Greenie Camp

Gator hatchin'! 

It all started in Tuscany on a summer evening in a hotel room on an iPhone with my family. That's right - the portal to apply for the Tulane Explore programs opened. There are always several program tracks to choose from, and they all take place the four days prior to move-in day. I knew I wanted to do an Explore program because I had heard such great things about the whole experience from current students back when I toured in March. I quickly opened the internet site, hoping the crappy wifi wouldn't fail me again. My mom, dad, sister and myself were all crowded into this single room as my future was to be decided on my iPhone. Everyone seemed indifferent to that fact that these few days prior to the start of school could totallllllly change my life. Fine - I guess I should start practicing this thing called independence now and make this decision on my own. The few sentence descriptions of each track were not helping me narrow down my selection. I vacillated back and forth between four or five different tracks and finally decided on Greenie Camp. (Not because my favorite color is green or anything...) And at that moment, my fate had been determined. *Dramatic pause*

After traveling Italy with my family, it was finally time to get ready for Greenie Camp come mid-August. I left a teary-eyed family at the airport as I flew off to start this adventure (at 4:00 am). My mom advised me to nap when I arrived on campus after unpacking the couple boxes I was allowed to ship, but come on now - how realistic is that? I soon started meeting fellow campers and seeing friends from orientation. We all got to know each other a little better, talking about our excitement for the upcoming days and exploring campus/the surrounding area until camp officially began later that night.

And then it all started. Everyone introduced themselves and played the usual ice breaker name games to start. “Hi, I’m Shelby and I like…uh whats something cool that starts with an S?” The first night was surprisingly not awkward due to the fun get-to-know-each-other games they had arranged for us. The 60 of us made for an ideal size as we all got to know a wide range of people that would be our future classmates. The next few days were filled with activities like scavenger hunts around campus. We learned fun, quirky facts about Tulane to help us succeed in the “friendly” competition. When you think camp, you may think about a mass of planned activities that everyone half-heartedly participates in. This was not at all the case. Everyone was extremely involved and enthusiastic, in part due to the fantastic orientation coordinators (OCs) and Tulane staff members. They planned an overnight retreat for us at a beautiful secluded location about an hour away from campus. We spent the night playing games, Frisbee, trying to win Green Wave cheer competitions, and eating tons of snack food. It was a relaxed atmosphere and everyone felt comfortable trying to learn as many names and life stories as our brains could handle. Oh, and we all took advantage of the favorable showering conditions. Anything is a step up from freshman residence hall showers. But hey, it’s all part of the experience right?

Gators! 

We woke up to charter buses ready to take us to our next destination. Now this next activity was unlike anything I’d ever done before; we went to an alligator ranch. Say whatttttt? Coming from Nebraska, I knew very little about such a thing. The alligator ranchers quickly changed that. Their informative presentations and endless knowledge in the subject area were beyond impressive. They let us pet alligators and walk through a shed where hundreds of them swam around, waiting to be fed the tiny marshmallows we held in our hands. Cool right? That's what I thought... until they spilled the news that we would be able to hatch our VERY OWN ALLIGATOR!!! *Mic drop* They just brought this to a whole new level. The ranchers took us to the hatching room and placed an egg in our hands. We were instructed to gently tap and roll the egg until we could feel the baby alligator itching to break out. You can imagine the anticipation as we were holding this tiny piece of life hidden inside a fragile egg shell. My little gator was taking its sweet time - it was in no rush at to meet all of us eager Greenie campers. So I rolled it around and poked at it excessively. Come out little dude, where are you? AND BANG BANG! The shell cracked and I could instantly feel the cool slime oozing from the inside of the egg onto my hands. My OC Colin and I decided to name this little guy Garry the Gator. It was one of those things that felt so right in the moment - and for alliteration purposes of course. So Garry finally made it all the way out of the shell and began to crawl all over my hands, evenly distributing the gooey slime onto my skin. I played around with my child for a bit, introducing him to other recently born gators. He was good at making friends, probably due to his killer looks and stellar personality - good genes run in the family.

Proud mama. 

Unfortunately our time at the ranch had to come to end at some point, but the fun never stopped. We visited countless local restaurants, and being the foodie I am, I was ridiculously enthusiastic about the plethora of places we dined at. From Dat Dog to Felipe’s to Middendorf’s, they made sure we hit all the important eateries. In attempts to assimilate us all into the New Orleans culture, they planned a Cajun dance party one night, complete with a full Cajun food buffet as well. We learned basic dance moves, more advanced steps, and busted out some traditional modern moves we already new. It was the perfect mix of trying to learn, feeling like an under-qualified dancer, and then busting out (insert favorite dance move here). Personally, I tend to just bounce up and down like an uncoordinated Oompa Loompa - we all have our strengths… and weaknesses.

Mardi Gras World 

We also toured Mardi Gras World, the Katrina museum and went to Cafe Du Monde for a late night snack. There are no words to describe how blissful the beignet experience is. Every adventure was filled with laughter and the sweet joys of making new friends. We bonded over stories from home and missing our families already but particularly over the fact that we were indeed better than all the other Explore tracks - its okay, everyone knew.

On our final evening, we spiffed up in our nice clothes (quite a change from the T-shirt and Nike short look we had all been sporting) and bused over to Commader’s Palace. I had never been there, only heard rumblings about how incredibly heavenly the food is. We sat down at our tables and chatted as we waited for our appetizer. Though it was a formal and beautifully elegant atmosphere, my table had a very relaxed and enjoyable conversation. Jeff, previously mentioned in my first blog in Undergraduate Admissions, and Peter with the Alumni House sat with five of my new friends and myself. I couldn't stop thinking about how the night was so perfect. The food was beyond excellent and our random conversions about favorite concerts and Greenie Camp memories made for an unforgettable night.

It had been one of the greatest weeks of my life and I almost didn't want new people to come to campus and impose on the Greenie bond we all shared. For some odd reason, after just several days with these people, I felt that they would always be there for me if I ever needed anything. To this day on campus, we will all run onto each other and hug, exchange stories, and bring up our great memories. We always say that doing Greenie Camp was one of the absolute best decisions of our lives. I felt unbelievably ahead of the game by the time everyone else got to campus, and was I happy to know I had supportive friends already. I think back to Greenie Camp frequently and have the Greenie pendant hanging on my wall as proof that I was part of the coolest Explore track to ever exist. So to all my fellow Greenies reading this - thank you dearly for nothing short of a truly amazing experience to help with the transition into college life. Y’all are the greatest Greenies ever.

A very serious final dinner at Commander's Palace

Out at the Camp

So. Much. Food. 

Dat Dog

Just kidding, it wasn't that serious. 

The NOLA Experience: 5 days of your Freshman year that you DON'T want to miss!

Guest blogger: Ali Bloomston

Sometimes I wonder where I would be now if it were not for the NOLA Experience Orientation program. Would I have still met the people I consider my best friends? Would I be as involved on campus as I am now? Would I have felt as adjusted to Tulane and New Orleans? All I know is that participating in something as incredible as the NOLA Experience has completely shaped my undergraduate career at Tulane.

How can 5 days be so impactful? While NOLA is an orientation program, it is nothing like June orientation where the focus of the program is to properly acclimate students to beginning college and different services offered by Tulane. NOLA Experience is about acclimating students to the city of New Orleans, and fostering a passion for the city that is as important to the Tulane experience as what is learned in the classroom.

Through the NOLA Experience, rising freshman are assigned to "tracks" based on their interests. Each "track" presents a unique lens in which to view aspects of life in New Orleans. Tracks range from perspectives such as food, sports, music, community service, and nature--just to name a few. My freshman year I participated in a track called "Let the Good Times Rock and Roll" which focused on music in the Big Easy.

As a participant, I ate at some of the most incredible restaurants around the city, heard a plethora of locally renowned musicians, and toured famous music venues. While some of the activities during NOLA Experience are track specific, others are with all of the tracks combined. My favorite "All NOLA" activity was Cajun Dinner and Dancing at Michaul's Restaurant, where we loaded up on red beans and rice and bread pudding and danced the night away to Zydeco music. Something else that I really love about that NOLA Experience is that each track has a community service day, which I think is a wonderful reminder that as Tulane students it is important to constantly give back to the city that gives us so much.

Probably my favorite aspect of the NOLA Experience is the people you meet. I can honestly say that more than half of my closest friends at Tulane I met during NOLA. A major perk of participating in this program a few days before school starts was that NOLA participants had such an advantage over students who move in for Welcome Week--we already had a strong support base and a feel for Tulane and the city. The bond that I formed with the other participants on my tracks still continues years later. Two of the girls on my track are my sorority sisters. I am about to room with a girl on my track for the second year in a row. Three guys in my track joined the same fraternity together. Two guys on my track joined the frisbee team together. Another two guys on my track become leaders in an organization called Roots of Music, which they found out about through our track programming. Two participants on my track dated for an entire year. Outside of my track, three other NOLA participants became my best friends at Tulane. NOLA Experience participants became student government senators, campus tour guides, student newspaper journalists, campus programming representatives, community service organization leaders, and 16 of us even became NOLA Experience Coordinators.

In addition to making lasting friendships with their peers, participants in the NOLA Experience also develop a powerful relationship with their Orientation Coordinators (OCs), upperclassmen who went through the NOLA Experience that are assigned to a specific track and organize programming and act as a mentor throughout and beyond NOLA. My NOLA OCs were two of the coolest people ever and made sure we knew all the ins-and-outs of Tulane. They constantly checked up on us throughout our freshman year and organized reunions so we could all get together and catch up. As a participant I knew how much having an upperclassmen mentor benefitted me, but it wasn't until I became an OC myself that I realized I got as much out of the relationship as participants did. My sophomore year I was the OC for a track called "Changemakers," a track that focused on social entrepreneurship in New Orleans, and I was surprised that even as an OC I became such good friends with so many of my participants. There is something about the NOLA Experience, as cheesy as it sounds, that truly brings people together.

This upcoming year I am an OC for the track "Street, Stage, and Screen" which is all about performing arts in New Orleans. I am so lucky to be able to be involved in the NOLA Experience for a third time! As a campus tour guide, I always tell my tour groups how much the NOLA Experience has jumpstarted  my Tulane career and how important it is for committed Tulane students to consider participating. So if you are looking to make amazing friends before school even starts and learn about the incredible city you will spend the next 4 years of your life in, NOLA Experience is the program for you.