Is it significant that the acronym could conceivably be BAA?

For Bryn Mawr Addicts Anonymous, of course. Or BMAA works too, I suppose. In fact, if you say it out loud, it almost sounds like you’re saying ‘Bryn Mawr’ – you know, if you had a stutter and some convoluted version of a Boston blue-blood accent…

I should maybe abandon that while I’m ahead…

I feel it is time I stand up and come clean. I am obsessed with Bryn Mawr.

Now, I’ve always loved Bryn Mawr. As most of you know by now, I transferred here for my sophomore year and I still think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Keeping all this in mind, I need to point out that this obsession is a relatively new phenomenon – one that has cropped up this semester.

You see, I studied abroad last semester. I was in Italy and, generally speaking, it was an absolutely amazing experience except for a bit of a medical mishap toward the end that resulted in a lot of pain, frustration, and me leaving nearly two weeks early.

I spent Winter break healing and doing make-up work and watching waaaay too much bad TV (there are like four different horrific bridal/wedding shows on TV at any given moment and for some reason I started watching ALL of them, but my bizarre attraction to terrible television requires its own post) and eagerly anticipating my return to the Mawr. And so it began…

It started out small. I was excited to be back on campus and see all my friends. It was nice going back to work in Carpenter and even attending classes. In a weird way, eating at the dining hall was kind of nice (yea, that part has kind of worn off).

Then I decided to “get involved.” I decided that I needed to be more involved in life on campus. I joined clubs and committed to doing things. I started paying attention to activities emails. I volunteered to work Plenary (bad life choice, but I think I missed the boat [ba-dum-pssh] on the plenary rant). I applied to be an HA. Did I mention I started paying attention to activities emails? I mean, really. That should have been red flag number 1.

Red flag number 2: I found myself spending more and more time randomly browsing the Bryn Mawr College Bookshop. Somehow, and for some inexplicable reason, in my summer and semester absence from Bryn Mawr some part of my brain decided that everything I own should say ‘Bryn Mawr College’ on it somewhere. Everything.

I’m still struggling with this one. Every time I have to venture into the bookshop I have to remind myself that I don’t actually need a pen with the BMC crest on it. Similarly, I don’t think anyone in my family would really appreciate a BMC license plate cover. And as cute as those baby clothes in the corner are, I don’t know anyone with babies. Yet I want to buy all of these things. “But it says ‘Bryn Mawr’ on it!” squeals the BMC-obsessed part of me as the other, thankfully slightly more rational, parts of me struggle out the door.

Basically, I blame study abroad. As great of an experience as I had, it really made me miss Bryn Mawr in some respects and I was/am really happy to be back. Yes, sometimes I miss Italy (and who knows, maybe I’ll return to Florence and suddenly feel an urge to buy all the Firenze merchandise I can find), and now that we’re comfortably settled into the semester it feels like all I do is bitch and moan about how much work I have to do (but that is very Bryn Mawr, after all), but Bryn Mawr feels right. And I now have a new obnoxious yellow bag, ID holder, water bottle, decorative flag, and travel mug, all emblazoned with ‘Bryn Mawr College’ to show for it.

Baby steps people. Baby steps.

At least I’ve admitted I have a problem…

And now I leave you with a piece of wisdom from my mini-fridge:

I want my blue sky giggle

(‘BMC themed magnetic poetry! That would be awesome!’ squeals my crazy Bryn Mawr-obsessed mind.)