Day 363: "Please do."

This morning began with Community Conversations, a facilitated conversation between members of our entryway about diversity of race, nationality, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, etc. It was stunning to see the remarkable richness of culture among members of our entryway alone! This was a great way to learn a bit more about our Greenough peers in a really open environment.

 From here, Marcy, Alex, and I headed to a meeting with our academic advisor, Elaine Strunk. Elaine is the Manager for Sustainability Engagement in the Office of Sustainability here at Harvard. This informal lunch in the grass was a great way to learn more about Marcy and Alex and their interests, as well as get to meet Elaine. A funny moment came after our meal when a dining hall worker lectured the four of us on how to properly separate our waste materials from lunch before throwing it out. Preaching to the choir, bro.

Next, I attended a lecture called "What Darwin Didn't Know" given by Professor Hopi Hoestra of the departments of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Though I probably didn't understand half of the talk, I was happy to have the chance to learn something beyond the realms of my intellectual specialty. I made a quick call to Laurita on my way back to Greenough, where I met Helen, my proctor, who then accompanied me to the Bureau of Study Counsel. This group  guides students with reading and study tips, and was having an open house today. Another group having an open house was the Wellness Center, where Helen and I gladly went for free 10-minute massages. This was NICE.

Since then, I've been meditating, resting, and catching up on housekeeping items. The rest of the evening holds dinner, another entryway meeting, and perhaps a salsa lesson with the Ballroom Dance Team!