A head-and-shoulders illustration of Kano. She has medium brown skin, long brown hair and is wearing a darker yellow jacket. She has glasses and is smiling with her mouth open.

firsts of first year by Kanokwan T. '26

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As we’re approaching the first of 2024, I’ve been thinking about firsts. First bike, first time camping, first best friend… and my first year at MIT. I think fondly of that year, despite all the difficulties that came with it.

That first year had a particularly high yield of firsts. Here are some that I remembered, in roughly chronological order:

  1. Stayed in a yurt⁠01 dome-shaped tent that feels like a cabin
  2. Foraged wild mushrooms⁠02 cinnabar chanterelles! (which are safe and edible) orange mushrooms in the forest next to a log
  3. Climbed an outdoor ropes course⁠03 these first three outdoorsy activities all happened at <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/orientation/pre-orientation-programs-fpops/flipop-first-generation-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FLIPOP</a>, the First-generation, Low-income Pre-orientation Program woman in a ropes course
  4. Attended a fort partywood fort with LED lights
  5. Got a temporary neck tattoo woman with a neck tattoo that reads "EC"
  6. Popped a balloon in front of a high-speed camerawoman popping a balloon
  7. Attended a baseball game
  8. Decorated my doordoor covered in red caution tape
  9. Sang at an open mic night5-10 people gathered around an open mic night, where 2 people are performing
  10. Frolicked in an apple orchard 3 friends kicking their boots up
  11. DJ’d a party with a turntable 2 people djing a party
  12. Presented research at a poster session4 researchers standing next to their poster
  13. Saw a Broadway production in New York
  14. Watched a riverside sunset 5 friends looking at a sunset at a river
  15. Experimented with fire spinning woman fire spinning a dragon staff
  16. Painted for a final project with a friend abstract painting about chemistry and carbon showing diamonds and coal
  17. Ice skated outdoors3 ice skaters showing their skates
  18. Went to Europe (specifically, Greece)⁠04 during IAP with <a href="http://concourse.mit.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Concourse</a>, a first-year learning community, to study Greek philosophy. growing up, I always dreamed of traveling to Europe, so I was really excited and couldn’t quite believe I was on the trip! woman in front of a greek temple
  19. Built a snowman from scratch 2 girls and a snowman
  20. Fell through a frozen river
  21. Watched a riverside sunrise (I took a pano that captured the sun and moon!)panoramic view of a sunrise along a river with a city skyline
  22. Learned some Thai kickboxing moves woman kickboxing
  23. Learned how to use a hair stick⁠05 my friend Xuan L. ’25 needed someone’s hair so she could demonstrate hairstyles on someone for her <a href="https://esp.mit.edu/learn/Spark/2022/catalog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“20 New Ways to Tie Your Long Hair”</a> class, so i volunteered my head on a group video call teaching people how to use a hair stick
  24. Got stuck in a slinkywoman in red sweater stuck in a green slinky
  25. Embarked on a solo quest to visit an art installation⁠06 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/20/arts/design/tomas-saraceno-shed-spiders-art.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tomás Saraceno: Particular Matter(s)</a> woman laying in a pile of layered fabrics
  26. Ate sushi on the floor woman sat next to take-out sushi on the ground
  27. Dyed my hair (red, blue, and purple) dyed here in the colors of red, blue, and purple
  28. Did a milk crate stacking rope challenge⁠07 courtesy of my dorm East Campus setting up a ropes rig in the courtyard
  29. Created a toy for a class⁠08 for <a href="https://web.mit.edu/2.00b/www/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.00b Toy Product Design</a>, a mechanical engineering class typically taken by first-year students
  30. Stumbled upon my nickname in a bookwoman pointing to a word in a book
  31. Attended a slumber party
  32. Stood in a pool with a robotwoman stood in water next to a robot
  33. Hosted a throw-paper-notes-into-a-fire night⁠09 these are as cathartic as they sound
  34. Ate pickled onions dipped in peanut butter⁠10 give it a chance woman sitting with tupperewares of food
  35. Took care of windowsill plants plants on a windowsill

What a trip down memory lane. The process of writing this blog got me thinking about the question: when was the last time you did something for the first time? 

I’ll leave you with that. Onto more firsts!⁠11 though, I do think that repeating some things can also be equally, if not more, fun :)

  1. dome-shaped tent that feels like a cabin⁠ ↑
  2. cinnabar chanterelles! (which are safe and edible)⁠ ↑
  3. these first three outdoorsy activities all happened at FLIPOP, the First-generation, Low-income Pre-orientation Program⁠ ↑
  4. during IAP with Concourse, a first-year learning community, to study Greek philosophy. growing up, I always dreamed of traveling to Europe, so I was really excited and couldn’t quite believe I was on the trip!⁠ ↑
  5. my friend Xuan L. ’25 needed someone’s hair so she could demonstrate hairstyles on someone for her “20 New Ways to Tie Your Long Hair” class, so i volunteered my head⁠ ↑
  6. Tomás Saraceno: Particular Matter(s)⁠ ↑
  7. courtesy of my dorm East Campus setting up a ropes rig in the courtyard⁠ ↑
  8. for 2.00b Toy Product Design, a mechanical engineering class typically taken by first-year students⁠ ↑
  9. these are as cathartic as they sound⁠ ↑
  10. give it a chance⁠ ↑
  11. though, I do think that repeating some things can also be equally, if not more, fun :)⁠ ↑