This past week, I celebrated my first Passover at college. Observing the dietary requirements and keeping kosher is normally a struggle for me when I live at home, so I was scared as to what to expect for Passover in college. The week before Passover, one of the kosher food kiosks were closed due to cleaning in preparation for Passover. So the food options were limited even before Passover. Once Passover began, the other kosher kiosk was closed and the cleaned one opened up, but I didn't find this out until my first college Passover lunch, which followed the first Seder the day before.
The first Passover Seder was the beginning of not eating as Jews normally do and the beginning of the breadless holiday. Since I am a hyper child--or actually, a hyper adult who acts like a child--I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to sit still during the Seder. This was my first Seder away from my family and I just didn't know what to expect. My mind was on food, but luckily the Seder was not boring at all. What kept me focused was the fact that the Seder attendees had the opportunity to participate in the Seder by reading a section from the Haggadah- the prayer book for Passover. I also went with my friend Paul and it made me happy to not have to go through my first holiday away from my home all alone. The food was really good, especially the brisket!
What disappointed me was the fact that for the first Passover breakfast, the dining hall did not have any kosher food. It was a good thing that I was prepared and brought my own matzoh to the meal and shared it with my friend Paul.
The last Seder was also as lovely as the first. Paul and I went together again and although I tried really hard to find the matzoh--I sadly did not--I made a fool of myself crawling on the floor lurking under the tables like a five year old for nothing. Nonetheless I had a great time during both seders.
Some advice I would give to college students who are celebrating there first Passover away from home is to get through the eight days with a friend. My friend Paul and I made sure we both kept kosher and we even had a small Seder together in my dorm. If I had celebrated alone, there would have been a great chance that I wouldn't have kept kosher and ate bread or other chummetz by accident (or on purpose). Since I lasted without breaking for my first year of college, I know I will be able to last through the next three years of college Passovers.
