By Special Request, For You

So, as my title eludes, this post is for you (you know who you are, xoxo), by special request. And thank you for prompting me, because you're right, I definitely do have thoughts to share.

a) A quick follow-up to the election.
b) Final clubs at Harvard

I begin writing this in the Winter Garden in CGIS North, one of two (I think) very modern buildings dedicated to the Center for Government and International Studies (thus, CGIS). Here's a link to an article on it... I haven't actually read this article... http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2005/11.10/05-cgis.html. Anyway, in the spacious library on the bottom floor of one of the modern GIS buildings there is this Winter Garden, a small, dim room with couch-lined walls, each couch separated by a plexiglass divide to allow for privacy, and in the center of the room, ferns and a fountain. This little Zen (well, sorta) garden is SO random and unexpected and I love that it's here.

So speaking of the Center for Government and International Studies, OOOOOBBBBBBAAAAAAAMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Tuesday night after he was elected it was CRAZY! I was in the Cambridge Queen's Head Pub watching the election coverage with the rest of the black community here at Harvard. While I am not active within it, I am SO happy that I was there. That experience, sharing that moment of watching America elect its first black president with other hopeful, ambitious black students was very profound. I left around 11:20, and walking through Harvard Yard was RIDICULOUS! Mobs of people were running around, climbing on John Harvard... there was even a boy in a Borat thong suit merrily dancing around! I ran into a friend who told me that the Spee (one of the male final clubs here at Harvard) was having a dance party in the street, so we headed down to Mt. Auburn together, and sure enough it was going strong! Cars honked joyously, declaring their support as they drove by... at least I'm pretty sure that's what was going on, not that they were honking for us to get OUT of the street! One cab driver even kept circling around so that he could continue to celebrate with us. AND one car even stopped and the people got out and started dancing with us! Now, imagine if McCain had been elected, the reaction would have been SO different. Instead of celebration, joy, dancing, tears of happiness, and HUGS EVERYWHERE, it would have been somber, depressing, and tears of sadness and worry. So as my oh-so-optimistic mother says, it's a new day; now let's just keep him alive.

So, moving on to final clubs... this is a HUGE topic to tackle. I've been wanting to write on this for awhile, but because it's so touchy it's something that I have to be very tactful about. In fact, I don't think I'm ready to post what I have written yet... I want it to be clear and concise, and accurately portray final clubs. Until then, Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_club.