Gala 2019: Expectations vs. Reality
It’s one thirty a.m. and you’re stuck in eastern Pawtucket, cradling your sore feet (why did you think three-inch heels were a good idea?) and praying that a bus will eventually pluck you from a herd of college students finally sobering up after seven consecutive hours of drinking. Why, exactly, were you so intent on going to Gala in the first place? Sure, you had a lot of high expectations heading into the night, and certain ones weren’t met. However, now that we look back on it, others were exceeded -- and, in fact, you realized certain dreams that never previously seemed possible or even, like, a particularly logical idea. Read on for an exhaustive list of the expectations and realities associated with Brown’s Under the Sea Spring Gala.
Expectation: Full service bar. This seemed like a reasonable thing to expect, and, indeed, there was a full service bar… at least until 12 a.m. when it promptly shut down.Reality: Full service risotto bar. While we were bummed about the actual bar’s early closing, we’ll take the combination of delicious, underrated carbs and alcohol over ~just~ alcohol any day. Who needs Jo’s? The event also featured pizza, cheese platters, and an estimated 150 lbs of variously-flavored rock candy as table centerpieces throughout the entire venue. One Blog member actually managed to make it home with a bouquet.
Expectation: Live music. We weren’t naive enough to expect great live music, but we were hoping we might get to see more than just DJs and some speakers. Instead, we got...Reality: Live statues of sea creatures. Who else had no idea that this was a thing??* 
Expectation: Getting lit in the figurative sense. Due to the fact that credit cards were actually accepted at the bar (and thus people could exceed the careful budget of bills they had prepared, thinking it was cash-only), this expectation was achieved by most (or at least most 21+ attendees).Reality: Getting lit in the literal sense. As we learned once we were there, buying a ticket for Gala apparently meant that you were also guaranteed a full-on light show! Expectation: A mobbed dance floor. There were definitely plenty of people, but, thankfully, the main room was no Spring Weekend or Campus Dance situation.Reality: A mobbed entrance area due to a mass exodus to the buses. If you thought Spring Weekend was bad, you likely didn’t survive this. Bless you for fighting the good fight, and rest in peace. Expectation: Waiting in line for ages to get a drink. This expectation was met, but we also experienced...Reality: Waiting in line for ages to get on the bus. Seriously, guys, it was really rough!!!!
Expectation: Exerting your dominance on the dance floor by showing off your amazing moves. Okay, this wasn’t an expectation for all of us (after being rejected by one or all of Brown’s approximately 18,274 dance groups, some of us have accepted that it simply wasn’t meant to be), but it might have been for some of you more capable humans.Expectation: Exerting your dominance in the bus line by elbowing people out of your way. YES, we’re still on the bus thing!!!!! (That was the last one, though, we promise.) Expectation: Reminiscing about your freshman year. It seemed only appropriate to engage in some (probably misplaced) nostalgia during one of the most unofficially upperclassmen-centric events at Brown.Reality: Getting stuck between two drunken freshmen on your ride back. It definitely took you back, but not necessarily in a good way... Expectation: Seven hours of sleep. Even if you were up till three, this was an achievable goal unless you had some godforsaken club meeting at 10 ( ...in which case, we’re so sorry).Reality: Six hours of sleep. Thanks, Daylight Savings. Expectation: An overall feeling of college prom.Reality: An overall feeling of college prom.
As much as we kid, we’re so grateful to the Class Coordinating Board for putting on an amazing Gala. To all the attendees, we hope your expectations were met or even exceeded, and that this prom was better than your high school’s!* One attendee was heard complaining about how tickets could’ve been cheaper if CBC hadn’t had to pay for people to paint their entire bodies and move in creepily sporadic ways; their friend responded that he would’ve paid more not to have them. Images via, via, via, and via Mindy Ng '19.