User:Honoraryhugalujah
Contents
About Me
Hi! I'm a flying squirrel. I often go on random RealCTY editing sprees. I have a tendency to talk a lot, probably too much.
I really, really like music. Except I'm bad at it. I also really, really like raving, but I'm incredibly bad at it. If you stand near me you will get whacked with a glow stick. I'm warning you.
Unlike most CTYers, my nomore year is when I'm 12, right before I go into my freshman year (yay high school). I still get four years though (2 years Baby, 2 years regular).
I vaguely followed the format of Luke's userpage here.
I like you, I love you, I CTY you.
LOS 15.1
Course: Examining the Evidence
Instructor: Elicia
TA: Mark
Hallmates: June, Leah, Alexandra, Mio, Miranda, Chia-Hua, Elise, Thuivi, Natalie, and one more whose name I forget. She was Korean and from Los Angeles.
RA: Emily
Residence Hall: Huesman
Firsts:
- First CTY
- First experience with a university dining hall. I discovered soda machines and may or may not have become kinda sorta addicted to Powerade for a short while.
My squirrel year absolutely sucked. 'Nuff said.
PAL 16.1
Course: The Renaissance
Instructor: Kurt
TA: Zach
Hallmates: Makayla, Carrie, Grace, Jennifer, Anne, Lila, Chloe, Natalie, Sunny, and Stephanie. Stephanie never showed up.
RA: Dara
Residence Hall: Roble
I could go on and on about how awesome my instructor and TA were this year, but I won't. They a) made a huge effort to get us engaged and have fun with the course and b) didn't talk down to us like my instructor and TA last year. They were fantastic. End of story.
For some reason, the admins at this site really liked to go around campus riding a golf cart.
Notable quotes:
- "GIVE ME THE STARBUCKS"
- "In the unlikely event that I am decapitated and Zach is rendered unconscious, bring his unresponsive body THERE and await further. Adult. Assistance"
- "Who wants to hold the Renaissance flag?" *RENS class swarms flag, shouting excitedly*
- (on a heavily bleeding and knee, where the person whose knee is bleeding is nowhere near crying) "You're a warrior" "Actually, I think it's just that I've hit that place so many times that the nerves didn't even bother to regrow"
- "The HAWWWWWT POTATOES!"
- "You dimple!"
SUN 17.2
Course: Principles of Engineering Design
Instructor: David
TA: Melissa
Official Hallmates: Aileen, Chris, Brianda, Georgette, Mariana, May, Selina, Wendy, Stephanie, Nina, Karen, and Alina
Unofficial Hallmates / The Hugalujahs: Sophie, Elise, Katherine, Judy, and maybe Alma, Julieta, and Dani
Official RA: Genesis
Unofficial RA: Sofi
Residence Hall: Campion, floor 5
Firsts:
- First Non-Baby CTY
- First performance in Talent Show
- First ISO
- First time braving the mosh pit in American Pie. This was at the last dance.
My instructor was feared by many. This was far from unreasonable. He looked threatening, sounded threatening, and acted threatening. For some reason, we all managed to overlook this and we (mostly) thought he was awesome.
My unofficial hall and RA were amazing and wonderful and I love them all. Case closed.
Notable quotes:
- "The wall makes electricity!"
- "Holy CRAP there are HOLES in this Frisbee!"
- "Don't throw the Frisbee into the holy pool of water!"
- "His smile is shaped like a triangle! Isn't it so cute?"
- "If you don't stop, I'll get that hammer at the back of the room and smash all your fingers with it"
- "My TA almost fainted from the smell of the dead chicken bits in our classroom"
- "THE SCALPEL IS NOT A FRISBEE"
- "Who forgot to turn off the hot glue guns?" (everyone tries to not inhale the smell of burnt paper)
- "Are YOU in a GOOD MOOD?"
- "BRING ON THE ROASTED POTATOES!"
- "Where's Sofi?" (repeated many, many times)
- "OXYTOCIN!!!" *gives nearest person a hug* (yes we were weird I know)
- "Isaac! Step away from the vending machine!"
JHU 18.2
Course: Astrophysics
Instructor: Rutu
TA: Jason
Hallmates: Silvia, Betty, Isabella, Shuhan, and Irina
RA: Indie until Tuesday night and Sarah for the rest of the session
Residence Hall: AMR 1 Royce
Firsts:
- First experience with raving (THANKS AMELIA AND PENNY!)
- First time hearing CTY canon other than American Pie
- First Passionfruit
- I guess I should just say "First experience with so much amazing CTY tradition"
- First time in such an impossibly humid climate
This was my nomore year. Some people find it surprising that this is the most tradition-heavy site I've been to, but I never experienced Lancaster, Carlisle, or Saratoga, and this is so far my favorite site and I'm glad I spent my last session here.
Amelia is the most wonderful and amazing and inclusive and hardworking and (insert compliment / nice adjective here because I can't think of one good enough) person I have ever met at CTY. I like her, I love her, I CTY her.
Notable quotes:
- "Kids, don't do duels. Even if it's for math"
- "Neutron stars! Stop hitting things!"
- "Cows are spherical"
- "There is no friction"
- "You are a coat rack"
- "Toothpicks are my most prized possession"
- "Oo, you're living in the middle of a... sun flip! Or whatever it's called"
- (after talking at great length about why to not look at the sun) "So today, let's look at the sun!"
- "THE UNIVERSE IS ALWAYS CORRECT!"
- "There are different kinds of neutrinos, called flavors..." "Lemon neutrinos!" "Strawberry neutrinos!"
- "Neutron stars!" "Black holes!" "Are dying!"
- "GUARDIANS ASSEMBLE!"
- "It's my life's ambition to jump into a black hole"
- "I only know four languages"
- "QWAHTERS!" (means "quarters")
- "Squirrels are indestructible"
- "My brain is crying"
- "Yay spectra? Yay spectra? Yaaayy?"
- "...we get slug foot over seconds squared..." (units of measurement, guys, don't ask)
- "They use something called a furlong over a fortnight" *class explodes* *screams of "FORTNITE!" are heard* "Yes, yes, it's funny, but do you know what it actually is?" *dead silence*
- "...then you'd just float into the sun. And that's kind of bad for your health, you know?"
- "WHY ARE YOU SUFFOCATING AN EGG???"
- "Nooo you can’t swing your lanyards!!! MY KIDNEY!! MY SPLEEEEEN!!!"
- "It's just Romanian"
- "When you kill my carrot, you kill me"
- "That, my friend, is a blobby thing"
- "Oo, nice blob!"
- "I found a pixelated blob"
- "I sell adopted children! ... No, I bake them"
- "I'm a cotton candy smuggler. Don't tell anyone"
- "Give me back my baby! ... I only left him on the streets for three days!"
- "The clouds are dangerous!"
- "Yeah, and she's in a park? ... The curly-haired girl I need to kill? ... Hey, are you the person I need to kill?" (*other person gets up and leaves hurriedly*) "Oh, was that a personal question?"
- (after bounding in like an overgrown frog) "A NEW FORTNITE VIDEO CAME OUT!" (*other person gets up and leaves hurriedly again, this time shaking head and making weird facial expression*)
- "Death by meme fonts!"
- "Daily hugs!" (we need more of this)
- "So Rutu's not going to make it" "Yaaaayy...? Nooooooo..."
- "The pole is the center of the universe! Do not distract me from this fact!"
- "You are a neutrino"
- "You're socializing!" "I'm stalking people [around the cafeteria]" "Well... it's a start"
- "I COME DOWN FROM THE SKY AND KILL YOU"
- "Glow slower!"
- "Someone has SABOTAGED you! ... You fly off the roller coaster on a celery-fueled flight! ... You die"
- "Drink all your death juice!"
- "You're a popular human. We've been waiting"
Passionfruit Speech
Note: I was dead tired and because of that it's short and badly written.
I’m writing this on my bed during the last week and I’m thinking about CTY.
I’m thinking about how even though my first year sucked I still came back for another three years.
I’m thinking about how even though this is the first year I’ve ever been accepted by my official hall, I always came back for the sense of community I get here.
I’m thinking about how this is the only place I can fully show my emotions. I’m thinking about how I go through hell after each session only to come back to CTY again and again knowing exactly what will happen when I leave. This is my nomore year and people say I could come back and suggest ways I could pay for it but I know I’ll never be able to return. I wish I could.
When I leave this time, I won’t be able to come back as a CTYer. Next year, I won’t hear canon, which I just learned this year, at dances, or when we’re lying on the floor in AMR 1 and then having an impromptu dance in the lobby. I won’t see my roommate from last year in Seattle who showed up here on the opposite side of the country this year, and I won’t see Amelia raving at social time and dances, and I’ll miss all of that so much.
I’ve never really considered CTY a place. It’s always been people. I’ve met so many amazing people during my time at CTY, especially this session, who talked to me or hugged me or were genuinely concerned for me last night and I’ll miss them more than I should seeing as I barely know most of them.
[insert thank-yous here that I already forgot]
CTY is friends and happiness and laughter and the weirdness of it all and tradition and love. And it’s another home, one I will always miss.
I like you, I love you, I CTY you. I love CTY and I love the Passionfruit.
CTY
Most people talk about CTY being a community where they finally feel like they belong. I didn't find that until my fourth and last year, but nevertheless I came back again and again, talked about it endlessly at school, and still sometimes wear my lanyard in public even though it's commonly perceived as weird.
I don't know why exactly CTY is so special to me, but I guess it's the people. As I mentioned in my Passionfruit speech, CTY has never really been a place for me. Part of this is because I'm a flying squirrel, so every one of my CTY summers was in a different place, but starting from my third year I started making incredible friends. One of them I still frequently contact today. In fact, the friends I made at the Seattle site were so incredible that they were the sole reason why I came back for a fourth year.
My fourth and last year was mostly the best because of two things: The community and tradition. The community here was so much more accepting than the ones at the other sites I'd gone to, and while I only made one new friend, everyone at the site was generally very friendly and willing to include me.
All of my 8th grade year, I devoured RealCTY, reading as much of it as I possibly could without getting caught by teachers or my parents. The day I left for CTY, I was really excited to actually experience all the traditions I'd been reading about all year. And I did. I learned Tunak Tunak Tun, I was part of the conga line for Istanbul, and I learned to rave.
When I came back from 18.2, I was often told that no one knew what I was talking about because I kept spouting CTY-related jargon no one understood. This combined with the fact that I can't explain things to save my life didn't help the situation. So while I no longer talk about CTY as much as I used to, it still means a lot to me and it will always be a part of me.
Stuff I Can Hang Around My Neck
Specifically, CTY-related stuff I can hang around my neck that doesn't look too stupid.
Lanyards
My TA, being the awesome person he is, managed to get me 91 lanyards from the main office, if that explains anything.
2010 lanyards: 3
2012 lanyards: 35. Used to be 36, but I gave one to Amelia.
2013 lanyards: 1. Used to be two, but I also gave one to Amelia as a completely inadequate gift for being so awesome, and she needed one anyway.
2015 lanyards: 34
2016 lanyards: 1
2017 lanyards: 1
2018 lanyards: 17
Black staff lanyards: 1
Total: 93
Glowsticks
(From the legendary Amelia Orwant)
Blue: 2
Yellow: 2
Green: 1 (this one was randomly given to me by someone who I believe was one of her friends - Isa, maybe? I'm not sure, it was dark and I was crying)
Total: 5
Tunak Tunak Tun
Also known as the first canon I learned the dance to, courtesy of Amelia and Lynne. Because of this, it's one of the most important canon songs to me (though Iris is still my favorite).
I attempted to teach the dance to various family members twice after 18.2 ended. The second time was with my entire family watching, with one of them off to the side, recording. Notable things that were said (note that all I did was giggle so much that I messed up twice):
- (giggling) "This is the dumbest thing I've ever done"
- "That's sad"
- "You have to do this with your hand" "Whaaaat??"
- "It's over! It's over!" "No, it goes on for five minutes!" ... "I can't do it for five minutes!"
- "You have to hop! Hop! Like this!" *camera starts jiggling*
- "That was an explosive ending. You almost took out the robot!" (someone lost their balance and crashed into said robot, which was made by my brother using a Meccano kit and is about four feet tall)
There was a lot of squealing throughout the entire thing, and by the end of the video the giggling was so loud that you could barely hear the song. Two people collapsed due to said giggling, including me.