I graduated from a very liberal liberal arts college: Oberlin College in Ohio. Sometimes I forget how crazy it was going to Oberlin. Those memories blur into the fond recollections that everyone has about college: late nights of studying and partying, close friends, new ideas, uncomfortable dorm experiences, and various other typical college experiences. However, mixed in with all of that is something so uniquely Oberlin that sometimes I forget other people haven't had the same college experiences. Most people haven't eaten at a vegan co-op, haven't negotiated their way through complex discussions of racism, sexism and sustainable practices while just sitting around in the lounge after class, haven't forgotten to flip the shower sign to Women only and be joined by the guy that lives down the hall, haven't been paid to use the bathroom in a specific building that is a living machine. They certainly aren't familiar with the phrase "If its yellow, let it mellow" and they most definitely don't understand why Harkies dressed as pirates were terrorizing the campus.
I talk about these experiences with my friends and co-works when we are sitting around sharing funny stories from our past and many times I get incredulous stares and hesitant laughter. I never hear people say "Oh yea! I did something like that!" Instead I hear things like:
"You mean, you took a shower with 3 other people and some of them were guys?"
"Wait, you guys all lived together, cleaned your own dorm and cooked all your own food?"
"So, you not only had co-ed dorms and co-ed halls, but co-ed rooms?"
Yes, we did. And I loved it and I think I'm a better person because of it.
Then again, maybe I am just a little weird because in many ways Oberlin is a little weird. Of course, that's why I loved Oberlin and I wouldn't change a second of my time there.
This nostalgia was trigged by a New York Time article about sustainable practices implemented by students at Oberlin. What really made me think about all this was the fact that this article considers what these students are doing as new, unique and innovative. The fact is, Obies do this stuff everyday. And they don't think of it as new and different. They think of it as normal.
I talk about these experiences with my friends and co-works when we are sitting around sharing funny stories from our past and many times I get incredulous stares and hesitant laughter. I never hear people say "Oh yea! I did something like that!" Instead I hear things like:
"You mean, you took a shower with 3 other people and some of them were guys?"
"Wait, you guys all lived together, cleaned your own dorm and cooked all your own food?"
"So, you not only had co-ed dorms and co-ed halls, but co-ed rooms?"
Yes, we did. And I loved it and I think I'm a better person because of it.
Then again, maybe I am just a little weird because in many ways Oberlin is a little weird. Of course, that's why I loved Oberlin and I wouldn't change a second of my time there.
This nostalgia was trigged by a New York Time article about sustainable practices implemented by students at Oberlin. What really made me think about all this was the fact that this article considers what these students are doing as new, unique and innovative. The fact is, Obies do this stuff everyday. And they don't think of it as new and different. They think of it as normal.
1 comment:
Hear hear!
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