For all the hurt inner children that never got to enjoy the carnival or school festivals because they were too busy studying and participating in academic competitions to go to Yale, this day is for you. On the last day of classes of the academic year, Timothy Dwight College (TD) hosts TD Day: a spectacular all-day event filled with bounce, face paint, and BBQ.
Every year, TD releases a limited edition t-shirt designed by a current student to commemorate the end of a year. To us, final exams aren’t the markers of summer. TD Day is. My day started off with a surprise alarm of “Party in the USA” streaming in the courtyard speakers and the whirring of air pumps as colorful plastic covered the lawn outside my window. I picked up the signature t-shirt and rushed to the face painting line to get my glam on.
Grabbing the swag
All glammed up
Cookout shenanigans
As the patties and sausages hit the grill, I ran off to the mechanical bull to practice my core strength. It didn’t go very well and I fell off after 30 seconds, but it was worth a shot. Then, I raced my friends through the obstacle courses, leaving many friction burns and plastic scratches. Bouncy structures may seem friendly and soft, but they really take a toll.
Harder than you think!
Caught defeated by me!
I needed a snack and went to use my lunch swipe over at the cookout, enjoying the classic fare of burgers and hotdogs paired with watermelon slices. It was very refreshing.
More and more friends came out as the day went on, and hanging out with them in this kind of new environment was a nice change of pace as everyone spread out on the grassy parts and took it slow, undisturbed by the crazy calendar schedules of normal life.
The sun warmed up the air and I got shaved ice from a truck parked outside TD. I remembered bouncy castles and artificial syrups to be more fun as a kid, but the nostalgia was nice. It was a good wrap to my last day of college and a reminder that it’s not only kids who can have fun.
Yummy end to a day
