Carmen Smoak is a senior staff writer at the Daily who has previously served as executive features editor. She is a senior studying applied environmental studies and science, technology and society, and you can reach her at carmen.smoak@tufts.edu.
A week and a half remains in my study abroad experience. More than ever, time doesn’t feel quite real. The days are long and the weeks are all too short. I now stand where there is far more to look back on from this experience than to look ahead to. And so, now is the time to reflect on one of the most whirlwind experiences of my life.
German is hard. Everyone tells you this when you start to learn the language, especially Germans. There are three genders and four cases that come together to create six different ways to say “the”: der, die, das, den, dem and des. And so, when you want to use any given noun, you must first consider the completely arbitrary gender of the noun and then how the noun is being employed in the sentence. This, along with the many other complex and specific idiosyncrasies of the German language, leads to what I like to call “Deutsch delirium.”
I am 4,489 miles from home. It sounds like a lot, but sometimes it doesn’t feel far at all. When big things happen back home, I feel as if my brain is separated from my body. My mind soars over the Atlantic Ocean at warp speed, seeing familiar places and faces, feeling as though nothing has changed and as if I never left.
Once again, the season of vibrant reds, yellows and oranges has come. There is a slight nip in the air and pumpkins are slowly appearing on windowsills. The seasons are changing as they always do, but there is something different about autumn in Germany.
Wanderlust: of German origin meaning “a strong desire to travel”Synonyms: restlessness, unsettlednessEtymology: German, “wander” to hike, “lust” pleasure or delight
As the time comes for seniors to move their tassels, many are looking back on their time at Tufts with a newfound perspective. Certainly, no college experience is without its twists and turns, mistakes and lessons and memories and discoveries. This is deeply true for Maddy Noah, a graduating senior in the SMFA combined degree program.
From the basement office of the Daily, it can be hard to see the places that college journalism might take you. However, the lessons learned through late night production sessions, hours of fact checking and countless emails to sources and writers are all part of the strong foundation that the Daily provides its members.
Hopping off the MBTA Green Line after riding from the Medford/Tufts station to Park Street, the transition from a suburban to urban landscape is self-evident. The air downtown is saturated with the smells of street food, gasoline and sweat. Glancing around offers a view of Boston’s skyline juxtaposed with the expansive Boston Common and Public Garden. From this spot, exploring Boston can take on many different forms, like traveling by way of urban green spaces.
During the arduous week of finals, a student’s mind is likely devoted almost entirely to one feat: finishing out the semester. But what comes after all finals are taken and projects turned in? Summer often presents itself as a season of opportunity. There is time to relax, see family, travel, work and maybe even tack on a few items to ‘ye old resume. With so many possibilities, students take advantage of a wide range of summer employment and internship opportunities.
Throwing caps in the air, many graduating seniors are about to take their first step out of a lifetime of education and into the next phase of adulthood. After taking countless courses at Tufts, these young adults earn their degree and their freedom from the classroom.
