College Visits Day 2

Friday, March 25, 2011

7:30 Woke up and stretched.

9:00 – 9:50 Went to the class “100 Poems” with my mom. They analyzed and discussed William Wordsworth’s poem “Ode.” Interesting thoughts about childhood vs. adulthood, life as a play…I kept thinking of the Alchemist as I listened. At first, when the teacher started reading the poem, I was totally confused and couldn’t make any sense of it, despite loving the sound and texture of all the words. I had to ask my mom about the meaning. However, as the class started analyzing it and revealing their perspectives, I really got a good idea of what the poem was, so now I feel confident, should I ever have to pick that poem apart myself. (Now, I really want to find it and read it again so that I can pick it apart, or at least enjoy the words for what they are without being encountered by confusion and overwhelming-ness.)

After that my mom and I walked to the admissions building so we’d know where to go for our tour.

10:00 Ate brunch at “home.” Finally had tea!

11:00 Went across the street to the Slow Train Café so we could use their WiFi. Blogged and got all caught up.

12:30 – 1:20 Science tour. The guide wasn’t a science tour guide because they had all left for spring break already, but she did her best. She’s actually going to law school after she graduates this year, and seems pretty excited about it. (We actually saw her later in the Slow Train Café, where she reached out and said hello to us, apologized for not being a science major, and was just very nice.) Unfortunately, this was actually just a tour of the science building, not the sustainable building for environmental studies, which we were all very interested in. The science building actually cost more than 50 million dollars to build!

1:30 – 2:20 – I sat in on Introduction to Advanced Literary Analysis. It was an interesting class – they were discussing Othello. The energy was a bit low, but that was probably just because everyone was pining for break to start. However, once they got a little warmed up, they had a lot of fascinating comments to make. What I enjoyed the most about it was looking at the students and imagining them as characters in some story or other. (I try to stock my mind up with those mannerisms and types of presences that make a person who they are.)

After this, we walked to the Adam J. Lewis Center (the sustainable building). The front room was beautiful – there was a little pond and lots of tall plants. A sundial was outside the front of the building, and a little pond snaked around the side, one that was actually part of the building’s waste water recycling system. It recycles waste water – water in the toilets – using plants in what they call the Living Machine to filter it and then bring it back into the toilets. All of the materials the building was made of are local, except for the floor, which still plays into the environmental side of things. The roof is covered in solar panels, and the building has a passive solar design (meaning it uses sunlight for heat).

Then we made our way back to the Slow Train Café to meet a student from the Creative Writing Department. We had some extra time, so on our way there we stopped in the Bookstore and looked around. I didn’t find anything profound, unfortunately.

3:30 – 4:45 We talked to a couple of students in the Creative Writing department, Lauran and Jeffrey. (Lauren had to leave early.) I loved hearing their individual stories about how they got into the school and their experiences once there. They talked about other projects they’ve done. Lauren recently went to Rome, and while there discovered some interesting things about the idea of monuments. She, along with some friends, are working on a project where they’re going to cover up and then rededicate a huge arch on campus. She’s also working on a novel, which has something to do with monuments. Jeffrey is creating a website that has something to do with publishing or creating poetry or prose. He is a vegetarian also, as is his whole family! Part of the reason he came to Oberlin instead of some other colleges was because they had so many vegetarian choices. He said, also, that he didn’t like the feeling of some Ivy League schools – the reputation they had to uphold, the superiority everyone that goes to those colleges feels entitled to. We were all able to engage in conversation about some complex issues, and it was very stimulating. Made me like Oberlin more…getting this insider’s perspective, and actually getting to really talk to them. They both seemed like the kind of people who enjoyed life and the many things it has to offer, enjoyed the simple things and the normal kind of fun, but found real, heartfelt satisfaction and joy in the things they were passionate about doing, particularly writing. You could tell they had a lot on their minds, and they were very much people, and very much wanting to do something, and well on their way to doing it.

4:45 We walked down to a place called the Black River Café. We were there a few minutes before opening time, so we walked down the street and found a place called “Inspired.” It’s a little shop of clothing, jewelry, snacks, books, etc, all fair trade and sustainable. We’ll definitely be going back tomorrow. The lady there let us try some fair trade milk chocolate balls – they were very good!

5:10 We went back to the Black River Café. We got amazing French fries for an appetizer. I got a really good beet salad with candied almonds on it and some tomato and artichoke soup; my mom got mushroom risotto; and my dad ordered the best dish – some kind of tomato and cheese stuff wrapped in noodles...I don’t know what it was called, but it was amazing!

And now we’re back in our room, so glad to finally lie down. And my shoulder still hurts. [It really pained me that night, and took a long while to feel better. The movie “Pretty Woman” was playing on TV, so we watched that. It was really the only thing I could do, considering that sitting up and holding a book would hurt my shoulder, and I wasn’t relaxed enough to sleep. I needed a distraction, and movies are the perfect thing for that. Anyway, afterwards I was feeling a lot better, and I did some sit-ups and stretching before bed. I did get a chance to read, fortunately, which I’d been craving all day.]