By Erica Li ’29
It’s Friday! This semester, I have no classes on Fridays, which means I get to start the day slowly — one of my favorite little luxuries in college. I met my friend Aria for breakfast at Malott, Scripps College’s dining hall, and instead of rushing through a meal before class, we lingered, talked, and caught up. It was so nice to begin the day without worrying about rushing to classes. After breakfast, I headed to my shift at Oldenborg Center, where I work as a student assistant. I help set up the language tables before lunch (they run on a rotating schedule to accommodate many languages), and during my lunch shift I help the faculty and community members check in. It’s not just students, but members of our Claremont Consortium and even the wider Claremont community who frequent our campus. It’s one of my favorite jobs on campus — I love seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces in this international space.
Once my shift ended, I joined Aria and her friends for a Trader Joe’s run. It was actually my first time ever going to Trader Joe’s, so I was very excited. We stocked up on flowers, snacks, and green grapes in preparation for Valentine’s Day — our collective haul was very cute, if I may say so myself.
Because I love gift-giving, I decided to turn the afternoon into a full-on crafting session. With Aria and my roommate, I made Valentine’s goodie bags for our friends. We played music, laid out all the cute packaging, and talked while assembling gifts. I also threw my clothes into the laundry at the same time (because, yes, college kids unfortunately do their own laundry).
Later, I grabbed dinner with a few friends, and then we ended up in Mudd Lounge, where one of my friends had brought a gigantic Valentine’s coloring poster. Naturally, she invited everyone to hang out and color, and naturally, we all said yes. Coloring with the girls was exactly what I needed. Between the pistachio chocolates, music, and collective venting about our weeks and our relationships (or lack thereof), it was a great way to recover from, what for many of us, was a rough week.
I ended the day by calling my dad. As an international student, my parents are in a different time zone, which makes staying in touch a little tricky. To make sure we don’t drift apart, my dad and I have a designated weekly call time to catch up — a small routine that means a lot to both of us. Good night, and happy Valentine’s Eve. 🤍
