Cultural |

Are You Ready for Hell Week? (BMC 3)

February 18, 2015 by Zubin Hill | Comments Off on Are You Ready for Hell Week? (BMC 3)

Welcome to Bryn Mawr–where you go to hell for fun.

Ok, not really.

The beauteous Hell schedules for the hellees in my Hell family.

Today we are going to discuss Hell Week–that venerated pillar of Bryn Mawr Tradition. The basics: Hell Week evolved out of plays the sophomores would throw for the first-years (I think, don’t quote me on that). Anyway, it takes place every spring semester in the third week of February. It begins on sundown on the Wednesday of that third week (i.e. today) and ends at sundown on the Wednesday of the fourth week. Hell Week is the true “welcome to Bryn Mawr!” for the frosh. Sure, you’ve been here a semester, but do you really know the place?

Those frosh who want to participate choose a heller (typically a sophomore but theoretically any upperclassman who has been helled her/him/theirself). The heller then crafts a hell schedule for their hellee of the different tasks they are to perform during Hell Week. None of them are obligatory and they are meant to be fun.

Examples of possible tasks: pretending to be a professor in class, creating a petition to make Chris Evans the school mascot, or singing to someone in class.

Hell Week is basically a time of being crazy with no judgement. It’s a time of welcome for the frosh and the first goodbye for the seniors. An important part of Hell Week is the Senior Bedtime stories–when seniors read bedtime stories in their original dorm (usually) to the resident frosh. For some Bryn Mawr is a second home. Thus, many of the bedtime stories my first year were about finding home. It’s not quite that for me (as I truly love my real home) but it is a fairly decent substitute. Where else could I get away with all the stuff I get up to in the dining halls? Where else would I have a good chance of getting into the school-funded summer activities and talking to my professors one-on-one? And, honestly, who else has a President who hosts late-night/afternoon Pop-Ups?

Hell Week.

Some people say Hell Week is hazing and get really upset about it. For some Hell Week is the straw that broke the camel’s back and they decide to transfer (an issue I may discuss later). I understand what may happen for these discontents to leave or be upset. If you choose the wrong heller, then, yeah, it might be rough. But I feel there are always listening ears. Everyone isn’t going to endorse whatever is going on with you. For those others who couldn’t handle the insanity of Hell Week, then maybe Bryn Mawr wasn’t for them. Bryn Mawr isn’t about normalcy. It’s about being crazed and embracing that, about being different and unafraid, about being shameless in Traditions, class, and life. Living under the constant censure of society isn’t really that great a thing.

Some rules should be followed.

But none of them without acknowledgement of self or personal ownership of their value.

Me performing during Goodhart Performances.

February 12, 2015
by Zubin Hill
Comments Off on Considering SGA (Bryn Mawr Culture 2)

Considering SGA (Bryn Mawr Culture 2)

SGA = Self-Governance Association So, just some logistics. My BMC Culture series is going to run until the end of April and I am going to try to cover every vaguely BMC-particular thing I can think of with all the … Continue reading →

Notes on Bryn Mawr Culture (Episode 1)

February 2, 2015 by Zubin Hill | Comments Off on Notes on Bryn Mawr Culture (Episode 1)

THE FREE BOX

Here begins my semester-long series geared toward taking you “inside the strange practices and behaviors of Mawrters.” I intend to reveal to you all our deeply prized secrets. It is, without question, the untold story of life on a Bryn Mawr. I know you didn’t ask, but you’ll get anyway!!!

So My Readers, I shall introduce you to the first important facet of Bryn Mawr culture: the art and joy of the Free Box dive.

What is the Free Box? You may ask. Well, this is what it is:

Quite literally, a cardboard box emblazoned with the words – FREE BOX. (I was too lazy to take a picture of ours. It wouldn’t have looked that great anyway. Besides, ye must experienceth le boite gratuit for yourself).

Whoohoo! I LOVE THE FREE BOX!

Precisely as the name describes, it is a box filled (when it’s near a break) with stuff Mawrters don’t want anymore. There is one on every hall. It may not look like much, but within are countless and unimaginable wonders! Now, I have attempted to go Free Box shopping increasingly often over my BMC career. Top targets: the Pems, Rock, and Rhodes N + S. The problem with me and Free Box Shopping is that I always end up feeling like a terrible creeper. I feel almost like someone is going to call Public Safety or be like:

“You’re not a member of this dorm, what exactly are you doing wandering about with your eyes searching the building?”

“Oh…Hi…I’m not doing anything. Just leaving…

And then I’ll scamper away embarrassed.

Nonetheless, I have curbed my fears and crept about in search of clothes. The best times are probably (ranked in order of stuff from least to most): Thanksgiving, Fall Break, Spring Break, Winter Break, and GRADUATION! Basically anytime prior to a break–the longer the better. My finds include: some spanking coral pants (given to my lil’ sis), a monochrome, front-button dress (given to my 2nd sis), 3 pairs of jeans (plum, forest

Free Box Fashionista!

green, and blue) by reputable brands, knit booties, several tops, and a jumper. The picture on the left is comprised of entirely Free Box Finds.

And a Traditions sweatshirt (which sold at $30 originally and was just my size!!!) It has BRYN MAWR TRADITIONS and an owl carrying a lantern in all the class colors on it (since all that is not really visible).

My goodness! I feel at this point I may never have to shop again and instead just get presents from the Free Box (but really…)

Hell Requests, Sister Visits, and Yuletide

December 5, 2014 by Zubin Hill | Comments Off on Hell Requests, Sister Visits, and Yuletide

Christmas is in the air…

Christa pretending to be a mannequin.

My Bryn Mawr Thanksgivings tend to be rather dull events. It always seems a rather strange–and short–break. There’s no one here and not much to do.

This break was a bit different. My elder sister, who goes to school at Calvin College in Michigan, came to visit and invited one of her friends who goes to Penn State along for the ride. We spent Thanksgiving with an elder friend of mine and navigated the public transit system (the High Speed Line, cuz we’re cheap) to get into Philly. It was quite wonderful having her around. I’ve really felt and come to grips with the “sophomore slump” this year. My best friends (and Heller) were seniors and graduated last year. I’d just come to view Bryn Mawr with jaded eyes. Christa really brightened things for me. To her, everything was beautiful and novel. She even claimed she wanted to stay just for the juice machines. I think I understand better, too, the idea of living vicariously through someone.

Before City Hall!

Sometimes it takes an outsider to give the insider a refreshed view of her situation.

Another cool thing is this: the Yuletide Hogwarts Feast!

I was so frighened I would miss it (they apparently only happen once every 4 years) as I have a Chamber Singers concert at the same time.

And I’m one of a solo trio so…

BUT I found just the perfect arrangement of Blue buses and mealtimes! I’ll be sippin’ Pumpkin Juice with the best of them!

Though I had wanted to be Ravenclaw, at the time slot I needed there were only:

If being a Hufflepuff = living by the kitchens, then I’ll take it!

Hufflepuff.

I really don’t think I’m a super happy person and all that but, hey, maybe the yellows are where the Sorting Hat wants me to be.

*Shrugs*

Hell Week:

Now, I’d thought I was destined to be Hell-barren (a term I made up)–namely that I would have no Hellees. (All this has to do with Hell Week, a way to welcome first year students). However, all that changed on Tuesday.

I’d just gotten back from getting my Yuletide ticket and encountered my suitemate on the way back to the room. She stopped me and asked if I’d been to the room already.

Now it’s probably a measure of my greed, but the first thing I thought was that she’d gotten me a Yuletide ticket (you could get one for an absentee friend). I prepared myself to say I already had one only to be dumbfounded when she said, “[Our other suitemate] had asked us to be her Hellers.”

So, when I got back to the room I saw this:

And I checked my answer: Yes.

Get ready for Hell Week, little one!

November 23, 2014
by Zubin Hill
Comments Off on On Another Note

On Another Note

Really just so I can feel proper industrious– BaCaso had their culture show on Saturday AND got Erdman to have a African/Caribbean dinner on Friday. The jerk chicken was quite nicely spiced and the plantains were PERFECT! I really did … Continue reading →

Promised Posts

September 27, 2014 by Zubin Hill | Comments Off on Promised Posts

It seems as though we have once again reached that moment—the time when I post an entry! Yay! (*grits teeth* “be excited!”) I hath finally gotten to that post I promised (though it took a while…)

The first week of school (yes, I’m going back that far), had a bit of problems for me. That is to say: I dropped one class, changed sections of another, almost got evicted from yet another, and had to speedily audition for multiple music groups. This was (somewhat) stressful for me. I do NOT like Shopping Week.

To clarify, Shopping Week is the first week of classes when you may visit/”shop” classes to see what you like/don’t like. The alleged benefits are checking without commitment. The problem is when you find something you like, a lot of other people like it, and you get lotteried out. Since I hate being thrown from classes, I don’t shop. Unfortunately, the first week of classes and my own poor planning forced me to quasi-shop.

Luckily, my classes turned out brilliantly. I got into Intro Psych, swapped to a later French section (waking up late, wooo!), and finagled my way into an intro Cities (Structure and Growth of Cities) class.

The music scene part of that week was somewhat more convoluted.

I’d wanted to audition for a capella groups before the start of the semester. And I did. I had not necessarily wanted to audition for Chamber Singers (the small Bryn Mawr/Haverford choral group). However, when I began taking voice lessons, I discovered I could only get credit if I was in Chamber Singers or Chorale, and was strongly urged to try for one by my lovely teacher, Clara Rottsolk, I decided to do so. The sign up sheet for Chamber Singers auditions was posted on a board in Goodhart. Somehow, by the grace de Dieu, the times worked out so I could audition for 2 a capella groups AND Chamber Singers in one hour. Saturday dawned, I crawled out to the auditions. I did reasonably well in all of them, worst, I’d say, in the one for Chamber Singers. That is owing to the fact that Tom Lloyd, the director, wanted me to sight-sing. I cannot sight-sing.

Still, I was called back for Chamber Singers and the Night Owls a capella group. Long story short, I went to callbacks, didn’t get into Night Owls, but somehow got into Chamber Singers. Hence, I’ll be getting an extra 1 credit (we usually get 4 per semester)! Life’s pretty good.

All this running around made me realize: I really like having eons of junk to do. It somehow keeps me (in)sane—which is the only way I know how to function.

Song of the day/week/post:

Next On Le MaDHoUsE Pour Le Plus Fou: Zubes experiences glorious news, inglorious problems, a prison, and aca-music.

Mawrter Musing

It's a jouncing joy-ride…

Category Archives: Cultural