is being referred to as "soooo gorgeous." Then imagine how you would feel when, without warning, you are forced to listen to a long detailed description of his sexy blue eyes, his baby soft hair and, worst of all, "his cute little butt!" Although listening to a freshman talking about your friends can be unnerving, watching them scope out other guys you know can be hilarious. Nothing is more amusing than seeing a freshman, and especially your sister, drool unknowingly over that guy from your freshman seminar whom your best friend nicknamed flaccid and who you've seen streaking the Green in bunny ears and cowboy boots.
Perhaps the best thing about being with a freshman is the fact that you get to re-experience the excitement in the things you do every day. For example, when was the last time you were truly excited by a meal at Food Court, a Thursday x-hour or a walk to A Lot? When my sister was here, even these mundane and often tedious activities took on a whole new light. Food Court seemed novel, the x-hour insightful and even the long walk to A Lot seemed shorter. I often think about how easy it is to take Dartmouth for granted. By now, for most of us, being at Dartmouth is not something new. We live here, eat here, play here and work here everyday and as a result, the fact that our time here is only temporary is hard to remember. However, as any senior will tell you, it'll be over quicker than you can imagine. And I guess the same is true for life. Thorton Wilder asks, "do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?" Probably not, but we should give it our best shot.
