Ah, Lowe’s. The hardware store with the toad-shaped garden statues, where dads gather to gaze at power tools and compare barbecue grill prices. But my primary attraction here isn’t grass cutting appliances or electric drills—I’ve come for the paint samples. You know the ones. A glorious Valspar mosaic of colored cardstock covers the aisles, meant to help couples choose hues for their kitchen walls and argue over the merits of light beige versus pale khaki. But for me, the best parts of these rectangles of beauty are their names. I read them like poetry: “Gossamer Sky,” “Antique Coral,” “Soft Duckling.” Some are reminiscent of unfortunate soap opera monikers (“Champagne Tickle”) and others give no context whatsoever (“Standing Still,” which is brown, if you were wondering). But one that catches my eye is a soft, tawny caramel called “New Haven Clay.” Having not scrutinized the dirt while at Bulldog Days, I’m not sure what’s so special about the clay in New Haven that it deserves its own color chip. Maybe the city has a lucrative underground market for clay exports. Maybe the person who named the color was moved by the lovely shade of Connecticut soil. Maybe they were a Yalie. Whatever the reason, I add a sample to my increasingly thick stack of cardstock hues. My friends browsing with me (and probably some concerned Lowe’s employees) raise their eyebrows, lost as to why I need so many useless colored papers. I feel like a magpie cawing proudly at my collection of shiny coins. But my fondness for aptly-named pigments is a trait that contributes to who I am—just as clay, apparently, makes New Haven special. Why? I’ll let you know if I find out. If you see me digging around campus like a mole on a rampage, at least you’ll know why.
Canadian Slang, eh? DAVID SAUNDERS, GH ’23
New Haven Clay BAYLINA PU, GH ’23
I’m a bit worried about ripping down to the States, particularly because of the severe lack of Timmies and poutine. If that sentence was confusing, I get it. Canadian slang tends to confuse people; to be perfectly honest, sometimes it confuses us too. Many Yalies may have never even heard our strange lingo before. So on behalf of all my fellow Canadians descending upon New Haven this year, here’s a crash course in some of the odd Canadian phrases you may hear from us: • • • •
“The Six” - This means Toronto, but you’ve probably heard that one from Drake. “Click” - Meaning 1 kilometer (I’ll likely convert to this if given a distance in miles). “Toque” - A warm hat, normally wool. All you FOOT attendees will probably have one. “Rip” - Remember this one from my confusing first sentence? “Going for a rip” typically means going out for a drive.
I can’t deny that I’m nervous to leave the place that I call home. That’s why I’m bringing the smallest, strangest pieces of home with me. I assume I speak for all first years when I say this experience will be the broadest exposure to different cultures that I’ve ever had. Many of you are coming to Yale from places much farther than I and I’m sure you’ll bring pieces of your culture too. Perhaps you’ll pick up on Canadian slang. I certainly hope to pick up on yours.
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