Two months … Well, 65 days to be exact is the time I spent on campus. It was a long ride but we made it to the end of the fall term! Woohoo! So many things have happened in such a short time.
With COVID restrictions, I’d imagined there wouldn’t be many afternoon activities to choose from. But was I proven wrong! There were many activities, ranging from calligraphy to dance to even fishing! I chose Intramural rowing for my MWF activity and Varsity rowing as my TT activity. It was my first time doing rowing, so I was a bit nervous. But every day, I walked down to the boathouse with friends and learned the skills I needed to do crew. I was invited to pre-season last year but it sadly got canceled because of COVID. Writing this now, I feel prepared to tackle pre-season this upcoming spring. During my time at the boathouse, I made many new friends, both new and returning students. At the end of practice, we’d walk back to the Dining Hall, our walks filled with exciting conversations and jokes.
Likewise, I imagined dorm life as vastly different compared to last year. While there is truth in that statement, dorm life wasn’t any duller this year. Once given the thumbs up, our dorm had feeds once again—a Groton tradition where we have different foods during check-in. My dorm heads, the Spierers, are well renowned for their monkey bread. Imagine how I felt when I was able to eat one during a feed one day! We got pizza, donuts (for my birthday), and the last check-in of the term we got sushi!
Also, the Student Activities Committee made weekends jam-packed with activities for the dorm to do. During one Saturday, the Fourth Formers and my formmates in my dorm played Just Dance on the Circle! Another day, we got to roller skate at the Pratt Rink, something I didn’t think was possible. Through these small events, I became even closer to the Fourth Formers and formmates in my dorm, for which I am forever grateful.
A surprisingly memorable moment occurred during one chilly Saturday afternoon when a friend and I decided to catch up by hanging out on the Circle. We took a detour to the back of the Schoolhouse to play volleyball. After a few minutes of playing, LV (my ex chemistry teacher) and a few students joined our little duo and we got to play an actual volleyball game (more like head-butting the ball)! More and more students trickled in and eventually, we had a 10 v 10 match. So there I was, playing volleyball with my friend, my ex chemistry teacher, and the boys varsity soccer team. This moment was truly a “boarding school experience” moment. After an intense rally (where I helped using my “amazing” libero skills), my team won and everyone celebrated with joy.
All of these memories contributed to how I perceived my second and last fall term at Groton. As I write this, I’m trying not to shed tears at how lucky I am to have made these memories. Nonetheless, I know Groton will do a great job handling the next two terms as they did with this one. Groton put a lot of dedication and planning into ensuring that students experienced Groton to the best of their ability, and I’m very grateful for that. With that, I look forward with excitement for the next two terms on the Circle, both virtually (in December) and in person!
Hope to see everyone soon!