The Swarthmore Amphitheater is an incredible multi-purpose space. It is home to many traditions, including First and Last Collections, which are a part of our Quaker roots. It was formerly the graduation location and now serves as a class space, concert hall, study area, relaxation place, and more. While I fondly remember First Collection, a different amphitheater memory sticks out in my mind.
During my freshman year, I was lucky enough to get very close with a junior and a senior (although I miss them dearly now that they have graduated). One Sunday afternoon, we worked in a shared space with another teammate and decided we needed a study break, so we took a little walk. We left Singer and walked past the Science Center to one of the many entrances into the Crum Woods, taking a trail down to Crum Creek. As we walked, we admired the beauty of the nature surrounding us. We were examining the trees when one of my friends suddenly had an idea: “Wait, guys!! What if we buy hammocks?!”
We looked at her and responded: “That is a FANTASTIC idea!” It was that simple. We placed our order while in the woods and could not stand the excitement as we waited for our special package. My friend got the notification a few days later, so we planned to try them out that weekend. We figured we would check out the Amphitheater to see if we could find the correctly spaced trees.
Because I lived in Wharton, all I had to do was exit my building, make my way to the back, and cross the road. When we all got there, we spotted two perfectly spaced trees, neither one too thick to fit the strap around. It took us a few minutes to put the hammocks up, the single-person hammock tied above the double-person hammock, but once we had them in place, we smiled at each other and got ready to enter them.
We decided it made the most sense to have our friend climb into the top, single hammock first. So we held the bottom hammock as she attempted to crawl into the top one. The first few tries weren’t successful, so my friend and I stopped stabilizing the bottom hammock and helped lift her into the top hammock.
Once she was safely in, it was our turn. I was able to do a small hop and make it inside first. Now, all my friend had to do was make it inside, and we would be perfect. The hammock was raised a bit off the ground, so she had to jump to make it, but it wasn’t as though she had to climb into it as our first friend did. On her first jump, it seemed like she made it inside the hammock, but it did not go as smoothly as we imagined. The next few seconds happened in slow motion: one moment, she made it “safely” onto the hammock, and the next moment, her feet were over her head, and she was tumbling out of the hammock. The hammock swung as she landed on the grass. We shrieked, bursting with laughter.
I am reminded of this gleeful memory every time I enter the Amphitheater. One of the best parts is that we captured it on video. We still send it to each other every once in a while as a reminder of the good times we had, and it never fails to make us laugh.
Eventually, we all ended up safely in the hammocks and were able to soak up the sun. We made rainbow loom bracelets, one for the other two people. These two bracelets, along with the overall memory of this day, are very special and just happened to occur in the most beautiful location. I cherish memories like this, ones I know will stay with me for a long time.
