Two of the single wildest nights of my life happened in the past week:
1) Halloween. The College is notorious for its Halloween party, often referred to as 'Trip or Treat" for the supposed widespread consumption of psychedelic drugs. I don't know how many people exactly were tripping, but there was definitely plenty of weed, alcohol, and ecstasy going around, and even without consuming any drugs the night was still pretty surreal. There were three bands playing, two of them outside, so if you stood in the right place there was a mash-up of sounds. In that rough middle area there were people juggling torches, swallowing fire, and doing acrobatic tricks, while overhead a barrage of fireworks exploded constantly. Above all this, nearly everyone is in a costume, and most of them are also on drugs. It was like walking around in a deranged circus. I've been mostly annoyed with the amount of drug use going on on campus, but I wasn't as bothered, maybe because everyone was having a good time regardless, and I wasn't trying to get to sleep. I had a great time dancing to many of the live bands, and was totally exhausted by the next morning.
2) Election Night. I don't know if I'll ever forget this moment. We were all sitting in a lounge watching the election returns, when CNN officially projected that Barack Obama would be the next president of The United States. Suddenly everyone's phones were ringing. The moment we had been waiting for ever since we started caring about politics had finally come. My friend from Vermont gave me a call and we yelled at each other for a good five minutes about how it had finally changed, how the next four years of our lives will be different than the past eight. When I finished talking to him, we all ran outside, where nearly every student was out celebrating. I've never seen such a happy group of people in my life. I can think of my High School graduation, but that was nothing compared to the joy we were all feeling. I felt compelled to shout at the top of my lungs - "IT'S OVER!" I got a hug from somebody I'd never met before. Though this is probably truly pale in comparison, I could only relate this moment to those celebrations that happened after World War II ended. You could almost see a sailor kissing a nurse amongst all the chaos. I saw fireworks exploding over the library lawn. We all ran to the front of the library, and the sight that greeted me made me more excited than I ever was. Along with the fireworks, students had assembled an impromptu band, mostly consisting of percussion and some big horns, and were playing dance music while everyone danced together. But what made it so great was that the combination of these elements made it exactly like the final scene of The Return of The Jedi - one of my all time favorite movies. The only thing it needed was a toppling Bush statue or some funeral pyres and you would swear you had walked on to a movie set in 1983. I have never felt such a sense of unity with such a large group of people in my life, and I doubt I ever will again. And while I'm sure there were plenty of people on drugs in the crowd, we were all undoubtedly high on the feelings of pure joy we felt. People were going wild, and even though many of these people were strangers, we all were there for the same reasons and we all felt totally united.
"It's Finally OVER!" I was yelling.
"No - It's just beginning." whoever I was hugging responded with.
They were right, too. At least I hope they are. This is a new era, and that's where I was when the moment came. I must have hugged at least 50 people, and been hugged by just as many. Everyone was jumping, dancing, hugging and chanting the various chants that have become associated with the Obama campaign. I went to my friend we spontaneously began singing the National Anthem, which eventually everyone caught on and sang. Not only was it cool because I started the whole crowd singing, but I think I may have been in the first time in my life I sang that song by choice, and not just out of routine or tradition. As skeptical as I sometimes as I may be about The College, last night I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
