Finish see movie name "Rent"? Go see!

I recently had the privilege of watching this enrapturing movie with Charity and Robyn. I have always been hooked to musicals since my brother's high school years - he took part in three musicials (if my memory serves me correctly) and I would always sit in the auditorium during performances with a flashlight and a borrowed scriptbook (and yes, my hearing aids), and enjoy the show. Since then, I've been hooked to musical movies such as Moulin Rouge and Chicago... This particular movie, however, had plenty of tear-jerking moments.

I happened to watch it during the week of graduation and during the entire Gallaudet president protest (Unity for Gallaudet! See this entry for more details)... so you could say that my level of sentiment and nostalgia was at an all-time high. My family was about to arrive the next evening and I was witnessing a moment in Gallaudet's history and I was about to wrap up four years of my undergraduate career... Yep.

The movie's basic message was focused on love and living life at its fullest, at all times - at least, that was my interpretation. After the movie finished, it was getting late so I said my goodbyes to Charity and Robyn and left, with the intention of going straight to bed in Tent City. However, I ended up taking a walk around Kendall Green, mostly on the "Gallaudet Mall" (the area of grass between the library and Chapel Hall). I ended up doing a lot of thinking and looking back in the past four years. After all, it's easy to do that when it's 2:30 in the morning and there is NO one around :)

As my subject line says... surreal. That is definitely what it turned out to be and that is what it has been in the past few weeks. I was walking from the parking lot behind the Field House and I walked past the back doors, leading to the pool- outside the doors were a bunch of lounge chairs. They were set up in a manner that could make one think that students had been using them for sunbathing during the warm and sunny days. One year, during Rockfest weekend, I got with a group of friends and we subathed on the big soft square "smooshy" (WHATEVER it's called) on the track, located in the section designated for the high jump.

I walked past the windows peeking into the pool of the Field House - the water was so calm and one could see the bottom of the pool. It made me think about the times a group of friends and I went swimming during open pool hours and the recent times where my boyfriend tried to teach me how to swim the right way (I still can't, ha). I walked in between SAC and the Hotchkiss football field and the stadium... the bright spotlights were shining. I can remember my first few years where there weren't any lights where they are now, and I went running at 2am because I was either wired from an argument or from studying or I just felt like running. Running has always been a great outlet for me.

I walked between the other side of SAC and the gravel parking lot... It made me think about the soon-to-be-erected SLCC (Sorenson Language and Communication Center). There has been a lot of discussion about how Kendall Green will change in the next few years, with renovation and construction. SLCC is the next part in the "10-year plan" at Gallaudet. I've always cherished history, especially at Gallaudet - and that includes the buildings... so I'm not sure how I feel about this plan. I DO recognize the need for modernization and providing more visual-tactile access. While thinking about this, I looked into the windows of SAC and looked at the bare depths of the tiled floors and the hallways and the "G-Spot" and the bulletin boards... SAC has always been a part of Gallaudet for me, since it was erected right before my arrival at Gallaudet. For me, there was never the old SUB or the Abbey. I still long to see what SAC/SUB/Rathskellar once were before its renovation/construction.

I walked towards the Merrill Learning Center (or simply put, the library) and sat on a picnic table, the side facing the "mall" and looked around. I looked at the newly named Andrew Foster Auditorium - even though it never had an official name, we always called it the Ely Auditorium. The "old-timers" still call it Ely. There still isn't an established name sign for the auditorium, so one would see people calling the auditorium with an "A" or a (goodness) "F" tapping on the side of their throat. It still takes me a while to register which building they are referring to.

I looked over to the EMG (Edward Miner Gallaudet) statue... I still laugh every time I see that statue. During NSO week, I met so many people - a few which remained good friends of mine. One of them became my roommate during the second semester of my freshman year... She, another girl, and I were chatting in the freshman dorms late one night, and we began discussing all the ghost stories at Gallaudet (our NSO group leaders made sure to divulge some of these stories with us!). One story refers to this particular statue and states that if you visit this statue at exactly midnight, under the full moon, the face will turn into a skull. Well, that night happened to have a full moon, and it was getting close to midnight, so of course - we decided to take a trek there. This friend and the other girl were getting a bit antsy on the way, so we kept scaring each other during the walk - setting the tone perfectly! By the time we got there, they (okay, me included) were terrified to LOOK at the statue's face. We finally looked when it struck midnight and sure enough - a skull appeared. We also found out other tidbits, but I won't divulge... just be sure to pay EMG a visit during a full moon at midnight, and find out for yourself!

I then noticed the radiance of the stained glass windows of Chapel Hall - they still get me every time I see them. As I mentioned, I CHERISH the history of old buildings and cities... so I am always struck with the depth of Gallaudet University's history. I noticed the weather vane at the top of Chapel Hall - if you look closely, you will see the letters "CIID" (I THINK those are the letters, my memory isn't serving me correctly right now)... those letters represent Gallaudet's original name as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind (of course, back then, using the word "dumb" meant differently!). Next to the weather vane, the flag was flickering on the top of Tower Clock in the wind, with the light shining underneath. I still kind of wish I had taken an "excursion" to the top of the tower and signed my name ;) There's always two more years during graduate school!

I then decided to do some more walking and walked to the other side of the mall towards Chapel Hall, walking past Peet Hall. I walked past bushes and trees and lamp posts and thought about all the times spent with friends and acquaintances, and how people have come into my life... Many people have walked through my life and mostly stayed for a while then left. There are still a few who have remained a valuable part of my life. Every single one of these mentioned people have contributed to who I am today, in one way or another. Many memories will remain while the physical selves of these people do not. This is okay with me because I believe that there is no such thing as regret or a bad experience. An experience only becomes a bad one or regret if you don't learn from it.

Time REALLY flew by... Every day, it seems like the clock is ticking faster and faster. Watching "Rent" that evening reminded me of that fact and reminded me to live life to its fullest... and to cherish every person and moment that passes me by. My views on life and myself has changed greatly... I even found a hearing aid battery on the ground and I HAD to grin because it reminded me of how I used to view deafness in the pathological sense but now it has shifted to a completely cultural aspect for me. I do not view myself as a person with a hearing loss... I view myself has a person who is fortunate enough to experience and cherish Deaf culture. Accepting the Deaf part of me was the best decision for me. Coming to Gallaudet University was the best decision for me. Gallaudet and Deaf culture may not be for everyone, but they are for me.

It was really nice to be able to take everything in that night - I always walked this same route in a rush, so I never took the time to stop and breathe everything in. If you are ever on Kendall Green, take time to do the same... especially if you are a Gallaudet student/alumni/faculty member/staff member/administrator/etc.

525,600 minutes gone by... 525,600 minutes being experienced now.... 525,600 mnutes yet to experience.