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From Summer Months to Senior Year

September 9, 2013 by carolinetrusty | Permalink

And, we’re back! What a week it has been. It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was moving into my freshman dorm room in Hurlbut. Fast-forward three years, six semesters, a lot of homework, and even more fun, and here I am starting my fourth and final year at Harvard. Senior year is here!

It’s been a crazy week here at school, full of new beginnings and a lot of nostalgia. I keep thinking of all of the “lasts” and the “last-firsts” I’m experiencing. Last first day of school, last first class of the semester, last fall shopping period, last fall study card, last first Sunday brunch, and so many more. My parents drove me up to Cambridge last Saturday to help me move into my new Eliot dorm room – my last dorm room on my last Eliot House move in day. My dad did most of the heavy lifting, lugging boxes, books, suitcases, and even my futon up three flights of stairs. My mom and I helped a little bit… we mostly offered moral support.

Move in Day

My dad, taking a break from moving in….Good thing I have a futon!

Despite the excitement of move-in day, it honestly feels a little bit like I never left Cambridge. I spent the bulk of my summer here working for the Student Financial Services Office (SFS) at Harvard Law School. I loved it! I wore a lot of different figurative hats during my internship with SFS, processing student loans, quality checking financial aid awards, and fielding questions from law school students. The SFS office is pretty small, but boasts some of the hardest working people I’ve ever worked with. I’m grateful to have had that experience.

Summer Staff Party

Summer Staff Party at the Law School! They had a nautical themed pie eating contest…just another Tuesday at work 😉

Staying in Cambridge over the summer was a lot of fun. The weather was glorious (most of the time) and my apartment building, Dewolfe, was just a short walk to and from work. Of course, Dewolfe had nothing on Eliot House, and it feels pretty good to be back to my home away from home. This past Tuesday Eliot House hosted a Welcome Back BBQ. It was great to enjoy the delicious food, good company, and to hear about the wonderful summers my Eliot House neighbors had.

Dewolfe Kitchen

My roommate, Kendra, making bacon in my kitchen at Dewolfe. She’s holding up a plate that the bacon burned through! It was really good bacon, though…

Eliot House cookout

Our amazing Eliot House chefs getting ready for the Back to School BBQ.

I’m looking forward to the rest of my senior year! I’ll be busy with thesis writing, classes, extra curricular activities, and saying goodbye to one of my favorite places in the world, but I’ll be sure to find fun and interesting things on campus to tell you about.

Until next week,

xo Caroline

Finally Finals Week!

May 14, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 1 comment

Hello again!

It’s been a super busy week for me, so I’ll be quick. It’s crazy that it’s already the last week of the school year! Junior year has gone by like lightening, and I’ve hardly had time to truly consider the fact that in just a few short months, I’ll officially be a senior. It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but I’m sure once I’m on the plane home for vacation with my finals and a certain looming 20-page paper behind me, I’ll feel like celebrating my new senior-status.

Speaking of finals, my French Literature class recently ended with a few students presenting their final projects. This year in French we studied several famous French authors and playwrights including Pierre Corneille and Moliere. French 70A has been one of my favorite classes this semester. Taking a 70 level French class is a requirement for my field in History & Literature, and I’m glad that it is. It is a same class where we spent a lot of time talking about the history of the literature, reading old-style French, and writing about our interpretations of the literature.

French Class Presentation

My classmates performing a scene from Moliere’s Les Precieuses Ridicules in the Kirkland House Senior Common Room

For final presentations, students could chose a scene to rewrite and act out from the plays we studied. My fellow classmates did everything from tragic monologues to comedic group scenes – all in French of course. One group performed a scene from a Moliere satire called “Les Preciueses Ridicules.” Their rendition was great, along with their festive costumes.

Looking to watch more theatricality, on Saturday I went to the final Immediate Gratification Players Performance. The IGP, an improv group, is one of my favorite groups on campus, and I try to catch their shows whenever I can. While their performance was a tad bit raunchier than their Parent’s Weekend show, they were still just as funny! It was their last performance of the year, so the show included a celebration of their Seniors.

IGP Performance

The Immediate Gratification Players performed on Saturday for their last show of the year!

That’s all for now. I’ll keep you updated next week!

 

Life is a Fete

May 10, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 2 comments

It’s been a pretty standard week here in Cambridge. Reading Period and Final Examinations are in full swing. Everyone you run into is either enjoying the weather of their Senior Spring Semester or hitting the books pretty hard, preparing for final exams or proofreading their final papers. I definitely fall into the latter category, as I am not a senior and I have a lot of final exams and papers coming up. But every could has a silver lining, and final exams mean that summer is almost here! I’ll be in Cambridge this summer, interning at the Harvard Law School, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how things are hanging in the 617. In the meantime, here are just a few things I’ve been up to this week.

As a research assistant for a History & Literature professor I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the library system around here. The Harvard Library system is one of the most extensive in the world. I feel like I spend 75% of all my time in any of the many libraries on campus, and I’m sure I have not even scratched the surface of what Harvard’s bookshelves have to offer. I was looking for a specific set of newspaper articles from 1922 this past week so I visited the Houghton Library. Neighboring Lamont Library, Houghton Library houses many of Harvard’s rare books and manuscripts. I’ve only been a few times, but is is always fascinating what kind of priceless pieces of history Harvard owns. And, as I found out upon my visit, they take that priceless aspect pretty seriously. Houghton is open to the public, but being allowed to research items is almost as difficult as getting through airport security. The staff was very strict about how items are treated, although they were incredibly friendly and helpful with my research. Check out the Houghton Library blog for more information!

Houghton Library

Houghton Library

This past week was also the Eliot House Formal, otherwise known as FĂȘte,  the French word for “party.” It’s a fitting name as FĂȘte is undoubtedly the greatest party on campus. EVER. And I’m not just saying this because I am a biased Eliot House resident. I’ve been to my fair share of house formal dances at Harvard, and while they have all been immensely enjoyable, none of them has come close to the greatness of FĂȘte. For one night a year, the Eliot House Committee turns the Eliot House courtyard into a scene out of The Great Gatsby. Twinkling fairy lights line the patio; a grand white tent sits on the grass covering a flawless hardwood dance floor. A live swing band plays great music that can be heard all along the river until 2AM. The guys and gals you’re used to seeing at 7:30AM in the dining hall in their sweatpants and workout gear are dressed to the nines in formal gowns and tuxes. It’s truly a magical night.

Fete Invitation

The invitation to Fete was slipped underneath our doorway about a week before the event!

I’ve been hearing about the brilliance of FĂȘte since I was placed into Eliot House my freshman year, and it definitely lived up to the hype. This was my first time attending and I loved the live band, the swing dancing, the decorations, and of course the chocolate covered strawberries. I am seriously counting down the days until next year, wondering how in the world anything could top this year’s party.

live swing band

The Live Band played all night! They were great.

Well, with all of that said, it’s getting late, and I have quite a bit of studying to do. Wish me luck!

Until Next Week,

Caroline

Arts First!

April 28, 2013 by carolinetrusty | Permalink

Another week, another blog post!

I’m writing this post from my desk in L entryway of Eliot House, with all three of my windows wide open, letting the breeze from this beautiful day float through their screens. Things, including the temperature, are looking up here in Cambridge – the thermometer actually registered a high of 65 degrees today and I, along with my fellow Harvard Square residents, broke out my flip flops and sunglasses to soak up the rare, and much awaited rays of Vitamin D.

It was the perfect time for great weather because this weekend was Arts First! Arts First  is a festival that takes place each year at Harvard. It showcases and celebrates the best of student art here on campus including theater, dance, film, music, visual arts, and so much more. In fact, with over 225 presentations, Arts First happens to be “one of the nation’s largest university arts festivals.” With over 225 presentations available, you can only imagine how busy Harvard was this weekend. Stuff was going on everywhere, from the yard to Queen’s Head Pub and beyond.

There are just a few highlights of my Arts First experience that I’d like to share with you guys. Friday night I stopped by the Leverett House annual Coffeehouse. In the old library of Leverett’s C entryway, several Leverett residents displayed their talents – singing, piano, guitar, and even spoken word. Chief, the Leverett House Master, regaled the crowd with his rendition of “My Get Up and Go Has Got Up and Went.”

Lev Coffeehouse

Leverett House Coffeehouse included live music from student performers.

On Saturday I went to see my friend Charlene’s band “Blue Print” perform at the Queen’s Head Pub. Blue Print is the rock n’ roll subgroup of Charlene’s a cappella group “Under Construction.” I’ve watched Under Construction perform, and so I was excited to hear Charlene play for Blue Print. No surprise – they were awesome! Charlene rocked the house on the piano, while her bandmates sang and played guitar and the drums.

Blue Print at Queen's Head Pub

Charlene’s (hidden behind the piano) Band: Blue Print was awesome!

To round out my Arts First weekend, I stopped by a display put on by the Harvard Capoeira. What is Capoeira,  you might ask? Don’t worry, I didn’t know what it was until this weekend either. Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that “combines Afro-Brazilian dance with martial arts and acrobatics.” They performed in Harvard Yard on Saturday, and as I was walking by I decided to check out their performance. They were great, and impressed me, along with other members of the audience, with their flips, spins, tumbles, and acrobatics, all improvised and done in time with their background music.

martial arts

Ever heard of Capoeira? I have!

That’s all for now, time to get started on another week. It’s supposed to be like, seventy degrees tomorrow – sun dress anyone ???!!!

Caroline

No Place I’d Rather Be

April 26, 2013 by carolinetrusty | Permalink

I have to echo my fellow bloggers when I say that last week/weekend was surreal, crazy, scary, humbling, and a million other adjectives that cannot really explain how it felt to be so close to some pretty unimaginable events. If you’ve been following the news, you’re probably fully aware of the main events and the indelible impression they’ve left upon Boston. In light of all of the tragic events, however, one thing I will say that my fellow bloggers have either mentioned or alluded to in their posts is that I am so grateful to be a member of the Harvard community. Throughout the entire week there was always a friendly face in the hallways of Widener, an extra hug in the dining halls, or a House Master or entryway tutor available to talk. In a time where the world seemed to make very little sense, Harvard was a place of comfort, refuge, friendship, and family – for that I am truly grateful.

On a lighter note, there were a few fun things going on last week that I’ve been eager to share with you all. The Charles Eliot dinner was on Thursday last week. The Charles Eliot dinner is a meal that takes place in Eliot House each year, celebrating the House’s namesake. The food was delicious and we ate in good company. At the end of dinner a few student residents of Eliot House stood up at the podium to talk about what makes the house special to them. I could definitely relate!

 

Roommate & Blockmate

I went to the Charles Eliot Dinner with my roommates – as you can see we had a great time!

Salmon Second Course

The second course of the night was this mouthwatering salmon – Yum!

 

Charles Eliot Dinner

Residents of Eliot House turned up in style to celebrate Charles Eliot.

Another event I got to attend this week was Eleganza. Eleganza is the annual fashion show put on by Harvard students. Tickets are sold to all undergraduates and the proceeds go to the Center for Teen Empowerment – an organization that strives to “empower youth and adults as agents of individual, institutional, and social change.” The fashion show featured clothes by many designers, as well as themed costumes, and stylized dance numbers. With gift bags and VIP seating, the event truly felt like a celebrity-filled night at New York Fashion week. I can’t wait to see what they roll out next year!

Eleganza Stage

This long and intricate runway was set up for the models to strut their stuff!

Models

“Attitude, attitude, pose!”

Well, that’s all for now! Thins are slowly returning to normal here in Cambridge. The semester is coming to a close and summer break is right around the corner…the corner after final papers, projects, and exams of course … 😉

‘Till Next Time,

Caroline

Yard Fest 2013, The Economy, & The Celtics

April 14, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 2 comments

If you were anywhere within a five mile radius of Harvard Square this weekend, you probably already know that this was a big weekend for us college students. If the loud thumping music didn’t give it away, the crowds of students all walking towards and gathering in the yard on Saturday evening would have. Two words, two syllables, and a whole lot of fun: YARD FEST.

Yard Fest is the annual free College-wide concert that takes place each year in the Spring in the Tercentenary Theatre in Harvard Yard. For one afternoon and evening each year, Harvard Yard right in front of the Widener Steps ceases to be just a tourist attraction, or a part of the pathway to and from class. Instead, its transformed into a rockin’ concert arena complete with food, friends, and live music available for Harvard College students. The day starts early with Harvard houses, clubs, and organizations on campus hosting a variety of pre-Yard Fest events from BBQ’s to mid-afternoon dance parties. Gates opened at 5:00 PM with dinner and a live show. In addition to the headlining performance, student bands also performed at Yard Fest, including Puttanesca and The Cantab Cowboys. Both bands were great, and one of the members of The Cantab Cowboys hails from Eliot House (my house/the best house on campus), which already makes them a band worth listening to in my humble opinion. The headlining performer was the Top 40 rap artist Tyga.

Yard During Yardfest

People milling about the yard, listening to the music and socializing!

All in all, it was a great Saturday, and the perfect weekend to an already great week. On Monday, I went to the Institute of Politics (what is rapidly becoming my home away from home away from home…) to hear a panel conversation at the John F. Kennedy Forum.  The panel was called “Is America Working? What Business and Government Can Do” and it featured some really big names in politics including Roger Porter, Lawrence Summers, Paula Dobriansky, and Ben Heineman. They discussed the intersection between business and government today, how it has evolved, and what are some of the biggest problems the country faces today as far as employment opportunities and economic growth.

JFK Forum on the Economy

Roger Porter, Larry Summers, Paula Dobriansky, and Ben Heineman discussing the private and public sector and how it relates to the United States Government

Because Harvard College is located in Massachusetts, I have the occasional opportunity (when I’m not glued to a desk at the library) to venture outside of Harvard Square and check out the many sites that the great MA has to offer. This week on Wednesday, I went to the Celtics basketball game!

Celtics TD Garden

Celtics! It’s really too bad that they lost…but the game was FUN!

The team played against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. TD Garden, just a short T-ride away from campus, was packed with Celtics fans there to support the home team. Unfortunately, the Celtics ultimately lost out to the Nets, 101-93. Fortunately, I have no allegiances to either team, so I was able to sit back and enjoy the game.

Well, that’s all for now folks!

Until next week,

Caroline

Sunshine, History, and Literature

April 8, 2013 by carolinetrusty | Permalink

Spring is in the air!

Judging by the warmer temperatures, the sunshine, and the waves of tourists on the sidewalks, spring is well on its way through Harvard Square. Cambridge in the springtime is always wonderful, especially after a winter like the one we’ve had (Nemo, anyone???!!). The air seems lighter, smiles seem brighter, and walking from class to class is increasingly more pleasant. I actually wore flip-flops during a shopping trip earlier this week. I’ll let you know when it’s time to break out the Bermuda shorts.

I haven’t fully be able to enjoy the sunshine, however, because I’ve been working on my History & Literature (H&L) Junior Paper. Last Monday I, along with all of the other juniors studying H&L, was required to hand in a 6,000 word research essay on the topic of my choice. While the last few hours of writing, editing footnotes, and searching frantically for any misplaced commas were nerve racking, the experience as a whole was great! I decided to research the French-Algerian War, and I got to study works by authors like Fanon, Pontecorvo, Bouchareb, Aussaresses, etc. I learned a lot, and if you ever need to know anything about French or Algeria between 1954 and 1962, I’m your go-to girl.

The Barker Center

The beautiful Barker Center is where most of my History & Literature classes, including my tutorial, are held.

This research paper was essentially a culmination of the H&L Junior tutorial. As a modern European H&L concentrator, one of my graduation requirements is the H&L junior tutorial. It is a two-hour meeting between me, my tutor, and two other students (or colleagues, as they are referred to in the department). It may sound daunting: two hours of talking between four people seems like a lot, but honestly, the times flies. The greatest thing about the H&L junior tutorial is that it is student led. We have a great tutor who is a member of the H&L Department and under her guidance we create our own syllabus, complete with secondary and primary source material of our own choosing. Pretty cool, right? Not only are we getting to study history through a literary lens, we’re also getting to choose the history that truly interests us and we’re crafting that lens ourselves.

One of the main purposes of the paper is to prepare us to begin writing our thesis, another requirement for graduation. But more on that next year…with this particular essay behind me, I plan on fully enjoying the rest of Junior Year!

Until next week,

Caroline

Congrats Class of 2017!!

April 2, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 2 comments

Whew! What a week/weekend! I hope you have all had a great Easter/Passover/April Fool’s Day!

Congratulations to the Class of 2017 – regardless of where you end up, getting accepted to Harvard will undoubtedly be something you remember for a very long time. I had the opportunity to talk to high school students from my hometown who had recently been accepted to Harvard. It got me thinking about why I love the school so much. The number one reason I love this school is because there is truly never a dull moment and there is opportunity around every corner.

For example, last Wednesday I was able to hear Jon Favreau speak at the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Jon Favreau is President Obama’s former Director of Speechwriting.

Jon Favreau visits the IOP

Jon Favreau, the President’s former speechwriter, visited the IOP last Wednesday to talk about his work on the campaign trail and in the White House.

He spoke at the IOP about his experience writing speeches for the President, working on everything from campaign speeches, State of the Union addresses, to White House Correspondent Dinner jokes. Favreau regaled us all with stories about working side-by-side with the Commander in Chief, an already accomplished speechwriter himself, and what he believes makes a good speech. You can check out the IOP website for a full video of Favreau’s visit.

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to score tickets to the Lowell House Opera. Lowell House dining hall was transformed into an opera house, complete with a stage, lights, and a makeshift orchestra pit for the production. This year was the 75th anniversary of the Lowell House Opera, and they put on a Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have read the Shakespearian play several times, and have seen it performed once or twice before. Seeing it performed as an opera, however, was a completely different experience and one that I am unlikely to forget. The acting was great, the singing was phenomenal, and the set design and costumes made the performance come alive. It was also really funny – I found myself laughing out loud at some of the character’s antics, and I left the show impressed, and a little curious as to how they could remember all of their lines. It’s one thing to have to speak all of that dialogue, but to sing each and every line at an extremely high pitch? Wow.

Much to the dismay of my roommates, I’ve since been inspired to practice perfecting my own operatic abilities around my suite. I’ll let you know how it goes…

Until next week!

Caroline

Go Crimson!

March 25, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 1 comment

Aaaaaaaaannnnndd, we’re back! It feels a little bit like we never left….

The campus is alive and buzzing again after our short Spring Break hiatus. And while everyone is a bit more rested, and significantly tanner than they were when they left, things are pretty much back to normal around here.

In case you haven’t heard, Harvard Basketball made history last week, gaining the school’s first win in the NCAA basketball tournament. On Thursday night in Salt Lake City, the Harvard men’s basketball team beat the New Mexico Lobos, 68-62. It was a big win for The Crimson, and I could barely believe all of the three pointers that fell.

For their next game, the team played against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. Several places on campus and in Harvard Square screened the game, including restaurants, bars and lounges in the Harvard Houses. I watched the first half in the Eliot House Grille – a hangout spot in the basement of Eliot House, complete with a flat screen television, plush couches, bar stools, a pool table and a foosball table, and diner-like checkered floors. Our housemasters provided pizza to accompany March Madness, and we spent the night rooting for our team. Unfortunately, Harvard lost 74-51, but they still made history, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!

I’ve got a lot on tap for this week. Jon Favreau, former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama, (and one of my favorite people) is visiting the Institute of Politics this Wednesday, and I LITERALLY cannot wait. I’ll let you know how it goes. Until then, enjoy the first hints of Spring!

 

Caroline

Back in Baltimore!

March 17, 2013 by carolinetrusty | 1 comment

Well hello there!

If you’re wondering why I sound so rested and relaxed, it’s because today is officially my second day on Spring Break! I’m writing this blog post from the comfort of my Baltimore living room, where I have been lounging for an excessive amount of time. One of the best things about going to Harvard College is that it’s only a 1.5-hour flight back to the 410. Literally, Friday morning I was waking up in my dorm room, and twenty four hours later I’m hanging out with my parents at home. Ah, Spring Break…

I got home by way of Logan Airport – the airport that’s located just a few miles away from school. Usually, I just take the T there, but if I’m feeling particularly swanky, then I’ll splurge on a cab ride. This time, however, was especially great because of a new Undergraduate Council initiative – the Airport Shuttles! Just in time for this Spring Break season, the Undergraduate Council has now implemented airport shuttles that leave every hour between 4 AM and 7 PM the weekend that Spring Break starts. Now, instead of having to pay $40 for a one-way cab ride, or schlepping my luggage on the T, I was able to pay just $6.50 online to reserve a seat on the shuttle going to the airport. It got us to Logan in twenty minutes flat. Thanks to the shuttle service, I got to the airport, to the Southwest terminal, through security, and to my gate, all with enough time to buy a soft pretzel and the latest People Magazine. So, in case you were wondering, members of the Undergraduate Council, you’ve definitely gotten yourself a new fan in yours truly!

Like I said in my last post, my plans for Spring Break this year are pretty mellow. I’ve got plenty in my Netflix queue and the relatively warmer Baltimore weather to keep me busy, but I’ll let you know if anything exciting happens.

Until then, have a great week!!!

Caroline

Oh, and PS: did you hear about the Harvard Basketball team? Besides being really tall and collectively really handsome, they’re also in the NCAA tournament this year. GO HARVARD!

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