March 17, 2026

I was back on my college campus but was being questioned if I was actually an alum. It was currently a holiday so we had to fill in a form for contact information before being allowed to enter further. We were asked to fill in the forms in order of when we first got online and directed to different rooms accordingly. I figured 2000 might’ve been too early as I would’ve only been 4 by then. I thought 6 might be closer. I heard someone blurt out “7!” followed by a brief chuckle.

Someone in line was giving an anecdote about a chemistry competition they had once attended but I didn’t quite get the “point” of the story or why they shared it. I overheard a few familiar names being called out but later realized I had mistaken them for someone else.

When it was finally my turn to fill out the form, I noticed there was a field for foreign (non-English) names. I ended up having the most trouble trying to remember my own phone number.