Call me crazy, but until about three weeks ago I had no idea what Blue and White Weekend was.
And to be honest, I’m still not quite sure what it is.
An exhibition football game – I’ve heard? A carnival in the parking lot of Beaver Stadium? It looked like it. A celebration? Definitely.
Closure.
This year has been a wild ride. From adjusting to dorm life in East Halls to learning important life lessons such as when not to consume Canyon Pizza (never), I can honestly report that I’ve had the time of my life. But on Saturday morning, I swear that I have never woken up to a more comforting or beautiful sight than a sea of tailgaters surrounding Beaver Stadium.
It was a perfect way to end the year – in a similar way that it began. As I pack up my things in East Halls and wrap up my first year here in Happy Valley, it was reassuring to be reminded of the reasons I chose Penn State in the first place. Through a year of exams, homework, parties and naps, still were the alumni, camaraderie, football, spirit, and the idea that we are all here to be a part of something bigger than just ourselves.
I was attempting to get down to the core of what exactly Blue and White weekend is – but then I decided, why does it matter? Whether you tailgated ’till you dropped, rode the ferris wheel in the parking lot or ran in the 5k, why not celebrate everything we love about Penn State before we leave for the Summer?
For me, Blue and White weekend served as a perfect celebration to the end of a year that had a bigger influence on me than I could have ever imagined.
And I can’t wait to come back to it.
Photo by Orhan Yilmaz
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