On Friday June 7th, Robert took half a day off from work and we drove out to Wellesley for my first (five-year) Wellesley Reunion. It was the first time I'd been on campus since the day after Commencement in 1997, when everyone participated in the mad rush to pack up and move out of the dorms by noon. The familiar drive down Route 9 from Boston was therefore slightly less familiar than it's been in the past, and the campus itself had changed somewhat in the last five years, as well. As a class of '97-er, I was a "green" class, so I attempted to wear green for the day to get into the spirit of the event. I say "attempted," because while dressing for the day's odd weather (pouring morning, cloudy afternoon, freezing, freezing temperatures for June--46 that evening) I forgot to wear green clothes. I did, though, remember to wear green contact lenses for the day, and these drew quite a few comments.

Right: Asma and Robert (honorary class of '97) in the Science Center.

Below left: Float Night on Lake Waban.

We met up with Asma Hasan at Reunion, and hung out with her through a campus tour, including the Knapp in Clapp center with a great Mac selection--new since we graduated; the new bookstore location in the library basement (where Asma autographed copies of her book); and the '97 class social hour in a new dorm. We chatted mostly with Asma and with Liz Galewski, and then the four of us had a table to ourselves for dinner under the big tent on Severance Green. Dinner included school songs, which were mostly ignored, and numerous trades of wine and pastries from table to table. After Liz left to meet some former track team friends, Asma and I went around asking various teenage girls who were present whether they wanted to go to Wellesley and whether going to these Reunions with their mothers had made them more or less likely to want to go here. Their overwhelming response was pro-Wellesley, which was heartening. Next, we joined some younger children of alums in sliding down the dewy, slick Severance Green in garbage bags, and then wandered over to the lake to watch a re-enactment of Float Night, with fireworks at the end. After fireworks we shivered out way back to the car and drove back to Boston, where we had ice cream and lobster rolls at a pub in Coolidge Corner and talked until after midnight.

On Monday we saw Asma again, this time with Lara Kipperman, who flew in from San Francisco the day before and was staying with Lynn Marsella. The last time I'd seen Lara was at Asma's sister's wedding in 2000, so it was good to all be together again. The four of us drove out to Groton (Massachusetts, not Connecticut) to see Asma's old boarding school, and then to eat at the Groton House of Pizza, which Asma remembers fondly. After pizza, we drove over to Kimball's nearby for ice cream, goat-watching, and a rousing game of mini golf on an unusually exciting course. We headed back to Boston, then, and ended up in Chinatown eating sushi at 11pm with our friend George.

Right: Asma and Lara after pizza.

Below left: Lara, Christina, and Asma at mini golf.

On Tuesday, Asma and Lara hung out during the afternoon, going shopping together, and then came over to our place for a barbeque and boardgames night. With the non-Wellesley George, Yidda, Howard, and Ghaz, we played Settlers of Catan, Risk, and Clue. Randomly enough, Asma solved the mystery in Clue on the first turn! Everyone ate lots and we three, at least, laughed lots. When we were finally ready to say goodnight and goodbye, it was 2:30 in the morning and the end of a great mini-reunion.