To My Fellow Langdell Seniors
To my fellow Langdell seniors,
Allow me to take you down memory lane as we approach a new beginning: college. Do you remember the first day of prep year? When we gathered together in the common room, sitting in a circle, introducing ourselves one by one. Our names, where we were from, what floor we would live on. Do you remember talking over Facebook (and Tiny chat) before coming to school. That was you, Meagan and Shelby. Do you remember coloring in schedules with Ms. Hobbie and then being led on separate tours by different proctors, who kindly showed us where each of our classes were. Anna Brown, we were in the same group, led by Sam.
Do you remember our very first Academy Life Day. Our trip to Memories, where we devoured ice cream and posed for pictures, something I could never imagine us not doing. I remember waking up early that Monday morning, eating bagels in the common room and watching cartoons, then decorating mugs for each other. Mugs that I know many of us still keep.
Do you remember Halloween? When Meagan dressed up as Barney (the dinosaur), Yeji and Anna were a boat and a sailor, Shirley was a box, Becca belonged to the 80’s and Jacquie and I were animals. We crashed a wedding that night at the Exeter Inn. Then ate tons of pizza, while having a dance party.
Do you remember spa night? When Mr. Chan painted his nails green with white flowers, when we gave each other makeovers and massages. Do you remember Abbot Casino? And Weilin’s tube dress which someone in the dorm has worn every year since Casino ’11? What about Janet Brown? All that excitement for a snow day that never happened. And Jazz Brunch? There were at least ten of us sleeping in Jacquie and Becca’s room—on the bunk beds. The following day we would stand in line before 9 a.m. and stuff ourselves with fried mac and cheese...at least that’s what I did! Remember our British themed tea? And then mud sliding in the rain with Yeji and Ted Lee?
And then we became lowers. Priya, remember when I walked into your room thinking it was mine? I did that a couple more times. I would walk into second floor before realizing that I actually lived on the fourth. I guess I wasn’t used to living in a single anymore. Shirley, remember how prep year we had these “music battle” sort of things, where each of us slowly increased the volume of our music, until we couldn’t make it any louder, and a cacophony echoed around the room? It only ended when we each plugged in our earphones. I would enjoy Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t be Tamed,” while you listened to classical music, something I never got accustomed to listening to. And remember your alarm clock? Oh my God. That thing was loud.
Remember lower year, when once a month, there were crepes instead of omelets in D-Hall? Remember how we stole a bunch of crepes and ate them with nutella in the dorm basement? Remember our Spring Term “Cinco de Mayo” celebration, and the inauguration of the “Langdell Country Club,” aka our new bench? The one that is cemented to the ground so no Soule boys can steal it. Oh yeah, and remember the Langdell/Soule War? The photoshop pictures that Steph Wu made, the time we raided their common room, the time they infiltrated ours?
Back to lower year, remember that time Weilin and Becca danced to “Single Ladies,” winning the Langdell talent show. We stayed up all night on the last day of class, before running to Dunkin’ Donuts and frantically packing that same day.
Upper year came in quickly, and with half of our Exeter career over and only half of it to go, we had our first ALD at the beach. With Coach T pregnant, soon we’d welcome Haiven into the Langdell family. Remember Hurricane Sandy? When we sat in the Langdell common room, eating pizza alongside the company of Main Street boys? And Gym Night? And sitting in the sauna in the teacher’s locker room, sharing secrets and playing “Never Have I Ever.” And Abbot Casino came along, and Jacquie would wear the tube dress for a second year in a row. And then we’d come back and take pictures in Meagan’s room, having yet another dance party. And remember our all dorm Harlem Shake? Monkey masks, Rubik’s Cubes, chickens and pillows? And our Flatbreads tradition started! And Priya just couldn’t keep her eyes open in any of the pictures. She still can’t! Well...only if it’s Weilin’s camera. And soon, upper dinner came round our way, and as we took pictures on the Langdell balcony, we realized that yet another year at Exeter was ending, and we braced ourselves for Senior Fall. Although Senior Fall was hectic and exactly what everyone described it to be, I don’t think I could have ever survived it without you, Langdell.
The late night conversations in Priya’s room, while stuffing ourselves with Ritz and Nutella or Honey Bunches of Oats. The Fun with Feng Sunday selfies that Yeji posted every week. The Cards against Humanity gatherings in the church basement. Gossip sessions at Ms. Stahr’s apartment, while looking through LionLinks for potential prom dates. Dinner at Szechuan, when the Asian man photobombed the Asian Langdell picture. Holi on the Wetherall Quad, when Claire ran up to me and attacked me with powder! The pancake brunch! Do you remember when Dani and Jacquie got us a hammock? How we sat outside on warm days and sang along to tunes that Weilin played on her uke? Do you remember rafting on the Exeter river and freezing because it wasn’t actually eighty degrees? Thanks weather.com for deceiving us. Do you remember the endless group chats on Facebook and text? The couple names and the girl problems? The creepy, stalker pictures of each other and our significant other’s (our lovers). The boy names. Daniel, this one’s for you!
And just like that, four years have flown by. So Langdell seniors, thank you for making my time at Exeter the best it could ever have been. Thank you for all the memories, the late night conversations, the nutella and your friendships.
I love you all and keep in touch!
Anisha