Reflections above Cayuga's waters
Being back at Cornell, I am surprised at how... little... things have changed.
The students are the same - bundled up in wools and fleeces, heads down, rushing to class, thinking about (1) tonight's frat party (2) next week's paper. The buildings have not changed - Uris Hall is still tall, ugly and brown. MVR is still under construction. The exception is Bailey Auditorium, which is now elegant inside - light blue suede cushions on redwood seats have replaced the once squeaky oak-stained wooden duck-bill type seats.
I went into Willard Straight Hall to meet with Jenn D., who is the Class Council Advisor. As I walked into the building, I worried that I wouldn't be able to find her, thinking that she may have moved offices. But as I trekked up from the Cinema, past the pottery workshop, past Okenshield's cafeteria, and onto the 3rd floor, I was relieved to see that she still sat, in the same office, with the same layout. We chatted for 30 minutes (I was late), before she had to run out to pick up her daughter. Not changed.
This morning, I went to meet with Professor G., who I wasn't particularly close to during my time here, but close enough that I wanted to reach out and say hello. Again, I was surprised to see him where I last left him two years ago, surrounded by papers, pens and a new photo with George W. What has changed is that instead of talking about my paper or some question on Japanese cross-shareholding corporate governance mechanisms (true), we instead talked about work and aspirations. And, we went to collegetown for some Pho, together - a professor and his previous student. Nice, huh?
I guess my expectation was that everything would be different. But that expectation, I now understand, is a result of everything having changed for ME. I have changed; my life, my friends, my work, my travels. And just because I have, doesn't mean that everything else has as well.
It's a surprising insight, but a grounding and even reassuring one.
The students are the same - bundled up in wools and fleeces, heads down, rushing to class, thinking about (1) tonight's frat party (2) next week's paper. The buildings have not changed - Uris Hall is still tall, ugly and brown. MVR is still under construction. The exception is Bailey Auditorium, which is now elegant inside - light blue suede cushions on redwood seats have replaced the once squeaky oak-stained wooden duck-bill type seats.
I went into Willard Straight Hall to meet with Jenn D., who is the Class Council Advisor. As I walked into the building, I worried that I wouldn't be able to find her, thinking that she may have moved offices. But as I trekked up from the Cinema, past the pottery workshop, past Okenshield's cafeteria, and onto the 3rd floor, I was relieved to see that she still sat, in the same office, with the same layout. We chatted for 30 minutes (I was late), before she had to run out to pick up her daughter. Not changed.
This morning, I went to meet with Professor G., who I wasn't particularly close to during my time here, but close enough that I wanted to reach out and say hello. Again, I was surprised to see him where I last left him two years ago, surrounded by papers, pens and a new photo with George W. What has changed is that instead of talking about my paper or some question on Japanese cross-shareholding corporate governance mechanisms (true), we instead talked about work and aspirations. And, we went to collegetown for some Pho, together - a professor and his previous student. Nice, huh?
I guess my expectation was that everything would be different. But that expectation, I now understand, is a result of everything having changed for ME. I have changed; my life, my friends, my work, my travels. And just because I have, doesn't mean that everything else has as well.
It's a surprising insight, but a grounding and even reassuring one.
posted by Jeanne at 3:52 PM
2 Comments:
dude...it's because it's been only 2 years.
i miss Ithaca
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