Meet a friendly Brunswick neighbor: Jaime Reatiraza

50 more things to do before you graduate: The art of snowflake making

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.

50 more things to do before you graduate: Let’s go fly a kite

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.

50 more things to do before you graduate

Meet a friendly Brunswick neighbor: Jaime Reatiraza

January 29, 2010

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.

The location of my piano lessons eventually changed, and I lost touch with Jaime. Years passed. I stepped onto campus in the fall of 2008 and wondered, if Jaime was still around? I tracked him down through a phone call from the newly renovated Art Museum, and after a painstakingly long pause I heard him say, "Hello my good lady!" He remembered me.

We arranged to meet up for lunch the next day and I finally became acquainted with the friendly security guard of my childhood memories. Jaime was born in Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. He grew up on a rice farm in the Bicol region, planting and taking care of water buffalo. His parents died when he was young, and his cousin encouraged him to leave the family farm and go to school. Jaime studied at University of the East in Manila for two years. In 1960, he was ready for a change of pace. As an adventure, Jaime applied to the United States Navy. He recalled that his uncle fought in the US army in World War II, and the two were reunited in San Francisco.

"I was lucky I was able to join the Navy," says Jaime. Brunswick was lucky too. In 1977, the Navy brought Jaime and his wife, Ophelia, to town. At first, Jaime thought that people in Brunswick were extremely reserved. However, he realized that when he started talking to people, they opened up. Jaime and his family decided to settle in Brunswick because his children did not want to leave their friends.

In 1989, Jaime started work as a security officer the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Initially, he was uninterested in museums.

"Working at the museum taught me to open my eyes," he said. "I learned to appreciate art, and how to translate new ideas and knowledge. Art gives you the perspective of life and what's going on."

While he met all kinds of people through his work at the museum, Jaime was especially interested in showing children around.

Jaime retired two years ago from his position at the museum. However, it has not kept him away. He walks around the Bowdoin campus frequently, invites students to his home for dinner, and helps out with museum events and openings. As a neighbor to Bowdoin, Jaime is eager to meet students from near and far. If you are interested in Philippine cuisine, long walks around campus, or talking to the nicest man in town, contact me. Email aackerma@bowdoin.edu and meet Jaime!

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