spring 2020
phoenix edition
Volume 22 Spring 2020
TABLE OF
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ABIGAIL MICHAUD
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LET’S GO AWAY THOMAS GARBACK
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FLEETING MOMENTS SUSAN KURODA
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HITCHA MOST HIKER’S 21 REMARKABLE GUIDE TO A SEMESTER EUROPEAN AFTERNOON STORM IN PRAGUE MARJON DE GROOT JOSE RIOS SHAWNA KONIECZNY
CONTENTS
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BERLIN, GERMANY GIAVANNA MARIANO
INSTEAD OF PARIS SHAWNA KONIECZNY
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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM GIAVANNA MARIANO
THE CASTLE OF WELL: A GOTHIC TALE KATIE LONG
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DUBLIN, IRELAND GIAVANNA MARIANO
KILL YOUR WALLS ALEC KLUSZA
TABLE OF
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A FINAL NOTE
TOP 8 WAYS TO FEEL LIKE YOU’RE AT THE CASTLE
GIAVANNA MARIANO
MAX MURPHY
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MOUNTAINS UNREMEMBERED THOMAS GARBACK
HISTORY IN THE CASTLE RAPLH TROST
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YOU HAD TO BE THERE
SONNET ON ST. GILES CHURCH
BIANCA JANSSEN GROSEBEEK
ABIGAIL MICHAUD
CONTENTS
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7 WAYS TO FULFILL CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVES DESIRE FOR THOMAS GARTRAVEL BACK ROBBY GESSEL
83 GOOD AT HEART LEAH JABLO
DEAR FUTURE CASTLE DWELLERS
GIAVANNA MARIANO
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STAFF + SPECIAL THANKS
CONTRIBUTORS + SPRING 2020 CLASS
Letter from the Editor
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Life has been anything but predictable, but I think the past few months have taken this proverb and put it on full-blast. We were there when the coronavirus began to spread into Europe. We watched it explode in Italy, mere days before we would have headed there for our class trip and spring break. We listened, helplessly, as we were told our semester abroad would be cut short for our safety. Now that the virus has covered practically every corner of the world, we wait with bated breath for even more disappointment with potential cancelations. I was tired of waiting for the virus to finish its course, especially when I had the ability to continue to do what I loved at a safe distance. That’s why I stepped forward again as Editor in Chief. I couldn’t stand the fact that we had to drop production just when we were gaining momentum (we had just sent out the call for submissions). It started with encouragement and support from my parents, which led me to reach out to other members of my group, and it ended here. Now we have a magazine as proof of our persistence and hard work. To the members of Black Swan who couldn’t come back, it was a pleasure working with you at the castle and I appreciate everything you had done for us so far. To those who came back, and those who joined after I reached out to you, thank you for your support; you helped us complete something that future castle dwellers can look at as a documentation of history: we are Spring 2020, AKA the “Corona Kids.” To the contributors, thank you for providing us with your voice, your perspectives, and your memories. We didn’t let the virus silence us, and that’s something to be proud of. I cannot emphasize enough how thankful I am for all of your support. You’ve given me the opportunity to turn my biggest disappointment into a source of pride. This was truly an unforgettable experience. And now we can truly put this semester behind us. All the best, Abigail Michaud Editor in Chief
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Oiseaux Salissant WRITTEN BY JACOB MARTINEZ
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COUPLE AT SUNSET, ALEC KLUSZA
Let’s go away until the hills can’t see us and the waterfalls can’t hear us, as they’re much too loud, and likely too caught in their own rapids to worry us. So while the tide is up, let’s get away and get to a little spot that will melt us. Let’s go away and be hills ourselves. But don’t become a waterfall, because they’re too loud, and I want some quiet after all that skyscraper racket.
BY THOMAS GARBACK
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A STOP FOR COFFEE AND HOT CHOCOLATE, TATIANA GUEL
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Fleeting Moments BY SUSAN KURODA
ART BY TATIANA GUEL
I think that the most beautiful moments are ones that are fleeting and that serve as reminders of someplace else. That is why I found the Rhododendron simsii from the Berlin Botanical Garden to be breathtaking. They were a vibrant pink that, although I had never seen that shade before, I realized was already my favorite color. It was the same feeling as when you finally find the word that you’ve been searching for. The Rhododendron simsii were gorgeous not only because of their appearance, but also because they reminded me of the flowers back home in California. The petals were shaped differently and
the stems were shorter than those of the flowers growing around my house, but there was something familiar about them. It was comforting to find that connection even though there was a five thousand mile distance between the Botanical Garden and the small town that I consider my home. I did not stop and stare at the Rhododendron simsii for hours. Their vivid color caught my attention and I admired them for a couple minutes before moving on. But the thing is, you don’t need to spend hours looking at something to recognize that it’s special. And the Rhododendron simsii made Berlin my favorite place to visit.
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AACHEN PRAYER, BRETT BAILEY
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Hitchhiker’s Guide to a European Storm BY JOSE RIOS
President John F. Kennedy once said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men,” but I’m pretty sure Kennedy had never been stuck in the absolute shit storm I was in that morning in Prague. Now that I have all of your attention, I will ask the question; If you had to pick between flying a day later than anticipated due to flight cancellation, or traverse three different European nations to get to the village of Well, your response would obviously be not to fly that very same day on Czech Airlines. While classes can be made up, the emotional trauma of flying through a storm can never be erased. This is why I was stuck in a dilemma that Sunday morning in Prague, standing outside of a pancake house. The trip had so far been a successful one—while it was not my first time in the Czech capital, I was able to see and enjoy the city again and take my companions on a tour, which included around 50 reminders that the statue in the city center was, in fact, of Jan Hus. We had at that point basked 15
in the beauty of such a historic city and wallowed in the adventures it provided us. The night reminded me of something my former high school English teacher had told me about Prague: “It is filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” and I was thoroughly reminded of that phrase as I engaged in none of those that night. While we were sitting in the restaurant I got two notifications from Eurowings, stating that our flight had been cancelled, and it was then that I was reminded of these lyrics from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising, “Looks like we’re in for nasty weather.” A storm had cancelled all our flights and we were stranded in Prague. Quick thinking overtook us, and our first reaction was to cry and scream at the heavens about what we had done to deserve such a thing (Of course the list is quite extensive.) Well, actually that’s what I wanted to do. In reality, my brain kicked into overdrive, crisis mode was activated. We found train tickets leaving that day at 4 p.m. and I quickly woke my parents up with an emergency call back home to let them know I was using their card, because no way I was paying €140 from my account. We would be travelling from Prague to Dresden, then to Hannover, then down to Dusseldorf and finally to Venlo, but God works in mysterious ways and sometimes He just wants to make you say “fuck off,” because we were in for a 30 hour shit storm. I had humbly assumed my role as group leader, as the team captain, or as the Germans say it, the Spielführer, due to me being the only one versed in the native language, as well as being the most
experienced traveler. I had arranged for us to leave at 6 a.m. in order to get back to the castle by 4 p.m., but as Nelly says in his song Just a Dream, “It was only just a dream.” Once again, the storm had delayed us and we were now forced to leave at 10 a.m. Köln is known for many things, like its magnificent cathedral which not only is at the exit of the train station which allowed us to see it and bask in its glow, but it also houses the remains of the Three Magi. But besides its cathedral and being one of the most important cities for German culture, it is home to the football team with perhaps the greatest mascot ever, FC Köln and its mascot Hennes the billy goat. Once we found the team store I pondered and struggled on the question of what I should buy, as a collector I was tempted to purchase a jersey, but then I saw something out of the corner of my eye and caught my attention. It was a stuffed animal goat and as I saw it, I saw there was another version that had a music box in it. As Calvin Candie played by Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio said, “You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” I was set, that goat had to be mine no matter what, so I grabbed it, ignored the €30 price tag and brought it to the front of the store. The conversation that ensued will be transcribed here. Cashier: “It spiels, you sure you want it?” Me: *Nods* Cashier: “It spiels.” With my new furry companion in hand I was ready to, as Phil Collins says in his song “On My Way” from Brother Bear, 16
BERLIN UNDERGROUND, HANNA MARCHESSEAULT
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“Tell everybody that I’m on my way.” The trip from Köln to Düsseldorf like most trips in North Rhine Westphalia was quick, but when we arrived I was finally able to use my great knowledge of German to say “Scheisse.” I am someone who is scared by a small amount of things (spiders, heights, clowns, dolls, and communists) but the fact was that we were finally on the way out of Germany and on our way to Venlo when over the speakers, we heard the conductor announce something about the führer. Now I know the word is commonly used as it means leader or guide, I have regularly been called Spirituell Führer by my friends many times, but I was exhausted and in Germany. The announcement sent us into confusion as we handed our tickets to be checked and the man who was doing it laughed at the fact that we had printed tickets. Yes, those are the advantages of learning languages— you know when people laugh at you. When we stepped out into Venlo, we knew we were there and as we finally boarded the bus, the self named Idiots of Prague were nearly home the only thing I could do was quote John Denver’s classic Take Me Home, Country Roads, as I said please “Country roads, take me home.” It happened in a blink of an eye, we pulled up to the Well stop and made the walk to the castle. After 1 goat, 7 cities, 30 hours, and endless chicken nuggets, the Idiots of Prague and their magnificent Spirituell Führer had arrived back home.
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LEFT: BARCELONA BALCONIES, LAUREN QUAN RIGHT: A POSTCARD, TATIANA GUEL
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Afternoon in Prague BY SHAWNA KONIECZNY
PRAGUE FROM ABOVE, HANNA MARCHESSEAULT 21
A beautiful day, a calming breeze Across that bridge of dreams Silver and stone upon her finger Brick and stone up on a mountain Atop a hill, rested a royal house And a view that stole our breaths Looking down at a sea of ants At a city that is still unknown Buildings of bold autumn colors Burnt and bright, brown and orange Thousands of different destinations Thousands of different conversations A stunning site that slowed time All the noise faded away to dust In that moment, it was just her Her, her dreams, and a new city
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ORANGES, ALEC KLUZSA
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A Most Remarkable Semester
BY PROFESSOR MARJON DE GROOT ART BY KASEY O’CONNELL
Classes begin. I’m curious about the new students. They make a good start: everyone has found the proper classroom and is on time. After everyone gave a brief introduction, we start by looking at pictures of artworks and talking about modern art.
The Castle Well students are in Amsterdam. Yesterday, the focal point was the history of the Netherlands and its capital. Today, we first visit the Rijksmuseum with masterpieces from the 17th century. In the afternoon, I can take my ten students to the Stedelijk Museum to see modern and contemporary art. After touring together, they stroll around on their own to find an artwork to describe for their first assignment.
It’s nice to read the students’ choices from the Stedelijk Museum. Seeing art in person is a much better experience than looking at pictures. Size and materials are so important for the experience! It’s great that we will have an opportunity to visit galleries later this semester during the Milan excursion. 25
In Lombardy, Italy (the region with Milan as its capital) some sixteen people turn out to be infected by a virus that is suspected to have been imported from China. It’s highly contagious, people can get very ill and even die from it, and there is no effective medicine to fight against it. That doesn’t look good!
While driving to the castle, I hear on the radio that the coronavirus, later to be called COVID-19, is spreading quickly and that Milan’s cathedral has been closed for tourists. I’m getting worried about the planned excursion in early March. What sense does it make to go to Milan if our places to visit are closed? And worse: What if we get infected with the virus? And what about the students’ travel break? Later that day at the castle, the announcement is made—the excursion has been cancelled. A huge disappointment for everyone, but understandable for reasons of safety. Chester Lee asks the faculty to come to him with suggestions for day trips to Belgium and Germany.
I’m asked to take my class to the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, which I’m working for, on March 15. And I am asked if I am available for a day trip to KröllerMüller Museum and its sculpture garden as a replacement for Milan. COVID-19 has reached Germany and Belgium at this point, so we can only stay in the Netherlands.
The first COVID-19 patient is confirmed in the Netherlands. Planning excursions makes no sense anymore. What to do now? How to act?
The week of midterm exams. My students take a quiz to show their knowledge about
artists and movements. Tomorrow, the second part with essay questions will follow. After class, I’m informed of the possibility that the students will be sent back to Boston later this week. In the evening, the departure is confirmed. Confusion, disappointment, anger, and worries all over! Some are happy to leave for fear of the virus, others deeply regret having to stop their European experience. The semester will be continued through remote teaching. All students will go back to the Boston campus.
The exams have been postponed. I’m asked to come to Castle Well to talk about what steps to take to finish the semester. A Spring 2020 group picture is taken. What a sudden goodbye!
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ICE BREAKERS, ANONYMOUS
Classes should start again, online. But COVID-19 has spread to the US and the Boston campus is no longer a safe place. Dates have been changed. Exams postponed again. We have to design an online solution.
I upload my exam at the appointed time. The students send in their answers within 1.5 hours. One student couldn’t make it
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because she was moving from the Boston campus to home. We agree on a new date for her. One student asks if future meetings can be planned on a different hour. It’s seven o’clock in the morning for her.
Classes resume. I upload information each week: PowerPoints with images, written information, links to websites, Panopto lectures, and assignments.
Everyone sent in their homework. The quality is good! We have our first Zoom meeting. Good to see and hear everyone. From today on we’ll meet every week this way. I will also maintain the structure of uploading new material on Mondays, receiving homework on Wednesday nights, and discussing that homework on Thursdays (for me at 8 p.m, for the students varying from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
This week all homework has been done, papers have been written and sent in. Some students asked for a few days extension of the deadline. I’m glad everyone did their job seriously. At some point I was worried about losing students, but I managed to stay in touch with all of them. I’m pleased with the outcomes. The ones that were often modest or silent in the physical classroom setting showed their skills in their homework. And a lot of students
turned out to have interesting thoughts, if asked for their opinions or ideas.
I have a fifteen minutes long individual assessment with each student, using Zoom. We talk about their paper and other topics dealt with during the course. One makes a mistake in the scheduled time, being in a different time zone, but we can set this by making a new appointment. I’m glad everyone finished the course properly. It has been hard for some dealing with these weird circumstances. Being locked up in a small space in New York, having to work for your parents’ company, looking after family members, or having worries about the future: a semester that should be full of adventure in Europe ended at parents’ homes in the U.S. The European experience ended too soon. Will this be the end of my Emerson experience? Will there be students again at Castle Well? I truly hope so. Let’s conquer COVID-19!
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FLOWER ON TRAIN , ALEC
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KLUSZA
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Berlin, Germany BY GIAVANNA MARIANO
museum island pass Bode Museum is this a portrait? plum cake khao phad Berliner Ensemble i do not speak German but I know for a fact that woman just gave the monologue of her life Berlin is so fucking exciting Bertolt Brecht miss the club truth or drink pimm’s cup stay in the bar till it closes allergic reaction to the salad dressing at breakfast Berlin Wall falling asleep incandescently with the sun on our faces and our backs to a piece of history my stomach is churning all day decide that a pretzel is the only thing that can solve it Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Brandenburg Gate say grazie signor to the waiter delicious cavatelli sip Angela’s prosecco it’s the best prosecco miss the club too scared of an allergic reaction at breakfast to order anything
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flight cancelled book a train can’t find a flea market i’m still hungry can’t find street art find a pretzel in the train station, decide that God has not forgotten about me board the train train is cancelled get off at Hannover wait in line for information email OSA try not to panic book a hotel just in case get a taxi voucher wait in taxi line email OSA cancel the hotel reservation write an original ditty about being stranded in Germany entitled “Stranded in Germany” take three hour taxi to Düsseldorf email OSA arrive in Düsseldorf, taxi man says “welcome to Amsterdam,” we laugh get a taxi in Düsseldorf to Well laugh with delirium in the taxi to Well get to the castle at 1 a.m. check back in realize i didn’t drink any beer all weekend
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YOUTH, ISABELLA HUNG 34
I’ve always been drawn to France. Maybe it was because I took French in high school and learned all about its rich history and unique culture, but the pull started before that. It’s what made me take French in the first place. When I got the opportunity to travel to Europe and visit a new country every weekend, I knew that I had to go to France in some capacity. Of course, I wanted to tour all parts of France, from the gorgeous countryside to the magnificent beaches. However, I didn’t have enough time to visit as many places as my heart desired, so my main priority was to see Paris. The City of Lights and Love was not only one of my dreams, but also one of my little sister’s. She was both excited for me and jealous of my opportunity to visit the city at the same time. She told
me to remember everything about it so I could go home and tell her everything. But thanks to a cruel twist of fate, my feet never touched French soil. My friends and I booked our trip to Paris in February with the intent to go in the middle of March. We were even going to make it a longer weekend by using our class skip days to experience the many things Paris had to offer. It was supposed to be the highlight of my semester abroad. There were so many things that I wanted to do and wanted to see. All the food I would eat, the pictures I would take, and the memories I would make all combined into the image of my perfect weekend in Paris. We had so many plans to look forward to. From the Eiffel Tower to Disneyland, the weekend was going to be filled with
PHOTO: THE BEACON, LEAH JABLO
Instead of Paris BY SHAWNA KONIECZNY
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incredible adventures and experiences. At the time, Paris was the goal and every other place I visited was just a stop along the way. With my excitement and expectations higher than they probably should have been, the news that we were being sent home was nothing less than devastating. Everything we planned for weeks just washed down the drain. As I sat on the plane headed back to the United States, I replayed every memory of the semester in my head. Every week of class and every weekend spent in a brand new country, I thought about how much fun I had. And as I was reminiscing about what had happened, I briefly forgot about what could have happened. I didn’t go to Paris, but I went to seven other cities. I never got to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but I did climb 343 steps to get to the top of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. I never got to experience my first time visiting a Disney Park, but I did go to the Disney store in London. I didn’t get to drink wine and eat cheese, but I did eat cheese pizza and drank wine in our hotel room in Ghent. I never got to try an authentic French macaron, but I did eat a Belgian waffle in Belgium and a Trdelnik in Prague. I didn’t get to cross the bridge that was sung about in one of my favorite musicals, Anastasia, but I did cross the Charles Bridge in Prague where part of Spider-Man: Far From Home was filmed. I never got to experience traditional French food, but who am I kidding, I would have
eaten Italian like I did in every other city. While there were so many things I planned on doing, there were also so many more unplanned things that did happen. Those are my favorite memories, the unexpected ones. Like how I played the same VR game in two different countries, or how I spent one night watching Netflix rom coms and eating Kraft mac & cheese. The best moments are found in the strangest of places and those moments are the ones that made everything worthwhile. Who knows how my weekend in Paris would have gone if it all played out. I’ll never know how it would have compared to the other destinations I traveled to. Maybe it would have been everything I dreamed of and more, or maybe it would have been a heartbreaking disappointment. Odds are, it would have been somewhere in between. But I’ll never know. I never went. It took me a while to come to terms with that sadness, that anger. But then I realized something. I didn’t need to go to Paris for my semester abroad to be a dream come true. All the cultures and all the places I witnessed truly changed my life. It was an experience that I will never forget and always treasure. True, I didn’t go to Paris, a dream of mine for so long, but every city, every mishap, every moment, they were all perfect. They were perfect because it mounted up to the most spectacular two months of my life. One day I’ll go to Paris, and when I do, Paris will be there, waiting for me, my sister, and our dreams.
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PUY-DE-DÔME IN FEBRUARY, TATIANA GUEL
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Brussels, Belgium
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it was a dark and lonesome night bedtime stories our airbnb hosts are the most beautiful people in the world bed bug check! train to train im still terrified im gonna eat something with nuts arrive immediate familiarity this city feels good this city feels like it could be home vintage stores thrift stores antique shops boutiques all on this one street sketches new skirt ang and i STILL CAN’T FIND A FLEA MARKET rest valentine’s day dinner angela is my valentino we eat next to a castle order dessert to eat later festival of lights the castle comes to life the streets are alive with people and bright colored lights try to find a bar not this one almost this one vertigo almost don’t get the table cocktail order i speak french befriend the people sitting next to us we’re still waiting for our drinks the lady gives us her card holy shit she’s important cocktails arrive lady says do you want to go to sleep, or do you want to go somewhere else? uh
BY GIAVANNA MARIANO PHOTO: NOSTALGIA, ISABELLE HUNG
somewhere else? there’s a club down the street lady assures us it’s one of the top three in Brussels there’s a password to get in she doesn’t know the password she smiles we get in we do NOT belong here cigarette smoke an incredible conversation about american and european culture dance but also don’t draw more attention to ourselves than necessary but also i want to dance lose sight of the people who brought us here push past a crowd of people trying to get into the club they don’t know the password try to figure out how we finessed our way into a secret speakeasy my hair smells like smoke delicious breakfast bagel the sudden need to find peace church something about a place of faith revitalization we find a flea market! meert tea room delicious dessert i speak french so well they give us french menus little peeing boy statue i buy a sweater because i’m so cold Bright Lights Festival the ancient buildings come alive and dance in the rainbow the best nap i’ve ever had noodle bar God do i love Angela waffles from a truck that stave off the hangry that same breakfast bagel again because it was so good i write two new jingles at the train station train to train to bus to home its my favorite weekend yet
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WELL, SPRING, ISABELLE HUNG
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The Castle of Well: a Gothic Tale
BY PROFESSOR KATIE LONG ART BY LAUREN QUAN
Buried deep in the Dutch countryside, far from any town or city, you can find the Castle of Well, where this story begins. When it begins is mid-winter; the days are short, the nights cold and long. The occasional flurry of snow lands silently on the moat reminding the inhabitants that it is the middle of January, when the world seems to have given up all hope of spring. Snug, warm, and safe behind the castle gates are a group of teenagers, recently arrived from the States. Half hoping for and half fearful of adventure, they are far from home and all that is familiar to them. If this wasn’t a true story, I could be accused of making all of this up. For those looking for adventure, there was plenty on offer, namely . . . Europe. So, off they went every weekend, rucksacks and wheelies in tow, eager for new experiences in these old towns and cities. Returning on a Sunday, tired but ready to begin their seminars anew on a Monday. We, who work in the Castle every semester, don’t usually go looking for adventure. We like the routine of every day life, the expected, the usual and nothing too exciting, thank you very much; at least not while we are going about the extraordinary adventure that is the business of education. This semester begins like any other. Books are opened, and pages turned. Students complaining about the reading load and faculty complaining about the 43
students complaining about the reading load. In the meantime, the now arcane alchemy of the classroom is beginning to work its magic. There is no inkling that the simple pleasure of arriving in class was soon to become a luxury; that lively, rapid, back and forth, here-and-there-and-backagain discussions, punctuated with laughter, and whispers, and sounds from the outside world would soon become a memory. That all the every day, ordinary, here-wego-again irritations, annoyances, gripes and moans of another routine semester would soon fade away into the far and distant past of another age. The average Gothic story, at this stage, would introduce a series of strange occurrences into these idyllic scenes of academia. Perhaps, a student returning through the courtyard from the laundry room late at night feels rather than sees a darkened shadow crossing her path. Putting it down to a trick of the light she thinks more nothing of it. Another student half decides, as he drifts off to sleep, that he should report those sounds coming from the water pipes, but then again, this is a Medieval Castle. Yet another, lost in Paradise Lost in the small hours, doesn’t notice the light flicker three times in rapid succession, as if in invitatiom to some as yet unknown force, lurking on the outside; waiting for the sign to slip down into the moat
where no human being could ever exist. But this is no average Gothic story. With more twists and turns than an Alpine path and more trap doors than any dungeon, our story takes us instead through Time: a Labyrinth of Time. And it was Time indeed, more than anything else that was truly not our friend. In no time at all, our students found themselves first cut off from the outside world. With no more travelling through Europe, they were soon hurtled back across the Ocean. Before they had time to blink, they found themselves sent back again but now: back in time. Back to their homes, their childhood homes, childhood bedrooms, back to those hometowns, that they had said so long to, so long ago. And these, of course, were the lucky ones, with homes to go and families right where they had left them. With no time at all, we, the adventure-avoiding educators, had a different fate. Imprisoned in our respective homes, we also found ourselves travelling through time but not backwards, we travelled forwards or rather sideways into a parallel universe where everything we had taken for granted was null and void. Teaching with no students, no colleagues, no Castle. Wakening in this new world of marvels, suddenly surrounded by
strange new technologies, techniques, and timetables we did what we do best: we learn. Overnight, my ordinary laptop morphed into a strange new machine possessed by hitherto unknown downloads: Zoom, Panopto and who knows how many other interlopers came along for the ride. After a few days of circling it and poking it with a long twig, I learnt to trust it a little and then a little more. I even began almost to enjoy using Zoom as a portal to travel through space and time zones. Pressing ‘record’ on Panopto ceased to terrify me and in my uncannily empty room, echoing with all the student voices that were not there, I felt their presence all the same. The German word for ‘uncanny’ is unheimlich, literally, unhomely, and that is what it was: my home became my classroom and I missed that family we become when we are all in the Castle together. Most Gothic stories end with restoration, resolution and a happily ever after, bu this is no ordinary tale of the extraordinary: it continues to evolve every day, and every day we rise up to meet it. Like all good Gothic stories though, when we tell the tale of our adventures, we will be accused of making things up but we— staff and students alike—know what we have achieved. We are all proud alumni of Kasteel Well Spring 2O2O. 44
FLOODED RIVER, BRETT BAILEY 45
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Dublin, Ireland BY GIAVANNA MARIANO
no more travel weekends impulsively book a trip to dublin instead of studying for midterms skip intro to ethics bus to train to plane airport pasta sleep on all the transport double decker bus fish and chips bottle of red bottle of white doyle’s trivia games cliffs of howth windy, cold, sunny muddy jeans are those . . . stairs? in the cliffside? stairs lead to a beach brett and i climb ang decidedly does not they didn’t finish the stairs rocks waves climb back up we did not die
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CASTLE IN GHENT, BELGIUM, KELLY MORENO
out of breath ice cream friends at the pub! bar search get kicked out because we’re not 21 which is totally not a rule here but okay the duke cheers to the governor st. patrick’s cathedral there’s a gift shop. in the church. wasn’t jesus pissed off about this specifically? i’m pissed dublin castle it’s too windy and rainy and cold to be outside burritos movie predestination some things are inevitable wake up at 3:45 to make our early plane sleep on all the transport borders did not close we get back to the castle we’re being sent home anyway.
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Kill your walls BY ALEC KLUSZA
My comrades and I first visited Berlin, Germany during our short time with the Kasteel Well study abroad program. Berlin’s process of shrugging off this year’s winter, along with overcast skies, forced a system of layering sweaters and raincoats to be continually taken off and on as the sun made subtle appearances throughout the day; a snake ever shedding its skin, only to regrow it in time. I trudged through the city carrying my weight on my back. It’s February, around 1 p.m., and the sun stood high and neutral over the city. The dormant Iron Curtain, the physical barrier of the Wall, as well the political despot between the ideologies of Ayn Rand and Karl Marx, blocked the light from either side; casting the heat off the concrete and onto the pavement directly at the forefront of both sides at the East Side Gallery park. In my hands, I held horror. I pushed it, kicked it, ran my hands against it. Concrete, nothing else except maybe a thick layer of revolutionary angst. Nothing but cold concrete held together by long dried fear, remaining dormant and immortal in the former Soviet sun. I held the last relic—an eternal tomb of separation—as a remnant of forgone hope and nationalism in my hands. 49
As I stood leaning against the Wall, I wondered how I could find the truth in a city masked in another’s? I leaned my head against the Wall: cold concrete. Nothing else. I am not sure what else I expected to feel: The pain of the proletariat? The anguish of the agrarian? The tumult of Trotsky? No. Just the cold concrete on my forehead and the heat from the fallen Soviet sun slowly warming the hairs on the back of my neck. I continually found Berlin to be bleak and industrial from its enervation—my initial opinion was blind. I wandered to the edge of the Spree, peering through the water, a rusted bike alongside an equally rusted metal remnant of the Wall. During my itinerary to the Wall, I could see solely what I associated with It. The semiotic myths and connotations created by an American adolescence fostered notions of a dark and dreary communist hellscape, fully armed with a Gulag and political prisoners of a time not far forgotten. A crush to my putative acquiesce. At the Wall, I expected my vision to develop into monochromatic 16 millimeter film. Yet, what I found was more or less technicolor. Dumbfounded and sobered, I slunk back to my friends. Without delay, the
truth of the verisimilar heat hit me—a boy and his father walked by, hand in hand, gossiping mindlessly in the silhouette of the sun. A gay couple with dreadlocks shared a joint beside me. On the ledge by the river, another pair share a beer. Collective and individual joy. All in the former shadow of ache and oppression. On both poles of the East Side Gallery huckstering con men beat and bartered, reminiscent of my preliminary perception of the former Soviet side; though, also riddled with scaffolding and apoplexy in a Kafkaesque fashion alongside my newly realized Collective and Individual joy. Whichever side I stood, my preconceptions were baffled. The West’s inferiority complex seemed to be supplanted by one of superiority, and vice versa. Sitting against the Wall, a friend put on the new Harry Styles album, and we listened to “Watermelon Sugar” while eating Snickers, Kit Kats, and Pringles— small deaths and joys from our free market back home. Gift shops. Food stands. Beer. Schnitzel. Bratwurst. Competitive freedom—the bane of the Soviet experience in their former prize. The dichotomy of history is a bitch. Later that day, as the sun moved out of its neutral position, the shadow most likely
cast itself onto the East, precipitating my own chafed perceptions into reality. All will continue. Yet, in my mind, my opinion of Berlin will stay. I will always remember the small strip of Soviet history with peace and quiet equal with the hustle and bustle of Berlin. I lay my back against the Wall. Still just cold concrete. I watch the children play. The bikers bike. The drunks drink. The stoners smoke. A new world order. With my head pressed against the concrete, I opened my ears. I stopped listening to the sounds of history and heard the utterance of truth through my own new perception of reality. It’s true, knowing the history of a city, the atrocities, horrors, and crimes committed are all pertinent to fathom before traveling. Know the pain of the proletariat, the anguish of the farmer, and the tumult of the revolutionary. However, to fall in love with a city, you must forget all you know about it. Get rid of your preconceptions and stereotypes. Your connotations and myths. For you’re opening your mind to allow your own reality to play with the one before you. That Wall you are leaning against is just a wall of former glory. At that moment, I realized a cold dead wall is a canvas to paint your own truth. Kill your walls.
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FRENCH LOOKING, ALEC KLUSZA 52
LEFT: VOYAGE SEULE, TATIANA GUEL RIGHT: ADMONT ABBEY IN AUSTRIA, LAUREN QUAN
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A Final Note BY GIAVANNA MARIANO
grief. how does one describe a sadness that eludes definition? with grief it’s all encompassing sadness for all the things i could’ve done, places i could’ve gone, people i could’ve gotten closer to anger at the universe for this happening at all anger for the people who aren’t taking this seriously and jeopardize all of our futures, our lives gratitude for the experiences i did have, the people i did meet awe for the places i did get to see and the things i did get to learn tenderness for wounds i’m still nursing and trying to heal from fear, so much fear for the future and love, love for the castle, for art history, for the two moats, for america night and crying on the floor and a tourist sweater bought in brussels and making up jingles and being stranded in germany and osa and jojo and the vigil and dulcia’s place and the red couches and running in the garden even though the sign says it’s too muddy and climbing down a hidden staircase in a cliff down to a rock-filled beach and bikes in amsterdam and beer in dublin and beer in well and cocktails in brussels and secret mixology lair clubs and festivals of light and piano and never having enough layers and troubled sleep on public transportation and ancient city streets at night time and monuments of history that before now had only been names to me that now have faces and memories entwined love, love love for it all. and then grief. and so i name this grief, and i sit next to it, and i try to just breathe. . thank you anyway.
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BY THE RIVER, BRETT BAILEY 56
AFTER BAD NEWS, BRETT BAILEY 57
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Go to the grocery store and buy a boatload of potatoes. There is no such thing as too many. Get permission to borrow the kitchen for a day— you’re going to be in there awhile. After washing the potatoes, pull up some recipes. The idea is to make as many different potato dishes as possible. Then, at each meal, pick two or three variations to serve with the main course. Your parents may tell you that there are too many potatoes. Rest assured, this is not true.
As a family, take turns sitting by your front door, keeping track of entrances and exits. Each time someone passes by, offer a pleasant smile and nod. A verbal “hallo” is optional, but always welcome. If your house has gates of some sort, even better. Closing them at night will give an extra sense of safety and pose a fun challenge to your older siblings returning from the local bar and trying to figure out how to get back inside.
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Find the nearest physical representation of a religious icon in your neighborhood and just stand around it. I won’t tell you what to do while you’re there. Ideally, others will join you to create one or two small groups. If you wish, talk about countries you’re going to look up on Google Maps this weekend. I heard Belgium is cool. Please keep in mind social distancing.
Gather a herd of slightly-above-average young men and have them stand around in your living room while you and your family eat dinner. Any nationality will do, but fluency in a Germanic language is encouraged. The goal is for it to feel like they are there for you even though they are not actually saying anything. If there is a television in the room, put some soccer on. This will get them talking amongst themselves, making them a bit more loose and comfortable. By the end of the dinner, one may work up the courage to come up to you and propose that you come back to his place. This is, of course, up to your discretion. However, it might be helpful to ask your mother—or whoever is serving the drinks that evening—what she knows about the man. After all, these guys come to your house every week.
top 8 ways to feel like you’re at the castle when really you’re at your childhood home BY MAX MURPHY
Replace all the outlets in your home with European ones, then make your family fight over your one travel adapter. This will bring out their true, animalistic state. It may be frightening, but take notes. Based on your observations, you will be required to write a 2500 word paper from an ethical or evolutionary standpoint.
This one is for all you COVID truthers out there. Do your neighbors wear masks when they go outside? It’s probably because the communist snowflake fake news told them to. Do you know what that makes them? Sheep! It’s just like having the real animals across from you, only these ones have been brainwashed by Obama’s alien flower kingdom and turned into John Mulaney-loving justice cyborgs.
If you’re the traveling type, pack a picnic for yourself or others. On your way out the door, have a family member (pretend-security guard or otherwise) ask you to put your bag on a tray and take out any electronics. When you tell them that you only have food, get them to look through it all just to be sure. Uh oh! They found some liquids. That’s definitely over 100 milliliters of lemonade. The family member should confiscate this. Make sure they give you the stink eye while placing it in the trash. They are very disappointed in you.
Smile. You smiled at the castle, right? So there’s no excuse not to do so now. Actually, there are a lot of excuses. An unbelievable amount. But that’s okay, I believe in you. If not now, then later. Even if it’s just for a second. Just like campus peacock populations, a little goes a long way. 60
IN CHARLEMANGE’S SHADOW, BRETT BAILEY
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i look back on moments we walked autumnal mountains the eerie exhale of summertime’s last this time has died and everyone in that time too while they may live now they may not live again in moments then Earth from then has died as well, aeons premature it will never we will never be again the way it was some way we were back then across bleak aeons mere memory forgotten forever alternate reality known best as fiction worst as truth clearest when forgotten wholesome if broken obliterated in the peaceful passage of days each rolling toward cliffs blocking views from eyes that glance from where I stand looking back in scattered reflections of shattered time
PROCHE DE CLERMONT-FERRAND, TATIANA GUEL 63
BY THOMAS GARBACK
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KASTEEL TOWER, BRETT BAILEY
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BY PROFESSOR RALPH TROST
What a historical semester! I had thirtyfive students come to the Netherlands to learn more about the history of the last two centuries in Europe and the world. We started our classes, learned about the good and mostly the bad things from the past, and tried to understand what made our present. I loved every day of my classes with the students of Contemporary World History and Europe in Wartime. Every semester is different at the castle, every group that comes is unique. And this makes it so interesting and also challenging for us as professors. New perspectives, new questions, and new experiences are brought to us by every semester and with every student who comes from home campus to the castle. I have found that at Emerson, we have the best students! In the classroom we had our schedules, learned a lot, the students talked about their weekend travels in Europe, and we were close to our common departure to Milan. It was a great semester in the castle. And then came something that made us all become a part of the history books. COVID-19 ended our time in the castle abruptly. No more time to learn together
in the classroom, no more exciting presentations, no journey to Milan together, and no “Goodbye�. We all had to go home. After a while the online classes began. This was a new experience for someone like me who is used to teaching in class and talking with his students. All students of my classes were spread out in different countries and on different continents. Only connected with our computers. How much I missed it to talk with my students about history and to discuss what we can learn from the past. And how much I missed the fun we had together! Spring 2020 was indeed a historical semester. But not because of COVID-19. It was because the students of this semester have demonstrated that they were willing and able to learn and do their best, even in a time when the whole world faced a crisis we never had before. I would have loved to thank each of my students in person for their patience and understanding during this very unique semester. COVID-19 separated us from learning in our classroom in the castle, but it could not take what we always will share together: Spring 2020 in Kasteel Well!
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THROUGH GLASSES, ALEC KLUSZA 67
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BY ABIGAIL MICHAUD
There is but one time that I felt removed In worldly places, near that Old Town Square In Prague, the echoes of that church ensued From organ pipes and quartet bows’ horsehair. The instruments are pleased to introduce The likes of Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart I cannot emulate what’s been produced In technique or feeling—they’re in my heart. The architecture around comes alive Immortal statues break apart and sway This ensemble has won what it has strived For everyone was moved in church that day. I close my eyes and transcend up above; The string quartet has taught me how to love.
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EMBRACING LITOST, ABIGAIL MICHAUD 70
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BIKING, SAMANTHA HODGDONS 72
you had to be there
BY PROFESSOR BIANCA JANSSEN GROSBEEK
On Monday evening of March 2nd, I received an email informing me that as of that moment, all classes at Kasteel Well were cancelled. Students would be flying home within a few days and we would be converting to online classes. At that time the coronavirus was present in Germany, Belgium, and possibly the Netherlands too, but at least in my country nobody had yet tested positive. Within a little over a week this situation had changed, and the powers that be responded accordingly. Slowly my life became more and more confined to my home. People were panicking but at the same time they began to complain of boredom; I wasn’t bored at all. After all, I had to redesign classes, rewrite several assignments, rethink how to teach while all my students ended up in different parts of the world. But even without the work, I would normally be perfectly able to keep myself busy. There were several projects to finally start and I am also very comfortable being on my own. However, as the days went by and the Netherlands went into an ‘intelligent lockdown’, I realised that more and more of the things I valued were—temporarily— being erased from my life. I noticed that every time someone said we had to adjust to ‘the new normal’ something inside me revolted. I began to ask myself how 73
much of my life I was willing to give up in order to stay safe. At Kasteel Well When I started working for Emerson College—longer ago than I care to admit— I was thrilled that I’d be teaching at a fourteenth century castle. Why? What does it matter where you teach? What is so important about a place? Well, Kasteel Well is gorgeous. With its double moat, beautiful gardens, and courtyards you get a feel of lives past. Unconsciously, you breathe in the smell of centuries gone by, you feel how your footsteps negotiate the wooden staircase, or the fossil-filled stone tiles. Semester after semester you hear the sounds of students laughing, chatting, figuring out how to fit this new experience in their lives. All of your senses perceive where you are. You become part of the history of this enchanting place. Most of the time, we don’t appreciate how much a place affects our emotional state, how crucial it is to be somewhere in person. It is not enough to just visit or pass by; we need to actually be there, to become part of the place we inhabit. Unconsciously, we know this because we are acutely disappointed when we’re told we can see a place in a photograph, but not go there. It’s all our senses being activated, all the experiences we have, that are important.
When we were all stuck at home, we were surprised by the way our bodies responded. That we became listless, emotional, exhausted. That our plans to do all those brilliant things for which we never found the time, came to nought. And we wondered why. At the same time we discovered the healing power of nature. Outside in our garden, or on a daily walk, the green around us calmed us. We finally noticed the songs birds had been singing while we rushed through our busy lives, our important appointments. Stay in touch I revolted against the notion of ‘the new normal.’ I felt that a part of my humanity was taken away. I had no freedom of movement while my body craved for it. It needed to smell, feel, touch, hear more than just my alarm clock, my cuddly cat, and the neighbours’ children. This was made worse by the fact that I wasn’t allowed to have any real interaction with other people. Because it wasn’t safe. As I struggled to make my courses as engaging as possible, I realised more and more what I already knew—how much it matters that you can interact directly with your students, without the mediation of technology. This may seem odd, after all, the core business of teaching is that you transfer knowledge, right? So why not simply do that via a computer or mobile phone? Is it really that different? It turns out that it is. When you teach, you constantly monitor how your students are responding; are they interested
or bored, distracted by some insect, do they understand what you’re trying to explain, are they okay? Our bodies give off all kinds of little clues. And we respond accordingly. Quite literally. When there is laughter our bodies produce dopamine and release it into our bloodstream. When someone yawns, it is contagious. I can tell whether someone is happy, relaxed, confused, nervous; all by observing body language, by listening to the tone of my students’ voices. With technology a lot of this is gone, together with a certain amount of spontaneity. The life has gone out of teaching. So yes, it matters where you are. It matters that we are in the same room together, at the same castle, watching the same squirrel run around caching nuts. We need to share experiences. That’s how we learn, how we gain knowledge, and how we digest it. It is important to be able to have a chat with your teacher, to talk to someone about a class, to meet people who take different courses. Those spontaneous interactions matter and they don’t happen online after you logged out of class. Am I willing to give all this up: to not be somewhere, to not be with others? Is staying safe worth it? Although a temporary restriction is reasonable, in the end I value my humanity more. I am willing to accept some risk to stay human.
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I went to the ocean, and I went to the hills, but only when I reached the valleys did I see the hills so flat and the valleys so high, and now I’m so confused that I don’t think I can ever recover from all of the change. Because change does not come from shifting altitudes, but from the pride in having done so. So maybe I won’t swim or climb anymore, and I’ll wait for other walls of change. Or maybe, possibly, I’ll just ignore the answers when they question me.
A SINKING HOUSE IN PARIS, FRANCE, LEAH JABLO
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Changing Perspectives BY THOMAS GARBACK
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PRAGUE STREETS, HANNA MARCHESSEAULT
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Many of us didn’t get to travel to all the places we would have liked to this spring, and being confined at home seems like the antithesis of travel. Even so, here are a few ways you can experience the joy of traveling while staying right where you are. Change your Zoom background The video conferencing platform Zoom has a cool feature that lets you upload an image or video to use as a virtual background. You can choose an image of some exotic location and it will appear to your friends or co-workers as if you are actually there! It may not satisfy your sense of adventure, but you can prank your friends doing this, so it’s worth it. If you are using a different video chatting platform that doesn’t have this feature, you can always print out a picture and tape it on the wall behind you for a similar effect. Look up places on Google Maps Looking up places on Google Maps is a perfect way to pretend you’re traveling. It’s quick and easy. All you have to do is type your desired location in the search bar and bam! It will bring up a map of wherever you want. It even has a street view feature, which is literally the view you would have if you were standing on that 79
very street in real life. You can hardly tell you’re using a computer program as you click through the streets of your favorite city. You can smile and wave at the blurredout faces (you can pretend they’re wearing a mask!) but they usually won’t respond. The locals aren’t particularly friendly, but at least no one is rude to you. You can also click on stores and landmarks to learn more about them. You can’t even do that in real life! Read a book That’s right, pick up a book and read. With a book, you can transcend space and time to travel anywhere the pages take you using just a little bit of your imagination. Why travel somewhere when you can read about going there instead? You can travel to places that aren’t real, like Middle Earth, Hogwarts, or The Soviet Union. Whatever genre you’re into, books open the door to all kinds of travel in your mind. Whether it’s going on fantastical adventures to faroff places, experiencing history, or learning step-by-step instructions on how to prepare fancy dishes like salad, books are sure to give you plenty of excitement and scratch that travel itch.
BY ROBBY GESSEL
Watch a TV show or movie TV shows and movies are basically books except you can also use your phone at the same time. There is an entire channel devoted to travel on TV! It’s called the Travel Channel. Play a video game The ultimate method of escapism, video games, can give you the stories and settings of movies and books with the total immersion and control of Google Maps street view. Like a good vacation, games can be exciting or relaxing. Some even let you create your own worlds to travel to. Dream All of the above methods may mimic the feeling of traveling, but what if you could actually experience travel, or at least think you are experiencing it, from your bed. Lucid dreaming is a state where the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and can influence the dream. There are books and articles you can read on how to achieve lucid dreaming. It’s not always a quick or easy process, but using techniques such as reality checking, WBTB, MILD, WILD, and dream journaling, we can actually train ourselves to control our dreams. These techniques involve performing certain actions before,
during, and after sleep to help induce lucid dreaming. It’s like when they go to Paris in a dream in Inception, except that it could be you every night traveling to a different place you’ve always wanted to go, like the moon or Reno, Nevada. You can go anywhere and do anything you want in your mind! Once you have everything you need in the dream world, what’s the point of even waking up? Your dream friends will never betray you, and you don’t need dream money to be happy. There are certain things you can’t do whilst dreaming, so you have to wake up every once in a while to eat a pizza pocket, drink some water, and use the bathroom, but other than that it’s great! Go outside If you are able to, explore parks in your area, take a hike or bike ride, live in the moment. You don’t have to pretend you’re somewhere else—you can be content with being exactly where you are. Have fun, explore, learn something new. These are the reasons I love to travel in the first place. It’s easy to stay inside all day, but if you challenge yourself to go outside every once in a while, you may actually enjoy it. Going outside may not be as cool as watching a movie or playing a game or having an epic dream, but it’s easy, free, and it can be nice sometimes. And it prevents bedsores. 80
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NICE, ALEC KLUSZA
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Good at Heart BY LEAH JABLO 83
2020 is probably the most important year I, maybe all of us, have ever lived through. The events of the past few months have certainly broadened my understanding of humanity. Mostly, they’ve forced me to reckon with the myriad of ways people can hurt each other—through malicious acts of brutality and hate, willful neglect; and perhaps less obviously, through
AT THE BEACH, BRETT BAILEY
ignorance and carelessness. I think the latter are the most tragic because of how ubiquitous they seem to be in spite of how preventable they are. So often, people meet violence with apathy and underestimate just how much pain is inflicted by their passivity. Before this pandemic and political revolution, I recognized the gravity of
overt injustices every day; in Chicago— the city where I grew up—segregation, inequity, as well as police incompetency and violence are obtrusive. However, I’d never realized how much suffering is fostered by silence and inaction. What we don’t do hurts people. When we refrain from reaching out to others, listening to others, we are complicit in the deadening of their voices. When we don’t heed the advice of public health experts, we make people ill. When we don’t protest broken systems, the most vulnerable suffer the consequences. The ugly ways people treat and practice ambivalence towards each other are disheartening, and in times like these, it’s so easy to lose faith in the benevolence of man. Yet lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about our trip to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. There’s something Anne wrote that’s stuck with me: “It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality . . . I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” And if she, from the attic of that Amsterdam house, could say that, I think that we, too, should choose to recognize the good in each other. As much as I’ve been disappointed by the ways people harbor hate and ignorance in these challenging times, I’ve also been touched by people’s compassion, willingness to listen, and courage to do the right thing. I think that the coming year will prove to be a test of our devotion to humanity and each other. I only hope that we’ll prove Anne right. 84
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SELF-PORTRAIT, X-TRA 400, ISABELLE HUNG
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Dear Future Castle Dwellers,
BY GIAVANNA MARIANO ART BY MARCO AMENDOLA
I write to you as a member of the fated “Spring 2020” group, occasionally known as “the Corona Kids.” Yes, that’s right. I was living in the castle when the pandemic hit and we were the first group ever to be sent back home to Boston to finish the semester online. Yes, it was as awful as you’re imagining. But it wasn’t all bad. And I’d like to share with you some things that I learned. 1. You might be coming to the castle thinking it will be the best semester of your life and that you’ll have the most incredible, magical time ever. And you might! But you also might not. And it’s important to not hold yourself to that standard. Let go of your expectations and take each moment for what it is. Really try to live in the present. One moment you could be happily wandering the art exhibits of Museum Island in Berlin, the next you could be stranded in Hannover station due to a storm, trying to figure out if you’ll even make it back to campus for class the next day or if you’ll have to book a hotel. Take each moment for what it is, breathe, and don’t be disappointed if this isn’t your best semester ever. It’ll be great, and it’ll be hard. Lean into it. 2. The castle is a microcosm of a microcosm. These people are going to be your constant companions for your semester, for better or for worse. You’ll find your place among them, don’t worry. And don’t be afraid to make a new friend or a travel buddy at any point. It is never too late. 87
3. Find time to be alone. You will need it. Even if you don’t think you do, trust me, you do. Go to the garden and find one of the hidden benches and sit. Read, do your homework there. You aren’t missing anything. 4. Be nice to everyone. Hug Pia. Ask Rene to teach you words in Dutch and tell him that I sent you. Ask Johnny about his band (and his twin brother). Play Werewolf with Robbert because I didn’t get the chance to. Stand in awe before Tikesha’s fashion sense (one word: hats) and always, always give JoJo some love. Don’t be afraid to sass Dojna (well, maybe be a little afraid) and bribe the Duke for a better grade (Cognac and cigars. No sugar. Do NOT tell him I sent you). And for the love of God be nice to the grocery truck man, I miss him maybe the most. 5. Everybody travels differently, and you’re going to find out that just because you’re good friends with someone, doesn’t mean you’ll travel well with them. Some people need a strong sense of
structure to their day. Some people want a little bit of structure but will go with the flow. Some people hate plans and just want to walk around the city. Figure out where on the travel spectrum you fall, and then talk to your friends so you all know what you want out of a trip. It will spare you a lot of pain and frustration if you do. 6. Enjoy the time you have. You never know when a global pandemic will spread and send you home into quarantine prematurely. So live in the moment, and
never ever take anything for granted. Nothing is guaranteed. You will learn so much about yourself, the world, and those around you. I wish you nothing but the best. 7. Stay back at the castle at least for two weekends, if not more. You are studying abroad in the Netherlands, you should probably get to know the surrounding area. Go on the daytrips with the faculty who live there: I recommend going with Robbert to Nijmegen in particular. You will not see the whole of Europe during these three months. Don’t try. 88
AMSTERDAM SIDE STREETS, BY MARCO AMENDOLA
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KASTEEL GATE, BRETT BAILEY
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ABIGAIL MICHAUD
Editor In Chief, Art Selection, Public Relations
TATIANA GUEL
Head Designer, Art Selection, Public Relations
LAUREN QUAN Designer, Art Selection
SHAWNA KONIECZNY Head Editor
SUSAN KURODA Head of Public Relations, Editor
f sta f KATHRYN REDEFER Editor
KASEY O’CONNELL Head of Art Selection, Editor
ADRIANNA BOHMAN Art Selection
ROBBERT VAN HELSDINGEN Faculty Advisor
TIKEASHA R. MORGAN Faculty Advisor
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special thanks to HEATHER CRANN DANIELLE DUCHARME THOMAS GARBACK OLIVIA HEINZE AUDREY IOCCA HANNA MARCHESSEAULT SOPHIA PAZ ISABELLA RODRIGUEZ
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PROSE & POETRY
PHOTOGRAPHY & ART
THOMAS GARBACK
ANONYMOUS
ROBBY GESSEL
MARCO AMENDOLA
BIANCA JANSSEN GROESBEEK
BRETT BAILEY
MARJON DE GROOT
TATIANA GUEL
LEAH JABLO
SAMANTHA HODGDONS
ALEC KLUSZA
ISABELLE HUNG
SHAWNA KONIECZNY
LEAH JABLO
SUSAN KURODA
ALEC KLUSZA
KATIE LONG
HANNA MARCHESSEAULT
GIAVANNA MARIANO
ABIGAIL MICHAUD
ABIGAIL MICHAUD
KASEY O’CONNELL
MAX MURPHY
LAUREN QUAN
r cont ib JOSE RIOS
RALPH TROST
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butors 96
MARCO AMENDOLA
AUGUST GLADSTONE
BRETT BAILEY
EMMA GOLDMAN
RYAN BAKER
TATIANA GUEL
RODIN BATCHELLER
SARA HANELLIN
ADRIANNA BOHMAN
OLIVIA HEINZE
KAMERON BROOKSMOORE
LARA HILL
JACQUELINE BROUSSEAU
SAMANTHA HODGDON
JESSE CONNELLY-COHEN
JULIETTE HOERNLE
TJ COSTE
YIN-JO HSU
KENNETH COX
XIAOHUI HU
HEATHER CRANN
ISABELLE HUNG
MEGAN DECKER
AUDREY IOCCA
DANIELLE DUCHARME
CHISATO IVERSEN
SOLEIL EASTON
LEAH JABLO
DECLAN FARRELL
CAITLIN JOHNSON
spring KAITLYN FEHR
ANTHONY FEOLA
RYAN KANNE
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JACK FERRY
JOSEPH KEEFE
CARA FITZHUGH
ALEC KLUSZA
THOMAS GARBACK
CLAIRE KONG
ROBERT GESSEL
SHAWNA KONIECZNY
CAMILLO GIANGRANDE
SUSAN KURODA
GRACE LIRIANO
JOSE RIOS
BRENDAN MANNA
ARIEL RISEMAN
HANNA MARCHESSEAULT
EMILY ROBERTS
GIAVANNA MARIANO
ISABELLA RODRIGUES
LILY MARSH
MILA ROLSTON
EMILY MCMANN
ALLIE ROTHFIELD
ABIGAIL MICHAUD
VICTORIA SCI
JONATHAN MILLER
LINDA SHEWOKIS
AARON MILLER
MAIA TIVONY
ZEN MIYASHIRO
JAIME TRONCOSO VEGA
REBECCA MOORE
DIANA TROPER
JONATHAN MOORE
XINYI TU
KELLY MORENO
CAROLYN VAIMOSO
MAX MURPHY
ANGELA VALENTINO
TRA NGUYEN
ALLISON VALTON
KASEY O’CONNELL
CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS
SOPHIA PAZ
ANNA WOJNAROWSKI
RACHEL PERKINS
HELINA YARED
2020 JEFFREY PRATT LAUREN QUAN KATHRYN REDEFER
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