This is both an anticlimactic and bittersweet day to write this blog post.
The past 5 weeks, all I’ve been able to think about is putting one step ahead of the other and working as consistently as possible for as long as I can. Days are long — quite literally, I’m usually up until 1:30 a.m. — but hindsight makes memories short. I don’t know where the time has gone. I could’ve sworn that my first lecture was a week ago; that PSet 4 was due yesterday; that we were at the movies just an hour ago; and everything in between was just a long dream that dissipated the instant I woke up.
Oddly enough, this is the slowest week I have had at SSP. I thought the week of report-writing would be when I crunch in the maximum amount of work, but these have instead been the days where I’ve enjoyed field trips the most (who knew I would enjoy hours being battered by salty waves?), spent the most time playing piano, loved the people around me to the fullest.
I have a lot of people to thank and so many of you that I will always wish I spent a bit more time with (but the reality is that all the time in the world will possibly never be enough). So I’ll say this for now:
- Thank you to my wonderful roommates: Divya, Sai, and Taja (my rock, stone, and pebble — because it’s ridiculous for all of you to be my rock — respectively). Our 87.5% brown suite is the best I could have asked for. I’m glad you’ve gone along with my (mildly aggressive) attempt to indoctrinate you into my purebred Tamil life, and I’m equally glad you liked the Indian snacks and thokku (you’ve made my mother very happy). Our weekly debriefs are still among the best nights I’ve had here, and you just make me feel like my silliest, most open self.
- Thank you Lindy for being the girlboss I wish I could be. You are my biggest inspiration at this camp and every day I fall in even more awe of you (you prove that there are cases where the limit does not exist and just shoots into infinity). I could not have asked for a better teammate, and I don’t know that I’ll ever understand how a person can be so cracked and humble all at the same time. I hope you’ve found me to be at least half as good a teammate to you as you have been to me — and hopefully a good friend, too. Finishing our report gave me so much pride and joy, especially knowing that I did it with you.
- Thank you Olivia for making me feel sane despite my teacup obsession, and for keeping an eye out for fountain pens at that antique store. I may not have walked out with any, but the very thought that someone indulges me and my weird hobbies is a high I can ride for a long time.
- Thank you Andria for showing me Idea 22. I’ve never felt so loved as a pianist, and now I finally understand why the audience is always so important to a performer. I hope I’m able to do a good job of playing the piece at tomorrow’s talent show, but more importantly — I hope it brings you joy.
- Thank you Jasmine, for that awesome day at the aquarium and for being one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. You make me (and everyone else who enters your presence) feel warm and fuzzy with your kindness.
- Thank you to my silly little D&D group. You make me want to keep my eyes open on the bus and stay up late, even if I’m getting my hit points decimated most of the time. I’m holding you to this: we’re going to call and play D&D sometime after SSP is over, okay?
- Thank you to my professors. I’ve been pushed quite far out of my comfort zone while here, but somehow each new lecture feels more exciting than daunting. You’ve made me realize that I really can do anything I put my mind to.
- Thank you to my awesome TAs for grading my assignments late at night and offering truly helpful feedback. And, of course, for creating those little havens of pure fun to make our minds off those spells of stress. And thank you Dr. Ice, for watching out for us, keeping our fridge stocked, organizing every field trip, and for creating here all the little conveniences I’ve taken for granted at home.
- Thank you to everyone else too! My memory is a bit too much like a goldfish’s to remember every moment, but you can believe me when I say this: every conversation with every person here gave me joy.
I’ll miss all of you tons. I can’t wait for your final presentations on Sunday and we are all going to do amazing. I hope you all have safe trips home, and that I am able to talk my parents into letting me go to that reunion in October so we can meet again. You’ve been great. Love you loads. Promise me you’ll kick back and relax now that we’ve submitted reports, okay?
-Sanjana
