The Story of Chaddams

            Greetings, fellow citizen. My name is Chad, and today I shall tell you the story of the founding of our great nation. There were two initial founders, Chris and myself, that decided to establish a city that would last for generations. We had been raised in the forest by a she-squirrel from the time we were young, and upon the arrival of the year of our Lord 2008, we decided it was time to set out for conquest.

            I remember the beginning like it was yesterday. It was a cold night in the fall of 2008 as Chris and I set out for the Campus Center. It was there that he introduced me to his friends from Lambien Hall (the one we were supposed to get dates from because we lived in Rothenbuhler), and they were sitting at a high table. Although I initially took offense to seeing the bottoms of Maya's boots, I knew that the four of us, Jackie, Maya, Chris, and I, would be good friends. Within a few weeks we had doubled in size with the addition of Anya and her roommate Jenny, my roommate Gordon, Natalie, Katie, and sometimes Lane. Thus, the City of Tribe with its founders had been formed.

            Did I just rip off the story of the founding of Rome? Yes, yes I did. I wasn't really raised by a wild animal with Chris just as Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf, but the rest of the story is true. From what I remember, the tribe sort of...happened. Our core members formed together at mealtimes and decided that we would make a set of rules upon which to found our great republic. For one, any new member had to be subjected to an entrance exam, upon which, if they passed, they would be granted citizenship. Each person had a specific role. I was the tribal engineer, Gordon was the storyteller, Chris was the hunter, Jackie was the bait, and Anya was our tribal mother who frequently told us, "No!" Over four years our tribe was the spectacle of the lunchroom--a shining example to the rest of the tables that were there.

            It was the tribe that caused chaos and brought order. We initiated the first "Red Night" by marching on the quad to protest the ban of marching on the quad. We watched movies together, went on adventures to the Genesee River, and participated in all sorts of mischief and fun. I believe that we had more fun than any Greek club ever could. It was also during that time that the Great Prophet, Joseph Chinn, Peace Be Upon Him, descended into our realm to deliver us the Silver Scrolls.

            Peace be upon the Prophet who brought us the secret knowledge! Blessed be the one who wrote the Book of Face and allowed us to communicate more efficiently via the internet! All must join the Chinnists and seek the approval of our Prophet, Joseph Chinn, Peace Be Upon Him. At the end of times, we shall ascend into heaven on his spaceship and avoid the world's destruction for a small contribution of $12. Please send the payment via check or money order as we do not accept credit. All checked baggage will be charged $25 per bag under 50 pounds. Thank you for your cooperation, and we will see you on the flight.

            The Joseph Chinn religion that Chris, Gordon, and I participated in was one of my favorite memories from Houghton. I tried to gain a few converts at work, but I only succeeded in becoming a persecuted religious minority. Actually, I wasn't persecuted, but no one wanted to join my religion. My only regret was that I couldn't stay in Houghton to see the last two years. Instead, I departed for the Land of Enchantment.

            My experiences in the Land of Enchantment as a citizen and founder of the City of Tribe were eye opening. I grew up a lot. While in Houghton I could still be juvenile, do my homework, go to classes, and have fun with my friends. All of that stopped when I moved here. With the absence of all the grants that I had been getting to fund college, and not qualifying for work study, I had to take a job off-campus at 25 hours a week. I wound up working in a call center, and for the first time in my life, I had trouble finding time to do my homework. I had switched from Physics to Math to Computer Science, and programming was a real bitch. I didn't have any friends because I had left all of them in Houghton, and I never really formed friendships with the people my age in my church. The tribe acknowledged all third culture kids, and it was helpful to be around people who had the same experience. No one here had that. So, I had no friends who shared my beliefs, and I had to look for them outside of the church bubble that I had once been in. For the first time, I had stepped out of my comfort zone where I was surrounded by Christians, and I started making friends at work.

            I got to meet a lot of people who did things that I had been told to stay far away from. Some of my friends were stoners or drunks. I had found a new group of friends that weren't as good as the old ones, but I guess they would have to suffice. After a few months, I managed to put money together for a visit for the Tribe's graduation. It was fun seeing everyone again, but I was sad that I had missed so much. I wished that I had stayed. After I returned to the Land of Enchantment I joined the party scene and started drinking at clubs. I realized that getting drunk was fun for a few hours, but it really sucked the next day. I made lots of friends in that time that I partied with, and I met all sorts of people. I cut off my trademark long, curly hair so I would fit in, and it worked because all the girls started hitting on me. I had new friends that I got to have fun with. However, I started drifting away from school and focusing more on my job because I needed the money, and I didn't see myself finishing college. I failed two of my business classes, and I dropped out the next semester to work full time.

            It was during that low in my life that I had given up on everything. I figured that I had no hope of getting out of that job, and that I would always be working in a call center. I got promoted to one of the trainers, and I figured I would just teach people my specialty. It was then that I met my future girlfriend, Victoria, who was one of my students. I liked her from the first day we met, but I didn't think she would like me back. One of her friends took the role of "matchmaker," and she approached me and asked if I had a girlfriend. After telling her that I did not, she mentioned that someone from the training class liked me. I got one of my friends to get her to talk to him, and he told me that it was Victoria that had put her up to the task. With my secret knowledge, I proceeded to show off my skills at call center work. I put on a show to impress, and once she finished training, I asked her out, and the rest is history.

            It's been a year since then, and now I'm at the highest point in my life. Victoria got me to see that I wasn't destined to work in a call center forever. She got me to see that it was just some job, and that I had lost my focus. I had made the job a priority rather than my education, which I had abandoned. I realized that I could finish college if I put my mind to it and if I let go of the temporary. So, I left my job at the call center, and I went back to school. Now, I'm a History major, and for the first time in my life, I'm learning stuff that sticks. I might use what I learned about teaching others from the call center in a future career teaching History at a university. The sad thing is that I haven't heard or talked to any of the friends I used to party with, and I doubt they even miss me because I'm not into that anymore. Perhaps they weren't my real friends. It made me realize that my true friends were the ones who I don't have to drink with to have fun.

            Nevertheless, although I don't know where the future will take me, I will always look fondly upon my memories with the tribe. It was a pleasure knowing all of them, and I know that we will still be connected despite living in the diaspora for years to come.