10 Things We'll Miss About Tulane This Holiday Break

Guest Blogger: Walker Daniel

WOOHOO! Whether you are on your last day of finals or have already packed your suitcase, home is just around the corner. I can almost smell the hot apple cider and hear the nagging of my siblings. For many of us, it has been almost four months since we’ve seen our hometown: our family and friends, our old stomping grounds… Heck, it’s been months since we’ve slept in the comfort of our own bed! As much as we are looking forward to going back, we’ve got to admit that Tulane is also our home. You can’t just ignore the place you live 9 months out of the year! So as we say hello to our “home” home, we also say goodbye to our “school” home. Here are some things we’ll all miss this coming month:

1.  Tulane Cats: They’re just like our pets at home – minus all of the actual care. We see them, and they are cute. We pet them, and they purr. However, we do not spend our time cleaning their litter box or spooning questionable smelling cat food into their dinner bowls.

 

One of the famous "Tulane Cats" lounges around the Academic Quad

2.  How acceptable it is to eat microwaveable foods: If I walked to my kitchen at home, pulled out an Easy Mac, and preceded to microwave it and shovel it into my mouth… my mother might kill me. But walking around my hall at 11am with a Cup-O-Noodles? Totally acceptable.

3.  Warm weather: This is a courteous reminder that the average daily temperature lately in New Orleans has been about 60 degrees. Though this may feel like the artic to us, the harsh truth is that wherever you are going (unless it’s Florida) is going to be much, much colder.

4.  Bruff: You might say, “Haha, well, I’m sure happy to go home to some home-cooked food!” Think again, my friends. Bruff is like a fully stocked refrigerator; you can always find something that is satisfying. Even if it comes down to cereal or salad… there is a fabulous array of brand name cereal and a full salad bar. I don’t know about you, but my cupboard at home isn’t stocked with Cap’n Crunch, Reeses Pieces AND Lucky Charms. Trust me, around the second week home, when the novelty of you being home vanishes from your moms mind… you’ll miss it.

Make-Your-Own-Cupcake day at Bruff, Tulane's dining hall

5.  The Boot: Just kidding. I’m sure we can all use a break.

6.  Everything being in walking distance: There is no better motivator to go to the gym than knowing it is less than a 5 minute walk from your dorm. Good luck with your workouts over break, everyone.

7.  The Faculty and Staff: People are so nice here. Whether it be your professors, the Bruff workers, the maintenance people, the people who drive SafeRide… It is rare to find such smiley people all in one place.

8.  Wavebucks: If you didn’t run out of Wavebucks a month ago (if you did, you are not alone), you will miss getting endless food and drink with you student ID card. It’s funny, it doesn’t quite seem like real money, as is with a debit card. “Wavebucks, please” is such an easy, simple, phrase for those late nights at Mac Mart or splurge lunches at the LBC.

9.  Saying “Y’all”: As a southern school, we pretend we can actually say “y’all.” If you are not from the south… please do not try this at home.

10.   Friends: The real reason we come to college. We’ll miss the all-nighters in the common rooms, the 3 hour long meals at Bruff, the movie nights in, the silly nights out, the jokes that have accumulated over the past 4 months… That’s what we’ll miss. 

A group of students goof off with their professors

But don’t fret, 3 and a half weeks will pass more quickly than you think! Enjoy your time at home, and sooner than you know, you’ll be right back home.

Follow @TulaneWalker on Twitter for some hilarious (in her opinion) insight into life as a freshman at Tulane!

Best Food Ever!!

Best Year____ Ever!!

Andrew Lemoine, a rising sophomore, wrote an awesome blog series highlighting why he loves Tulane. Stay tuned to hear more from Andrew!

            So freshman year is in the books, and boy was it one I will never forget. As a local kid from Louisiana I didn’t know what to expect by staying in state for college, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. New Orleans is one of the most unique places in the world. I think that this statement pretty much sums up my experience at Tulane this past year. Unique!

Best Food Ever!!

         So the one thing that everyone agrees on, is that New Orleans is famous for its food!! I can’t sum up m freshman year in New Orleans without slightly mentioning food. From the famous Café Du Monde in the New Orleans French Quarter, to Plum Street Snow Balls in Uptown, you cannot go wrong with New Orleans Food. When I got to campus back in August,  one of the things I could not wait to do was try as many foods as possible. Our course, on a college student budget, I was limited, but that didn’t stop me from trying! From going out to eat with friends, to cooking Sunday Family Dinners in our dorm’s kitchen, to we had the best time doing it! There are literally restaurants everywhere in Nola!! It is just like activities on campus. The hardest part isn’t finding a restaurant. It’s picking which one you want! All it takes is a little bravery, a longing for adventure and a huge appetite!!

Best School Ever!!

Best Year____ Ever!!

Andrew Lemoine, a rising sophomore, wrote an awesome blog series highlighting why he loves Tulane. Stay tuned to hear more from Andrew!

            So freshman year is in the books, and boy was it one I will never forget. As a local kid from Louisiana I didn’t know what to expect by staying in state for college, but it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. New Orleans is one of the most unique places in the world. I think that this statement pretty much sums up my experience at Tulane this past year. Unique!

Best School Ever!!

         So I was one of those kids that showed up to Tulane my Junior year ready to tour. I had no idea to expect and no idea what to look for. I had heard so much about the school and how awesome it was, but of course awesome to one person isn’t the same to another. And when I got to campus, “the wave” hit me!(see what I did there?) I immediately fell in love with Tulane. From that day on, I did not want to go anywhere else. Of course I had to apply to other places to make my parents happy, but it didn’t matter. I knew I wanted to go to Tulane; it is the best school ever!

            Tulane had everything I wanted, plus more! First off, campus is gorgeous. I walk out of my dorm in the mornings and just think, “Dang...this is why I came here.” It’s just that pretty.

I took this picture during my first ever trip to campus

  

Of course there are other things too: you know, academics, your education, “important” stuff like that. I am a neuroscience major, so I was really attracted to the research opportunities available for students. Every time I turned around I met some kid who did this is one lab and their friend did that in a different one. Throughout this year, I really just felt that students wanted to be here, they wanted to be involved in their studies, and they wanted to learn.

            And of course, just like New Orleans, Tulane is unique! There are so many random quirks that make Tulane what it is! I know this is kind of obvious, but it doesn’t snow in New Orleans...Ever. So how did Tulane fix that? Snow day!! Tulane brought in trucks that sprayed snow all over the LBC Quad. During homecoming week, my friends and I walk out of our dorms one night find a carnival on the quad. And not just small little booths with some games and a bouncy house. This was a full blown-ferris wheel and tons of rides-Carnival. And of course, I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked about the Mardi Gras tree. As per tradition, on the way back parades, students throw some of there beads up in a big tree on the academic quad.

            

            I know these are just little things, but thats what makes something what it is. There are so many countless experiences that all combine to make Tulane such an amazing place. I always say the problem is not finding something to go do, it’s trying to pick from all the things available. I could sit with you and talk till may face turned blue, and still have more to say about Tulane.

From left to right: Making masks in my dorm; my friend, Jesse, and the 16oz pancake in City Diner; students cover the LBC quad for Crawfest!; everyone hanging out in our dorm lounge for the Superbowl watch party.