Saying “this is so cringe” while smiling the whole time.
SAYING “THIS IS SO CRINGE” WHILE SMILING THE WHOLE TIME.
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Remember that first week? The whirlwind of orientation, a blur of new faces, forced smiles, and an underlying hum of terrified excitement. We all arrived, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, clutching our carefully curated dorm decor, ready to conquer the intellectual Everest. Then came the traditions. Oh, the traditions. The synchronized chants we barely knew, the awkwardly earnest icebreakers, the "mandatory fun" scavenger hunts that felt less like exploration and more like elaborate obedience tests. You’d stand there, perhaps in a circle of strangers, participating in some bizarre, ancient ritual, a slight grimace fighting with the genuine joy of being here.
Perhaps it was the midnight scream before finals, an almost primal release that felt utterly ridiculous yet undeniably cathartic. Or maybe the strange, slightly embarrassing, annual performance put on by a secret society you swore you’d never join but secretly admired. We’d exchange knowing glances with our newfound friends, a silent agreement passing between us: "This is so cringe," we’d mouth, while a quiet, undeniable warmth spread through us. Because beneath the awkwardness, something magical was happening. These were the foundations of our shared identity, the weird rites of passage that bonded us, turning strangers into family. We learned to embrace the ridiculous, to find the humor in the absurd, and in doing so, we found our place.
These moments, initially met with an eye-roll, became the stories we’d recount years later, usually followed by hearty laughter. They were the threads weaving us into the rich tapestry of our institutions, the quirky quirks that made our journeys uniquely ours. What were your "cringe but smile" traditions?