April Babies, Georgetown Daze, Those First Days

A Reflection on the First Year

The year is over. School year, that is. Well, almost. "Happy Georgetown Day"--a day to revel in being drunk on the festival-like front lawns of campus. To outsiders, that description of Georgetown Day may simply sound like a cynical attitude towards of a college drunk fest, but it's not actually like that. It was actually fun. Even for someone who doesn't really engage in college nightlife or drink, like me. It was fun because never have I seen the whole campus come together for a day of revelry in gorgeous weather. It may seem like some baseless glorification of socialization, but it was the permeating spirit of Georgetown that touched me. To me, it wasn't Georgetown Day as a festival, as a day of celebration involving the commemoration of a student-led faculty award, the retirement of our beloved mascot, that made it fun. It was the realization that we survived our first year of independence and of the tremendous growth we all underwent. I didn't really think much of the day until I realized it meant the end of the school year. Georgetown has taught me so much, I contemplated. No one will ever be able to understand it back home. Never before would I expect myself to willingly attend a presentation of students' theological independent research under the Figges Fellowship. Never would I seriously have contemplated a career in art, dream of proposing a project funded by crowdsourcing, find value and relevance in english and theology, understand the essence of youth culture, be comfortable with simply doing what I want to do in the face of society, and have the power and confidence to change the world. And I can attribute this sense of empowerment and freedom to my school, roommate, teachers, friends, independence, change of environment, who and which provided me with a diversity of knowledge and attitudes over the course of the year. My biggest regret is that not everyone will feel this way. Not everyone will know what I know. Feel the way I feel. Especially my friends who attend larger private research universities and will never take an english, theology, or philosophy class. Back home, a career of scientists, engineers, and doctors is glorified, and life has little value besides that. Pragmatism has been my life, and I find more and more reason everyday that a life that pragmatism dictates is not what I want. I want to fulfill other roles in society. I regret that some of my friends, parents, and others will never realize this. As my roommate said, "No two individuals will know the exact same things, think the exact same thing," when reflecting on our different mental growths, yet similar attitudes, as affected by our societal and academic context. We are all so different. She's studying biology, has a passion for education, children, her religion, theology, anthropology, and her "affectedness" is contagious. We talk about about drinking, capitalism, stargazing. We may not engage in certain behaviors ourselves, but one of our most important lessons is that we cannot judge people for the things that they do. Their lifestyles. Mainly because it's a college thing that everybody drinks. The campus, in general, shares this sentiment in the sphere of social justice, demonstrated by a tremendously involved and fierce battle against societal standards. Every. single. aspect. Students fight double standards like pertaining to "slut-shaming," rape, ableism, racism. They try to fight large corporations, worker injustice, unethical incarceration, untangle the mysteries and prejudices that are spun out of disasters around the world. Essentially, a lot to think about.

This year has been a quick one. From my horrible photography skills, cinnamon rolls, and granola to an attempt at food blogging, daily April birthdays, and contemplation of a future in art, theology, travel, entrepreneurship, it's nice to allot time to just think. As strongly as I feel about thinking as a waste of time, I feel that it's better to start earlier than never about my future. Especially during the summer, when I'll be working on campus full-time without any other obligations.

crowd-winning cinnamon rolls Serves 12 My not-so-secret method to introducing myself to my dorm floor. A crowd-pleasing recipe—because who doesn't like warm, fragrant cinnamon rolls? So fresh, so soft, so no frosting required. Dough: 1/4 cup warm water 1 25-oz. packet of active dry yeast 1/4 cups coconut oil (if kitchen is colder than 76°F, use butter or vegetable oil) 1/4 cup honey 1 tsp. salt 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour Filling: 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 1 cup turbinado sugar 1/4 cup melted butter (for fragrance, but could use coconut oil instead) 1/4 cup coconut oil Making the Dough Combine the yeast and the water, making sure it is no hotter than 110°F. Wait 5-10 minutes until yeast becomes frothy to ensure live activity. Beginning with 3 1/2 cups of AP flour, combine the rest of the ingredients for the dough, and mix with a spatula or spoon until combined. Begin to knead, and gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough is easy to handle. Knead for 5-10 minutes, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a oiled plastic cling wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, for about 1 hour. Preparing the Filling Mix the cinnamon, turbinado sugar, butter, and coconut oil for the filling, microwaving as necessary, until well-combined. Assembling Preheat oven to 350°F. Punch down the dough and roll out into a rectangle until about 1/2" thick. Spread the filling until evenly distributed. Roll the rectangle length-wise (from the longer side), pinch the edges to seal, and cut into 12 pieces with a wet knife. Arrange the rolls in baking apparatus (I used a pizza pan), cover with oiled food cling wrap, and wait for another 30 minutes until nearly doubled again. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool before serving (if your floormates have the patience to), and top the rolls with honey for those with a sweeter tooth.