As I am sitting at my computer writing this paragraph, I am only one month away from stepping into the second half of my Swarthmore journey. “Summer is going to pass by faster than we think.” “We’ll be upperclassmen then?!” I remembered this conversation, as if it just happened yesterday, with my friend when we bid farewell in mid-May.
In a month, my friends will be coming back to campus, from different corners of the world near and far. Because of the excitement of new beginnings, Swarthmore in late summer is, in my mind, always loaded with beautiful memories.
In the late August of 2023, after twenty hours on a plane and three hours in the car, I arrived at Swarthmore on a rainy day. The rain didn’t wash away the beauty of this stunningly quaint suburban town. Our first encounter wasn’t any less dreamlike. At the tent in front of Parrish Hall, I was greeted by my orientation leaders (OLs). I received a folder with everything I need to become an official Swattie and printed out my legal entry document required for international students. I made my way to Hallowell Hall with two big suitcases and a backpack; in the winding hallway I got lost and couldn’t find my room. No one seemed to be around. International freshmen were among the earliest arrivals. Thankfully, I met my Student Academic Mentor (SAM) in the stairwell. He directed me to my dorm and introduced himself as a resource to reach out to. Then I went downstairs to pick up my luggage, but, where’s my OneCard? I had just received it fifteen minutes ago and swiped myself into the residence hall and now it was gone. I guessed I was trapped in my residence hall. Luckily, my panic didn’t last long before an OL came in. In a few minutes, he helped me set up my digital OneCard. That was my first hour coming to the campus. As you probably can tell, I faltered a little bit, quite literally, but was immediately caught by the support and care around me.
At the international student orientation, I had the best five days to start off my life at Swarthmore and in a new country. It was a five-day program, prior to the general orientation for all freshmen, designed and led by students while supported by the International Student Center (ISC). The goal of the orientation is to help international students settle into the new environment (for example getting phone cards, bank accounts, Target runs, etc.), get to know each other as a family, start conversations about cultural adjustments, and learn about campus resources and opportunities.
Recalling it now, I had many quintessential American experiences in those five days. My first time having Chipotle was in the dome room of InterCenter (IC Dome), a bagel with cream cheese outside the Black Cultural Center (BCC), and campfire s’mores in Crum Henge. Prior to the general new student orientation, we already had special group memories associated with many campus spaces and felt like we belonged. I also remembered bringing back to my room stacks of flyers from the Writing Center, Career Services, Center for Innovation and Leadership (CIL), and Lang Center, all from a session where various campus partners came just to meet the international freshmen. It was a lot of information to digest all at once, and yet I knew that whatever I want to do, the resources and support system are right out there. Most importantly, in between sessions and over meals, I had so many memorable conversations with people I felt eager to know more about in the next four years. Looking back, I am grateful that I stayed open to as many conversations as they naturally emerged and flowed. Many seeds of meaningful connections were sown; some have been thriving, others keep growing.
Half-way through my Swarthmore career, I realize that social, cultural and academic adjustments take time. That five days was merely a beginning, but it was long enough that I gained the assurance to embrace the unknown journey ahead, knowing that I am surrounded by peers with shared experience, willing to listen to and uplift each other.
When you are in the midst of an orientation, it feels like a summer dream that never ends. A week feels like a month because of the intense sharing of space and time with everyone around you. Orientation week does end, but it comes back every year. It is a reoccurring event against which you can measure your growth, because as time passes you take on new roles. I became an OL last summer; the sheer excitement of starting a new chapter of life was replaced by that of coming back to a familiar event in a new position. I helped many students retrieve their OneCards, chaperoned them to Targets to get bedding, facilitated conversations about acculturation and keeping in connection with home, and offered advice on exploring academics at Swarthmore. Now, I am looking forward to my third time returning to campus life. I will be reuniting with friends who are OLs again as well as meeting new friends—this time welcoming them to Swarthmore as a campus tour guide!
