It’s reunion weekend here at Middlebury College, my alma mater, so I decided to come!
© 2022, Melanie Curtis, All Rights Reserved
Now, I’m sitting here in the Center for the Arts, where I spent a fairly significant amount time while I was here as a student. I took quite a bit of modern dance believe it or not, and was an Economics major.. I played rugby on the fields just outside, and worked one of my multiple student jobs here in the box office. I was also in an acappela singing group called the Mamajamas… one of my absolute most favorite things about my time at Middlebury. The concert where I first sang my solo was here too. About 20 feet from where I sit. Freakin’ awesome memories.
At this point in my writing, I took a break to enjoy the rest of my day doing whatever, and dropped a quick note to my old friend and Mamajama mama, Amari Harrison, to see if she were still around. See, this weekend was also the Mamajamas 20-year reunion. For whatever reason, I thought I recalled it being something happening on Thursday, so come Saturday, I simply thought I had missed it. Either way, I emailed Amari, and pretty much straight away, she wrote me back and said, “We’re singing in Mead right now! Hurry!”
I literally whacked my computer closed, jumped in the Sube, and ran the rest of the way in the pouring rain up to Mead Chapel only to be welcomed into the open arms of 30+ Mamajamas. Pretty much the most wonderful, unexpected, and #epic turn of events I could have ever hoped for.
As soon as I got there, I got 1 million hugs and happy faces, all joyful to see me, meet me, and welcome me home. I was literally left speechless with my mouth hanging open, just happy to be in the presence of these beautiful people. The group circled up, let me pick the song, and we sang one of my most favorites as our last prep for the concert we were singing later that night. Yes, concert.
On top of ya know, finding out everyone was there and we were singing a concert that night… I also learned that a super ridiculous (see: totally f*cking hilarious) inside joke that my friend Meghan and I started back when we were in the Mamajamas in 1999-2000 has become a mega-tradition within the group…. a phrase that the group now cheers at the start and finish of every rehearsal… signs off every email… and wears proudly on hats, t-shirts, etc. Basically, the hilarity of yesterday has become the long-standing tradition of today, so when I rocked up as one of the people who coined this phrase, it honestly felt like I was a mystical character from old folklore coming to life in the present. hahahahaa 😀 So fun.
It makes me feel so so happy that I was a part of ANY hilarity happening in the world.. but to know that this piece of ridiculousness has grown roots and is now a tradition that will make people crack up for years to come within a spirited group that is one of my most cherished personal memories… yeah, that’s just no-words type stuff. Just don’t know what to even say it feels so good. 🙂
The phrase………… Love the bangin’. Hahahaha now, before you mentally paint me an *ahem* colorful past… the story essentially goes like this: Meghan’s boyfriend at the time came home to his roommate in the other room having very loud sex… after the girl left, he asked, “Whoa man, what was goin’ on in there??” To which the roommate replied, “Dude… I just love the bangin’.”
After rehearsal finished, we all just got to hang out… Sean Hoskins, Maressa Perreault, and bunch of new-to-me Mams hit Noonies for the best sandwiches ever, Sean and I walked over to the Rugby game, and then we all just chilled at the house reconnecting, getting to know each other, and spending time. Then it was concert time, followed by party central, and ultimately me leaving on a timeline per my age group. Hahahaha, I admit I was cool being the one who did not do the keg stand, but instead left a touch early with my other 30+ counterparts. 😉
Absolutely amazing stop on the #WorldTour.
PS. Oh and we also ate dinner at the restaurant I worked at every Friday and Saturday night my entire senior year. Man, the memories this trip. Crazy. And crazy cool. I still sit here typing after the fact, not really having the words to describe this type of happy revisiting of a truly beloved time and place in my life.© 2022, Melanie Curtis, All Rights Reserved