Dear Dan is an epistolary ode to various Yale places, people and practices by Paloma Vigil (MY ’25)
Dear Mom,
Beep. Beep. Beep……
…….Beep. Beep. Beep.
Answer your damn phone—Mom is calling.
There it is, that dreaded first phone call from your family back home after arriving at college. How could you possibly hear their tender, loving voices after the unspeakable atrocities you pulled in the Sig Nu basement last night? How will they manage to retain your attention for more than five seconds if your hangover headache keeps pounding the thoughts out of your head? “How are you doing, honey? How are your studies?”
My STUDIES… Oh yeah, I go to YALE, I should probably be thinking about my STUDIES…
You reply, “Great! (unenthusiastically). My economics class is so engaging and interesting.” Can you believe the lies you just let out of your mouth? You went to one lecture of ECON 115 and didn’t even fully grasp what the micro stood for in “microeconomics.” The worst part? The immense effort and simultaneous guilt you put into ending the call as soon as possible. Even though you love her, she will never understand all the ups, downs, and diagonals you’ve experienced in the last 48 hours.
A pause. “Are you okay, hon?”
You go with your knee-jerk response, no matter what: “Yes! Having so much fun. Miss you guys, love you.”
Finally, the time comes to hit that little red button and hang up. How did you just fake an entire conversation with your parents—the people who raised you? Do you even miss Mom and Dad?
Paloma
