“Forget the pirate eyepatch, mime makeup and superhero cape. I’ll be something out of the ordinary this Halloween,” I told myself in the days leading up to Halloweekend. I was undertaking an arduous task — figuring out how to be something novel and unprecedented was definitely going to be hard.
I had so many things going on last week that I actually forgot to make or buy a costume. But those things made up for my not dressing up, as they reminded me of my childhood and the important people in my life.
I was scrambling to complete the remainder of the assignments I didn’t get around to doing last week, as I was busy visiting with my aunt and uncle, while also hosting a prospective student for Admissions' Voices program, while also running club meetings and events, while also creating an itinerary of fun stuff to do with my brother who stayed on campus this weekend.
My first Halloweekend festivity was to pick up my prospie. Here I was, showing some kid around campus. Has it really been more than a year since I was that “some kid” to someone else? This made me appreciate my time here ever since I first toured.
My brother arrived on campus to visit me the following morning. We grew up in a suburban two-story house in California. That has always been home for us. Why did catching up in my common room feel like talking inside our childhood home’s living room? It was comforting: same people, together in one place, even if it was a new space.
My brother spent that Friday afternoon with me as I hosted a Halloween costume and food party for a club I co-chair (DREAM, a mentorship program that pairs Tufts students with kids aged five to 14 who live in a government-subsidized housing community in Somerville). We began our weekly programming with the kids, designing costumes with props and clothing we brought over. When was the last time I put on a costume? Probably when I was around their age, when you begin to learn your multiplication tables.
We then had a doughnut-eating competition. Where did I have my most recent doughnut? Must’ve been at the pastry shop I frequented after school with my middle school buddies. I miss those guys.
We celebrated for a few more hours, until it was time to wrap things up and depart for Tufts. My brother and I were ravenous, so we took an Uber to Border Café in Harvard Square. Before dinner, we met up with a Harvard student I’d befriended at summer camp two years ago. We caught up, but he had to leave for a comedy show. When was the last time I saw a comedian? It was at that summer camp — with that Harvard student. I remember, because it was the highlight of my time there.
We were seated immediately.
“Hey Adam, do you like the guacamole?"
"Tastes great. Thanks for bringing me here; I was really craving some good Mexican food. Reminds me of all those times we spent eating chips and gauc at Carmelita’s back home."
"Me too, Adam. Good times."
Jumbo Steps: My Halloweekend
