On and Off Campus Blog: From strangers to squadmates
By Benjamin Wee ’30
Belonging is hard. Especially when you’re someone new.
Hefting up my duffel bag, ready for Bivouac (“Biv”), I didn’t know anyone and wondered if I was going to enjoy the experience and make friends. It was confusing to just be put into a group of eight people and told to become a family. My squad had three new students and five returning BB&N students. All of the returning students already knew each other, while I was still learning everyone’s names.
Reminiscing about Biv, I can see how impactful it was for me. During Biv, squads turn into second families, and people get really close to their squad-mates. My squad (Squad 17) grew closer because we had to be independent, make our own meals, and split up the work evenly. We were all 100%-ers for the morning swims, which brought us even closer. We would share the soap and do squad dunks, dunking our heads in the water at the same time. The lake was super refreshing, and those swims were our whole squad’s highlight of the day. My squad-mates and I would talk about everything from Cane’s or Chipotle to artists like Daniel Caesar or Mac DeMarco. We did so much together, from planting a tree we called the Charlie Brown Tree to attaching sticks to strings. I loved my squad and couldn’t have asked for a better one.
Making our own A-frames and tables brought us even closer. While making a fireplace, we managed to pull an enormous rock out of the dirt with everyone from our squad helping. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about who was new and who had been at BB&N for years. Another memory I loved was singing after dinner and listening to my squad-mate play the guitar he had brought. We would also play frisbee while he played. There were so many stories to tell–I wished I had brought a camera to capture the memories I made with my squad.
After getting close to my squad, I enjoyed doing activities in different groups, which helped me get to know everyone better. I especially liked Biv Day. Our group felt really connected after completing all of our tasks. By staying positive and working together, we won second place. I still remember us celebrating, all of us smiling. I remember my friend picking me up, me falling, and both of us laughing afterwards. It was hard to believe that just a few days earlier, I hadn’t known him at all. Biv was such an effective way to help new and returning students get close to each other.
In such a short time, I’ve become part of a new community. I’m friends with a ton of new people. I’ve never felt so close to my schoolmates, and I’m trying new things. Before, I couldn’t have told you how a group of people I’d just met could become a family, but after Biv and my first few weeks at BB&N, I’m starting to understand.
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