Hail Motherland

It's Thursday and I've officially been at Tulane for three days since Spring Break. I wasn't quite ready for the break to be over, like many other students, but I am glad to be back. It's nice to get back into the swing of things with my residents, my extracurriculars, and my friends.

That being said, I do miss the motherland. It was a lot of fun hanging out in Russia last week, and I'm so thankful that I get the opportunity to travel as I do. But honestly, I don't think I'm the only Tulane student with these kinds of opportunities.

For example, this semester the med school and some undergraduates are going to Kenya to volunteer. A friend of mine is going to Mexico through a grant from Tulane to volunteer in rural villages. The School of Social Work offered a summer course actually in Tibet. These kinds of chances are not ones every university student gets. And if you're like me and love traveling, you really appreciate a school that makes such an effort to expand the horizons of its students.

Travel is an adventure. And if you take the time to travel to Tulane, your adventure will only just be starting.

Saturday Night Out On the Town

Hey guys,

I know, ANOTHER new post in one day??? I happen to currently be in Moscow, Russia on Spring Break and I have finally gotten pictures from my camera and the cameras of others who attending all the events about which I'm writing. No one had time to do this until Spring Break-- its been a very busy semester!

But anyways, since I've now written about hanging out at Tulane and about doing community service, I thought I'd enlighten my readers about something else they all secretly want to know about-- the night life.

It's not the most respectable thing to ask about but for those of you who are wondering, New Orleans has the best nightlife. Women can get into most dance clubs at age 18 or 19, men at 21. This means that New Orleans is perfect for going out with the girls and you don't even have to go to Bourbon Street to do it. In fact, my girlfriends and I spent the night in the Warehouse District last Saturday.

We went to a club called the Republic, where we had gone to celebrate my 21st birthday a few weeks before. Well now it was my sister Mary's birthday and we were going to have a good time. The best thing about the Republic is that there is always good music with the two DJs that play all the time (DJs Damion Nancy and Chemistry), which means there is always dancing. Unlike my experiences with nightlife in Austin, you don't have to worry about if there are enough people to get a crowd out on the dance floor or not. People don't hug the bar side of the club and refuse to venture farther. The Republic, as well as other places in the Warehouse District, such as Tucker's, is known for its dance floor.



Here is our birthday girl- just turned 20!

The Warehouse District is a popular place to go out for celebratory grooving and I've seen brides party on a night with the girls, fraternity-hosted parties, and of course, birthday celebrations. It is relatively unknown to tourists, so you won't find too many in this area. But you will find some awesome places to bust a move and then some excellent lounges and bars in which you can relax afterwards. You can be assured of the fact that no high school students will be out there with you and you won't have to worry about tripping over inebriated Spring Breakers. These places have strict age limits and even stricter carding policies.

Here are Asha and our new friend Rob lounging in the VIP area with red couches and tables

So anyways, for all my readers, here are some of my pictures from Saturday night at the clubs. It was the day when all the clocks go "spring-forward" so we ended up being there later than we imagined and got breakfast at St. Charles Tavern afterwards--delicious pancakes, omelets, and eggs. It was an awesome night out and a testiment to the fact that sometimes you can have fun in places you might not always expect when you're here in New Orleans.



Me and the girls, from L to R we have Sophie, Mary, Asha, and me!

Senior Prom

William Shakespeare once said, "An old man is twice a child." Though our modern interpretation of that might be the care the elderly need, not unlike a child, I'm sure he meant something different with his words.

Last weekend we had our first Senior Prom, created and promoted by the Residence Hall Government of Willow, Aron, and Modular upperclassmen residences. We went to Lambeth House and literally partied with the elderly. Lambeth House is a community for retired people which has three levels of living: independent, assisted, and nursing home. Residents from all three of those levels were at our Prom.



Here are Ahmed and Chris, the Residence Hall Government Advisor and President, respectively, giving each other a high-five for the success of the program.

Some of my residents were very involved in the planning of this event. They went early to set up, decorate, buy one-time use cameras to take silly snapshots, and put all the food in place. The rest of us headed over in five cars around 7:00 pm. Though we were mostly ladies, and so were the Lambeth House attendees of the event, we still socialized and talked while others were dancing.



Here I am with some of my favorite residents, from L to R we have Casey, Anat, me, and Travis


Of course, that meant that our five guys had to ask some of those older ladies to dance. I personally was very amused when some of these ladies turned some of guys down! Some of them had someone in particular in mind and refused to dance with anyone else!

Here is Travis dancing the night away (or really until 8:45, when the event ended)-- he was the first person to bow his head, extend his hand, and ask this lady to dance!

Overall, the event really gave meaning to Shakespeare's likening the elderly with children. Though they might need more care, they also are much more fun to be around. We all had such a good time socializing, dancing, drinking, and more. America's older generations certainly have amazing stories to tell and we Tulane students were mesmerized by them. I believe after the success of this event, we will be going to Lambeth House soon to hang out with our new buddies!

Here is Ahmed dancing with his new gal pal-- he was a little shy at first but he warmed up fast!

Here is Elizabeth dancing with one of the two old men that were there--she snagged him before the rest of us even had a chance. He was a singer and sang three songs for us during our Senior Prom.

Visiting Tulane

Hey guys,

So last week we had that big event we were anticipating--our first Honors Weekend. We catered Nacho Mama's food, we handed out t shirts, and we had big inflatable things on which people played. Overall it was a huge sucess.

One thing I was impressed with was how informed the students seemed about Tulane. Though many of them hadn't heard from other schools, they certainly had their facts right about Tulane. Anything they didn't know they weren't at all shy to ask. Though they did tell us they were waiting to hear from those other schools, they also mentioned how excited they were that Tulane had already accepted them.

So this goes out to all of the freshmen out there right now still trying to make up your minds. We have many other days during which you can come visit Tulane. Like your fellow future classmates, you should come get a sense of it yourself. I think most of the students at Honors Weekend were happy with what they saw. It was a gorgeous New Orleans spring day and absolutely perfect for touring the campus and getting the essence of Tulane.

As a freshman, the fact that I was already accepted by Tulane in October, a scholarschip recipient by December, and visiting by March really weighed heavily in my decision to come here. Tulane made it seem like they really wanted me, pursued me (even in high school when I received pamphlets and admissions brochures), and would go to the end of the world to get me as a student. The individual attention during my admissions process struck a chord in my heart when I realized how much the faculty, staff, administration, and students cared about getting another good student for their university. I assure you, no other university will treat you the same.

So come out and check it out-- here are some pics so you can see the fun we had!