friends, and other things by Joonho K. '20

Here is a picture of Allan’s room, snipped from here:

He left this morning:

Although we seem to be interconnected in almost every way imaginable – we have the same romanized last names, we’re both in the same acapella group, we’re next door neighbors, we’re admissions bloggers – we’re also very different people. And yet, we have become good friends. It seems like I haven’t had the time this semester to sit and think about the relationship we’ve weaved, but now that I am free, it all comes rushing to me – the late nights, ordering Dominos, using the coupons for 2 Medium Pan Pizzas For 8.99 Each, the occassional late night conversation, sharing the precious time we spend after classes together twice a week to sing, setting up the dilapidated drum set in the tv lounge, subsequently teaching me the bossa nova, getting dim sum with other 5W friends, learning perc. All these memories come to me at once, in the same time and place, and all these memories fill the the now empty expanse that is allan’s room.

i have a stack of summer reading on my desk that i will start clearing soon: much of it is technical, like strang, or sections of clrs – some are linguisticsy, like chomsky or a book on acoustic analysis i’m reading for my urop – some are for fun, like the first seven volumes of saga that my so let me borrow for the summer. i started crafting this pile several weeks ago, slowly adding to it by browsing bookstores on my birthday, anticipating when i’d start tackling the first volume, held back by the four looming finals i had to take. (four! ;-;) but now that i’m done, and there’s no reason for me not to begin, all i can do is stare at it and want to take a nap. i think i’m exhausted: i think i need a week to turn off my brain.

…

…

and yet, even though i feel like death and my brain feels like it’s deep-fried after unsucessfully attempting the last two problems on the 6.042 final, i’m happy. my mental state is the healthiest it’s been in years. i made so many good friends this year: from 5W, from toons, from my future home at 2E in next house, from my classes. all these places have become not just my home, but a community that i love. i wish i could give you all these memories – i wish i could share these memories i cherish very dearly. i could tell you all about late nights playing smash, or guitar hero, or going to yamato’s, or going to ihop after a formal in tuxedos and black tie outfits, or tosci’s after 2.00b final presentations, or the 6.042/8.02 pset parties, or the bus rides to wellesley at sunset, or taking the t to chinatown, or studying for the 18.03 final with an impromptu differential equations bee, or the 5:30 dinner club, or the normal days with quiet nights at hayden or the quiet mid-days at barker, or the toons retreat where we pet goats and almost set fire to the cabin we stayed in, or the toons final concert, or that one time i aced my midterm (it doesn’t come often), or the two-hour-long kung fu tea runs, or…

i would i could show you how much my first year at mit has changed me, sometimes for worse, but so often for the better.

see you in a few weeks. until then, have some chon.