Happy Spring! It’s hard to believe it’s already April, but that also means we are entering one of my favorite times of the year at Princeton, when the flowers are in full bloom. I had a busy Easter weekend, but I appreciated the opportunity to celebrate with friends, soak in the beautiful weather, and enjoy a change of pace from my schoolwork. On Good Friday, I attended a service organized by students in Princeton Christian Fellowship (PCF), Manna Christian Fellowship, and Christian Union Nova which I had been looking forward to all week. The service included beautiful strings and vocal performances, worship songs, a message from a Manna staff member, and a time of prayer. Following the service, we enjoyed apple cider donuts and fellowship in Murray Dodge, the home of the Office of Religious Life. I caught up with some friends about their week, met a few new faces, and even ran into a friend from the Class of 2023 who made a surprise visit from Boston.
On Saturday morning, I had the luxury of sleeping in until I was woken by the sunlight. I went for a 7 mile run, my longest run yet, as part of training for my first half-marathon. I am really happy with how it went and am excited to continue running longer distances in the coming weeks! Afterwards, I headed to my co-op, 2D, which has become one of my favorite places at Princeton. Co-ops are groups of students who take turns cooking one meal each week. To be honest, I think I am eating as well as I might ever eat in my life! I am constantly surprised by the diversity of delicious food which the other students prepare, from dal to mapo tofu, and focaccia to cardamom buns.
My cookshift is Saturday brunch, and I usually like to make a tofu stir fry in our wok, which is large enough to cover four burners. After a delicious meal of mushrooms, spicy tofu, salad made with hydroponic lettuce and vegetables from the Forbes garden, squash soup, and cornbread, I headed back to my room to do some schoolwork.
A few hours later, I got ready for my dear friend Mirae’s bridal shower. Mirae was actually my Community Action orientation leader and one of the first people I met at Princeton. She and her then-boyfriend, now fiancé, helped one of my first-year roommates and I carry a free couch we found a mile off campus all the way to our room, even though she had only met me the day before. The bridal shower was beautifully executed by her friends in Princeton Christian Fellowship and beyond, and I was also able to catch up with another good friend from the Class of 2022 who came down from New York City.
After the bridal shower, I headed to the International Food Fest organized by our Class Government, which featured food from around the world and was a great chance to catch up with a friend who I studied abroad with last semester and discuss a book we both recently finished.
My friend and I went back to my room, where I did a reading for my Psychotherapy class before heading over to Richardson Auditorium to watch my first Naacho show. Naacho is Princeton’s premier South Asian dance company. I had always wanted to attend one of their shows, and this year a first-year student from my hometown was performing, so I had an extra reason to go. I was blown away by the dancers’ infectious energy and excitement, the intricate and clean formations, and the diversity of styles they showcased, and I cannot wait to attend another one of their shows next year. Being in Triple 8 has shown me just how much work goes into putting together a show, especially the week leading up to it, so I had a lot of respect for the dancers and choreographers who spent many late nights rehearsing and poured their hearts into the performance. I have never seen so many dancers evidently having so much fun on stage, and the audience was hooked.
After a packed day, I was ready for a good night’s sleep. The following morning was Easter Sunday. I was happy to see the sun was out again, and I headed to the U-Store to catch the bus to Stone Hill Church. Usually, we have approximately 10-15 students on the bus, but this week the bus was completely full, and so was the church sanctuary, which was such a blessing to see! The service was filled with joyous music from our worship team, brass band, and choir, and our senior pastor shared an engaging message which had the entire congregation laughing. After the service, students headed to various Easter brunches generously hosted by PCF staff members and local families. I attended brunch with my “adopted family” from Stone Hill. It was very special to eat an incredible home-cooked meal prepared with love and enjoy the warmth of a home together with other students.
After returning to campus, my friend Grace and I remarked how beautiful the magnolia trees were and took advantage of the sunny weather to take a few photos.
Next, I headed to Dillon Gym for a Triple 8 rehearsal for a spring choreography video (stay tuned for our video releases this summer!), after which I finally sat down to do some work. The events and celebrations of the weekend were very meaningful and brought me a lot of joy, but I certainly had a lot to catch up on. I spent the rest of the evening working with a friend in Firestone Library and Murray-Dodge Cafe, where we grabbed free cookies to fuel our brains.
What a weekend! Most of my weekends are not nearly this busy, and I did have some catching up to do the following week, but I wanted to share this special weekend in the life and prove that it is possible to relax and have fun even in the midst of a crazy semester. Thank you to all those who organized these events!