Zebra Tales
2020-21
Noah '21
Hometown: Sofia, Bulgaria
Groton activities: Varsity tennis, varsity cross country, theater, Groton Community Engagement Board, Investment Club, Admission tour guide
Most surprising when you first arrived at Groton: The number of mentors—as a new student, you have a faculty member as an advisor, in addition to two senior advisors and many teachers and coaches whom you can look up to and learn from.
Favorite classes: Improvisation with Laurie Sales. All seven of us in the class not only became much better improvisers but grew really close throughout the course. Spanish with Señor Conner is my other favorite. It was amazing to be taught by the man who wrote the textbook we use, and the class was entertaining and engaging, yet the standards were still high. The perfect balance of oral and written work in Señor’s class allowed me to become a much better Spanish speaker.
Most memorable Groton moment: The culmination of winter-term musical theater when we performed Legally Blonde for the first time
Favorite Dining Hall food: Clam Chowder and anything with cheese in the name (e.g., grilled cheese, cheesesteaks, mac and cheese, etc.)
Favorite place to study: The tables on the second floor of the Sackett Forum
List of 5 news stories.
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A Pleasant Return to Groton
A little more than two weeks ago, when I arrived on campus a day earlier than everyone else, it was peaceful to have a few days off of classes to relax and rearrange my dorm room. My roommate Lucas ’21 was virtual during the fall term, so I had all my stuff scattered all over, taking up the whole space. After finding out that he had decided to come back, I rushed to partition a clean and tidy half for him.Read More -
Midnight Thoughts
As I’m writing this, I’m on a plane in the middle of the Atlantic, and all I can think about is returning to Groton. I left campus precisely eight hours ago, and even though I’m sleep deprived, have a headache, and am in a turbulent flight, there is nothing I’d rather do right now other than write about Groton.Read More -
At Home, Away from Home
On a Tuesday evening in August, as I was packing my bags for my return to Groton, I felt a sense of uncertainty about how long it would be until I am reunited back with my family in Bulgaria. Would that be weeks or a few months? Nonetheless, I decided to treat my departure as if I wouldn’t be returning for a while. As a farewell, I walked down the main street in the center of the city, ate at my favorite restaurant, said goodbye to all my closest friends, and most importantly, I spent memorable time with my grandparents. Having to live through times with an uncertain future, I have learned to cherish the present much more.Read More -
Bulgarian Impressions at First Glance
This past June, my friend and formmate Andrew ’21 came to visit me for a week in Sofia, Bulgaria. The second he came out of the empty airport’s glass doors, for a few awkward seconds, we debated hugging or just fist-bumping it out. We insisted on a hug. Regardless of the rain, we were both excited to go downtown and walk the main street. Our first stop was Starbucks. There’s no better way to experience “another city’s culture” than coffee from the local Starbucks. We ended up being confined in the café until the monsoon-like rain subsided.Read More -
Precious Time with a Great Storyteller
For a month this summer, I had the privilege of staying with author/researcher/activist Paul Polansky in the small village of Knez Selo in southern Serbia. His home is filled with three decades of academic research materials on the origins and the plight of Romani (aka Roma/Gypsies) in Europe. My task was to organize his many years of research materials to facilitate the creation of a PhD program on the Romani people for a U.S. university in the future.Read More
