A few weeks ago, my family came to visit me here at McDaniel for my little sister’s spring break from California. My mum had seen the campus before, and had once been on an official tour when I was a prospective student, but for my dad and my sister, it was the first time seeing McDaniel. My sister had never been to the East Coast before or to Washington, D.C., so it was exciting for her to experience the Right Coast.
My ten-year-old sister taking a photo of me as I take a photo of her.
They came on a Thursday and I immediately led them on a whirlwind tour. My sister, who’s ten years old, was extremely impressed by the variety of options available for lunch at Glar, though my family might have found it weird that we call the perfectly respectable Englar Dining Hall by the nickname Glar!
My introductions of them to my friends on campus basically consisted of “Hey, guys, this is ___ who I know through ____. Hey, ___, this is my family!” While it’s common for people in the Maryland area to have their family pick them up for a break or stop by on a weekend, I see mine very rarely and I was eager to have them experience as much of my life as they possibly could while they were here.
I took them to meet my English major adviser and they chatted for a while. My parents have obviously been influential in shaping me as a human being throughout the years, and my adviser has become so influential in my academic life that it was marvellous to have them speaking.
They got to meet a good number of my friends, the head of the English department, and various other people I saw around campus. I think by the time I got them to my dorm room, they were exhausted! I was extremely excited to have them there, although it was weird having my two lives–my San Franciscan life and my Westminstrian life–meeting.
Since I don’t have Friday classes, they took me to Washington, D.C. for two nights and we explored the city together. It was disappointing to have to say goodbye after such a short time, but I was so proud to be able to introduce them to many people and to be able to show off McDaniel.
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