Opinion Frosh Talk About Year Number One: Part I

What was the most surprising/awesome/not awesome/unexpected etc. thing about Princeton this year?

Bennett McIntosh: Irina Spalko, the villain in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, dies in one of the most CGI-heavy instances of “careful what you wish for” in film history. Mere seconds after announcing “I want to know EVERYTHING,” the aliens grant her wish, much to her chagrin — side effects include mild-to-moderate anxiety, flame bursting out of her eyeballs and disintegration into cosmic dust. It turns out, for better or for worse, admission to Princeton isn’t like getting a wish granted by an alien. I’ve managed to keep my eyeballs, but I realize anew every day that I’ll never learn everything the world, or even this university, has to offer. Sitting in Murray-Dodge listening to my friends describe the intricacies of Arabic syntax or the development of modern war, I sometimes wish I had taken Arabic instead of Spanish, HUM instead of ISC, history instead of philosophy, but it’s enough to know that, as long as I’m here, I cannot run out of facts to learn, things to do or people to meet.

Ye Eun Charlotte Chun: One of the most bizarre (and pleasant) Princeton experiences I’ve had was running into people I had met in different parts of the world on campus. During high school, I had competed a lot for speech and debate, traveling to over a dozen countries and befriending students from many others. Those I had deemed to be good opponents or fun acquaintances, I had kept in touch with over Facebook, but had no expectation of ever seeing them again. However, during preview and throughout the year, I ran into a close friend I had competed against in Australia, a fellow mock trial judge from the Netherlands, a debater who had attended the same tournament as I had in Scotland but whom I didn’t know until we went to Community Action together. Even now, I run into friends of roommates from summer programs and hall mates who were neighbors of my Korean high school friends. It’s just been a truly bonding experience over how small the world is and how useful making connections are.

Part II forthcoming…