10.07.08

Goodbye, Harvard

Posted in family, personal, wedding at 12:58 am by wingerz

This past weekend I took a few of my coworkers for a long overdue tour of the Harvard campus. It was nice to give everything a last once-over before leaving.

My experience at Harvard was on the atypical side. While everyone else was loading up on extracurriculars, I spent a good amount of time on my own doing problem sets, hanging out with roommates, or wandering around Harvard Square. I probably should have been more social, but fortunately I still made some very good friends (and found a wife!). I have a lot of trouble generalizing what Harvard students are like, but the cross-section that I encountered contained a lot of remarkable, interesting, good-hearted people.

Living in Dunster House for three years was fantastic – some of the rooms I lived in have gorgeous views of the river. The large central courtyard, great for tossing frisbees and roasting goats, faces the Charles River. The majestic red-topped clocktower makes an appearance in a lot of postcards (and makes for a welcome sight after spending a night in the computer lab). Unfortunately, the small grassy area with the footpath leading back to Dunster is now occupied by a shiny new building, which is a shame.

I’ve walked along the charming one-way streets many times, but as a creature of habit, I only have a few regular haunts in the Square. I’ve browsed many books at the Coop and Harvard Bookstore, enjoyed a lot of sunshine JFK Park, nursed a good number of beers at Charlie’s (at least in my younger days), and eaten a ridiculous number of slices and sandwiches at Pinocchio’s.

I have a deep emotional connection Harvard. It was the first place I lived where I was really on my own (well, almost – our family friends, the Shias, would always pitch in to help me move). I met many of my best friends here. And there is something very special about passing by our wedding sites on a regular basis. It makes it really easy to re-live some of the memories, like taking a group picture on the Memorial Church steps, attracting tons of attention in the Yard and the Square, and enjoying a post-wedding picnic on a beautiful Spring day in JFK Park – with an open tab at Pinocchio’s for our guests.

wedding day / sneaking back into the church

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