Chapter 2 #2
Ashley wrapped one arm around her father’s waist and with the other reached over to pinch a slice of cooked bacon from the paper-toweled dish. “You are the best.”
“Tell me what’s going on today.” He flipped the eggs over easy.
“A brief introduction by some of the faculty. Then we get a tour of the campus and the classrooms.” She wiped her greasy fingers on a napkin as Todd served up their food.
“Lunch will be in the school commissary, so I’ll have an idea of the cuisine.” She dunked a piece of toast in the runny yolks. “Then, after lunch we get a tour of the entire campus.” Another dip in the gooey yellow eggs. “Tomorrow, I meet with my advisor.”
“What about dinner tonight?” Todd asked while mirroring his daughter’s dipping. “Should we check out a local pub or such?”
“Sure. I don’t think I’ll be going out much once classes start. I can’t afford any distractions.” Ashley wiped her plate with the last bit of toast. “I’ll ask someone on campus what they recommend.”
“Excellent.”
“After my meeting tomorrow, we have to go to the apartment where I’ll be living.” She glanced around the RV. “It’s probably smaller than this.” She chuckled.
“If I can do it, you can do it.” Todd patted her on the shoulder. “Have you seen it yet?”
“Just photos,” Ashley said. “But it looks nice.”
“How are you going to feel living without a roommate?”
“Actually, I’m fine with that. No distractions.” There was that word again. She was on a mission. She checked the time. “I’m going to order a taxi and then jump in the shower. Anything I should know or do?”
Todd laughed. “Just don’t feed the squirrel.”
Ashley balked. “The what?”
“I’m just kidding.” Todd laughed. “Just turn the water on and do whatever you normally do. Just don’t run it for too long.”
“Gotcha!” Ashley made her call and then took the few steps toward the bathroom. It was surprisingly well designed.
By the time she was finished everything was neatly put away and Todd was sitting outside, his fishing gear at hand.
“Ah. I see you have your day planned as well.”
“You bet. I wasn’t going to let this beautiful lake go unfished.”
“You throw them back, right?” Ashley asked with concern.
“Of course.” Todd nodded. “I rented a rowboat and I’ll pack a lunch.”
“Sounds lovely.” Ashley shook her wavy hair from the shower cap. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes. The taxi will be waiting for me by the main office.”
“Okay. I’ll walk you there. I have to give them a deposit for the boat.”
The two strolled the quarter mile to the office where, sure enough, a taxi was waiting.
Todd kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Good luck, sweetheart. Have a great day.”
“You too, Pop!” Ashley waved as she climbed into the cab.
She introduced herself and made small talk with the driver. He told her his name was Stanley.
“Nice to meet you, Stanley. Can you make some recommendations for dinner? My dad cooked for me last night and I want to give him a break.”
The driver looked up into the rearview mirror. “Depends on what you’re in the mood for.”
“Pretty much anything.”
“We have a hidden gem called Duende. It’s Spanish and delicious. If you want to go you should make a reservation.”
“Here’s an idea,” Ashley said. “I’ll be finished around four. Can you pick me up from campus and then pick up my dad and take us to the restaurant?”
“I don’t see why not. They start serving dinner at five, unless that’s too early for you.”
“That would be great. Do you have the number so I can make a reservation?”
The driver must have been accustomed to this type of inquiry. He handed a business card through the open plexiglass window. “They don’t open until later, but you can leave a message.”
“Thanks very much. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He looked in the mirror again. “This your first time here?”
“No. I was here in the early spring for an interview.”
“You must be pretty smart,” he said with a grin.
“I’d like to think so.” Ashley smiled back. “I’ll be working on my master’s degree in comparative literature.”
“See? I knew you were smart!”
They approached the campus and Ashley admired the architecture. Dartmouth was established in 1769 and had a classic colonial look, while Swarthmore, established in 1854, had more of a Victorian flare. But both campuses felt like old academia. She felt at home.
The driver stopped at the main building. “Is here okay?”
“Perfect!” Ashley replied and handed the man cash. “See you at four?”
“Same place?”
“Yes, please.”
Ashley got out and thanked him again. There were a number of students milling about and someone who looked professorial stood on the sidewalk with a clipboard. Ashley thought it was quaint since everyone was using a tablet for everything these days.
“Hello. I’m Ashley Chapman I’m here for orientation.”
A bespectacled man wearing a bow tie checked the list. If there was a stereotype for an Ivy League professor, this man fit it. “Yes. Hello, Ms. Chapman. Welcome to Dartmouth.” He handed her a packet and directed her to Anonymous Hall, the home of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.
Ashley was almost giddy. She spotted a petite woman with a pixie haircut who appeared to be around her age walking in the same direction. “Hi! Are you here for orientation?” Ashley asked.
The woman stopped and looked at her. “Yes. Are you?”
“Yes, I am. I’m Ashley Chapman.”
“Hi. I’m Mi Cha Kim.”
“That’s a lovely name.”
Mi Cha blushed. “It means beautiful daughter in Korean.”
“There is much truth in that,” Ashley said to the attractive young woman.
From there they struck up a conversation and walked to the meeting hall together.
They shared information about their educational backgrounds—Mi Cha did her undergraduate work at Columbia—and what they were planning on studying—linguistics for Mi Cha—and realized they had a lot in common, including housing in the same off-campus complex.
“My dad and I are going over there tomorrow.”
“So are we. My mom and I.”
“I’d offer you a ride but my dad drove me here in his RV and it’s not the most versatile mode of transportation.”
Mi Cha let out a little chuckle.
Ashley could tell the young woman was a bit shy. “We’ll be taking a taxi.”
Mi Cha stopped abruptly. “No need. We can pick you up.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
“No trouble. Really.”
“Are you sure? Do you want to check with your mother first?”
“I’ll send her a text. Where are you staying?”
“At the campground, but my dad can meet us on campus.”
Mi Cha pinged her mom, who replied immediately.
“Mom said it’s fine.”
“Do you have meetings in the morning?” Ashley asked.
“Yes. At eleven.”
“Me too. They said we should be done by twelve thirty.” Ashley thought for a second. “Maybe we can have a late lunch or early dinner, depending on how hungry we are.”
“Sounds like a good plan, Ashley,” Mi Cha answered.
On their brief walk to the meeting hall, Mi Cha told Ashley a little about herself.
Her father passed away when she was twelve and her brother was ten.
Her mother worked two jobs while her grandmother babysat.
They lived in a walk-up apartment on the Lower East Side of New York.
She enrolled at Columbia because she received a scholarship and it was still close to home so she could commute by subway.
“It’s going to be nice to be able to walk to school,” Mi Cha mused.
Ashley felt an immediate warmth toward her new friend. She understood why Mi Cha appeared to be shy. She had many challenges on her road to New Hampshire.
“As soon as I graduated, my mother and grandmother moved to Ithaca to be with other family members. My brother is in vocational school getting a degree in electrical engineering,” she said proudly. “At least one of us will be able to find a job.” She chuckled slightly.
Ashley responded with a question. “What made you choose linguistics?”
“When my brother was little he had speech issues. After working with a speech pathologist his skills were greatly improved. It was almost a miracle.” Mi Cha shrugged slightly. “It’s my way of giving back.”
“That’s lovely, Mi Cha.” Ashley placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “More people should have your type of grace.”
Mi Cha blushed. “I hadn’t thought about it that way. And you? What made you choose comparative literature?”
“I’m curious about similarities in works over several periods of time.
For instance, in the mid-1700s, Voltaire wrote Candide, a satire poking fun at the French government.
Twenty years earlier, in Ireland, Jonathan Swift penned Gulliver’s Travels, which mocked various aspects of British society and politics.
Fast forward almost a century and in Japan, philosopher Tadano Makuzu utilized satire and irony to expose political hypocrisy.
All three wrote biting satires to mock the leaders and popular ideas of their time, proving that the ‘experts’ in charge were often hypocritical or totally out of touch with reality.
” Ashley paused, then continued. “Even though these works were written years apart, it’s important to note that there was no radio, television, or internet.
I find it fascinating to understand the cultural circumstances which inspired these writers. ”
Mi Cha stopped short. “Are you sure you don’t have your master’s already?”
Ashley chuckled. “Thank you, but not yet.”
As they arrived at the building, a young woman greeted them. “Hello. I’m Ingrid, Professor Thatcher’s assistant.”
They gave their names and were directed to a classroom with auditorium seating.
Around fifty other students were waiting.
Once the introductions were over and general information was shared, they gathered in groups of ten and began the tour of the classrooms. From there they were taken to the commissary where a buffet lunch awaited them.
Ashley scanned the trays of hot and cold food.
She whispered to Mi Cha, “Looks pretty good.”
Mi Cha giggled. “I think they’re trying to impress us.”
“Too late. We’re already enrolled,” Ashley joked in return.