You can't get there from here...

Today we had a group kickball game at work. Seems innocent enough. I planned on going to the gym after work so I had a stash of workout clothes under my desk.  Before game time, I threw on my clothes on headed out to play/cheer.

Much to my coworkers surprise, I was wearing a shirt that said "COOT Leader" and "COOT" on the back. Now, in the woods of Maine at Colby this was totally normal but to the outside world this t-shirt was anything but okay. Not sure why? I'll let Urban Dictionary tell you. (Third definition down).


No matter how hard I tried to convince my friends that this was completely normal, they just wouldn't buy it. They joked that they couldn't believe I would wear such a t-shirt to work...haha and now, thinking about it from their perspective, neither can I. But that's besides the point.


Up at Colby, COOT stands for Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip. As part of orientation, you're taken off campus for a 3-4 day camping trip by two upperclassmen with 12 other first-years, who you tend to rely on your first couple weeks of school. I had a great trip my freshman year and was lucky enough to lead trips for two years. COOT is such a great part of the Colby experience and is the one thing that levels the playing field giving people a common bond. Need some examples? On one trip everyone was kept awake by the coyotes near our campground - even as a leader I wasn't sure what to do. Everyone inevitably ends up using the emergency money on ice cream and of course there's the always memorable Cadillac Mountain Sunrise Hikes.


So now comes the question, what did you call the students on your trip? You guessed it COOTers. Yup, I am not lying when I say that this seemed COMPLETELY normal at the time and only once you graduate do you realize how bad it actually sounds.

 

COOT leaders on the Quad 

Once back in the office, I decided I wasn't going to take the chance of offending anyone, so I changed. After changing, I be-lined to a fellow Colby alum to commiserate (and honestly make jokes about the situtation). In laughing, we realized that others may not understand us, but they've also never had COOT (that's right, I said it...) But I guess I probably shouldn't wear the t-shirts to work/gym/grocery store any more either...