#superdoodles

Continued from Part III...!

Madness

Next stop, D-C Store to swipe out last one. I call up Manno once more, see how he’s doing. This time, he’s more somber than before. His operation to leave country draws nearer and nearer (formal day being September 7th). My food goal to get a to-go breakfast for Saturday morning. (Just came by D-C Store earlier during lunch.) Store becomes so crowded new people who want to enter are kept out due to fire safety risk. I spot Titian, Katerina as familiar faces. But with Manno, we return to discussions of Kenyon and his plans to depart. He reveals he may be interning with an Indian newspaper, which I think would be so cool. I mention he should write about the mentality he goes through as he leaves the country. He explains he’ll have to wait double-digit hours for flight transfers before he can reach India. In time, I reach front, place my order for sausage muffins.

Despite confusion with cashier, still get my milk and banana to compliment meal. Dylan had swiped out a meal too, so I briefly meet with him. My food’s already set, but I find Jesse sitting alone; so I decide to catch-up with him. Turns out he swiped out a pizza with his numerous swipes he’d left. Idalis passes through and offers us her fries, which I graciously accept because omg food. (They’re pretty good, too.) In time, Jesse’s meal arrives, time gets closer to Leadership Council meet, and I depart back to White Pine.

 Darkness

Leadership or Die” becomes a key phrase in our society. Anywho, Molly goes over more info ‘bout election processes, campaigning, etc. I’m super-interested in Outreach. Kris, like many others, going for president. Looking forward to elections and whatnot at next meeting. After session, back to dorm, tone down my attire for Wolf It Down Pancakes, then head off to join others at quad.

Despite coming thirty minutes early, line’s atrocious. Way past 10:30pm, but I wonder if Manno’s up to resume chat. This time discussion leans more on limits of Kenyon life: great professors, meh students; excellent food, terrible library. Band comes out to play (like the huge event couldn’t care the slightest bigger), so Manno and I shift to text; some pretty great numbers from Opening Ceremony as well as few new ones. I meet Kenna and Gavin of Reno! They head off to a side later, and line continues to clot up. (So frustrating.) I decide to hunt for Liz and White Pine since I recognize Liz’s signature Captain America pack. She introduces me to her clan of rifle friends! Largely uneventful wait, ever so slowly creeping forward. College cheerleaders and dance teams way more intense than high school, though. We wait in line ‘til 12:40 am.

But. There is a highlight of my night. A sudden rush of masked wearers of suit, rushing past the lines, swiftly flicking out their hands in offering, the blurring to another place. While so many in the crowd could scarcely tell who the beings were or what they stood for, I have the greatest inkling and tinge of excitement that they are the secret society my OG Anthony had spoken of. One stops before us. Hand outstretched, a card offered. Liz is a bit stunned, but excitedly I snatch it: they are none other than Coffin and Keys. COFFIN AND KEYS! Yaaaaaaaas. Giddiness floods my every being – so much excitement. Despite the long night, the visit by Coffin and Keys makes (part of) it worth the wait.

Finally, plates passed to us. Bacon, given to us. We’ve reached the End of the Line. Chocolate chip or regular? Definitely chocolate chip. Saving my pancakes for Thursday’s breakfast, Liz and I grab some milk then head back to White Pine. So tired. She helps me with doors. We say Hi to Cheyenne in lobby, then retire to our dorms. And sleep, great sleep takes me over.

Continued from Part II...!

Reporting

After class, I take off bit faster than before, as I seek to find a better seat in Journalism, nearer the main floor. I take the straight stairs, stepping quickly, briskly walking. I see Will and Ibzan and Trevor in passing; in no time I reach Knowledge Center! …Which just so happens to already have the lecture hall near full. Wow. I find an empty seat in row two near no one I particularly know (happens a lot, lemme tell you), but the girls, being amiable, make room for me.

Class starts with a quiz on our Amazon readings from the first assignment. (I’ve referenced them now and again in recent chronicles.) Laptop out, I sift through questions, hoping I’m making the right choices. One that seems particularly obvious, I spend a bit too little time on; so you can see where that takes me. Professor Mensing gives us some time, then she scrolls and reads a question aloud. I find that going over the answers so soon seems odd, but I raise my hand and give a response anyway. (It’s not easy to make an entire hundred-three hundred-student lecture hall laugh at once, but I manage.) Mensing was just reading/scrolling for the pen-and-paper people, but that was fine. I shrug with an “eh, it happens” smirk, and class moves on as usual. (Hope it made somebody’s day!)

For our next act: brief history of Journalism. We take notes and make timelines of how reporting began man-on-the-street, spread with printing presses into newspapers, multiplied with radio, flourished with television, and became the transcendent being we know as the internet. In some ways, today’s media of small clusters holding their own mass followings has brought digital return to the campfire-man-on-the-street ways of old (the era pre-literate).

In groups, we chose who’s made the nicest timeline (not mine), and snap and post photos to Piazza or Twitter #RSJ107. As one expects, people prefer Tweeting. But, we get to see our photo from Monday’s class of how many had ordered from Amazon last month, and many cheer seeing their faces. To finish class, Mensign brings us back into the article debate, where we agree the article has quality and deals with digital-age workplace issues unlike any seen before. Heading out from Knowledge Center, I see Orientation pals Connor and Cooper, which was a pleasant surprise.

Reconnections

Lunch with Kris and band squad Melyn, Fieven, Brianna after Journalism’s done. I try the pre-made salads for some variety, shorter lines. Turns out all the food burns though. Ahhhh. Since Kris and crew finish pretty early, they head off (so Kris can swipe out his remaining uses, too). Meanwhile, I find Sam Jantz and Zack Brill by some awesome coincidence and dine with them for rest of meal. Back at dorm, I work on getting more textbooks, finishing assignments. Scheduled a job interview with Inkblot of ASUN for Graphic Designer job, Friday and staff interview on Monday with an English professor! College Daniel’s on a roll…

Anywho, 7pm rolls around, and I find my way to Circle K’s first meeting of the year in the Joe’s Floor 3 Graduate Student Lounge. I feel at once like a freshman back in Key Club again: swathes of new, peppy faces, few open seats, and fellow freshmen caught in the sea. But, I find a spot not too far from entrance, sit down. Amy introduces herself to me, first new Circle K member I meet. I spot Gavino and Hya in crowd. (Haven’t seen her Officer Training Conference two years ago!) While I’m mostly confused just trying to take everything in, I feel solace knowing I’m back with my Kiwanis family after so many months of post-Key Club. Spends a lot of time gawking at the awesome PowerPoint slide. Next person who introduced herself to me is McXine, then I meet Andre, who sits beside me. Then comes Arosha, yet another totally-cool dude. Over on the far side I see Numfon and Eric. And thus, they are all the people I know then!

Overall, love the meeting. Trying Circle K Pledge for first time reminds of Key Club, yet I feel I enjoyed its different ideals and core values. Guest speaker from Teach for America picks-up from that goal to help others reach their potentials, and we fill-out requests for info. Really enjoy how different officers present different parts of meeting, with that branch of fellowship Key Club hadn’t had back when I was with them. Plus Circle K just has really stellar shirts. For ice-breaker, we have super circle, tossing ball around, saying movie titles (mostly Disney, mind you). Feels strange not to be the “photos-officer”, but I still take some anyway~ Happy-Sad Change (ugh I forgot my money) reveals one thing that stands out to me in Circle K vs. Key Club: its sheer diversity of people in all sorts of things. A junior who posed as a freshman, people with taking insane credits, people in secret societies, and all just happy to be here. They’ve even a weekly meeting raffle! After main session’s over, I fill out member application, meet Matthew, Jared, then swing back by to dorm.

Continued from Part I...!

Language

After Jazz, I have Chinese, so I hurry outside of Church Fine Arts. I see an Exit sign, hope it leads to an exit, and cannot find my way. I see my watch. Minutes, ticking, fast. I glance this way and that. No escape. So I hasten, backtracking, and by some fate I’m free. I wander back past Reynolds School, up a good path, hoping to pass through building of edu. Up a flight of stairs, through its atrium, outside yet again, light, engulfing my surroundings. I see the Cain building, enter it hurriedly, hope I’m going the right way, see an open chair behind Connor Jang, and there I’m sane.

I am not late. Ayela sits to my right, Connor in front, Andrew to the left. Class starts with an Adobe Voice presentation Lǐ lăo shī had arranged to try for us. No instruction given, we echo the vid’s sound. She claims we sound cute. And thus, our class begins. Lăo shī gives us packets for her Chinese Studies program, should our interest be piqued. Nice postcards, though; not sure the program is my fit.

Today we start pinyin and come one step closer to the written terms. But first, we’ve activity! Kahoot, the smartphone clicker battle. She tells us we can pick any names we please, even a mysterious one if we want. Most choose their own names, but I feel playful today: so, “Mysterious Name” – I’m blunt. The game rushes into action, bright colors on projector, everyone with phones in their hands, this’ll go helter-skelter. Seconds rush swiftly down, and all scramble to press buttons – hopefully the right ones. The app, real-time, times us, ranking us by how fast we answer. It flashes up answers; students cheer, then next question hits. Another, another, right, right, faster, faster, rank flies up, topples down! Often, my struggle has none to do with definitions; but rather that I must lean past Connor to see the projection. Also, to very carefully tap my phone screen where it might work. (I’ve only had this phone three weeks now.) So the set back on nĭ hăo isn’t the best. But, of the class I still have 3rd place. Impressive. (Malone takes second, haha.)

We glide through the pinyin vowels, learning a, e, o, i, u, and dreaded ü. So much practice, I’ll need to master the sound. But turns out my Spanish background from high school helps somewhat; from the vowels, we move into consonants: b, p, m, f; d, t, n, l; g, k, h; j, q, x; z, c, s; zh, ch, sh, r; and special cases ju, qu, xu. Such a spectrum of sounds. Yet Lǐ lăo shī keeps a bright and cheerful joy, whose warmth makes the course so much less taxing than it could be.

To end the day, we rehearse the expressions we began Tuesday. With our shoulder partners once more, we go back and forth with words. Today I pair with new neighbor, Elissa, in my quest to meet folks and fellows. I think I upset some sort of system going on, since room is bit too small for many pairs; so Ayela (my Monday partner) seems a bit confused at first, but in time, all have pairs together.