Big Easy

Fun. Exciting. Thrilling. Spontaneous. Random. Uncontrollable. Freedom. Non-stop. Stories. Phenomenal. Drama. Brotherhood. Sleep Depriving. Wild. Mardi Gras. Late nights. Excellent food. Camaraderie. VIP. Bus Rides. Beignets. Outrageous. These are a few words that describe my 48-hour trip to New Orleans.

After a long week of grueling academic work ,and a physics test one hour before the departure, I was thoroughly ready to kick it off with my fraternity brothers for one crazy weekend. The bus ride itself was fun enough, especially with the life lessons from our short, old, and wise bus driver, J.R. He kept us straight and offered valuable advice for the trip and for the life there after. We quickly checked into the hotel and prepared for an unforgettable night. A group of us decided to eat some local, Cajun food on Bourbon Street. After stuffing our stomachs, we were curious to see just how crazy Bourbon Street really is. We missed Mardi Gras by three days, but we still felt the after effects and ripples of the never-ending carnival. Some women were more desperate than others to earn beads. But, I resolved to wild and crazy sporadic dancing for 30 minutes and earned a hearty reward of many beads which I dispersed among our group. Since many bars required a 21-year-old ID, we, the underage freshmen, enjoyed the merrymaking in the crowded streets. This was plenty for us since the bars’ patrons and loud music overflowed into the street. The party continued till sunrise, but we choose to lay down our heads about 3:00 A.M. in order to prepare for a full day of exploration.

We set out about lunchtime and enjoyed some good ole Creole cuisine. The street performers are extremely entertaining. Acts included talented musicians, jazz performers, gymnasts, break dancers, guitar players, comedians, and mimes. Of course our day was not complete without powdery beignets from the excellent Café du Monde. The guys watched basketball in the hotel lobby while our dates got ready for the formal. A large group of freshmen had dinner reservations at a fine, rooftop restaurant overlooking Bourbon Street. The private room and personal servers added grandeur to a spectacular night. The fraternity rented out the top story of a bar for our formal. We danced till the wee hours of the morning, and then slept soundly in our beds due to exhaustion from such a thorough day.

Most of us also recovered during the long bus ride back to campus. I had a blast with my brothers in the wonderful “Big Easy.” Everybody pretty much behaved as expected; the wild ones were rather wild in the crazy playground of New Orleans and Bourbon Street, while the conservative guys remained under control. In the end, I am glad I made the trip, and I created memories to last a lifetime.

Mardi Gras beads

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel south with a few pledge brothers for the Mardi Gras festivities. We stayed in one of their houses and went to a couple parades. Most of the campus migrated South in order to participate in some fashion of Mardi Gras on the Gulf coast. Mobile prides itself as the birthplace of Mardi Gras and as a family-friendly carnival. It may not have been as wild as New Orleans, but it was plenty excitement for me. We caught our fair share of beads, moon-pies, and stuffed animals, particularly when we climbed up on each other’s shoulders in order attract the riders’ attention.

Spring will offer the opportunity for road trips to visit other campuses or cities. The largest attraction, football, is no more, and, therefore, fewer students are retained on campus. Campus is not a weekend ghost town, since we still have spring activities, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, gymnastics, plays, and concerts, but they have less of a following. My roommate has left a couple of times to visit fellow graduates at other campuses. I have left for Mardi Gras and am planning to leave this weekend for my fraternity’s formal in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is officially over, but the Big Easy is going to be extremely active and lively. My whole fraternity and our dates plan to ride buses down to New Orleans and rent a hotel. We will visit Bourbon Street, the local attractions, restaurants, and even rent out a venue for a private party. I will describe our many experiences in the next entry.

Spring weather is in the forecast, and the campus has cabin fever. You would think we are kindergarteners, since we all want to get out and play. Even though the weather is not perfect, the frisbees and footballs have been dug up at the fraternity house and found my brothers restless hands eagerly waiting a pass on the front lawn. Most everybody has made spring break plans and is anxious to execute their anticipated week of revelry or relaxation. I am happy to report, spirits are just as high as the anticipation for the spring.

Hearts

Valentines is a lovely time of year. “Love is in the air,” as some would say. But for us, the lucky bachelors, we are left high and dry on this once a year tragedy. Seeing that my dating situation has never been “on” during the month of February, I couldn’t tell you the great fantasies of an enchanting evening. I can only tell you about the lonely retreats into the man cave on the night of the 14^th. I hate to be cynical since I am a positive person, but I have zero appreciation for Hallmark’s favorite holiday.

I see my pledge brothers making plans and reservations for a magical night. Forests of flowers are delivered to residence halls, offices, and sorority houses. Girls are flirty in order to possibly pick up a last minute, desperate date. On this single awareness day, the only reserved time I have are for the manly activities of Xbox, a possible pickup basketball game, pumping iron at the gym, and the coveted date with the ever so attractive calculus book.

But in the end I have learned a few things, mostly calculus but a few tips from the stories of my friends. The florists are extremely busy during this time and should be visited in advance not the day of. Bouquets of the female’s respective Greek organization’s official flower or her favorite flower score big “aww” points. Dinner might be pricey or long winded depending on the restaurant, but probably worth it. For instance, drive through or a meal plan dinner at the cafeteria did not impress the dates of two tactless friends. From my observations, simple, creative, considerate ideas are the key to any girl’s heart. Of course the college male appreciates “simple” because of its correlation to inexpensive, but the creative and considerate aspects may pose a dilemma to some.

Giving

College students have a lot of free time. Depending on how one devotes this time, one has numerous opportunities to give back to the local community through the hundreds of campus organizations. Being Mr. Involvement, I have contributed many hours to different causes.

My biggest contribution of time and talents has been to my fraternity and its philanthropy. We have had a few events, but I wish to have more. I hope to start a team for the upcoming Relay for Life on the Quad. With one of the freshmen leadership groups, I helped sponsor a twelve-hour Dance-A-Thon in the student recreation center starting at 7 P.M. and lasting till 7 A.M. the next morning. The Dance-A-Thon raised money and awareness for the civil crisis over the current war in Uganda. We had dance lessons, three different bands, a DJ, a Red Bull distributor, and the movie depicting the story of how the “Invisible Children” are abducted and forced to fight in the current war.

Our same group is going to assist in a 5K run to raise money and awareness for the refugees “running” away from a similarly oppressive situation in Burma. During rivalry week, our rival and we had a food drive competition. Jointly we raised about 250,000 pounds of food. We donated our food to our local food banks. Many organizations participated in this competition.

This past weekend, I was presented with the opportunity to assist in a middle school church retreat for a pledge brother’s home church. I knew about six people beforehand, but the Lord guided me and I helped lead as a one of the college facilitators. I completed the weekend with fulfilling joy, friends of all ages, a spiritual high, rewarding hard work, a few headaches, and a total of seven hours of sleep. Not knowing what I signed up for until a few hours after I arrived, I am very glad I went and have graciously been asked to return for future retreats.

I had heard of about campus apathy, but it is lower than I anticipated on campus. No matter the cause, there are enough people on campus to support it. The opportunities for community service on campus are countless.

Apps

Just like in the initial weeks of the first semester, the campus organizations and clubs are in a mad recruitment drive. During the first semester, the clubs just required a personal email address, but now the clubs are requiring thorough applications with deadlines, interviews, and the whole shebang. I did not realize it until now, but the clubs are only interested in activities and accomplishments completed during your collegiate semesters and not high school activities. This could present a problem for some, but I am glad I was active first semester and have information to place in those blanks.

I am in the middle of applying to an ambassador program, honor society, and for a student-leader position in a service-learning program. These opportunities complicate my schedule, because I am now juggling the fast approaching deadlines, finding the perfect answer to the tricky application questions, preparing for spring break, and handling my extensive homework. Now, I only have the intimidating interviews to dread.

On a different note, one of my classes is using an advance application of computer technology. The class is 100% online. There is a teacher with office hours if I need help, but the pre-recorded video lectures are accessible online any hour of the day. The students can work at their own pace and leisure. This can be dangerous if they are not focused, but very convenient to one who can manage his time. For example, I was busy all weekend long, but choose to watch one day’s lesson at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. Honestly, I was not excited about coming to a university, paying housing, and then taking an online class that I could take at home. In all fairness, it is a large school and the professors are strained. I have grown accustomed to it, and enjoy the convenience.