A Day in the Life: Year One

I just finished my last class of the school year! As I look back on this year and the blogs I've written, I've been thinking a lot about the person they depict. I'm sure there are parts of myself I've failed to capture here, but I think I'm okay with that. I like writing about Oberlin as a whole rather than specific events in my life. Nevertheless, it seems a little odd that I have yet to document most of my day-to-day experiences...

But fear not! In order to remedy this problem, I've decided to conclude this year's blogs with a day in my life: Monday, May 6th. With any luck, this will become an annual tradition. This time next year, I'll be able to reflect fondly on my first year and muse over how my schedule has changed.

7:30 am — wake up

I have early breakfast plans, so I quickly check my email before jumping out of bed bright and early. Ohio weather is notoriously unpredictable, so I'm always excited to roll up my shade and peek outside. Today the sky is mostly gray, but campus still looks beautiful with all the plants blooming.

8:15 am — breakfast

I walk from Kahn to Wilder, our student union. Yesterday, at Contact Improv, I ran into a prospie I know from home, so I'm meeting them for breakfast. We eat on Wilder's front porch and listen to the birds sing as we chat.

9:00 am — Swallowing the Red Pill

Sociology is one of my favorite classes this semester (aside from the fact that it meets at 9am). Today, we are watching an episode of Black Mirror to sociologically analyze for our final paper. 

9:50 am — Wilder Bowl

When class ends, I walk to the Oberlin People's College for the Liberation of Palestine. This is normally when I would get breakfast with my friends, but I've already eaten, so I help print out fliers to fundraise for aid in Rafah. Then, I order a dirty chai from Azzie's and listen in on a video call with a Gazan family until I have to leave for class.

11:00 am — Intro to Statistics

As a sociology major, I'm required to take statistics before taking research methods. I was anticipating this would be my least favorite class this semester, but I've found it surprisingly engaging. We're preparing for our final exam, so the lecture today is mostly review. Halfway through class, my stylus dies. I make a mental note to plug it in when I get back to my dorm.

11:50 am — teach-in

I realize I left my portable charger in Wilder Bowl, so I head back to the People's College to retrieve it and catch the last ten minutes of a conversation about the intricacies of conflating antisemitism with antizionism, led by Oberlin Jews for Palestine.

12:00 pm — rigging inspection

I'm a member of OCircus, and we have to get our aerial rigging inspected once a year to make sure it's up to code. I stop by Warner to check on the process and say hi to the other aerial admins.

12:15 pm — lunch with Mattias

One of the best things about Mondays at Oberlin is all-day Rath breakfast. My friend Mattias dines in a coop, so I order him a breakfast sandwich and we sit outside until he has to leave for work. I'm not hungry yet, but I sit with him and do some work until I'm ready to eat.

1:20 pm — lunch with Zoë

I meet my friend Zoë at Heritage—our Kosher dining hall—for lunch. They're serving latkes and pierogies (yum!) with homemade applesauce and warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We sit by a window and chat about our end-of-semester plans. 

1:45 pm — back to Kahn

I drop off my backpack in Wilder Bowl before walking back to my dorm to pick up a book for class. I ride my bike back to the People's College so I can be on time for the next teach-in.

 

2:00 pm — teach-in

I sit in the grass and learn from some fellow students about food sovereignty in Gaza. I'm already familiar with some of the topics from a food studies class I took last semester, but it's really meaningful to hear about food justice in this specific context. We discuss the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library and the complicated symbolism of Israeli kibbutzes.

3:00 pm — Writing & Creativity

My last academic class of the day meets in Peters. We share about our creative projects from the semester. One person in my class has written a manual on old German sheet music, and another has been making bowls in the pottery coop. Class gets out early.

4:00 pm — teach-in

I head back to Wilder Bowl and help Mattias untangle yarn for a Palestinian flag he is crocheting. I listen to a teach-in about the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and Cop City's connections to Israel.

5:00 pm — homework

After dropping off my bike at Kahn (and picking up some snacks) I head to the Science Center to put the finishing touches on a lab for my stats class. The view out the window is beautiful. My workload is surprisingly light for the end of the semester, so I finish up some reading and spend a few minutes scrolling on instagram before heading back to Wilder.

6:30 pm — dinner

I meet Zoë for sushi before we part ways for our 7pm classes. Umami has run out of chopsticks, so we improvise with forks and disposable coffee stirrers.

7:00 pm — Musical Union

I head to Finney Chapel for my final class of the day, a choir made up of both students and community members. Along with the Oberlin College Choir and Chamber Orchestra, we record 3 pieces composed by current Oberlin students in honor of the Lorain County Bicentennial. We finish rehearsal earlier than usual and celebrate the end of the semester with some snacks.

9:00 pm — floor time

One of my favorite ways to wind down at the end of the day is by lying on my floor with my friends. Sometimes we try to get homework done, but today we mostly just check in about the week and catch up—it's been a few days since we were all free at the same time. 

10:00 pm — fire juggling

Indoor circus training is canceled because of rigging inspections, but some of my friends are juggling fire outside. (Don't try this at home. Obviously.) I watch them for a little while before walking back to Kahn with Mattias. 

11:30 pm — bedtime... okay more like 12:30am

I say goodnight to my friends, get ready for bed, and do some journaling. It's been a long day!

While I can't say this is a 100% typical day in my life, it is representative of the chaotic busyness of life at Oberlin. I'm feeling bittersweet about the semester ending, but I'm excited to see what the next year has in store. The next time I write a day in the life blog, I'm sure it'll be a completely different beast...