119. Young Married Female Grad Student At Princeton

Barack was teaching a seminar outdoors next to a castle arched over a river like the Chenonceau in France. When I arrived at the riverbank, I found friends from high school and college wearing bedsheets wrapped around their bodies, standing waist-deep in the river in tight formation. They lowered themselves into the water in unison and emerged without looking at each other or speaking a word. As they did this over and over, I sat on a wall by the riverbank next to Barack and apologized for being late. I asked if I should get in, too. I didn't want him to know that I had no idea what this demonstration was about.

He told me not to worry about it and took out a book to read.