NARRATIVES

This past January, my parents and I visited the place they had met 25 years prior: Cairo, Egypt. While all my previous travels have offered insights into the country I was visiting, this trip in particular allowed me to see firsthand what I had learned in History and Government classes at the College of William and Mary. Egypt has been a vibrant place for over 5,000 years, and I was able to experience the brilliance of both ancient and modern Egyptians.

Studying abroad invokes a range of emotions, including exhaustion and burnout. Continue reading for a brutally honest appraisal of a semester abroad in Granada, Spain.

Ethan Kula ’24 explores the bridge between East and West laid down by fortune cookies from Sadler Center Court. Even though their fortunes are meant to be a comforting act of trust in one’s future told from the East, he discovers that the Western mindset towards the future has seeped into the heart of the fortune cookie, betraying any pretense of its Asian origin.

I have aphantasia, the complete inability to visualize.

After spending my freshman year at the College of William and Mary, I uprooted myself from my new family and moved across the Atlantic — 3,537 miles away — to Scotland. When I applied to the Joint Degree Programme with the University of St Andrews, I knew it was going to be an amazing adventure: two years at two separate universities, two distinctly different college experiences merged into a singular degree. In this coastal oasis, I have found another community that I can honestly call home.

We are our own worst critics. Join Emma Henry ’25 as she discusses her journey with trichotillomania, a compulsive hair-pulling disorder.

This semester, Flat Hat Magazine held its third short story contest open to all students at the College of William and Mary. Participants were asked to write a short story based on the song “Reflection” from Disney’s Mulan. Katie Kauppi ’23 and Mateus Dutra ’23 wrote stories incorporating literal and metaphorical reflections on the self. Kauppi evokes nostalgic simplicity in her story of a young adult reflecting on life through the lenses of a father’s sunglasses, while Dutra examines the experience of self-reflection at a pond. Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who submitted!

I embarked on a solo travel venture to Italy in late August of 2022, visiting four cities in ten days. Traveling solo initially caused a bit of anxiety for me, but conquering these fears provided substantial benefits. I’d like to take you through my experiences with the social side of traveling alone, specifically, sleeping in rooms with 6+ strangers.

Sir Isaac Newton popularized the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants,” attributing his accomplishments to the intellectual foundations laid by scientists who came before him. I am no scientist, and I did not come to Poland to study natural science, yet Newton’s phrase has sprung to mind every day I have spent here.

Artists of all domains have eagerly anticipated the completion of the Arts Quarter, a multi-phased construction project by the College of William and Mary. Join Rebecca Altman ‘25 as she describes the numerous benefits that the Arts Quarter will bring to musicians as well as the current infrastructure issues that students face.

This semester, Flat Hat Magazine held a short story contest open to all students at the College of William and Mary. Participants were asked to write a short story based on the song “Movement” by Hozier. William Zurborg and Mateus Krauss Dutra wrote stories connecting readers to imaginative spaces. Zurborg’s interpretation will take you to “João’s Eatery and Bar,” where you will hear about the enchanting voice of a mysterious singer. Dutra, on the other hand, was inspired by the willow tree of the chorus. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who submitted!

If you’ve seen a girl around campus whose style gives off “if Cleopatra had been a goth/emo vampiress party girl” vibes, that’s probably JR Herman. Continue reading to join JR on her makeup journey as she explains why she does her makeup the way she does — and why it’s probably not for the reason you might guess.

This semester the Flat Hat Magazine held a short story contest open to all William & Mary students. Participants in the contest were asked to write a short story based on the phrase “Stylish Gluttony.” The two winners, Kat Vanbourgondien and Taylor Wilson, wrote compelling and unique stories based on their own interpretation of the prompt. Both stories provide a unique and thought-provoking commentary on how people at any stage in their lives can be affected by the expectations of others, and how those expectations can become a toxic and all-encompassing lifestyle. When put together, these stories paint a heartbreaking picture of stylish gluttony.

Review of Lost Days, otherwise known as the Damned, and known in some quarters as The Last Days of Marie Antoinette in the Euphoric Eroticism of Revolutionary France

How does one avoid being “The Girl Whose Whole Personality Revolves Around Studying Abroad in Paris” while still offering an honest reflection on the experience? Maybe one doesn’t, and if you find that to be so, dear reader, then just flip to the next article where someone will certainly be writing about something far more unique than a study abroad experience in Paris. In the space that follows — if you’re still reading — I hope to strike a balance between purveyor of superficial clichés à la “Emily in Paris” or “Gossip Girl” and absolute killjoy who argues (inaccurately) that Paris isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.