laundry@dartmouth

It's been ages since I've done laundry--it seems that in the past few weeks I only return to my room to sleep, and thus neglect the siren-song of the Brace Commons' washers and dryers. During Pre-O (Pre-orientation: ah, Dartmouth lingo.), though, I washed my clothes with voracious enthusiasm, occasionally leaving scheduled events to do so. Of course, there was the initial frustration of doing a wash with no detergent, the day the machines only accepted quarters, losing countless socks to hungry dryers and subtly competitive students--but beyond that: joy!

I remember signing my commitment letter to Dartmouth, fingers shaking, knowing in my high-school heart that I wouldn't belong. Everyone is wealthier than me, I thought; everyone is more athletic, dresses better, drinks more, sleeps less, competes harder. And yet, arriving on campus for the first time, I felt strangely at home, as though those preconceptions and stereotypes had fallen away upon sight of the Baker Tower. My sentiments were confirmed: walking down Main Street, trying to internalize the fact that I wasn't home any longer, that I was out in the world like I had always wished for, I remember walking by a group of three boys. They smiled at me and paused a moment. "Are you a '13?" they asked. I affirmed, hesitating. "Come to Boloco with us!" they cried without hesitation. And feeling as though I had just been unofficially welcomed as a member of my new family, I walked happily down the streets of Hanover to a burrito shop in a basement.

The one who first spoke to me is now one of my best friends here at Dartmouth--which, strangely enough, brings me back to laundry. Four of us used to do laundry together late into the night, singing and playing games until everyone's clothes were washed and everyone's eyes were weary with the fullness of the day. Back and forth the conversation skipped and smattered: what we wanted to major in, what we missed about home, what we loved about beautiful New Hampshire. It was in those moments that I first began to realize that the friendships you'll form at Dartmouth will be nothing like those you've ever experienced before. Almost everyone you meet is interested, interesting, compassionate, intelligent, engaged--willing to get to know you as a way to get to know themselves. For my friends here it seems there's no hour of night too late, no order of pizza too large, no midterm too difficult to keep us from spending time together, taking walks, solving problems, having a laugh. Those bonds are such a crucial part of my life here--and once that sort of bond is established, whether it's over cheap burritos or late-night laundry, it's hard to break.