If you have suffered/survived one summer in Tucson already, you ought to consider yourself an activity-planning veteran, because there is truly nothing to do here. If you lived long enough to tell everyone what the end of May until mid-August is like, it means you resisted the temptation to drop out. If you are nestling into triple-digit weather and holding this very newspaper, it means you must have mastered a way to keep yourself occupied. For those of you Tucson summer rookies, get out a pen and a pad to jot down some advice.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of a Tucson summer is the limited amount of people you come across. Yes, odds are you know nearly none of them but nonetheless, if you wish to thrive, you had better get to introducing yourself. Whatever your interests may be, you will soon find that whoever was present the first time you did a specific activity will be present the next time. For example, if you are a movie junkie looking to pop your head into the weekend showing of the newest summer blockbuster, the next time you go, you will be certain to find the same group of frequenters standing beside you in line again.
Or should you be a party animal, that same guy wearing the flat-billed baseball cap will be there at the next party at a completely different house. No, really, it’s the same guy, although we all know that choice of accessory is a frequent pick among college males. The fact of the matter is there are only so many people in town, and sadly there is only so much to do. If you want to make some quick summer buddies, introduce yourself immediately and trust me when you say “”see you later,”” you will really mean it. It will also pay dividends come the next boring summer night that you are left sitting alone in your pad.
The truth is that the Tucson summer seemingly has a limited amount of interesting things to do. Now this has been a drawback of nearly every summer since you started school, but once you have had a taste of the regular college activities a full-fledged semester holds, summer really can’t compare. Therefore, use the summer of Tucson to find something new. If you are an out-of-state student, chances are you don’t know much to do or anyone to do anything with. Thus, the best solution is to just track something new and exciting down. Of course this is a little cliché, but oh so true.
As is the case with most things in life, they are what you make of them. Take a chance on a Tucson summer and you may even end up with a story worth telling.
— Storm Byrd is the Arizona Summer Wildcat perspectives editor. He can be contacted at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
