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:
- Stayed in a yurt01 dome-shaped tent that feels like a cabin
- Foraged
wild mushrooms02
cinnabar chanterelles! (which are safe and edible)
![orange mushrooms in the forest next to a log]()
- 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">FLIPOP</a>, the First-generation, Low-income Pre-orientation Program
![woman in a ropes course]()
- Attended a fort party
![wood fort with LED lights]()
- Got a temporary neck tattoo
![woman with a neck tattoo that reads "EC"]()
- Popped a balloon in front of a high-speed camera
![woman popping a balloon]()
- Attended a baseball game
- Decorated my door
![door covered in red caution tape]()
- Sang at an open mic night
![5-10 people gathered around an open mic night, where 2 people are performing]()
- Frolicked in an apple orchard
![3 friends kicking their boots up]()
- DJ’d a party with a turntable
![2 people djing a party]()
- Presented research at a poster session
![4 researchers standing next to their poster]()
- Saw a Broadway production in New York
- Watched a riverside sunset
![5 friends looking at a sunset at a river]()
- Experimented with fire spinning
![woman fire spinning a dragon staff]()
- Painted for a final project with a friend
![abstract painting about chemistry and carbon showing diamonds and coal]()
- Ice skated outdoors
![3 ice skaters showing their skates]()
- 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]()
- Built a snowman from scratch
![2 girls and a snowman]()
- Fell through a frozen river
- 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]()
- Learned some Thai kickboxing moves
![woman kickboxing]()
-
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]()
- Got stuck in a slinky
![woman in red sweater stuck in a green slinky]()
- 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]()
- Ate sushi on the floor
![woman sat next to take-out sushi on the ground]()
- Dyed my hair (red, blue, and purple)
![dyed here in the colors of red, blue, and purple]()
- Did a milk crate stacking rope challenge07 courtesy of my dorm East Campus setting up a ropes rig in the courtyard
- 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
- Stumbled upon my nickname in a book
![woman pointing to a word in a book]()
- Attended a slumber party
- Stood in a pool with a robot
![woman stood in water next to a robot]()
- Hosted a throw-paper-notes-into-a-fire night09 these are as cathartic as they sound
- Ate
pickled onions dipped in peanut butter10
give it a chance
![woman sitting with tupperewares of food]()
- 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 :)