Outside the Bubble

Oliners often refer to the Olin Bubble. That can mean the campus or the community, but either way, it's something that separates us from the rest of the world. This isn't unique to Olin; I've heard students from other colleges/universities refer to bubbles at their schools in the same way. There are cultural and community advantages to the bubble, but it's also important to get outside of the bubble occasionally. A place as small as Olin can't provide everything, and simply by virtue of being an engineering college, Olin can feel homogeneous.

There are lots of ways I get out of the bubble. Here are six:

1. Church. I've gone to a Methodist church about a mile and a half from Olin almost every Sunday since Labor Day, and I joined this past week. It's a really small, friendly community, which has been awesome. I've gotten to know a lot of the adults at church, which I appreciate because during the rest of the week, the only adults I interact with much are professors. There are also a couple of freshmen from Wellesley who come, so I get to be with other students in a non-academic context.

2. Babson baseball. Okay, so this isn't really off campus. The baseball field is technically on Babson's land, not Olin's, but it's closer to Olin than it is to the rest of Babson. Nevertheless, very few Oliners even think about going to Babson games. Most days I'm in the stands with the players' parents and a few Babson students. I love watching the games, and it's a way to be in a very non-Olin environment without having to leave campus.

3. Reading the News. This sounds silly, since it's not actually going anywhere at all. But the Olin Bubble can, if you're not careful, extend to awareness of the outside world. There are a lot of Oliners who do read the news online, but there are also a lot who don't. I like knowing what's going on, and I don't think it makes sense to be at Olin -- a school that puts so much emphasis on engineering in context -- and not be aware of what's happening outside.

(three more below the fold)


4. Boston Ballet. Student tickets are (relatively) cheap, and I have season tickets in rather good seats. The dancing is excellent, and Boston Ballet does really good pieces. This year I've seen a couple of mixed bills (my two favorites from those were Christopher Bruce's Rooster and Jiri Kylian's Symphony of Psalms) and then a full production of  Sleeping Beauty. I've seen a couple of ballet companies do Sleeping Beauty before, but neither was big enough to really do it justice, and Boston Ballet is. There's another mixed bill in a couple of weeks with some pieces I'm excited about, and then they're closing with my favorite ballet, Coppelia. And not only do I get to see ballet, but I get to go into Boston and spend some time near/in Boston Commons and Chinatown.

5. Fresco's. Why did no one ever tell me that there was a really good breakfast place in Needham? I first went to Fresco's when I had to go to the Needham post office early on a Saturday morning for passport renewal. To make up for having to get up early, walk into Needham, and deal with paperwork, I decided that I was going to have a better breakfast than what Olin serves on Saturday mornings. I really like Fresco's omelets, hot chocolate, and wheat toast. Yumm.

6. Brigitte. One of my closest friends goes to MIT, and I try to visit her a few times a semester. Sometimes this is prompted by other events like Math Prize or Mystery Hunt, but other times I just go to see her and hang out (and sometimes contra dance!). I'd like to visit her a little more than I do, but we're both busy.