The Bowdoin Orient

In April, dandelions sprout yellow splashes of color on fresh green carpets. I don't see them as pesky wild weeds that ruin a manicured lawn; instead, they are sunbursts on a rainy day. I can see how dandelions might rub some people the wrong way. Pick a dandelion and your hand gets covered in a milky white sap that taints everything you touch for the rest of the day with a bitter flavor. The yellow spots on your jeans? Dandelion stains from your last picnic. And, that flower garden that you labored over to plant will look more like a happenstance scattering of wild flowers when dandelions come to call. Some people suggest eliminating dandelions by hand-pulling them and yanking out the taproots (depending on the soil, taproots can extend up to 15-feet deep—so it might take more than a pluck). Rather than spending time fretting over the helpless weeds, however, we should be celebrating them. There are many uses for them including dandelion wine, dandelion coffee, and best of all, dandelion-crowns.

Cost: Free Child's pose...downward dog...cobra! Lay on your back. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. My yoga instructor's words echoed in my ears as I wearily lifted my eyelids to check that I was in the correct position. Still shaking from coffee that I had consumed the night before, I found it exceedingly difficult to hold a pose. What was I doing standing on one leg rocking back and forth like a sapling on a windy day? Soothing meditation music began playing softly in the background. My thoughts shifted from overwhelming future obligations to immediate present. I forgot about papers, tests, exams, practice, meetings, everything. By the end of the hour, I had blissfully forgotten about my heavy workload and heavy eyelids. Yoga is just one way to reach a meditative state, to escape from daily stresses; everyone has a different way of achieving inner peace. Some play piano. Some might sit beside the café and drool over the smell of freshly baked cookies. Finding your "special place" is not always easy, however. I did a little bit of research and came across something new: the practice of labyrinth meditation.

Date: April 11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Place: The field behind Watson Arena. Basking in the sun on a window seat in my Sculpture II class at Fort Andross, I sat mindlessly folding paper strips in a star-shaped pattern. It had been a tedious learning process, but I was finally able to complete the origami sequence with my eyes closed. Just as I was dozing off into a daydream, my enthusiastic Cuban-American professor, Nestor Gil, woke me with his booming voice projecting over the classroom as if it were a Broadway stage. He was announcing his latest project—a kite-flying event. With the help of the Brunswick community, Gil will fly 59 Cuban-pattern kites made of wood, paper, tape, wire and string with cloth tails in the skies above Bowdoin's athletic fields.

Place: Alpha Kappa Sigma House Location: 38 Harpswell Road Intrigued by rumors of the old fraternity house on the corner of Harpswell Rd. and College St., I made it my mission this week to uncover the truth. Was it true that members of the Alpha Kappa Sigma house poured wet cement down sinks and toilets to destroy the plumbing system? Why had the college not done anything with the house since its purchase ten years ago? My imagination ran wild. I called Jeff Tuttle, associate director of facilities, asked for a tour of the building and began my research.

A Bowdoin Neighbor: Meet Jaime Reatiraza I first met Jaime when I was five years old. He was working as a security guard for the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. I spent half an hour each Saturday wandering around campus while my sister had a piano lesson. One day, when I passed through the revolving glass door of the museum, Jaime came up to me and asked if I would like a guided tour. He was a small Filipino man with beady eyes and a sincere smile. I agreed and followed him through high-ceilinged rooms. We continued to spend Saturdays looking at artwork together, discussing photography exhibits and examining ancient artifacts. For the next couple of years, Jaime and I shared this exchange each Saturday.

Making Snowflakes Number of companions: one or more Ingredients/gear: Paper, scissors and a computer playing "Charlie Brown Holiday" radio on Pandora Cost: Free Last Saturday, as everyone was putting on dresses, suits, ties and fancy shoes for an evening of dancing, our campus decided to join in on the dress-up party. First, it powdered its dead grass nose. Then it put on a white puff-sleeve gown over every bare tree shoulder. It painted its pavement fingernails with a layer of ice. By midnight, our surroundings had officially transformed into a wonderland. Snowmen were built; snowmen were annihilated. Snowball fights left some feeling similar to the snowmen. With more snow in the forecast, it is essential that we find ways to embrace the crystalline precipitation. Sitting in front of a Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp might be one solution—but why not take some advice from "Elf"? Make paper snowflakes! Yes—that old-fashioned craft of cutting shapes into white, folded pieces of paper.

Place: Spindleworks, 7 Lincoln Street, Brunswick, ME. Distance from campus: Seven-minute walk. Date: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Necessary gear: A smock or old t-shirt and a creative spirit. Cost: Free. From Gelato Fiasco to Big Top to The Little Dog Cafe, Maine Street offers an enjoyable break from campus. But venture further, and you will realize that there are lively nooks to be discovered around the corner. Just off of Maine Street, in a large blue house, there is a non-profit art center that specializes in helping adults with disabilities express themselves through a variety of mediums.

Place: Twin Brooks Recreation Area, Cumberland, Maine. Distance from campus: 25 minutes. Date: Saturday, November 14 at 11 a.m. Number of companions: As many as possible. Necessary gear: Sneakers (a pair that you are willing to get muddy) and large amounts of Bowdoin pride. Cost: Free. In fact, you'll be offered cookies and sweets if you come... The leaves have begun to turn from bright oranges to dirty browns, and before we know it, our campus trees will be stripped of all foliage. The ground will soon be frozen sod. The air temperature will cool from invigorating to agonizing. We have to embrace the last days of autumn outdoors, and there is no better place to do it than on the trails of Twin Brooks. Next weekend, these trails will be the site of a competitive cross-country meet—an event that will bring the Northeast together for a performance of physical strength and mental toughness.

Place: The Liberal Cup Trivia Night in Hallowell, Maine. Distance from campus: 35 minutes. Time: Every Tuesday Night, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Number of Companions: One or more. Ingredients and gear: Brains equipped with a Bowdoin College education, plus a few random facts. Cost: $10 per team. Brunswick is surrounded by nooks that are worth discovering. If you are looking for a unique alternative study break on any given Tuesday night, let me recommend gathering your chums together to try your luck at Trivia Night at the Liberal Cup—a watering hole on Main Street in the picturesque town of Hallowell. A group of Bowdoin students ventured here this summer and found it to be a fresh escape from campus life.