吃瓜爆料

Over the past four years, when brought up in conversation, 吃瓜爆料 always elicited the same kind of curious reaction I couldn鈥檛 quite pinpoint.

Relatives eagerly told me they have friends whose sons went and 鈥渓oved it,鈥� or colleagues who went 鈥渁ges鈥� ago but still reminisce about their days as Skidkids. Even strangers on the street would catch a glimpse of my 吃瓜爆料 T-shirt or hat and, with that same glimmer in their eyes, exclaim 鈥湷怨媳�料!鈥� as they passed me.

The stories that filled the minds of these colleagues, cousins and strangers all evoked something specific and powerful 鈥� something very uniquely 吃瓜爆料.

While I鈥檝e loved this school from day one, it鈥檚 now, as I imagine life outside this creative, comfortable campus, that everything suddenly feels so much more special. And so now, I too must reminisce.

Goodbye, D-Hall

I鈥檓 sorry I haven鈥檛 had a meal plan in two years. Please know your food is much better than mine. I do hope my attendance at your theme dinners makes up for this lost time. Oh, how I will miss piling my plate with 鈥淭he Grinch鈥� and 鈥淗arry Potter鈥�-themed dishes.

Thank you for giving my friends and I 鈥渙ur table,鈥� tucked away next to Emily鈥檚 Garden (I鈥檓 sorry to anyone who ever wanted to sit here but couldn鈥檛). Here, we sat for every meal, usually for hours and hours, pushing off deadlines in favor of many plates of chicken fingers and sundaes.

Goodbye, Case walkway

I have maybe walked down Case walkway a million times. I鈥檝e seen it at dawn and at dusk, in both October and March snow (it does eventually stop snowing here). I鈥檝e walked down it when everyone else is hibernating in their rooms. Yet even when eerily quiet and empty, it still felt like home.

I鈥檝e dodged Frisbees and hobbled down this path on crutches. I鈥檝e sprinted down it to catch the shuttle (not after that time I broke my foot) and slowly made my way home on it after a late night in the library, admiring the beauty of D-Hall, even in the dark.

Goodbye, squirrel that lives in the trash can outside of Saisselin

 Do you know the one? You can鈥檛 mistake it. If you walk by and hear a strange rattling sound, that is it. Sometimes, if you鈥檙e lucky, it will pop its head out. And if you鈥檙e really lucky, a full slice of pizza will be in its mouth. I wonder, will I ever see a squirrel like this again?

 

Goodbye, Jonsson Tower

I haven't lived here in two years, but I did spend half of my college career in this building. I remember sitting up on the very top floor on my very first night of college, peering curiously around me at the new faces, wondering if they would ever feel familiar.

Goodbye, library

I鈥檒l miss you and my favorite library seat. I鈥檒l even miss the echoing stairwells and the line for the bathroom that develops around early May. But you know that 鈥� I鈥檝e already given you your own farewell. 

Thank you for providing me with a quiet space to write for hours and hours, especially my senior year when I needed you most. I鈥檒l miss staying until the lights turn off, munching on snacks and guzzling caffeine well past when I should.

Goodbye, college academics

From my art history and business classes to guest lectures and everything in between, I鈥檒l miss the relentlessly creative, one-of-a-kind approach to learning at this school. Each class pushed me and challenged me in new and unexpected ways 鈥� some with literal rocks and rivers, others with re-enactments and debates.

I鈥檒l miss adding a fresh selection of courses to my cart each semester, with catchy titles and intriguing descriptions making it so hard to choose just a few. And though a 40-page paper doesn鈥檛 always feel fun in the moment, I know I鈥檒l miss spending my afternoons typing away on the third floor of the library.

Goodbye, art history conference room in Filene Hall

Perhaps more of a hidden gem, this room is like the art history version of Case Center. When I had an odd 20 minutes to spare from commitment to commitment, this is where you would find me, sitting in the large, comfortable chair (unintentionally right below my picture on the art history senior board), trying not to doze off.

Goodbye, Saratoga Springs

From impromptu ice-cream trips on those early spring days, to a winter outing to Chowderfest or to a honey and olive oil tasting adventure down Broadway, Saratoga has never failed to provide me with quirky small-city traditions, endless entertainment and a true feeling of home. I couldn鈥檛 have asked for a better city to call home for these four years. My winter coat and I will miss you.

Goodbye, community

More than anything, I鈥檒l miss the people. To those I only met once, to my friends who brought me my favorite freshly baked pumpkin bread on stressful days, and to my mentors and professors who have guided me, supported me and given me the skills I need to go off into the world 鈥� thank you.

Goodbye, 吃瓜爆料

I struggle to put into words exactly how much this place has helped me grow 鈥� academically and personally 鈥� and how strange and intangible the thought of leaving is.

It鈥檚 hard to fathom that there will be no more squirrels or D-Hall dinners. But I will always have the memories. More special than anything, they will always bring me back to these spaces, moments and people 鈥� even to the squirrel.

And though I鈥檓 no longer a student, I can鈥檛 wait to be that eager distant cousin, or stranger calling out at the sign of a 吃瓜爆料 T-shirt, ready to reminisce about my four wonderful years as a Skidkid.

#Skid4life