AWOL
I realize that it’s been a while since anyone has heard from me. While I doubt anyone really noticed that I fell off the face of the planet, Since you last heard from me, I’ve knocked off a paper and five midterms - a rather hellish episode that I don’t wish to relive.
And now, I’m now on my Spring Break in good old Cali, visiting J at her college. Tomorrow we’re heading back to Princeton and will spend her spring break there and in New York, doing the whole tourist thing. I really can’t wait - I’m only an hour away from New York, but I haven’t really had the time to just go to the city during weekends. This will be a completely new experience for me too.
Coming here during my breaks has always been a really enjoyable experience. I spend a lot of time being lazy in general and catching up on sleep, but I love being here with J and all her friends. While it may be a bit ironic or counterintuitive to go to another school for my spring break, I think part of me loves coming here because this is the college experience I missed out on - the opportunity cost of me going to Princeton, if you will. I love the people here, and there are a ton of my friends from high school here. The academics are still demanding, but manageable, and people here know how to have fun. I love the campus - it’s urban, it has a Panda Express, and the student body is not only large, but there are a lot of Asians.
Here, I feel like I blend in, and I like that. Everyone I’ve met here thought that I went here - I fit in here perfectly. At Princeton, it feels like the opposite. I definitely stick out - I’m an Asian boy from California. Aside from the obvious ethnic difference, I dress differently and speak differently (sometimes “hella” differently). It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, especially as of late, as things have been shaping up at Princeton. I have friends, and I can honestly say that I like being there now (for some of the people, not the institution and the prevailing social attitudes). However, being here is still a taste of the life I could’ve had and, very often, wish I did.
