Skip to content ↓

firsts of first year by Kanokwan T. '25

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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" class="broken_link">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 back to text
  2. cinnabar chanterelles! (which are safe and edible) back to text
  3. these first three outdoorsy activities all happened at FLIPOP, the First-generation, Low-income Pre-orientation Program back to text
  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! back to text
  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 back to text
  6. Tomás Saraceno: Particular Matter(s) back to text
  7. courtesy of my dorm East Campus setting up a ropes rig in the courtyard back to text
  8. for 2.00b Toy Product Design, a mechanical engineering class typically taken by first-year students back to text
  9. these are as cathartic as they sound back to text
  10. give it a chance back to text
  11. though, I do think that repeating some things can also be equally, if not more, fun :) back to text