MAIP AC Archipelago: A Community I Never Knew I Needed

2020 is a year unlike any other. Of course in the year that I’m set to graduate, a pandemic sweeps the world by surprise, causing me to miss out on a ton of firsts and lasts; my parents didn’t get to see me graduate at the university I moved across the country for, my MAIP internship in Minneapolis was abruptly canceled, and I was forced to stay inside for the fear that I could spread the dreaded virus to more vulnerable communities.

When the MAIP VEP began, I was skeptical about what could come from it. With almost 400 fellows, I felt like a tiny speck in the universe wondering how I could create room for myself in a space so vast.

One day, I saw someone type in the group chat, “Does anyone play Animal Crossing?” And with over 400 hours logged on the game, I made no hesitation to join the Animal Crossing subgroup that was made immediately after.

What followed was a place where I felt I could be heard. That’s not to say that the entire cohort was exclusive in any way–I just felt more comfortable in a group chat with fewer people who all shared a common interest. As the weeks flew by, whenever we felt stressed about our workload or about the world around us, we all met on someone’s island and played together for a few hours.

A few of my MAIP fellows and I on my island called Hyrule!

On days we didn’t meet, we used our group chat as a space to listen to one another and offer advice. The beautiful thing about being home-bound for months on end is that you begin to find new ways to connect to other people. And despite living in a time of immeasurable uncertainty, I’m glad I have MAIP and Animal Crossing to keep me going.