“Fantastic Beasts and How to Slay Them Part 1”
What does it mean to successfully show someone the ropes at a new place? And what is most likely to result from it? There’s something to be said about the people that are adept at such a skill, yet unbelievably, they could be at your level and become the first people you meet at this new location, be it a new vocation, a new school, even a new neighborhood. And not only do they demonstrate new lifestyle and joie de vivre, they help you settle down and form the foundation for an amazing friendship.
Allow me this personal anecdote. I remember one of the first times I walked into Egan Dining Hall as a freshman, the culinary aroma and air conditioning combining to form a much-needed relief from the sweltering heat. Upon entering I noticed a girl who was in my group for the service project during welcome week, Arianna Torpey, a student-athlete who played lacrosse. I had heard the term before and had seen the equipment, but I was blank on any further knowledge except that it was Canada’s national summer sport. She was sitting on the top floor of Egan with the rest of her teammates. I was excited when she allowed me to sit with them for dinner and introduced me to the others gathered at the table. As time went on it helped that they were always there, as a group of six-to-eight that I could sit with when the field-hockey girls were nowhere to be found.
So, the foundation had been set. As we all settled into life as a Laker over the next month, they played a major role in calming my initial anxiety about college life as not only an Intel major, but someone on the spectrum. I had class with only one of them who was a fellow Intel major but spending as much time in Egan and Warde as I did allowed all of our friendships to flourish. The most noticeable of these was a young woman by the name of Nellie-Rose Dephtereos whom I believe appeared to be the most instrumental in shaping my connections as a Laker. She was smart, quick, and passionate, and the story of how we became close friends intertwines nicely here.
It was the first full day of our mid-semester break and with most of my friends headed home to spend the break with family I was left to find activities to pass the time. The first activity I took part in was a hike with the AIM department which I enjoyed. That night, exhausted, I found myself taking in the Mets game in the Student Union. Not long after the game began, I plugged in my phone and noticed a text from a random number
“Watching the Mets game?!” it read.
“Who would be texting me about the Mets?” I asked myself
I opened the text and found it from…the person I least expected to be asking me about baseball… Nellie!
“You bet!” I replied. “Are you watching?”
“Yeah! My dad’s going nuts ha-ha” she replied soon after
We continued to text throughout the game making it much more enjoyable. The Mets won the game and after winning again a week later they were headed for the World Series. While the Mets were celebrating their victory, I sprinted out of the Union, where I was once again watching the game, and raced to Warde Hall where Nellie lived. After the receptionist buzzed me in, I rushed up to her room and knocked several times on the door. It wouldn’t be long before the door opened.
“We’re going to the World Series!” she exclaimed.
We engaged in a long, tight embrace and absorbed the moment — right there, since it felt as if we were just frozen in time. There we were, just me and Nellie-Rose, our arms thrown around each other like we were this close forever. It was then that I realized just exactly how much she meant to me after just two months, the best friend for whom I could have ever asked. We have remained friends till this day and I have the Mets to thank for that, the Mets and Arianna Torpey.
