rewind.

let's take a quick pause and rewind a few days, and at the same time, a few years. i've mentioned that i attended my five-year vassar reunion a couple of weekends ago. it was a very interesting weekend mixing past & present, interacting with classmates and old friends, and reflecting on my time as a student there.

1. i've really fallen out of touch with my friends from college. having the opportunity to spend time back in the original setting...primarily with annie & liz & rachel, who were my 'crew girls', and with emma, who was my kindred sister,  was lovely. these were the people who were the key players in my days at vassar- in addition to my freshman roommate, kim, and the many incredible men and women who rowed with me each morning. 

the crew girls on the quad

e-squared

2. the more time i spend thinking about college, the more i realize that my college experience was far from average. my entire college experience took place on the hudson river, and in the vassar library. i had two relationships, both of which were long-distance. sure, i went to the occasional party and did other college-y things. but i woke up at 5am every morning. for months on end. the only other students i saw at that time were those up writing a paper, sleepily using the bathroom, or getting home from a raging night out. i learned how to be a true athlete, how to train my body mentally and physically to be stronger than i believed possible. i worked through injuries, and spent more weekends traveling to races than i did enjoying my classmates on campus. i knew, and often complained, about this life & how challenging it was, and how much i was missing out on. but looking back, i know that my experience on the crew team was far more memorable than anything else i could imagine. 

the boathouse

my rowing strength

liz on the hudson

really beautiful library.

3. i was incredibly blessed to go to vassar college. being back on campus was a quick reminder of what a beautiful place it is, and i was also reminded how easy students at a liberal arts college have it. yes, you learn a lot and are challenged in many ways, but it is a bubble. a very pretty bubble. 

incredible tree. favorite bench.

vassar love.

5. i originally didn't have a lot of interest in vassar, in part because my grandmother went there (and also because i never thought i would be able to get in!). evidently that was a very teenage-way of thinking, and now ten years later, sharing vassar with my grandmother was such a special connection for us. as i reflect back on my decision to go to vassar, i know with certainty that the day my grandmother watched me graduate was one of the happiest of her life. i wouldn't give that up for anything. our relationship continued to strengthen in my years following college, and being back on campus --and particularly staying in her old dorm-- meant that my heart was full of love for her.