CJ Q. '23

What does it take to get to know someone? I could tell you that I’m an international student from the Philippines, or that I live in East Campus. I could tell you that CJ is short for Carl Joshua, or that I have two first names, because a lot of Filipinos have two first names.

We could talk about the things I like, if that will help. We could talk for hours about Homestuck and grilled tomatoes and calligraphy. I’ll introduce you to some of my favorite board games. We can play Splendor or Carcassonne, and if we get enough people we could play Modern Art. We could listen to music all afternoon, and I’ll tell you all about my favorite artists.

Or we could go on an adventure. There’s this nice spot in the MIT tunnels with beautiful murals that animate when you point a camera at it. We can take the T to Faneuil Hall, cram ourselves into the hallways, and buy lunch together. We could head downtown Boston and window shop at Newbury; we could go to Prudential and complain about how expensive everything is.

We could cross Harvard Bridge at two in the morning. We could stare at the river and the stars, and watch electric reds and blues painted on the Boston skyline. And sometimes it gets quiet enough that I forget about my body, and it feels like I’m hovering over the water. And maybe you’d feel the same way.

And then we could tell each other stories.

But until then, I hope you enjoy reading mine.