International student orientation started last week,
and the first-years,
or technically prefrosh as they aren't first-years yet,
because they aren't officially frosh until convocation,
the international prefrosh are here,
so I need to put on a smile,
because MIT is supposed to be a happy place,
or at least, that's the lie I'm going with,
but it's only a lie in the sense that it can't be truth,
because truth is a complicated thing and no one statement
can ever capture the whole essence, [1]
because I need to be a senior,
because I am a senior, I am a 2023, I am graduating in May,
and though I can choose to delay this it would only delay
the inevitable,
and because I don't want to scare the prefrosh,
and earlier this week the FPOPs started,
an FPOP being a first-year pre-orientation program,
which means more first-years arriving on campus,
which means more smiling,
which means more talking and saying,
yes, that's me, CJ, the blogger;
you like my blog posts?
I appreciate hearing that!
and it's genuine, really
(I like the praise),
which means more names to learn,
and GPH is happening right now,
GPH being the Galactic Puzzle Hunt, [2]
and I'm one of the writers,
and I'm not even supposed to have a big role,
but somehow I keep saying yes to things I shouldn't,
and although it's going well, or okay,
and the meme is that we say,
Everything is going smoothly.
there have been some bumps along the road,
which I honestly don't know enough about,
even though I feel like I should know more about it,
which I honestly don't have the bandwidth to think about,
and REX is going to start on Sunday,
REX being residence exploration, [3]
and on Sunday night is the East Side Party,
famed event where East Campus pulls out a huge courtyard party,
filled with rides and music and pretty lights,
and we're building a rollercoaster for it,
and I'm not a build lead this year,
so I'm not even *that* involved with construction,
unlike the build leads who actually are,
and it's not like last year I did much as a build lead anyway,
but I'm still helping with construction,
and it's tiring, trying,
carrying plywood,
measuring things,
cutting two by fours,
putting in screws,
climbing ladders,
climbing frames,
climbing stairs,
and yet I feel guilty for not doing enough,
and the Aquarium Puzzle Hunt is happening next week,
and it's not even written yet,
well it kind of is, but it's not done,
and we're way behind schedule,
and everyone else is busy too,
which is why it's behind schedule,
which is also a similar situation with the East Campus builds,
because everyone is tired,
and then most people are moving in on Saturday,
maybe Sunday,
and that means Tech Squares posters,
and those posters need to be designed,
and SIPB dormspams,
and with it the cluedump I'm running,
and ESP posters,
and with it, Firestorm,
and Assassins Guild dormspams,
and planning Patrol and reserving classrooms,
and then when REX starts, there'll be events,
like the activities midway,
and the booths that need to be set up,
or hall rush,
and I'm no longer hall chair but I'm still rush chair,
and as rush chair I'm responsible for making sure it happens,
and I didn't know I could be so stressed out over five hours,
and maybe it's not even any single one of these,
but the fact that they're all happening together,
plus all the things I don't even want to talk about in public,
despite the fact that I love oversharing on the internet,
because apparently even I have boundaries,
everything, everywhere, all at once
(great movie by the way),
and it's tiring,
and I'm tired,
and I'm stressed,
and I'm sad,
and I'm feeling things I don't have words for, [4]
except maybe,
all these expletives I can think of,
and everyone's tired,
the upperclassmen are tired,
the seniors are tired,
but hey,
the frosh are fine.
[1] https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/lies-in-mit/
[2] https://2022.galacticpuzzlehunt.com/
[3] https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/tag/rex/
[4] https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/dissecting-emotion/
