This feature explores the experiences of participants who are paired up on dates. Participants of all kinds, are set up on dates whether romantic or platonic, albeit anonymously. For the inaugural article, two participants were party to a dinner and coffee in Media last Saturday night.
Pre-Date
Why the Quaker Matchbox?
Acacia: I have very few dating experiences and a lot of them have been bad, so it couldn’t really get worse. I’m mostly excited to get out of the bubble on a weekend and feel like a real, normal person.
Oak: I’ll be graduating pretty soon but I want to constantly meet people. It’s a positive thing for me to do.
Swarthmore’s Dating Scene
Acacia: There are a lot of undefined relationships and people don’t go for actual dates. In my recent history, I’ve been in undefined relationships and I think I’m done with them, basically. More definition is a good thing.
Oak: I’ve never had the experience of a “campus couple” but it’s the perfect environment for dating. People are smart and generally nice. Swarthmore, on both sides of the sexes, has a solid pool of people for relationships.
Swarthmore’s Pool
Acacia: Although there are great guys here, I think all of them are already taken or not straight.
Oak: Compared to other schools, the girls are below average but there’s still a pretty good amount of people who are attractive and not dumb.
Expectations
Acacia: I’ve been on a date that was hijacked by a third wheeler so as long as it’s one-on-one…
Oak: I’m a man of low expectations. The only thing I’m trying to get out of this is a good time.
The Date
First Impressions
Acacia: He seemed like a nice guy. I really liked his style.
Oak: She was very tall. She sounded like she had a very international background but didn’t have an accent. That was surprising.
The Dinner
Acacia: In Media we got dinner at Desert Rose and talked about different things. We have similar tastes in music and interests in art and had quite a lot to talk about.
Oak: The food was good. We talked about things like traveling.
Coffeeshop Continuation
Acacia: He suggested we go get a cup of coffee. We walked to a bank in a coffee shop but there was a person playing live music in front of a bunch of ATMs so we decided to pass on that. We went to a place down the street that had live music.
Oak: We went to a cafe, Seven Stones, and she had coffee and I had something uncaffeinated. We kept talking — mostly her asking questions, mostly me answering.
Post Date
And then….
Acacia: Before catching the train we sprinted to Wawa and we almost missed the train. He wanted to get cigarettes. It was kind of fun. I was in heels. I don’t mind walking quickly. He walked me back to my dorm.
Oak: We got back with the 9PM train.
Impressions
Acacia: He gave me a hug when we first met which was a good way to start off. I forgot to tip at the coffee shop and he got it. That was really nice.
Oak: I said to her that I’m a man from many places. But she’s the one from a lot more places than I am. Where she grew up and had been in the world was interesting. Her gender sexuality studies major stood out.
Consensus
Acacia: I had a lot of fun and there was lots of laughing. If we had crossed paths, I definitely would have gone on a date with him. But I don’t know if it would have happened because I had to Cygnet him to see who he was before going on the date. Even if people think there is no one on campus, there are still people that, for whatever reason, you’ve never seen or run into.
Oak: Despite the fact I barely know her, it didn’t feel awkward at all. Meeting her in a new environment was definitely a positive thing.
Post-Date Prognosis of Swat Romances
Acacia: If people were more confident and up for having fun or predetermined notion of what they want, they could be dating.
Oak: A lot of people talk shit about Swarthmore and the food. Taking someone off campus would be a good idea. I’m not talking for myself, but I think there is a possibility for a real relationship to spur out of this thing.
To nominate somebody or sign up, please visit The Phoenix’s Facebook page or contact sjeong1.
