Our second day at Mammoth Lakes it poured buckets while we stood cramped under a small tarp singing camp songs. Conveniently, our sleeping bags caught the brunt of the storm, forcing our leaders to make a decision between booking a hotel or losing 14 campers to hypothermia. After some unnecessary deliberation, they chose hotel. Rather, a massive three-floor resort with beds for all of us.

Three years later, it’s cool to see everyone a little more grown up, preparing to be a college graduate. We all have different majors and I can’t say that I really hang with anyone from the trip, we do smile at each other, say hello, have short conversations. We’re not besties, but I couldn’t have wished for a trip with more amazing people.

I’m nostalgic, wondering where the time went, and happy to see that this year’s freshman have made some friends on their own adventures. Have fun with your first college buds, your first crush – the first group of individuals who like you for who you are, not for you killer AP scores.

The following is a collection of pictures submitted by CMC freshmen and their WOA leaders.

To kick it off, sophomore Libby Friede from Philadelphia hits on the sensitive topic of the infamous high school sweetheart.

Dear Freshman,

If you’ve ever seen the movie Annie Hall you are familiar with a basic premise: boy meets girl, they fall in love, girl moves across the country. There are two potential ends to the story:
Boy and Girl realize someone needs to move so they can be together
Boy and Girl go their separate ways. Both have a hard time, and then they move on.

When I was a freshman, I moved from Pennsylvania to California. My boyfriend moved to  New York City. (The exact locations NYC and LA parallel the movie to perfection.) We watched Annie Hall and realized the Woody Allen-Diane Keaton conundrum was only a few weeks away from reality. After endless nights of talking about it and not talking about it, we decided to make it work. After all, we had technology on our side. How hard could it be with Skype, e-mail, Facebook, and cell phones? I arrived in California nervous and lonely. I didn’t know a single person, and it was so much easier to log onto Skype than open my  door and meet new people.

For three weeks we attempted a game of long distance ping-pong. He called, but I couldn’t pick up because of orientation. I called, and he had just started dinner. It was frustrating and isolating. I skipped out on so many parties and invitations to fro-yo because we had a Skype date, or I was on the phone. I was technically in Claremont but I was in this strange limbo-land, equal parts Philadelphia, New York, and Claremont. Finally, there was the fateful call: “this isn’t working.” At first, I felt even more alone. Then someone invited me to a Friday night performance of Without a Box (so good!). I almost said no out of habit, but I realized I didn’t have a phone call coming, so I went out. And then I had fun. Little by little, I went to more parties and more club meetings. I met more people and got out of my room and out of my shell.

I don’t write this letter of advice saying don’t have a long distance significant other. There are some people who do it; there are some people who can make it work. There are also plenty of people (freshman mostly) with a significant other across the country or around the world. They will probably say things like “we’re practically married” or “the distance makes us closer.” Hate to break it to you, but for a lot of you in this boat, the break-up wave is coming and it’s okay. It’s really hard to give 100% to making new friends and living in a new place when you feel so connected to somewhere else.

Break-ups are always tough, but they are even harder when you’re a million miles from home. Instead of making a playlist of sad songs, find someone in your hall to talk about it with. Chances are you are not the only one in the same situation.  Talking about your break-up is not only free therapy, you’ll probably get a really good friend out of it.

For those of you who do stay with your far-off significant other, make sure you give Claremont a shot. Try to get out there and make new friends. Whether you’re an alternative Allie or a preppy Pam, you can find your people here; you just have to go out and look for them. From classes to clubs to TNC, get out and meet people! I know this is advice that you’ve probably heard a million times but it’s true. If your mind’s tied to a lover across the country, your eyes on computer screen, and your ear glued to a phone, there’s a lot less room and a lot less time to meet people here that will become your Claremont family.

Peace, Love,  and Cheesesteaks,

Libby Friede

The clues they had to work with:

• This 5C college is not too far to roam. Every year they host a gathering full of foam. After dancing the night away, get a famous Galileo Sub at the Place of Jay.
• When things heat up, this place will keep you cool! So head out and take a picture at Pitzer’s pool.
• More often full of shes than hes, this locale is known for its coffees and teas.
• Enjoy intellectual discourse and speakers from across the world and nation, this location also hosts our annual Madrigals celebration.
• BONUS: Pour ice on another freshman.