So this is my last blog for a little bit . . . . . its been an amazing adventure this year.
But more adventures lie ahead!!! Of that I am absolutely certain.The end of the year is marked by two important events:
1. The purchase of my OWN digital camera!!!
2. For the first time, I am completely on my own (meaning I have to live within my means)
This summer I’ll be here for Lagniappe, and don’t worry, I’ll let y’all know how hot and humid it is in New Orleans in May and June!!! But after that, I’ll be joining my folks in Moscow, Russia. In August, I’ll be going to India by myself for two weeks. And then I’m TRYING to talk my dad into a trip someplace exotic . . . but we’ll see on that one! Regardless, I think I’ll be travelling enough over the next few months. My goal is to get through Lagniappe with a near perfect GPA and a brand new job at the Freeman Business School and then enjoy a summer without any major worries. Around August I’ll start the 1000 word story that is due in my creative writing class in the fall.
In Russia, I’ll read, write, socialize, shop, and volunteer. (Not in that priority order, of course) It’ll be a rather . . intellectual life. People always ask me what its like living over there, and I always tell them its some kind of freedom. When you become completely disconnected from all the drama and tension in your everyday life, its a sort of freedom. You can live however you choose and there is no one to judge you, no one to tell you no, and no one’s standards you have to meet.
And when I come back full swing in August, oh the tales I’ll have to tell . . . . .!!!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Monday, May 8, 2006
"Hometown"
So today I visited my high school.
And as I walked through the halls, I couldn’t help but feel . . lonely.
I realized that as I walked through those halls . . . . I was a year older, a year wiser . . and a year more experienced in the game of life. This distinguished me from the other students walking in the halls, and it became painfully evident that I just didn’t belong. I mean, I saw my friends and visited my old teachers, and that was definitely rewarding . . . .but something just didn’t feel natural anymore. When I was a senior I spent my time cruising in and out of the school as I pleased, on top of the world and everyone in it. It had been my territory, my domain, and most of all, my home.
And now I was back at Friendswood High School in the small town of Friendswood, Texas, where I spent nearly 10 years of my life, and it just wasn’t the same. Everyone didn’t know me. My friends had lives of their own. And suddenly, I was no longer in the picture. It’s a weird feeling, knowing that just one year ago that girl walking in the debate room or principal’s office was you. It’s a weird feeling knowing you were so close with this teacher or that one and now she barely recognizes you. It’s a weird feeling knowing you’re not there to go to class and meet up with the same people you’ve been around for most of your life.
They say home is where the heart is . . . . and I think all of us are going through experiences now where we realize our hearts are no longer where we left them. For me personally, this year has been a journey all about finding home, and I still don’t know where that is. Is it in Moscow, with my family? Is it in Austin, with my UT friends? Or is it in New Orleans? What about Friendswood, where I spent my most trying years?
Maybe “home” doesn’t really mean anything besides a place where you can be happy.
In that case, my “hometown” of Friendswood is no longer the top contender.
And as I walked through the halls, I couldn’t help but feel . . lonely.
I realized that as I walked through those halls . . . . I was a year older, a year wiser . . and a year more experienced in the game of life. This distinguished me from the other students walking in the halls, and it became painfully evident that I just didn’t belong. I mean, I saw my friends and visited my old teachers, and that was definitely rewarding . . . .but something just didn’t feel natural anymore. When I was a senior I spent my time cruising in and out of the school as I pleased, on top of the world and everyone in it. It had been my territory, my domain, and most of all, my home.
And now I was back at Friendswood High School in the small town of Friendswood, Texas, where I spent nearly 10 years of my life, and it just wasn’t the same. Everyone didn’t know me. My friends had lives of their own. And suddenly, I was no longer in the picture. It’s a weird feeling, knowing that just one year ago that girl walking in the debate room or principal’s office was you. It’s a weird feeling knowing you were so close with this teacher or that one and now she barely recognizes you. It’s a weird feeling knowing you’re not there to go to class and meet up with the same people you’ve been around for most of your life.
They say home is where the heart is . . . . and I think all of us are going through experiences now where we realize our hearts are no longer where we left them. For me personally, this year has been a journey all about finding home, and I still don’t know where that is. Is it in Moscow, with my family? Is it in Austin, with my UT friends? Or is it in New Orleans? What about Friendswood, where I spent my most trying years?
Maybe “home” doesn’t really mean anything besides a place where you can be happy.
In that case, my “hometown” of Friendswood is no longer the top contender.
Sunday, May 7, 2006
Tulane Routine
So now finals are OVER for everybody on campus. It’s the first official day of summer vacation for Tulanians, and I personally am spending my vacation in Houston.
Except that my vacation is a week long! I’ll be back for Lagniappe, like almost all of my friends. I was talking on the phone with a friend of mine from LSU, and he too was contemplating summer classes. But unlike us, he had been at LSU for the entire year and was getting sick of the campus and of the food. We personally are still enjoying it to the max!!!
I feel like it would be really hard to get sick of Tulane. Although there are places and events that tend to become routine, there are also lots of situations that make them vary every time. For example, this Friday night, we celebrated our friend’s last night here. It was Cinco De Mayo night.
Now being from Houston, I know how Cinco De Mayo is usually celebrated. But I didn’t expect a celebration in New Orleans of all places! That night, I saw literally everyone I knew. From people on the Residential Hall Advisory with me next year to my graduate hall director this year, I saw everybody coming out and having a good time. All the people that were done with finals (and even those who weren’t) were out celebrating.
Now I wish I could tell you that we had a grand adventure in downtown, in the French Quarter, or on Bourbon Street. Nope. We ended up going with our usual routine. But its a routine that’s been tested, and it definitely works. Sometimes, to have fun, all you need is to walk around on the street and do a little dancing and then end up at the Big Easy with everybody else. When I was in high school I had adventures driving out to town to test out this club or this restaurant but here at Tulane, everybody just kinda goes with the flow. And when everybody does it, its always a great time.
Only at Tulane . . . . . . .
(Roshni and me- her last night at the Big Easy!)>>
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
One Act Plays
So on Thursday night I saw the One Act Plays . . . . . .
I’ll admit that I didn’t want to see them. They were like 3 hours long and they had nothing to do with the final I had to take on Saturday. I was MAD. I wanted to be cramming . . . . . and so I took all my notes and decided to cram during the plays.
Until the first one started. The first play was Leonardo’s Last Supper and it was a play about the family of a burial man. At first, I didn’t know what was going on, but then the plot started to unfold. The main character was a somewhat cranky man who seems really sadistic. I couldn’t figure out if they were cannibals until Leonardo himself came into the picture. The play quickly turned from mildly confusing to hilarious!!! There was also an abundance of humorous song and dance, and both of the students playing the parts of the burial man and his wife were blessed with amazing voices. And then I totally forgot about my genetics notes . . . .
The next play was a series of three by William Donelly. One of my Performance classmates, Lauren, was really brilliant as the secretary in the first dialogue. She played a somewhat disconnected secretary who comes into touch with her religious side when she meets Jesus. The next play was a satire dripping with social commentary. It starts with a worker who finds an accounting error in the books of a large company, and follows her through her home life, the affair she has, and the bosses she goes through. The final play in the set is about two kids who go through life together and what happens when one of them dies and finally is alone. It’s a transition from funny to satirical to touching . . . . a great change in mood to keep my attention!
The next play was WASP, and it brought up a lot of issues about science, religion, and faith. It was actuallykind of sad, because it brought up a wife’s dilemma with her family and the voices in her head. It proves the point that perfection is really superficial. I was surprised to see this play after the first two comical bits. Each of the characters had some sort of aside that represented their true views about their life. And again, I was totally captivated . . . .
The final play was called God, and it was about plays within plays within plays within plays . . . . . and how they all turn out. It was kind of confusing, but everything was framed in each other and it was a pretty exciting turnout. The light part, and the use of my other Performance classmate Liz for asides/prompts offstage was also really interesting!!!
I was enraptured til the very end. It was three hours, but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Which really just proves the point that sometimes you find little treasures in the oddest places . . . . they’re everywhere at Tulane!!!
I’ll admit that I didn’t want to see them. They were like 3 hours long and they had nothing to do with the final I had to take on Saturday. I was MAD. I wanted to be cramming . . . . . and so I took all my notes and decided to cram during the plays.
Until the first one started. The first play was Leonardo’s Last Supper and it was a play about the family of a burial man. At first, I didn’t know what was going on, but then the plot started to unfold. The main character was a somewhat cranky man who seems really sadistic. I couldn’t figure out if they were cannibals until Leonardo himself came into the picture. The play quickly turned from mildly confusing to hilarious!!! There was also an abundance of humorous song and dance, and both of the students playing the parts of the burial man and his wife were blessed with amazing voices. And then I totally forgot about my genetics notes . . . .
The next play was a series of three by William Donelly. One of my Performance classmates, Lauren, was really brilliant as the secretary in the first dialogue. She played a somewhat disconnected secretary who comes into touch with her religious side when she meets Jesus. The next play was a satire dripping with social commentary. It starts with a worker who finds an accounting error in the books of a large company, and follows her through her home life, the affair she has, and the bosses she goes through. The final play in the set is about two kids who go through life together and what happens when one of them dies and finally is alone. It’s a transition from funny to satirical to touching . . . . a great change in mood to keep my attention!
The next play was WASP, and it brought up a lot of issues about science, religion, and faith. It was actuallykind of sad, because it brought up a wife’s dilemma with her family and the voices in her head. It proves the point that perfection is really superficial. I was surprised to see this play after the first two comical bits. Each of the characters had some sort of aside that represented their true views about their life. And again, I was totally captivated . . . .
The final play was called God, and it was about plays within plays within plays within plays . . . . . and how they all turn out. It was kind of confusing, but everything was framed in each other and it was a pretty exciting turnout. The light part, and the use of my other Performance classmate Liz for asides/prompts offstage was also really interesting!!!
I was enraptured til the very end. It was three hours, but it certainly didn’t seem like it. Which really just proves the point that sometimes you find little treasures in the oddest places . . . . they’re everywhere at Tulane!!!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
TU TAs
I have a lab final in twenty minutes . . . . . and I’m going to take a moment to appreciate my TA, Gopal.
My roommate, friends, and I, between all of our chemistry labs, have a conglomeration of TAs that are Indian, Russian, Caucasian, and Chinese. And boy do they make our day!
My TA Gopal is probably the nicest man I’ve ever met. He hangs out with my roomie’s TA, and he has a thick accent and his voice cracks when he speaks. He’s always eager to help us, and he gets excited when he sees us outside of class. I’m quite an appreciator of his mannerisms, as is everybody else in his class. He does his absolute best to make sure we understand the experiment, and when we yell out his name in frustration in the middle of the lab he always comes over to have a look at our experiment and correct whatever we’re doing wrong.
Every Thursday at the beginning of lab he gives us a short lecture on what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Sometimes we don’t pay attention . . . . . but he tries hard to make us listen anyways. I was really surprised to find myself with him, and a chinese TA for my other lab in the middle of New Orleans, Louisiana, but it just proves that diversity exists in the most random places!!!
Now we all know that chem lab is generally not too much fun . . . .but with TAs like these, its a lot better. I feel like no one taught these people who are only a little older than us to reach out the way they do, but they understand the frustration of not understanding and try to facilitate our lab experiences as much as possible. This is unique to TAs that tend to be immigrants or international students because unlike others, they don’t automatically assume that we get it.
Really, in a million years, I would have never expected to meet my TA Gopal at Tulane University. But after a semester of lab, and with my lab final approaching in now 10 minutes, I’m really glad I met him. It was just another experience I never thought I’d have at Tulane and I did and ultimately it expanded my horizons a little farther.
And isn’t that the whole point of college? To expand the horizons, stretch the bounds of the imagination . . . . .
Anyways, I have to go to my final now!
My roommate, friends, and I, between all of our chemistry labs, have a conglomeration of TAs that are Indian, Russian, Caucasian, and Chinese. And boy do they make our day!
My TA Gopal is probably the nicest man I’ve ever met. He hangs out with my roomie’s TA, and he has a thick accent and his voice cracks when he speaks. He’s always eager to help us, and he gets excited when he sees us outside of class. I’m quite an appreciator of his mannerisms, as is everybody else in his class. He does his absolute best to make sure we understand the experiment, and when we yell out his name in frustration in the middle of the lab he always comes over to have a look at our experiment and correct whatever we’re doing wrong.
Every Thursday at the beginning of lab he gives us a short lecture on what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Sometimes we don’t pay attention . . . . . but he tries hard to make us listen anyways. I was really surprised to find myself with him, and a chinese TA for my other lab in the middle of New Orleans, Louisiana, but it just proves that diversity exists in the most random places!!!
Now we all know that chem lab is generally not too much fun . . . .but with TAs like these, its a lot better. I feel like no one taught these people who are only a little older than us to reach out the way they do, but they understand the frustration of not understanding and try to facilitate our lab experiences as much as possible. This is unique to TAs that tend to be immigrants or international students because unlike others, they don’t automatically assume that we get it.
Really, in a million years, I would have never expected to meet my TA Gopal at Tulane University. But after a semester of lab, and with my lab final approaching in now 10 minutes, I’m really glad I met him. It was just another experience I never thought I’d have at Tulane and I did and ultimately it expanded my horizons a little farther.
And isn’t that the whole point of college? To expand the horizons, stretch the bounds of the imagination . . . . .
Anyways, I have to go to my final now!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Semiformal Fun
Sometimes, the best part of a year’s hard work is the celebration at the end!
. . . . which brings me to AJ’s Semiformal 2006 Adventure. Ironically enough, the two semiformals I had to attend were held at the same place, at overlapping times. There was the India Association of Tulane University’s semiformal in the upstairs of a restaurant, and my sorority’s downstairs at the same restaurant. It was amazing!!!
We had a great night! There was food, there was dancing, and there was great company! Semiformal is not only an excuse to get dressed up, but an excuse to tell other people they look great without hitting on them. (Or so I thought! =) )
My date Austin wasn’t feeling terribly well on our Semiformal night, but we still had a great time. What adventures we ended up having . . . . . . we had to figure out a way to rotate between the two formals, almost lost my sorority’s scrapbook, left early, and then my suitemate left my purse filled with her belongings in a cab. She was a tad emotional, so Austin was pulling tricks out of his hat left and right to keep her from crying. It was a night that I’ll definitely remember.
Then a few hours later the other kids started coming home . . . . some in better shape than others. A night out on the town wearing the pointy heels with plenty of food and drink can really wear on a person! There is such a thing as having too much fun!
All in all, it was amazing. While there a friend of mine called me from LSU and complained that he never had a chance to dress up like that (and he LOVES dressing up!).
All I had to say was hey . . .it’s Tulane. It’s classy.
Austin telling a joke to me!
. . . . which brings me to AJ’s Semiformal 2006 Adventure. Ironically enough, the two semiformals I had to attend were held at the same place, at overlapping times. There was the India Association of Tulane University’s semiformal in the upstairs of a restaurant, and my sorority’s downstairs at the same restaurant. It was amazing!!!
We had a great night! There was food, there was dancing, and there was great company! Semiformal is not only an excuse to get dressed up, but an excuse to tell other people they look great without hitting on them. (Or so I thought! =) )
My date Austin wasn’t feeling terribly well on our Semiformal night, but we still had a great time. What adventures we ended up having . . . . . . we had to figure out a way to rotate between the two formals, almost lost my sorority’s scrapbook, left early, and then my suitemate left my purse filled with her belongings in a cab. She was a tad emotional, so Austin was pulling tricks out of his hat left and right to keep her from crying. It was a night that I’ll definitely remember.
Then a few hours later the other kids started coming home . . . . some in better shape than others. A night out on the town wearing the pointy heels with plenty of food and drink can really wear on a person! There is such a thing as having too much fun!
All in all, it was amazing. While there a friend of mine called me from LSU and complained that he never had a chance to dress up like that (and he LOVES dressing up!).
All I had to say was hey . . .it’s Tulane. It’s classy.
Austin telling a joke to me! 
My suitemate Jen and me 
Jen and Chris
Awww . . . my date Austin and me Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friends and more
Sometimes, life can be sort of disappointing.
Here at Tulane, we just had elections for the India Association of Tulane University. I wanted to run for a particular position, but I changed to a position that I knew nothing about because someone more hardworking than me would then be running by herself for that position. It was a good move . . . .and I thought I was doing the mature thing . . . until all of my friends got onto the board except for me.
But then I realized: I’m just a freshman. I don’t have to belong to a certain clique or group, because I’m going to meet so many people over the years. I don’t need to limit my friends, because I’d rather have a lot of different friends than a group with whom I always do stuff. And I’ve found the best friends in people outside that group. Here at Tulane, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to bond with people that have similar backgrounds to mine. At UT, that was considered a bad thing, because the groups were almost separated, like people would only hang out with others like them.
As I was sulking a bit about the fact that maybe I just don’t fit perfectly into this group, someone pointed it out to me: that just because people are my race and religion doesn’t mean that they have to be my primary group of friends. I’ve met so many people that aren’t Indian or South Asian, and I rather like hanging out with all of them. I have friends here that are of almost every different type of background. Tulane breeds diversity in a lot of different ways–my boyfriend is Jewish, Italian, and from Portland, Oregon. My best friend is Scotch Irish, her mother is Buddhist, and she’s from Blacksburg, Virginia. How much more different can you get?
In the end, I have to see this as a good thing. I’m not doing something on the board that I don’t really want to do, and people who really want it have got their places. I can still be involved without being on the board . . . . and most importantly, I don’t feel so pressured to fit in with that particular group.
So this is my goodbye to my position on the board of IATU . . . . . all of my friends on the board will certainly see me working hard again next year. Just because I’m Indian doesn’t mean I have to fit into that group.
Essentially, the environment here at Tulane is set up so I have so many options free of the stereotypes that prevail at schools like UT.
I’m free.
<<(IATU Board 2006)
Here at Tulane, we just had elections for the India Association of Tulane University. I wanted to run for a particular position, but I changed to a position that I knew nothing about because someone more hardworking than me would then be running by herself for that position. It was a good move . . . .and I thought I was doing the mature thing . . . until all of my friends got onto the board except for me.
But then I realized: I’m just a freshman. I don’t have to belong to a certain clique or group, because I’m going to meet so many people over the years. I don’t need to limit my friends, because I’d rather have a lot of different friends than a group with whom I always do stuff. And I’ve found the best friends in people outside that group. Here at Tulane, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to bond with people that have similar backgrounds to mine. At UT, that was considered a bad thing, because the groups were almost separated, like people would only hang out with others like them.
As I was sulking a bit about the fact that maybe I just don’t fit perfectly into this group, someone pointed it out to me: that just because people are my race and religion doesn’t mean that they have to be my primary group of friends. I’ve met so many people that aren’t Indian or South Asian, and I rather like hanging out with all of them. I have friends here that are of almost every different type of background. Tulane breeds diversity in a lot of different ways–my boyfriend is Jewish, Italian, and from Portland, Oregon. My best friend is Scotch Irish, her mother is Buddhist, and she’s from Blacksburg, Virginia. How much more different can you get?
In the end, I have to see this as a good thing. I’m not doing something on the board that I don’t really want to do, and people who really want it have got their places. I can still be involved without being on the board . . . . and most importantly, I don’t feel so pressured to fit in with that particular group.
So this is my goodbye to my position on the board of IATU . . . . . all of my friends on the board will certainly see me working hard again next year. Just because I’m Indian doesn’t mean I have to fit into that group.
Essentially, the environment here at Tulane is set up so I have so many options free of the stereotypes that prevail at schools like UT.I’m free.
<<(IATU Board 2006)
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