nathan chow:

Dear Friends,

If you’ve known me since Fall 2005, then you’re already fully aware what this note is. At the end of every semester, I write a list of memories and tag all my best friends as a way to thank them for everything they’ve done for me, as well for all the good times we’ve been through.

I still remember and would never trade my memories from freshman year, but I really could honestly say that every semester has simply gotten better at BU. This semester I was able to manage a balance between going out with “old” friends (in every sense of the word) and getting to know the dozens of new people I always seem to meet.

You’re all equally amazing, and I’d just like to remind you that as much as I would have loved to, I really can’t fit and tag every person I’ve shared memories with this semester or who I was close with in the past but could not make the time to hang out with this semester.

There’s always next (and my last) semester. But for now, here is what I was blessed with in Fall 2008:

Memories (roughly in chronological order):

- Rooming with Teddy and Angus. Teddy’s typewriter and his “podcasting.” Angus and his friend David’s sexual jokes.

- Living on the 6th floor of Myles again. The floormates I’ve met so far: Teddy, Angus, Connie L., Kristin N., Brittany W., Meagan L., Nichole, Laura A., Jill O., Bridget, Ryan S., Justin, Ken C., Monika T., Celie H., Kerry, Gabrielle J., Bianey, Ljubica, Stephanie R., Stephanie Stachow, Victor M., “Cumstain”, Greg H., Rohan J., and of course our RAs Adanta and Johnny F.

- Kate L.’s 21st birthday with Carolyn G. and her other friends. First Sunset Cantina, then abandoning the underrage people to go bar-hopping at Joshua Tree, Our House, and Kell’s.

- Funny LateNite at Towers with Mike C., Titi, and Diego. Then drive-in movie with Mike C., Diego, Elissa, Cristina, and Maria M. Totally screwing around with people about my identity.

- Juggling Association memories
- Thank you to my co-leaders Andrew L., Michi B., and Victor C., and to our most committed members Tim K., Jan, and David B.
- Splash. Teaching people how to juggle in 10 minutes, then rewarding them with BU Juggling t-shirts.
- Juggling at the BU Beach; being visited by Northeastern’s Juggling club; soccer with Mike F. and Paul M.
- The photo of me juggling in the Daily Free Press article about the Fall Activities Expo.
- Having my juggling routine taped for the BU Today talent contest promo video.
- Brian C., one of our members, winning the BU Today talent contest with his diabolo routine! Congrats, Brian!

- Discussing the films and topics with Sandy S. at the end of our porn class every Friday.

- Discussing the films and our current film projects with Chang over lunch at the end of our Scandinavian Cinema classes.

- Party-hopping with Titi and Abdullah at 1066 and 1056 Comm Ave.

- Mafia with Mike C., Jamesy, Jennie, Gauri, Natasia, and Fernando R. (even though it was supposed to be in the dark during a power outage).

- Picnic at the Esplanade with Paul T., Brandon P., Harry K., Jan, Vanessa G., and others. The dog who dipped her tail in blue paint. Realizing Jan is a juggler when he pulled out dozens of beanbags.

- Playing truth or dare during the Myles power outage with Connie, Ken, Jimmy, Mazy, and random people.

- Instead of giving change to Melvin the Kenmore homeless guy, giving a smile, a conversation, and hope to him every day.

- Dan L.’s StuVi room for pasta-cooking with Stephanie C., Maria C., Betsy, Mike, and others. (Well, I suppose Maria did all the cooking and cleaning.)

- The Asian party with Connie, Iris, Esther, Kilo, and others at the Atrium for the Kendo club kickoff.

- The Salsa Cruise with Mike C. and Margaret. Meeting Liz T. and Sofia P.

- Serra’s 21st birthday party at the News Restaurant & Lounge with Stephanie Stachow, Brandon S., Sadaf, Kristen B., Melissa, Ece, Irem, and others. Talking to all the Turkish people about the Euro 2008 soccer tournament. Having to restrain ourselves from dancing because the restaurant didn’t have a dancing license?!

- My sister Jasmine’s visit to BU. Julie L. pretending to be her at our dinner with Kayla H., Marisa P., Erin M., Barrett, Jamesy, and others.
- Introducing her to Prunella (Sarah W.).
- Jasmine’s comments about how BU and Boston are so much friendlier than New York.

- The BU Pub with Maria C. and Jordan. Their attempt at the Quest.

- Carolyn G.’s 21st birthday party at Ned Devine’s in Quincy Marketplace with Charlotte, Loren, Rachael, Rob, and others. All the great live music.

- Chats with Terry the security guard on Sundays.

- Games Nights, first at the Honors House with Conrad and others for Jenga and the weird story game, then at the Spanish House for Cranium with Conrad, Mike C., Gretchen, Brian B., Kimrey, Lyle, and others. Lyle’s human puppeting for “lifeguard.” Going to get slurpees at 7/11 in 40 degree weather at 5 am.

- Watching my acting teacher David Gram’s production of “Bug” with Kelly G. That play was amazingly intense! As expected, great work, David!

- The Walk for Autism at Suffolk Downs (where Seabiscuit once ran) with Sarah W., Kayla H., Erin M., Amy S., Mariana B., Ileana, Abby B., Dana P., and Carl. The scarf team (I’m still so jealous of them).

- Brian B., Mike C., and Anastasia bumping into me at 7/11. Playing volleyball on Comm Ave at midnight with them.

- The “Power Grid” board game with Abdullah, Trang, Matt M., Owen, and others.

- Trying to get inappropriate dialogue on Overheard at BU with Becca M. (No matter how loud or explicit we were, we failed.)

- Francis P. and Hakim’s party with Jamesy, Andrew J., Desa, James E., and others. Being the Asian at a mostly Black party. Dancing. Meeting Vaughn W., Janella, Morgan S., Vanessa M., Sacha P., and Nina S. (Sacha, don’t open your presents early!)

- The Halloween party at the Spanish House (organized by Kimrey, Gretchen, and Katie C.) with Mike C., Jamesy, Elissa, Sima, Jackie A., Conrad, Brian B., Matthew P., Engin, Andrea Z., Anastasia, Casey, Bethany, Jennifer V., Cristina, Chandler, Navin, Stephanie M., and others. (I went by who was included in my album’s photos. Sorry if I forgot you!) Dressing up as Arthur and using Mike C.’s whip. Playing Mafia, Twister, truth or dare, and “never have I ever.”

- The Halloween Charity Ball run by Lauren S. and UNICEF. Dancing with Aziz Alawadhi and his friend. Meeting Veronica and Sara. All the UNICEF E-board members winning the raffle drawings.

- Halloween party-hopping with Sarah W., Kayla H., Marisa P., and Ileana. First to a rave party with Erin M., Andew R., and others. Then to David Lee’s party. Then to Mike C.’s friend’s place, where I coincidentally saw Brian B. and Myles 3rd floor annex residents.

- Pachanga with Elissa, Gretchen, Bethany, Conrad, Katie C., Cristina, Stephanie R., Jamesy, Abdullah, Stephanie Santana, Ankita, and others. The dance I owed to Jackie A. The train Jacqueline L. and I *tried* starting. Sandy O.’s dance moves.

- Visiting and distracting Marisa P. in the Women’s Resource Center.

- Celebrating Obama’s victory in Kenmore Square. Think of it as a civilized and political Red Sox riot.

- Meeting the twins Gabrielle and Jessica R. Late-night conversations with Gabrielle on Facebook Chat.

- Jasmine’s revisit to BU. Brazilian restaurant for dinner.
- Playing Poser with Jasmine, Jamesy, Connie, Kristin N., and Zhenia.
- Jasmine’s planting of eye stickers all around Myles. I’m sure you’ve seen them staring at you…
- Poser again with Jasmine, Jamesy, Giselle, Stef, Fernando O., Marisa P., Janella, and Allison S. All my answers about Stef and Fernando. Marisa as the Lawnmower. Giselle thinking time is sexy (and my pun comment about it). Trying to cheer up Allison =).

- COM Prom at the Boston Hyatt with Mike C., Elissa, Yue, Yue’s friends, Marianna B., Charlie, Ashlie, Stephanie Santana, Ankita, and Nishita. The super crowded T we rode back. My comments and games to make the whole squished ride more entertaining for everyone.

- Surprise birthday party for Francis P. at Hakim’s place. The candid photo I took of Francis..

- Noah’s 21st birthday party at Wonder Bar. Pretending to be Carolyn G.’s boyfriend for a night. Everyone dancing with champagne.

- Jammin Thursday’s Latino Fuego dance with Kristin W., her friends, Gretchen, Katie C., Stephanie R., Vaughn, Mariana B., and others.

- Origins dance show starring Erin M., Dana S., Sarah S., and Langston F. Finally seeing Dana dance!

- Kirby’s “Sinners and Saints” party with Langston F., Sweta V. (who I hadn’t seen in 3 years), and her friends Alex T. and Mariel. I dressed up as an angel out to protect the world from sinners.

- Abdullah (no, it really wasn’t my idea) waking up Brian B. from his nap. Our long conversation about signs of gayness lol.

- Watching the Ballet Variations show “Giselle” with Dana S. (And yes, that would be gay.)

- Thanksgiving at Aunt Connie’s house. Our cute but violent cousins Trevor and Tyler. Scattergories with my sister, cousins, and cousins’ current boy/girlfriends Tansal and Mandy.

- Pig and whale jokes with Laura Anne and Allison S.!

- Board games with Brian B. and Weronika.

- The Holiday Party at the Spanish House. Our white elephant gift exchange. I got a big penis water bottle, along with boob and butt lollipops. Dance party. Never Have I Ever. Truth or dare.

- Jon Jonsson’s concert for Darfur in BU Central. Seeing Jin, Petur, and other soccer players there. You’re so talented, Jon. Keep inviting us to your concerts!

- Watching “Lizzie Stranton” the modern-day Lysistrata with Kelly G. and seeing Kirby star in it.

— Nom nom nom yumminess: —

- Asian restaurants with Connie and Iris: China Pearl for dim sum, Le’s for Vietnamese, and Nud Pob for Thai.

- The Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant Asmara with Titi, Giselle, Paul T., Jan, and Matt R. Bumping into a gazillion people we knew.

- Brazilian restaurant Muqueca (or Muquec-shark) with Jasmine, Giselle, Paul T., Matt R., and Trevor P.

- Matt R.’s homemade pasta and appetizers with Giselle, Titi, and Abdullah.

- The Turkish restaurant Brookline Family Restaurant with Mike C., Katie K., and Kimrey. My request for the waitress to belly dance for us.

- Nud Pob with Yue, Giselle, and Chang when it was supposed to be Shanghai Gate!

- Baking cookies at the Spanish House with Brian B., Conrad, Katie C., Elissa, Abdullah, Sima, and others. Being trapped in Jackie A.’s creepy basement with Mike C.

- The $80 vanilla and coffee cakes my cousins bought from the Upper West Side for our Thanksgiving party.

- The Multicultural Dessert night with Vaughn, Janella, Giselle, Conrad, and Rossella.

- Late dinners with Stef, Fernando O., Magie, Francis R., and Wei

- Random lunches or dinners with Alex O., Alex G., Matt M., Francisco S., Josh M., Mohamed T., Laura Anne, Allison S., Anthia, or Maria P.

— Famous people I met: —

- Dan Rather at his special lecture about the presidential election.

- Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate for Literature/Poetry, at his reading.

- Daryl Davis, a Black musician who befriended KKK members by using music, conversation, and a willingness to listen. He even inspired dozens of them to quit the group.

— Special thanks: —

- Erika Lam and the rest of the Chinese Students Association E-board for organizing all the Chinese culture events

- Francesca, Sandy O., and the rest of the Alianza Latina E-board for organizing all the Latino dance events and parties

- Evelyn, Seth, and Freddy for running a smooth Day/Overnite program at the Office of Admissions

- Sid, Lauren S., Bruna for all their BU events promoting love, kindness, and understanding

- Adanta and Johnny F. for being cool RAs (even though they never know the answers to my super odd questions)

- My students at The English High School for teaching *me* more than I could ever imagine teaching *them*

- Mr. Rozas at EHS for being a great role model of a teacher

- My 5 friends who volunteered to be guinea pigs in my social psych experiment. You know who you are.

- The prospective students I hosted or met this semester: Clara W., Brooke L., Lauren W., Cornell J. Good luck with the college admissions process! I hope you get into and are happy at your first choice!

— My courses this semester: —

COM FT553 C1 The Profane with Prof. Bernstein

- Watching pornographic and sexual films for their academic merits in women’s studies, gender theory, feminist theory, and sex studies.

- The only class in my life where “2 Girls, 1 Cup” was discussed by the teacher.

- Highly recommended.

COM FT553 E1 New Scandinavian Cinema with Prof. Bernstein

- Learning about films made with my favorite production style (raw, realistic documentary-like fiction).

CAS HI307 A1 History of War with Prof. Nolan

- All the sex jokes at our erotic History of War study group with Javi, Seth, Amy M., and others.

CAS PS326 A1 Experimental Social Psychology with Prof. Costos

- Acting in our funny role-playing skit with Tedi, Matt, Ellen, and Ryan.

- Giving gum to Claire almost every day lol.

- Writing our frickin 42-page research paper about the correlation between ethnic identity and self-esteem with Lisa D. Working on the paper from Tuesday 8 pm to Wednesday 3 pm in Cummington with just two short breaks. Hitting “Print”!!!

- Recommended as the required experimental psych course.

SED ED211 A1 Emerging Technologies in Education with Amy

- My teacher and classmates loving my blog for current college freshmen: http://howtospellcollege.com

SED ED250 A1 Community Service in an Urban Setting with Prof. Shane

- Volunteering in Mr. Rozas’ media classes at The English High School (an underprivileged inner-city school with the distinction of being America’s first public high school).

- All the ways the school reminded me of mine.

- All the awesome students I had!! (Anis and his inspirational college essays about life in Somalia. “Lil” Kev and his matching shirt colors with me. Gerardo and his independent projects. Giselle S. and her talented writing. Philip and his discount card. Natalie and the funny horoscopes she wrote for the school paper. All the students who took a BU writing course.)

— Superlatives: —

Favorite alumni still in touch with the BU community: Brandon P. and Jan

Favorite place to relax: the Borders bookstore on Boylston

Favorite place to hang out: the Spanish House

Hosted the best parties/events:
- Hakim and Francis P.
- Katie C., Gretchen, Kimrey, Sima
- Kirby
- Alianza Latina

Favorite people to bump into (even though we don’t hang out–even though that must change!): Shira, Patrick U., Samuel A.

Funniest moment: My conversation with Jamesy about the sexual undertones in “Walden” as Teddy and Hoon were cracking up.

Funniest quote:
Ambar’s quote about women riding mechanical bulls

Favorite things said to me:

- From Sacha P. in October (wall post):
So on a scale from one to ten, how drunk were you that night?? You were HILARIOUS. lol
(The answer is zero, by the way. I responded and told Sacha that I don’t need alcohol to be fun or crazy.)

- From Carolyn G. in November (in person):
Oh my God, will you stop talking to every other person on the street? We’re late already!

- From Vaughn W. in December (in person):
Nathan Chow, what’s BU gonna do without you next year?

- From Laura Anne in October (wall post):
Why do your facebook msgs always make me smile? Reading it seriously brightened a really shitty day I’ve been having… :)

— My goals for next semester: —

- Figure out what I want to do in my two or three years between graduation and grad school. Yeah, that would be a good idea.

- Deliver the undergraduate commencement speech at either the COM graduation or the all-university graduation, or at least publish a “goodbye to BU” letter in the Daily Free Press.

- Win one of the top three prizes for the Fleder-Rosenberg Screenplay Contest at the 2009 Redstone Film Festival.

- Keep in touch with Mr. Rozas and my students at The English High School.

- Learn to salsa dance even better. (Anyone wanna practice with me? Preferably in Myles?)

- Be a regular but unofficial visitor to Professor Costos’ Psych of Women class.. on top of the 20 credits I’m taking again.

- Write, produce, direct, and act in three of my own short films.

- Write more entries in my personal blog, my blog for college freshmen, and my blog about inspiration and life improvement.

- Get my roommates Teddy and Angus to be on Facebook.

- See Trang grow up.

- Get Brian B. to dance to one song in public. (Who’s with me on this one?)

— Closing Statements —

I’m looking forward to Spring 2009, my very last semester at BU. But I’m also always looking backward at everything I’ve had the good fortune to experience with those close to me.

One more semester to go…

For those of you who will be here in the spring, I don’t have a bit of doubt that my last semester with you will be as memorable and precious as those in the past.

And for those of you who will be studying abroad (and sadly there are many), other than your return in May, this is pretty much goodbye and farewell. I remember every important person in my life, and you’re no exception. While you’re having the time of your life in another country and then back at home, shoot me a line and I’ll always be glad to keep in touch with you to see how you’re doing.

You can find updates on me and my life at my personal site: http://nathansc.com.

For everyone:
Have a happy, relaxing, and joyous holiday season and a prosperous new year. Be warm. Be safe. And be grateful.

Love Always,
Nathan

P.S. I wanted to write this little bit as a separate note, but since I’ve tagged so many of you in these memories already, here’s the last thing I want to say:

It sounds really cheesy, but don’t wait until the last minute to say goodbye to your friends for college winter break. And especially don’t tell them, “Oh, you’re leaving in a few days? We’ll definitely see each other again..” It just doesn’t work that way–not for winter break goodbyes, not for real life. You might as well say goodbye two or three times than not at all.