passover, time passing fast

campus life has been picking up at a rapid speed since the last time i wrote.

this weekend consisted of hanging out in the sun at the home ultimate frisbee tournament, watching an experimental performance art piece on the residential quad that involved ten or so girls dancing encased in a 20'x20' plexiglass box, trying to do some homework, watching "life is beautiful," avoiding the 150+ students playing "humans vs. zombies" (a goucher invention that is like a live-action zombie video game; recently featured in the washington post), working on the last issue of the newspaper for this year, driving to the magnificent grocery store that is wegman's, and enjoying my first ever passover seder at my friend and roommate maura's house in harrisburg, pa. the weather alternated from 80 degrees and sunny to violent thunderstorms and heavy rain.

the seder was a really great experience. five of us piled into the car and drove just about an hour and a half to pennsylvania's state capitol. harrisburg is a really charming little city with nice brick architecture set against the backdrop of the susquenhanna river. maura's home looked pretty much as i expected it would. our bedrooms are filled with many of the same relics from our childhoods- pictures cut out from dance magazines, lots of good books, art projects, maps of where we've been, french-themed stuff, etc. it's amazing how much you really learn about a person once you see their home. her hospitable and gracious parents planned a very contemporary, politically aware evening of food and prayer. in between the traditional prayers we read new additions, like a prayer for those with aids, those in sudan, those who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, etc. it was a great cultural experience, and it was also just really refreshing to be in a real home with parents again!

my plans for the summer and beyong are finally taking form. i know that i will now be living and working full-time on campus over the summer but hope to take a couple days to go camping and go up to massachusetts in may. i hope to explore as much of baltimore as possible during the course of the summer. in the fall, i will be living in an apartment with three of my friends- we've finally figured out who will absolutely be there- and immersing myself in anthropology and sociology classes. i will also be taking on more responsibilities- i will be the editor of the newspaper, continue working in several offices on campus, and want to be more involved in community service...

goucher spring traditions

this week was filled with goucher spring traditions- or at least, we had both of our annual two. gala, the big formal dance, was on a boat in the harbor. it was really fun to see everyone dressed up. no one went overboard or got seasick (to my knowledge), so i'd say it was a success. yesterday was Get Into Goucher Day (GIG), an annual festival that included a huge BBQ, a bunch of inflatable moon-bounce things, a concert by ted leo and the pharmacists, and almost every single person in the goucher community enjoying themselves outside. although for many it is about getting away with drinking in public, my favorite part is just being able to hang out with literally all of your friends at one time. the music was great, the weather held up, and i enjoyed almost every minute of it (i got a little worried when people began shoving each other to start a mosh pit at the concert...). i am bummed that i'll be missing these iconic goucher classics next spring, but it will make them that much more special senior year.

this morning i volunteered at the great kite fly, which was attended by over 200 local children. i wasn't too helpful in assisting their kite-flying, but it was sure fun to play with the kids. this evening i'll be half-participating in relay for life, an american cancer society fundraiser, and then retiring to do some homework. it is accepted applicants' day on monday, which means i will be giving two tours and talking to many prospective students as they make their college decision. ron paul will be speaking that evening- that should be interesting....

cultured week

this week blurred by pretty quickly. the highlight was going to see my favorite musician, the dreamy swede jens lekman, and his always-delightful band. the ensemble played at the black cat in d.c. again, playing a similar but possibly more amusing set than when we saw them in october. he is a fantastic storyteller who possesses a mighty grasp of the english language considering his mother tongue is swedish... it was so awesome to be able to get to the show with a car instead of hours of public transportation!

other bright spots of the week included taking a tour of the massive construction project at my school, called the athenaeum. my mentor for a leadership program is the architect, and she took me around the site. it was awesome. i am really pumped for this building to open in a little over a year! photos are below. i also had the opportunity to meet the acclaimed anthropologist edie turner today. the wife of victor turner (possibly one of the most famous anthropologists of all time) and the mother of rory turner (my anthro professor), she has published five books since she turned 65. the british native did fieldwork all over africa, in mexico, and in ireland. she told us some hilarious stories, sang "america the beautiful," shared her adorable laugh, and gave us a long list of very specific things to bring with us when we do fieldwork. it was a delight.

i was toying with the idea of going to the transmodern art festival this weekend, a non-stop performance art marathon at a venue called "load of fun." (i think the rain and the amount of work i have to do have killed that plan, though) i love that baltimore offers such rich art experiences nearly every weekend. the festival of maps is also taking place right now, through june, and a lecture, event or opening seems to occur every day. i love baltimore so much!

i am off to d.c. again tomorrow to spend the day in the national portrait gallery for a paper in my art history class. i hope to see some cherry blossoms while there too! goucher's one big traditional, formal dance will be on sunday... that should be an adventure too!

have a great weekend.