A work in progress.
February 2021.
I’ve finally developed my rolls of film from my last months on Dartmouth’s campus. From a last visit to the Organic Farm, mason jars of mycelium from my last time working in Thayer, and frames from campus with signs congratulating the new graduates - a part of me still holds on to the Spring that could, or rather should, have been.
These photos brought back memories of when we’d refresh the NYT Covid page every hour and think things would be back to normal by summer, and when post-its on dorm room windows saying “see you soon” were more than just forgotten words.
I spent the entirety of Spring term living and working alone. As my postgrad plans fell apart, I fell into a spiral of questioning whether everything I had done up to this point had been worth it. Maybe I should have followed along and gone down tech or finance careers like my peers. After flying back home in June, I tuned into my online commencement to experience an entire three seconds of fame, alone in my room. Utterly underwhelmed.
In the time after graduation while I tried to make sense of my fragmented world, I stumbled upon a book and a particular quote caught my eye:
"The system manufactures students who are smart, talented, driven - but also anxious, timid, and lost, with little intellectual curiosity and a stunted sense of purpose: trapped in a bubble of privilege, heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they're doing but with no idea why they're doing it…Most of what you come across in college will inevitably fade from memory. What's left over, precisely, is you.”
Here’s to finding whatever is left over.
These photos brought back memories of when we’d refresh the NYT Covid page every hour and think things would be back to normal by summer, and when post-its on dorm room windows saying “see you soon” were more than just forgotten words.
I spent the entirety of Spring term living and working alone. As my postgrad plans fell apart, I fell into a spiral of questioning whether everything I had done up to this point had been worth it. Maybe I should have followed along and gone down tech or finance careers like my peers. After flying back home in June, I tuned into my online commencement to experience an entire three seconds of fame, alone in my room. Utterly underwhelmed.
In the time after graduation while I tried to make sense of my fragmented world, I stumbled upon a book and a particular quote caught my eye:
"The system manufactures students who are smart, talented, driven - but also anxious, timid, and lost, with little intellectual curiosity and a stunted sense of purpose: trapped in a bubble of privilege, heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they're doing but with no idea why they're doing it…Most of what you come across in college will inevitably fade from memory. What's left over, precisely, is you.”
Here’s to finding whatever is left over.
Upcoming:
- Reflections on 9-5 life and a summer living in Los Angeles.
- Process of choosing between grad schools, what key elements and deciding factors.
- Thoughts on travel - mindsets, effectiveness, efficiency, and purpose
- General musings on comfort, carbon, relationships, and reflections.