On occasion, Princeton affords me an opportunity that seems nothing short of miraculous. People ask me how these experiences fall into my lap, and sometimes I have an explanation, but oftentimes I’ve just two words: Princeton magic. Over intersession, Princeton magic took me to Paris.

I lead a Mentor Lifestyle because I have not forgotten where I come from. However, I admittedly did at one point, during my first semester at Princeton.

I believe it's easy to become wrapped up in trying to get the most out of the "college experience." I know I did during my first semester. Completing rigorous coursework, meeting interesting people, and adapting to a new environment made me forget about the struggles I faced with poverty and a lack of educational opportunities back home in the Rio Grande Valley. Princeton served as a sort of paradise that gave me the freedom to live an independent life, revel in newfound camaraderie, and expand my mind. I knew I wouldn't have received the same opportunities back home—nothing remotely close. But eventually the semester ended, and Christmas break led me back to the real world.

My three weeks at home opened my eyes to the reality I had grown up with all my life. It was a jarring experience to realize that the Rio Grande Valley was still a poverty-stricken region and that the students at my alma mater still weren’t receiving the educational opportunities they deserved.

Why was this shocking to me? I knew serious problems existed back home, but I didn’t realize the scope of these disparities until I left everything I thought I knew behind and later returned with new perspectives. I discovered how fortunate I was to go to Princeton and how unfair it was that others had to live in underprivileged conditions. This spurred me to think about how to solve this issue the best way I could.

The result was the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo College, Scholarship, Leadership Awareness Program (PSJA CSLAP). During the summer of 2013, a group of friends and I held seminars, workshops, and test prep sessions about the college application process. I met many students whose stories and aspirations cemented me in my desire to become an educator. It also fulfilled a void in me. I felt that I had longed for this type of lifestyle, helping others achieve and grow, and living it made me happy.

To this day, my mentees occupy significant chunks of my thoughts. I still thoroughly enjoy my "college experience," but it's been supplemented by my Mentor Lifestyle. I am not only present here at Princeton, but in my community as well. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hello from Japan!

I am writing my blog entries now from my dorm room at Keio University, sitting by my window that overlooks the glowing city of Tokyo. Though the sun is setting here, I know that my family and friends across the world are just waking up along America's East Coast.

This is my third time going abroad as a Princeton student, so I am used to this extreme space and time difference. The summers after freshmen and sophomore year, I studied in China and worked in India, respectively, gaining exposure to the international perspective. As someone whose primary academic interest is international relations, I love to travel and experience new cultures as often as I can.

Though I am back in Asia once again, this is my first time actually spending a semester as a study-abroad student, and I will consequently be spending my longest time away from home. Four other Princeton students and I are taking part of a brand new Comparative East Asian Studies program hosted through the Woodrow Wilson School. The program includes study and internship across Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, extending over the summer and spanning in total six months.

A lot of my friends back on campus questioned why I would devote so much of my time with Princeton living and traveling abroad. But I simply can't turn down the wonderful Princeton study abroad opportunities, especially when they are subsidized by scholarships and financial aid. More important, many of my greatest college experiences have come outside of the Orange Bubble, and outside of the United States. In my opinion, many more students should gain international experience while in college (it's one of the easiest times to do so), and I hope more departments adopt an international experience requirement similar to that of the Woodrow Wilson School.

This semester, and this new adventure abroad, has just begun. Things I instantly love about Japan are the foods, the hospitality, and the pop-culture. Though I’ve only been here two weeks, I’ve already learned so much about Japanese language and culture from classes and my new friends (from the latter, I've mostly learned fun slang terms). I’m stoked to see what Korea and Hong Kong have to offer over the next few months. You’ll continue to hear from me on this blog during my program, both about campus life and life abroad. For now, Sayonara!

An awesome tree near Tokyo, Japan.[/caption]

 

 

“What’s your major?” A useful phrase in the toolbox of mundane small talk, and for many freshmen who aren’t pre-med or engineers (God bless their souls), the answer ranges from halfhearted speculation to a resolute, “Undecided.” Every now and then, though, the question becomes personal, and, at least for me, it sounds more like, “How could I possibly choose?”

So today, let's chat a bit about food and eating experiences at Princeton!

This summer, I finally made an Instagram account, and ever since Princeton has been one of my favorite subjects. I’ve decided to share my six favorite #princetagrams with you all!

#1) The Blair-Joline Courtyard in Mathey College

Every morning, I walk out of my room to this view; this photo just happened to be right after the very first snow of the year! 

 

 

#2) Blair Arch

Home sweet home – I’m lucky enough to be living in this iconic building this year! It’s a favorite for photo ops and arch sings. 

 

#3) The Princeton Boathouse on Carnegie Lake

As a former rower, this place will always hold a special place in my heart. Even now it’s one of my favorite spots on campus, especially for an evening run!

 

#4) The Arches by Holder Hall, Rockefeller College

This walkway is one of those places that never fails to make me stop and think about how lucky I am to go to Princeton. It’s a favorite for Ralph Lauren commercials filmed on campus, and one of the scenes from the move "Admission" was shot here.  

 

#5) The Cap & Gown Club Library

The eating clubs serve as a place for upperclassmen to eat, hang out, and (sometimes) do schoolwork – this room is one of my favorite places to study on campus. 

 

#6) The Woody Woo Fountain, Woodrow Wilson School

A perfect place to take pictures when you’re all dressed up before Lawnparties, or to celebrate when you’ve turned in your thesis (if you’re in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy). 

 

So winter break has been happening these past few weeks, and I have loved every minute of relaxation. But there’s been this nagging excitement in me since the day I left campus.

Studying abroad in London the summer before my senior year was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life! I was inspired to visit London during my junior year, after taking an amazing Shakespeare course with English Professor Russ Leo (he’s fantastic). The class, which explored some of Shakespeare’s earlier works, was one of the best classes I have taken at Princeton.

My favorite lectures were about the theater culture in London during the late 1500s. I was particularly fascinated by the history of the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare staged some of his productions. Immediately after taking this course, I researched summer programs that would give me the opportunity to finally visit the famous Globe. I decided to join The Duke in London-Drama program because it offered two courses taught by the lovely and brilliant theater Professor Sarah Beckwith.

Over the course of six weeks, I saw more than 30 professional shows in London including dramas, comedies, musicals, and an opera! One of my favorites was, of course, the Globe’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” production. I also had a lot of free time, which allowed me to explore many parts of the city. I checked out several museums, had a ton of tea, and took plenty of pictures. One of the best parts about being in London was meeting up with other Princetonians. One of my friends, Dinora ’12, currently lives in London, and when she found out I was there, we quickly made plans to meet. One sunny morning (yes, London can be sunny, and it was surprisingly warm while I was there...), I met her and a few of her Princeton friends over a delicious English breakfast. 

 

They met through the Princeton Association UK, which hosts social events for young Princeton alumni in London. They each had nothing but positive things to say about their experience with the Princeton network while abroad. They emphasized that being able to hang out with other Princetonians made their time in London even better. I found this to be true after meeting up with a couple other Princeton undergraduates who were also working or studying at London that summer. Knowing I have a Princeton family in the theater capital of the world makes me all the more eager to return! 

 

At noon on Jan. 16, 2014, my first semester at Princeton finished. After finishing my thoughts in response to the devilish last problem of my physics final, abounding joy and relief at having made it brought me to Princeton Junction station: It was definitely time to leave the “Orange Bubble.”

When I first visited Princeton, I distinctly remember the tour guide explaining the peculiar phenomenon that we Princetonians term the “Orange Bubble.”  For all you who may not be familiar with this concept, it refers to the relative seclusion of Princeton from the outside world: I do not hesitate to speculate that 30% or more of Princetonians can count on one hand the number of times they’ve ventured beyond Nassau Street, and I know of people who, for example, only found out about the federal government shutdown when they tried to access data from government websites.

Fortunately (and paradoxically) enough, Princeton, one of the most insulating environments I’ve ever lived in, also offers more opportunity to travel and explore than anywhere else I’ve been. As I began this post, I was en route to NYC where I caught a bus to Boston. Princeton programs have taken me this way several times as well, en route to more exotic destinations: my freshman seminar to Cyprus and Greece, and the Bridge Year Program to Senegal, for example.  And by the end of next summer, I’ll have been to the Bahamas with the Department of Geosciences as well as Germany with Princeton in Munich (hopefully!).

The Bubble is real, sometimes cozy, but sometimes not.

As I write now from the library of my girlfriend’s art school in the collegiate (and brutally cold) city of Boston, I’m developing a new perspective on the Bubble. As much as I sometimes miss the empowering and exciting atmosphere of city life, the city will stay where it is, and, at least in the cases of Philadelphia and NYC, that’s only an hour away from Princeton. Meanwhile, the Bubble’s boundaries carve out a special place where an intensely academic environment also feels like home and where a strong community comes from the student body within the Bubble. For me, the important thing is remembering to periodically step outside of the Orange Bubble, physically and mentally, to keep in perspective what I do while I’m inside of it.

 

 

Many people keep themselves busy with hobbies; I lead different lifestyles. There is Thomas the Scholar, the Runner, the Writer, and the Mentor. I claim these titles as lifestyles due to how much time I dedicate to them as well as how each one defines me. They all serve as pieces of my identity, and without one of them I’m simply not myself.

This is how I define each lifestyle:

Scholar – Analytical and studious. Observes and learns from others. Reads hundreds of pages a week for self-development.

Runner – Forward-looking and carefree. Endures and welcomes the physical stress.  Averages 50 miles a week based on self-made half marathon training schedules.

Writer – Imaginative and fantastical. Drifts and creates alternate worlds. Writes 1000 words a day.

Mentor – Vicarious and concerned. Cares and worries about mentees living miles away. Manages a college awareness and mentorship program for underprivileged students.

Before coming to Princeton, I led different lives. What is the difference between leading different lifestyles and leading different lives? I believe everyone can have more than one lifestyle but only one life.

Because of this mindset, during high school I found myself divided in four. At times I struggled to discover what kind of life I was meant to lead. For example, I felt that Thomas the Scholar thought wholly different from Thomas the Writer, not to mention Thomas the Runner’s inability to understand Thomas the Mentor’s focus on others. I had many passions, but they seemed to contradict one another when pursued simultaneously. I also had difficulty finding time to truly live each life. Attempting to do so sapped the little energy I had left to enjoy any one of them.

What changed my way of thinking? I’m not going to turn this issue into a lesson in growing up (although the Mentor in me urges me to) or a romanticized version of my life (the Writer in me scorns the missed opportunity). The truth is that I don’t know at this moment. I do know that my life at Princeton has helped me shape and define my four lifestyles, and that something about this place has changed my thinking about the issue.

My next four blogs will focus on my four different lifestyles and their connections to my Princeton experience. By writing these entries, I wish to arrive at some sort of conclusion. I hope you will join me.