Starting in 2020, so much of the world seemed to come to a halt, including local businesses, classrooms, sports teams, and extracurricular activities. One sign universally upheld that the world must be coming to an end lay in the pockets of dirty, stained sweatshirts, flannel pajamas that were clearly over-worn, and even the wretched smell of fuzzy socks that hadn’t been in the washer since March of 2020 (Gross!). But now, in 2022, stores are making more money once again, and why is that? Because style and fashion are
in high gear again. People have started putting more thought and effort into their daily outfits, in many ways, just like before the pandemic. Just ask Alicia Freiin Von Richthofen from Cilley Dorm.

“I think me, I definitely wear a lot of, like, jackets,” she said. “I think jackets are the biggest thing in my closet–and boots and accessories. What I like to do is a simple, basic underneath outfit, and then have like a cool jacket or cool shoes or like cool jewelry. I really like to accessorize. Like, accessories are key.”

Alicia said that her daily outfit might differ depending on her mood. “For example, if I want to be more free, I’ll do a skirt. if I want to wear something more masculine maybe like basketball shorts or like a flannel.”

“I like to thrift. Thrifting–if you know where to go–you can buy incredible stuff.”

“You can get brand name stuff for really, really cheap, like five bucks, you know?” Alicia said. “And also, I think the style’s like a lot more interesting than if you go to a shop. Because everyone can go to Zara and buy, you know, a shirt. But, like, you can’t find the same copy of a shirt in a thrift store.”

When asked what her favorite outfit is, she responded “I think recently I’ve been obsessed with this, like, skirt outfit, like this black plaid skirt, these boots, like a brown tank top, and a brown jacket on top. I think boots–like long boots go with anything.” She sees makeup as a ritual, and is more interested in natural, everyday looks.

“What I do is I add dark eyeshadow to the water line, and then some like some eyeliner, some glitter in the corner, some blush, a little bit of mascara. Very simple, but like it makes your eyes pop.”

“I don’t wear that many shorts. Like my entire closet is more preppy, maybe like fairy core. I like skirts, dresses and jeans.”

Alicia said she had to leave a pair of “stunning white Gogo boots” at home, when she came to Exeter.

Kelly Kadis from Dunbar described their style as “Very androgenous. Leaning towards more masculine, I’d say. Sometimes I like to follow the street-look type of dresses. And sometimes I just like to dress like a dad.”

“I definitely put some thought into it. Like, I remember when I was little my mom used to say I should pick out my clothes the night before because it usually took me too long to decide.”

Why is what someone chooses to put on their body significant? I wanted to know.

“Because I believe that it expresses us,” Kelly said.

They added:”“Most of my clothes are second hand, not thrifted but by like my brother or my dad or my grandpa sometimes.”

Kelly’s favorite outfit is “a button up shirt. It’s striped blue and white, and it has like some patches of art from the classical era. I wear it a lot. I really like it.”

They said: “I used to do a lot of makeup when I was in gymnasium, because the sport I was doing required a lot of makeup. I used to do synchronized swimming, and we’d get all dolled up. But I kind of got bored with it. I went through a time when I didn’t like makeup at all, but now I like more natural, maybe some eyeliner. But it’s all like brown colors and some pastel.”

“I like to emphasize the art of my clothes. I have a lot of clothes that have like faces on them, and I like matching jewelry sometimes.”

Unfortunately, the seventeen-year-old, coming all the way from Greece, was not able to bring a favorite item of clothing they have at home. “It’s too extra for Exeter–but I have a blue suit that I wanted to bring, but it’s too extra, and too like winter-time.”

“The androgenous style I got inspired by my brother mostly because he doesn’t conform into the heteronormative normal styles. He likes to wear what he wants ear. Because in Greece all the boys like to dress a certain way, he likes to, like, spice it up a little bit.”

“We should be able to wear what we want.” Kelly said. This was the advice they would give to youth interested in clothing today.

Dimitrios Mesadakos, from Webster Dorm said, “I mostly wear sportswear. I like clothes that are, like, comfy to wear. But if I go out, I’ll wear more sportswear”

“Most of the time I just grab a t-shirt and find shorts that fit. If I’m going out to like a special occasion, I’m going to put more thought into it.”

“If I’m shopping for sportswear I might go to, like, a sports store. I might do a fast fashion store, even though that’s not the best. But I also like supporting independent brands online.” He said.

He’s never been thrift shopping but would love to give it a try. Demitrios’s outfit consists of “a blue Nike hoodie, some black, baggy cargo pants, like a ton of bracelets and stuff, and then some blue Jordan vans.”

The uniqueness of his clothing lies in the versatility of it. “My style changes a lot depending on the time of the year. Like I think I can definitely rock like a linen shirt and white pants. I can rock a suit. I can do streetwear, I can do sportswear, I can do formal wear.”

“I wish I had brought a suit just for fun, and I also had to leave like a couple of expensive shirts I like because I didn’t want to put them in the washer here.”

For some, fashion refers to the pieces of cloth you throw on your body to be deemed appropriate for other people, and for others it is a complex art form. It could take two minutes to pick out the perfect outfit or it could take two hours. It all depends on the model.

The earthy smell of clay being manipulated in the hands of summer students invaded my senses as I stepped into the ceramics classroom near the Grill.

Students were immediately hard at work as they had an upcoming exhibition on August 3rd, from five to seven at night in the Lamont Gallery.

Moa Lopez, a student of Cuban descent, spoke about how “all the five weeks we’ve spent here have been used to prepare for the exhibition.”

“I really enjoyed the class,” Moa explained. “It’s relaxing when you finally get the hang of the techniques that revolve around ceramics.”

Many students really enjoyed the whole class, and are especially proud of all the work they’ve done. However, as Ana Paula, a brown haired student from Dominican Republic, correctly stated: “Ceramics is a process. It’s all about patience and time.”

To successfully make a ceramic creation, one must prepare the clay, shape it, and bake the creation in a kiln, an oven that is used often twice: once to bake the clay, and another time to bake the glaze. Glaze is used on top of the baked pieces to paint the clay. It is used instead of paint since paint would melt.

Students learned to both use their own hands and the wheel, another ceramics tool, to create cups, mugs, bowls, and other keepers. In fact, these projects, among other “unique and ‘homemade’ art”, in the words of Mazie Gee, a curly-haired girl, can be found at the art exhibition.

The ceramic, art pieces that were made were from a bunch of projects that were done throughout the summer session. Some of the pieces were from slab assignments, which according to Mazie, is when clay is rolled out instead of put onto the wheel, and then cut out to create cups, bowls, mugs, and other things.

Coming to the art exhibition means so much to the ceramic students. Learning ceramics is not easy as it may look. Moa specifically described how “most of the struggle came from learning how to use the wheel and mastering its ways.”

The wheel becomes a handy tool for the ceramic students to get their creative minds flowing, and allows more room to create even more things. “We spent most of the time on the wheel to really get used to it,” Moa said.

The opportunities presented to the students are all thanks to Wesley Coombes, the ceramics teacher. “He’s a really great person, an amazingly talented ceramics teacher, and extremely funny” — Mazie visibly smiles at the mention of Mr. Coombes. “He shared his knowledge about ceramics, which is what us students need for this class, but that knowledge opened various doors for us, whether he knows it or not.

Although the session is coming to an end, reading doesn’t stop for some students here at Exeter summer.

Thanks to the different locations in town that provide a space for readers to buy, select, and read books such as the Exeter Bookstore, the Water Street Bookstore, Exeter town’s
public library, and the Phillips Exeter Library, among other places, avid readers were able to quench their bookish thirsts.

Raina Mathews, a girl who was holding “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King in her hands, recommended Water Street, exclaiming how the bookstore itself is a “whole new experience” for readers, as they can come and select a book from the large variety of options. This is particularly helpful for students with long reading lists.

As an avid reader myself, I can proudly say that I purchased more than ten books that I had saved in my “To Be Read” list and couldn’t be happier. Back home, the nearest library is a twenty-minute drive, so the opportunities to have new books at home are many days from shipment away, compared to how I can easily get a book in a few minutes.

To a similar extent, Jacob Lee, a Korean-Filipino student, can relate to this feeling. However “it’s around five books long because I finish books really quickly.” On the other end of the spectrum, we have other readers, like Razan Amer, Saudi Arabian student, who has “hundreds of books” in a reading list.

Speaking of reading lists and great books, Raina recommends Stephen King’s “Eyes of the Dragon.” “However,” she explains: “it doesn’t fit his usual template. It’s a fantasy-fiction book with mages and all sorts of mythical creatures. It’s such a wake-up call from what he usually does, which is horror.”

Razan Amer recommends “Anything” by Emily Henry. Meanwhile Jacob Lee recommends two of George Orwell’s world-renowned books: “Animal Farm” and “1984.”

“They are books that contained different realities,” he said, “and just seeing how humans can really mess up these worlds is an interesting concept.”

As you can see, no two readers are alike. There are fantasy readers, horror fans, dystopia enjoyers, romance fanatics– you name it! But all readers enjoy reading.

Reading doesn’t have to be something you must force yourself to enjoy. Not all readers read all genres. “You just need to find what intrigues you.” Jacob Lee says, speaking about the difficulties of finding “your” genre.

To people out there who want to start reading, but don’t have a clue where to start, there are many ways that one can get into reading. In today’s modern era, we have the internet, which opens our possibilities to discovering new things. Don’t be afraid to go up to a friend or someone you know who likes books and ask him or her for recommendations. You may find just what you are looking for.

During PEA summer, while some students like to stay on campus, others love to make trips into the surrounding towns and cities. I took it to a whole new level and last weekend went to the University of Virginia.

My love for this university started way before high school; as both of my brothers graduated from this college, I have had the opportunity to visit the campus many times. When reaching my junior year and starting the process, UVA quickly became my number one interest and priority as I had a different feeling and love for it.

Apart from its academic excellence, being the fourth top public university in the country, its soccer team is one to admire, which from the start drew my attention. Since a little child, I have always dreamt of playing soccer at a high and competitive level, when I knew that I was going to college, and that the University of Virginia had this amazing team. I connected with the coaches, telling them about my interest in the university in the hope of getting recruited and attend UVA for my undergraduate experience.

Early in the summer, they invited me to an ID camp on July 30th, so they could see me play and see in person my level in soccer. People might wonder: what is an ID camp? It is a soccer camp that usually lasts 1-2 days, where college coaches invite different players from around the world who are interested in being part of the team, and put them in a series of drills and scrimmages in order to see their level and become potential candidates to the team.

I had to attend this camp, it was too big an opportunity to let go. But I knew that I needed special permission from Exeter to leave campus and go as far as Virginia. So, before coming, I emailed the deans and told them exactly what I needed to do. Although I was going to miss some classes, they agreed.

While on campus, on July 28th, I filed my Out-Of-Town permission, but I still needed to go to the Summer Office for some details about my transportation and information. When they finally approved my permission, they said that this is not common and they do not do this often as I was going to miss a total of 5 classes. But as I am entering my senior year, this trip was vital into my college application process.

I flew to Charlottesville on Friday July 29th. I was in town for two days and played two sessions in this ID camp. Although I think that I made a great impression, scoring five goals,
making two assists in a total of five games, the possibilities of getting contacted or even recruited are still far away; from the 110 players who attended the camp, the UVA coaches were only going to contact eight of them.

I returned to Exeter the evening of Sunday, July 31st, with the hope of being one of the eight people who were going to be contacted. However, I might not. But it is still a big possibility, a first step into this recruiting process in which I left a mark and have hope that my dream of playing in a competitive school in the Division I of the NCAA is still alive.

In the final week of summer session, theft persists. On Tuesday, $200 was stolen from Kirtland House, and $100 was stolen from Lamont Hall on July 28th.

The two victims both admitted that they had left their doors unlocked. Since both were smaller sums of money, the students have been on the lookout for
it in case it was just misplaced in their dorms.

Kirtland Hall has only nine occupants, so Paul Gravel, the Director of Campus Safety and Risk Management, says that he is hopeful that the case will be solved or that the money will be returned.

With the final days of the 2022 summer approaching, one may expect that thefts may rise because it is some people’s last chance to get their hands on extra spending money, but as Mr. Gravel says, “People will steal when given the opportunity.” The number of thefts will not necessarily rise in the next few days, but students should maintain strict locking practices.

In another incident, the first serious damage to Exeter property was reported on July 31st when students intentionally threw objects through a window screen at Soule Hall. It is typical for students to remove window screens so they can sneak others into their dorms.
When this happens, they are simply asked to reinstall the screen. In this case, however, the damage to the screen was unrepairable and therefore punishable. The students responsible for the damage have been reported to the deans and consequences have been meted out.
There were a few sports-related injuries this week. One student was struck with a medicine ball during gym but remained conscious, and another got a bad scrape. Both injuries were treated at the Lamont Health Center.

Having safety incidents to report each week may seem like Exeter is out of control, but Mr. Gravel said that this year has been fairly calm. There have been no incidents downtown, the number of thefts is average, and the damage done to property has been minimal.

“No one got hit by a car!” said Mr. Gravel. That alone always makes a summer successful from a campus safety perspective, he said.

Campus Security deserves a big thank you from all the Exeter Summer students. From unlocking doors to solving water pellet assault cases, everything the officers do keeps our campus running and deserves an immense amount of appreciation.

This is it.

The end is near. It is time for you to say your goodbyes.

You sure read that right. Exeter Summer is coming to an end. Students have been here for almost five weeks and many have grown attached, not only to this place Exeter and the Academy, but also to the people who inhabit this wonderful campus. Exeter has allowed us to create lifelong friends, and the experiences here have all been unforgettable.

When students realize the summer program is coming to a close, many of them have the same reaction: “Sad, wish it was longer,” says Jacob Lee. “I guess time does fly faster when you’re having fun.” In fact, many people found that time went by faster than they would’ve liked.

Everyone is having a mixed bag of emotions, experiencing joy and sadness at the same time about leaving Exeter and going home. “I am happy to go back home,” says Moreno Purnomo, “Nevertheless, I am going to miss Exeter because of the friends and the experiences I had here.”

The students are torn apart by this duality between staying with their new friends and going back to their families.

If you have read the 2nd edition of this year’s Summer Times, you might have come across an article talking about love blooming here in Exeter between students. Much like all of the other students, these couples must go home. You can imagine how soul crushing and heart-breaking it must be to say goodbye to the person you love and to be separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles.

“I am sad — really sad about leaving here,” says Tomoki Iwata. “After finding my significant other, leaving here without her is going to be difficult.” 

You shouldn’t lose hope though, as in this day and age, the ways of communication at everyone’s disposal are really useful. “ I hope I will keep in touch [with the friends I met here] even when I’m on the other side of the world”, says Chakraboon Bhanarai in Wentworth.

Now, you can just hop on your phone and talk with someone through social media – with apps like Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, Instagram or even Snapchat. And you can do this at any time even if you are on the other side of the world, as long as you take jet lag into account because you would not want to wake up a friend in the middle of the night.

Another thing that will be missed is the Harkness system.

“I’ll miss Harkness because it made me more comfortable to speak in class,” says Vanya Agireddi, who liked the Harkness system. But like most things, there are people who liked it and people who didn’t like it, for whom the system didn’t click. For example, Bella Chen says she will not miss it “because I don’t think it is a learning method that works for me.”

Anyway, it is always better to think about the positive side of things instead of the negative one like Vanya. “It’s been a really fun summer,” she said. It’s always hard to enjoy the good things when you are too focused on the negative side of things.

That is why you should enjoy the little time you still have together instead of being sad because of a separation that has yet to take place. So enjoy the time you have left with your new friends. 

There are still some activities these last days here. You can share the specifics of the country you come from during the ‘4 Corners of the World Celebration’. Or you can still try and — as one student said ” “make the most memories this last week” by participating in activities or just by going to restaurants and walking in Exeter.

So don’t think about the future goodbyes now. Think about the past — how you have met your new friends, what you did together — and have fun with what you are doing now. Just leave those nasty sad feelings for your future self to worry about in the bus, car, airport or right before leaving and think about what you will do after Exeter. 

Will you continue travelling through the United States or will you, like Vanya Agireddi, see your family? “I’m really happy about seeing my family when I get home.”

Exeter Summer 2022 would be incomplete if Eduardo Fernandez had chosen to leave his chess set in
the corner of his room to collect dust. The student from Miami, Florida — better known as the “chess master” or the “chess legend” — can usually be found parked at a picnic table with his latest opponent.

Eduardo was introduced to the game of chess by his brother around the age of 10. He watched his
brother play matches against the math teacher and had to know more. At the time chess was just a fun hobby and a way to bond with his brother, but about a year ago the game became so much more to him.

His chess club took a hit from Covid and Eduardo had to conjure up some creativity to continue his
passion. Eduardo took to the park to teach local kids chess. Parents came and asked him how much he wanted for lessons, but he simply said, “I don’t want anything, I just want to play.”

The people he teaches are usually less fortunate and do not make for the most challenging opponents,
but he finds inspiration and familiarity in them. “When I see them play it reminds me of when I first
learned,” he said. “Being able to teach people the same way I was taught it just… it’s a great feeling.”
Eduardo has moved onto playing in competitions as well. His first experiences were very humbling.

When he walked into the competition, he was overwhelmed by the number of people who had shown up.
He became accustomed to losing matches now that he had new competition, but still had a harder time
dealing with defeat.

“It was like a heart breaker in a way,” he said, “but it gave me the confidence to come back stronger.”
When Eduardo was packing his bag for Exeter, he saw his chess set in the corner of his room and
thought, “why not bring it?” He packed it away and when he was showing it to a dormmate he saw another eyeing the board hoping to initiate a match.

His first opponent at Exeter was astonished by Eduardo’s skill. One of the first things that he asked
Eduardo was what his rate was and when Eduardo replied with a variation of “I don’t know,” he certainly
wasn’t expecting the skill set that Exeter’s chess master showed.

Since then, Eduardo has been approached by many students who are jumping at the chance to play the
famed Exeter prodigy.

Eduardo rarely turns down a match and he has even taught a few students how to play.
The daily matches are no inconvenience to Eduardo. He believes that his skills have improved here at Exeter. He has assimilated his brother’s skills and strategies. When he plays his brother, Eduardo can almost anticipate his opponent’s every move. At Exeter, everyone has his or her own style of playing and “you never know what’s in your opponent’s head,” said Eduardo.

Along with the practice he has gotten, he has also created many friendships with those
he has gone head-to-head with. One of his close friends, George Antonopoulus, plays him very
often and has become one of Eduardo’s favorite opponents.

“He has a good playing style,” said Eduardo. He admitted that George had beat him once
before when he made a big mistake, but said, “I was very proud of him for taking advantage of
me.”

He is pleased that his chess set has accompanied him to Exeter because it has created opportunities for him to become closer to people like George. His only complaint is that he cannot teach as many people here as at home because many people are “stiff to learning the
game,” he said.

He believes that he has become more intelligent and focused by practicing the game but is disappointed that there is a common misconception that to play chess you must have the two.

To be good at chess you do not have to be at the top of your class, he said. To be good at chess all you need is diligence.

“Just give it a try,” he says to any beginner chess player. “Once you get past that first hurdle you can just enjoy the game.”

“We’re basically brothers,” said Deniz Yaveroglu, looking at his friend.

“Agreed,” replied George Antonopoulus, without even skipping a beat. 

These two friends are like most at Exeter, but what makes their friendship special is that they are not supposed to be friends at all. 

George, from Webster dorm, and Deniz, from Amen dorm, met each other while playing soccer during PE. Initially they related over their love for futbol, but soon found out that their friendship had a deeper message. 

George who is from Athens, Greece, and Deniz from Istanbul, Turkey, formed an unexpected friendship. The countries are notorious for their conflicts over sea territory and natural resources, but here at Exeter those conflicts disappear. 

“The rest of the world thinks we are enemies,” said Deniz, “but I think we are like brothers.” The two boys shared stories of the times that they had spent in one another’s countries. They both agreed that Greeks and Turks are a lot nicer to each other than let on. 

“It feels good meeting someone from the same area,” said George, smiling at Deniz. “Yeah, like a neighbor,” added his Turkish friend. 

The two know that their friendship can be seen as odd or controversial, but they fully embrace the title of frenemies and hope others understand the complexities of it. 

“I want to show that Greek people don’t hate the Turkish people,” said George about the deeper meaning of their friendship. The two friends hope that they represent a certain narrative of Greece and Turkey. Politically the two countries are adversaries, but the citizens do care for one another.

George and Deniz are able to have calm conversations about the conflicts their countries face and the upcoming events that will influence their countries’ relations. The expectation that the two should hate each other only makes their bond stronger. 

Similarly, Tori Kim, from Hong Kong, and Caroline Powley from Exeter have become best friends here at Exeter Summer. Despite the ongoing tension between the U.S. and China the two enjoy lunch together and share lots of laughs. Tori takes her time to teach her new friend Korean in an effort to share her life with her new friend.

While tensions between Italy and France worsened in Europe, here at Exeter the two representatives of the country could not be getting along better. 

Inès d’Hérouville, from Paris, and Carlotta Catapano from Milan, Italy, became fast friends at Exeter despite political tensions between their countries. 

“There haven’t been many fights between us,” said Inès, “at least not yet.”

Like George and Deniz, the girls acknowledged that even though their countries don’t always get along, the hostility of the governments isn’t carried out in personal connections.

“No matter their nationality, you should focus more on the individual, rather than their background,” said Ines, alluding to her supposed frenemy and all other possible friendships to be made. 

While discussing the dynamic of the two countries Carlotta described the conflicts as very stereotypical. “These issues are more to laugh about than to actually get mad about,” she said.

Exeter Summer is the model of an ideal world. All nationalities from all countries can unite, coexist, and celebrate each other’s cultures. Even those who don’t have any frenemy dynamics have still gained worldly perspectives. 

“After a point I really saw that our differences are what unite us,” said Maraya Berketi, a resident of Bancroft and citizen of Athens, Greece, who is heavily involved in Exeter’s leadership program, “I feel lucky to have learned from people from all over the world because I feel I have become more rich in knowledge.”

The students at Exeter express how grateful they are for the amount of diversity here on campus. Ella Ray Creed, a day student at Exeter, and Emmett Ceachman both come from small towns that they say lack the broad palette of personalities and nationalities that Exeter attracts. 

Ella Ray has had the opportunity to explore Swedish culture and language with her friend Yalle Akesson from Stockholm, Sweden. 

“I tried Swedish candy!” she said “It was interesting. It was so salty it hurt my mouth at first, but then I liked it.” In exchange, Yalle has been introduced to lots of new American phrases and slang. 

Ella Ray is an aspiring Spanish interpreter and has used Exeter to practice her conversation skills in her second language. Upon testing her skills she was perplexed by the extent of different dialects. 

“There are so many different dialects here that even some of the Spanish girls don’t understand each other,” she said, “I thought that was really interesting because I’ve been studying dialects for a really long time and I still didn’t understand some of what they were saying.”

Conversations at Exeter are some of the most vivid that students have ever had. With so many differences, topic possibilities are endless. 

“I’ve had some genuinely interesting conversations about religion,” said Dimitris Mesadakos, from Athens. He has been able to discuss his religion with students who have different religious upbringing and practices. In one instance, he spoke with two Muslim students who explained the opposing ways they interpreted the Quaran. One approaches the teachings of the text in a more literal way and the other in a more interpretive way. 

In Athens, he says, he never would have been able to have these types of conversations, “In Greece we don’t have very much diversity racially or religiously,” he said, “It’s been such a great experience for me to meet such a diverse group of people.”

There is no such thing as an unexpected friendship here at Exeter Summer. Culture thrives, conflict is given the cold shoulder, and appreciation prevails above all else.

“I fell asleep in my closet last night because it was so hot,” said Carlotta Catapano, a student at Exeter Summer who is suffering from the recent heat wave. Summer at Exeter has been heating up, but the worst has hopefully come to an end!

Carlotta lives on the fourth floor of Bancroft facing the sun with no fan. You can understand how she must be feeling! “I didn’t think not having a fan would ever be a problem because I could sleep well, but the temperature has been rising,” she said.” We can assume that most are also experiencing the same feeling. 

Staying inside and isolating has been common as well. Carlotta said she finds it more difficult to have the motivation to go outside. “It’s unfortunate because the heat keeps us from spending more time outside: going on walks, and staying on the table outside is not as enjoyable anymore. If we had the possibility of staying out later we would be able to stay in the coolness and spend more time around nature.”

Last week, temperatures at Exeter nudged 100 degrees. There have been many complaints circulating around campus regarding how there is no air conditioning provided for students. 

“Trying to pretend [the heat] doesn’t exist but it’s not working.” said Rosie Schrag, a resident of Cilley Hall. “ I wish we had AC in the dorms. The other night I couldn’t sleep because of it and my friends and I always try to find air conditioned places.”

Some students tried to find an escape from this weather and took trips to Boston. Unfortunately, Boston is just as scorching. Alan Tejada complained he was “burning alive” and all the air around him was so hot he felt his “lungs disintegrating”, adding: “I couldn’t stay five minutes outside the AC in Boston. I saw more than 10 people shirtless inside and outside all sweaty, everyone also had sweat stains.”

Amanda Katz had an unfortunate encounter with the heat. She says that due to the hot weather, when she went to the river with some friends she started to get vertigo. “I started to feel dizzy because of the heat so when I got to the grass I laid down, ” she said. “I also probably didn’t drink enough water.” Amanda’s friends called Campus Safety, but couldn’t leave campus, so the ambulance took her pulse and sent her to the Health Center. Fortunately, after a lot of Gatorade and water, Amanda recovered.

It may be hard to believe but while there are many complaints of the heat, Samantha Pressman views the heat in an uplifting way. “There are definitely positive aspects of heat, it forces us to go to the common room and make new friends,” she said. “People go to spacious common rooms because there are several fans.” 

Hubabah Saeed of Saudi Arabia tries to be optimistic as well and says: “The humidity is not that bad. Where I live, I walk out the house and I’m already wet.”

Luckily due to the recent downpours, the humidity and heat have died down. “With the rain it helps me cool down and I’m glad the heat is starting to go away,” said Ana Paula Goico. “It’s still very hot, but at least I finally got a good night’s sleep last night.”

Kaitlyn Krinkles is excited for the change in weather as well. She can’t wait until she can wear whatever clothes she wants such as “long sleeves and not only shorts — it’s going to be a lot easier getting dressed in the morning.”