A Moniker in Japan!: Oberlin Visit 2008!

Over my spring break, I visited Oberlin for three days (well, 2 and a half to be exact!) to be part of a panel discussion on library school for the Mellon Scholars Program. I was invited by my friend Kate's former boss at Mudd. The talk went well; it was pretty informal. They gave us mugs from the library and a free library t-shirt! I had a great time---I stayed with a family I used to babysit for, and I made time to see most of the people I hadn't seen in a while. I also saw the spring opera production of The Coronation of Poppea, ate at Black River Cafe and The Feve. Of course, my trip to Oberlin would not be complete without a really-coincidental-6-degrees-of-separation story to tell! So, here it goes:

[Preface: I'm standing in line for the bathroom at the upstairs bar at The Feve. The line is always long. It's hot and it's dark, and there are way too many people because it's Happy Hour.]

The girl in front of me turns and asks, "Which twin are you?" I roll my eyes at her and say, "...Monica". Of course, at this point I have no clue who she is and figure she is one of Alicia's friends. The girl stares at me for a bit and then half screams, "OMG! YOU KNOW ANDREA!!! (my Italian friend who I went to Kansai Gaidai with in Japan)". Then it clicked and we both had a moment----she's this girl Kiki who met Andrea in Italy when Kiki was doing a study abroad program there--Andrea always kept asking me last semester, "You go to Oberlin and you don't know Kiki? Oberlin is tiny! You're supposed to know EVERYONE!!". And the reason Kiki thought she already knew me? She went on an AIDS march in Washington D.C. with Alicia 4 years ago (at least? A, please confirm!). Also, the freaky part is that she was ONLY in Oberlin for the weekend, because she is transferring schools.....So, if I had not been standing in line that night at that exact time, I probably would have never met her. WEIRD!!!!!

And now, for some pictures: