This past Friday, I finished the last class of my undergraduate career. There were bagels and orange juice, but it certainly didn't feel like a celebration.
As I left Lane studio and walked home, I realized that in three weeks this would no longer be my home.
Of course I've done my fair amount of complaining about Tufts, but now that it's almost over, I'm not sure that I'm ready. I'm going to miss having 20 of my friends all in a two-block radius. But instead of getting all teary-eyed, I think it's best to just enjoy the remaining three weeks and cherish the memories.
So since today is my last column in the Daily - unless you read the commencement issue - I wanted to share my favorite times and favorite memories at Tufts. Make sure you make your own, so that you can bring them with you when the time comes for you to say goodbye, too.
I think my all-time greatest memory is feeding the ducks in the Boston Public Garden. It was just so fun picking up two loaves of bread and sitting down by the swan boats. It felt like a retreat from the city, and the ducks and occasional swans were just so adorable as they dove into the water, gobbling down soggy pieces of bread. One duck became my friend as he waddled out of the lake and ate the bread straight from my hand. Though, I must say, the geese were a little scary when they started getting aggressive and nipping the other birds - and sometimes my finger.
Another great memory is sophomore year initiation parties. Since my friends and I weren't the sorority type, we decided to create our own tradition. We split into groups and each group was in charge of a different activity, from truth-or-dare Jenga in West to Kings in Miller. There were also costume themes: Team America, Dirty Monkeys, Look at Those Melons, etc. Then, there was Initiation 202 when we all dressed up as schoolgirls - although it was a little strange partying at DTD that night when nobody else was in costume.
Then there were the spring breaks. I strongly suggest trying out all types of vacations during your four years. Mine were all fabulous: going to Disney World, partying in Jamaica MTV-style sophomore year, traveling around Europe while abroad and soaking up the sun in Puerto Rico senior year.
But I think the best times were just laughing and hanging out with my friends - tanning on the library roof, playing flip cup with the girls at 359, watching "The OC" religiously with wine or champagne (and sometimes yummy homemade Italian cuisine), hickey contests after Passover dinner, dressing up as storybook characters, playboy bunnies and firewomen for Halloween, meeting my first love in the basement of 123, creating birthday parties based on everything from paninis and wine to blackout punch, making and eating jello-shot cakes, going to beer-b-ques, watching the Pops for fourth of July, being a devil with two angels for NQR, stealing someone's ice cream cake, drinking scorpion bowls at Hong Kong without IDs, Spring Flings (when they weren't rained out), setting off the fire alarm in Miller, getting random rides - sometimes limos - into Boston, parties at the brothel, strip Beirut in Miller, karaoke at El Guapo, watching my friends guzzle down the $400 of alcohol I bought my first week of school, our leg-warmer obsession sophomore year, playing bartender (then getting kicked out) in Faneuil for St. Patrick's Day, creating the hottest toga costumes for parties at DU, jello-shots at that frat that only has parties once a year, partying VIP, devouring an entire key lime pie with Mary, dressing up for pimps and hoes at AEPi, going to Red Sox games with my step-dad's amazing seats, tanning at the lovely Sun Kissed, hosting parties in Haskell with Miss Juicy, visiting Hillside Liquors, hopping the fence at BC for Marathon Monday, pigging out at Dewick after homecoming sophomore year (then again with everyone this past Spring Fling - not to mention the massive food fight), the ongoing towel stealing for two years, endless brunches at Carmichael, and so many more... I'll miss you guys so much!
And to everyone else, good luck and goodbye.
Sydne Summer is a senior majoring in English. She can be reached via e-mail at sydne.summer@tufts.edu.
