LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Student CAMP: I'm Here, I'm Queer, I'm Very Very Cold |
by Kristen Minor |
I am writing this column from my lovely single at Dartmouth. It's the middle of freshman orientation, and I am having a good time so far. I've decided to make this column into an interview. I hope, however, that my journalistic integrity is not damaged by the fact that I'm interviewing myself. Without further ado, I present: Ask the college queer! How was the hiking trip? I lived through it. There were points when I was convinced that I was going to die because my flatlander-living-at-sea-level body was screaming at me for not giving it enough oxygen. This was a bit of a low point. My trippees were wonderful, however. Our collective body odor was strong enough to stun small animals, and I feel as if it made us closer. So did the fact that we had to use iodine to purify the water supplynature, for all of its beauty, gets joy out of deadly microorganisms. I'm glad I went. I'm even more glad that I never have to do it again. What's your dorm like? I'm living in the dorms known as The River. It's very lucky that they are named this, as they are indeed next to a river. They're also next to a very cool cemetery, and there is a group of people lobbying for a name change. The River is known as a less desirable cluster because of its relative distance from the main part of campus. I don't mind it very much so far, but we'll see if that changes in the dead of winter. The people in my dorm are, quite frankly, amazing. They have the most liberal attitudes regarding sleep that I have ever seen. It doesn't matter if it's four in the morning or in the evening, someone is always up and talking. Usually outside of my room. What amazes me is that I'm living in substance free housingelsewhere on campus, it's more hectic. I visited one of the other dorms and I was offered tequila and cigarettes within five minutes of setting foot in the door. From complete strangers, no less. Don't worry, Mom, I turned them down. I also now have officially proven myself able to do my own laundry. My proudest moment thus far has been that I did not shrink my pants in the dryers of doom. Have you made friends yet? I think I've met several hundred people within the last few days. "Half your class in half an hour" is a phrase often heard, and it's mostly true. What I don't enjoy is that "getting to know someone" seems to consist of learning his or her name, home, and dorm. I have, however, gotten into some wonderful conversations with several people who are becoming friends. Which brings me to the next question: Have you met any gay people? Did you have any doubts? I surprised myself in that regard the first friend I made here turned out to be gay. He's in my dorm, and we spend a lot of time together. There have been several queer networking sessionsI have met and am friends with many of the Family of 2004. That having been said, I'm feeling a little disoriented at present. All of the sudden, I'm in a situation where no one knows I'm gay. In high school, everyone knew. Here, it's not a big deal if one is out because the atmosphere has been extremely gay friendly. For the first time I feel as if I'm in an environment where I'm not being instantly judged because of my orientation. I could get used to this. This past Thursday was the first meeting of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance. I went with a small group of 04's, and was surprised at the high attendance of the meeting. We're already making plans for Coming Out month. Also, Urvashi Vaid is going to be here! I'm beyond excited. Thus far, it is good to be gay at Dartmouth. What activities are you doing? Tomorrow I'm trying out for an a cappella group. I'm also trying out for a percussion group. This is to make my schedule very busy. I'm not used to having so much free timeI've had more free time in the past week than I did in my last month of high school. Fighting boredom is definitely a good thing. What are the bad points? I miss my girlfriend very much. We're talking to each other frequently and writing long, soulful letters of lesbian affection. I also miss friends and, of course, my surrogate family in the CAMP Courtyard. I'm not at the point where I miss my parents yet, only because they write and call almost daily. I'm not sure if they're doing this to be nice or if they're worried that I'm going to fall prey to the Icy New England Hand of Coldness and Bad Grades. I don't know if this is a good or a bad point, but I've lost ten pounds. Reflective of the food, yes, but I'm happy about it. The freshman fifteen scares me. What else do you feel that you must share? Ivy League is a registered trademark. This amuses me to no end. I haven't had any run-ins with hard core snobs yetthe vast majority of Dartmouth students are a diverse, amazing bunch. It is jarring, however, to hear someone talk about being a fourth generation student or that 7 people from their private school are in the class. One adjusting point has been the fact that I don't have to do anything I don't feel like. I, along with many fellow classmates, have skipped out on lectures and many planned activities. It's a heady thing, realizing that you are directly responsible for virtually everything that happens to you. Your choice, your consequences. I can now understand why some people simply fail out because they don't go to class. (No, Mom, I'm not going to do that.) It's a welcome change to not have school administrators dictate your life. So, in summation, I'm doing fine in the frozen North. As lovely as it is here, though, I miss the lovely nights of Rehoboth Beach. At least it's not that much longer until Thanksgiving. Kristen Foery is a national award winning columnist. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 13, Sept. 22, 2000. |