To preface this column publication, I want to say that I’ve never watched “Love Actually” (2003). My favorite Christmas movie is “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946).
The only things I know about “Love Actually” are that it is my mom’s favorite, and it has the scene where the dude stands outside the fence with a bunch of signs professing his love after the girl says to her (I would assume) partner, “it’s carol singers.”
Which, I don’t know, has to be one of the most ridiculous things ever. Like, come on.
Anyways, as breath starts to turn into steam, Christmas trees and menorahs start shining through windows and grade calculators start appearing in our search history, we know that the semester is coming to a conclusion.
For me, this is a special ending. My very first semester.
As another method of procrastination, I will now reflect on my first semester, create a bunch of big posters professing my emotions, grab a speaker and go to Sunil Kumar’s house and tell him to say it’s Christmas carolers.
When I first got here in August, I, along with my classmates, arrived with a sparkle in my eyes and novelty in my heart.
My very first day before the FIT pre-orientation, I remember sitting full-on swinging my legs on my bed. I giddily twiddled my thumbs and waited to start my college career. Now, I physically can’t swing my legs on my bed. I am not saying that I grew taller or have lost all love for college, but I am saying that the novelty of the start of the “best four years of my life” has slowly dissipated.
But, I can confidently say that I still love it here and enjoy most moments.
The people I have met have been the most surprising aspect so far. After being at the same school for 14 years and suffering from a “Mean Girls” (2004) environment, the Tufts community is indescribable.
Being able to connect with people from as far away as Singapore to the unparalleled kindness and openness that most students and professors exude are why I sometimes don’t cut the line in Dewick.
The “Love Actually” line that I quoted in the heading is actually “To me, you’re perfect.” Initially when I first conjured this article’s outline I was going to quote it verbatim. However, I realized that that would be wrong.
Over Thanksgiving, I yelled at my dog for excreting the most foul poop on my bed and he said, “we all have our flaws, for perfection does not exist in this imperfect world.”
Tufts isn’t perfect. No school is perfect. The girl in “Love Actually" isn’t perfect.
I debated what word to put in the heading because I wanted a word that wasn’t too grandiose nor too negative: that’s when I landed on copacetic.
In the end, I have loved my time here at Tufts. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. Not even the time I spilled my Kindlevan smoothie (it was the chocolate one too.)
A while ago when I used to be a Sidechat demon, I came across a thread that practically said that people do not often praise Tufts. And yes, Tufts has its faults from the inordinate tuition to SIS, but Tufts also has many bright spots which are often lost throughout a day of laborious schooling.
So as we near the end of this semester and this calendar year, be grateful for Tufts. Try at least. I for one know that there are so many people who would love to be in the spot you are — even if you are in a forced triple.
Good luck with finals and have a happy holiday. Hopefully I will see you all in 2024. I know that I will be asking Santa Claus for people to start dropping classes and a low lottery number. And to me, dear reader, you are perfect.
