On Fridays at Malone, usually around 4:30 pm, everyone begins to wonder, “what in the world are we going to do tonight?” There is always the dilemma of eating in the cafeteria, versus going out to eat. If you do decide to go out to eat, then you have an entirely new debate about where exactly to go. According to Malone’s website, “There are more restaurants per capita in the Canton metro area than in New York City!” There are so many options; it is a bit overwhelming. Moreover, trying to accommodate the appetites of multiple people is harder than some of my classes!
Luckily, for the girls of Fox 2 East, we already had our Friday night dinner plans. For a floor event, we went to El Campesino—a delicious Mexican restaurant near campus. We had a blast just being together and of course eating excessive amounts of chips and salsa! We arrived back on campus, with the question of what to do once again lingering in our minds. A group of us decided to play sand volleyball, which was better in theory than in all actuality. None of us were really good at volleyball, nor were we competitive enough to actually remember the score. Moreover, our feet ended up going into the beginning stages of hypothermia because the sand was so cold! (Okay, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration—ha ha!) Eventually, the game of volleyball turned into seven girls laughing at their lack of ability to get the ball over the net.
When we got back to the dorm, we once again had the same question: “what should we do now?” After wasting about 45 minutes on Facebook and YouTube (don’t judge, you know you have all done it), we decided to head up to Froggy’s Café to play Catch Phrase. Except we did not actually have the game, so we spent a good amount of time searching the dorms for it. After asking people on about four different floors, we finally found it! We then proceeded to play catch phrase in the Café, while enjoying delicious smoothies, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. After a while, we decided to go see a movie at the “dollar theater,” which actually costs $2.50 to get in—oh, the irony! Nevertheless, it is still a great deal for a college student!
I have come to realize the best nights at Malone are those that are not completely planned. I am not the type of person who just “goes with the flow,”—just ask my friends. Living in the dorm has taught me to appreciate the spontaneity of life. The community here at Malone is something so unique, and I am so blessed to be apart of it. We did not have to do anything extravagant to have a great time; the joy of each others company and fellowship made this past Friday night something I will always remember. Living together in a community no doubt has its challenges; however, the benefits far outweigh the challenges. M. Scott Peck once said, “There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.” I am beginning to discover and appreciate this more than ever before because of my time here at Malone and the wonderful community of which I am apart.