The Best Study Spots

Guest Blogger: Sarah Swig

It's finals time at Tulane, which for many students means hours upon hours stuck in the library. Lots of reading, studying, calculating, and writing. This can be tiring and often boring, and I find that the library is often too stressful for me. All I see around me are people studying, so it helps me to study off campus during finals. I like to be surrounded by other people who aren't students because it gives me some perspective that there is life outside of my exams and school, and these people are often happier than those in the library. I also have an easier time focusing when there is a little background noise and when I am surrounded by my friends. I feel much more relaxed when I'm able to work off campus, and it's fun to be able to take mini breaks with my friends to chat over coffee. Plus, most coffee shops nearby have good sandwiches and salads, which allows me to stay in one place for a longer period of time. Studying off campus is a great way to become more immersed in New Orleans and meet other locals. I've compiled a list of my favorite study places off campus - they all have great coffee drinks and free wifi.

bagel and coffee!

Cafe Luna is my go-to. The manager is so nice, and they have the BEST iced drinks. They specially brew their iced coffee, give good discounts on refills, and have fresh baked goods every day. There is a room in the back that is perfect for studying: it is a little quieter from the main room, and the artwork on the walls changes nearly every time I go. The patio out front is BEAUTIFUL and it is a great place to study and chat when the weather is nice. It's less than two miles from campus - and is conveniently located right next to Whole Foods!

Cafe Luna 

my favorite little mug!

I also love to study at Zots Cafe. This place is much more hip and eclectic than Cafe Luna, and is very different from your normal coffee shop. Zots has three rooms - the front room has tables, couches, and chess boards, and the back two rooms are more suited for studying. There is a funky collection of furniture, and no single chair or table is the same. There are tons of books for coffee drinkers to read as they hang out at Zots, other fun games for people to play, and lots of quirky artwork and decoration on the walls. It's probably not a place I'd bring my mom to grab coffee, but I love studying here. Their cups are fun, vibes are good, and it's great place for people watching. It's on Oak Street which is really close to campus - easily walkable. 

The Inside of Zots.

Manhattan Jack is a perfect place for those of you who love sweets! It is a bakery with soooooo many good desserts (I actually got my birthday cake from there!). They also have huge sandwiches that are yummy, and I love their lattes. It's very spacious and they play really good music (lots of Bon Iver). Manhattan Jack is a little further from campus (about two miles) - but it's right next to the Prytania Theatre, which is a single-screen movie theatre that plays both current and old movies on a rotating basis!

see how good those sweets look?

Finally, Village Coffee is a place my friends and I frequent. It is a much more traditional coffee shop. There's a big downstairs and an upstairs room that is nearly silent, which is perfect for when I really need to get something done.









There are tons of other coffee shops and restaurants which are great study spots around campus, but these are some of my favorites. I have spent the majority of my days at these places for the past week, and am so happy to be done with my exams!! Happy studying to those of you who aren't yet done yet, good luck!! At least you have it better than these snowmen.

Follow me @Tulane_Sarah for more scoop on student life.

Arriving in Madrid

Guest blogger: Jordan Hainsfurther


Stepping off the plane in a country you've never been in and where English is rarely spoken is a surreal experience. After an 8 hour flight from Chicago I finally arrived in Madrid not knowing what lay ahead of me. The first day was a little rough as I had to adjust my body to the new time zone (7 hours ahead of Chicago). My flight left at 4:40 pm and arrived at 8:30 am. I immediately set off for the hotel my friend and I had booked and opted to take a cab as opposed to the subway considering the amount of luggage I had. I thought I had an accurate idea about the cost of the cab but I was either very wrong or got ripped off because he could tell I had never been to Spain and that my Spanish was not the best. I believe it was the latter. Either way flustered when I got to the hotel I gave him the money and got out. I took a little nap as I waited for my other friend to arrive a few hours later. Once he got there it was time to explore! We had arrived approximately one week before orientation thus two weeks before classes started.

The first two days we had to accomplish a lot of house keeping items such as getting a subway pass, Spanish cell phone, moving into our apartment and getting groceries. Of course none these were easy tasks. Taking the subway even 3 stops with two huge suitcases and a carry on is no easy chore. Once we were all settled it was time to begin site seeing. I opened my Trip Advisor app and quickly saw there were so many things to do. We had heard from many people to go to the royal palace. I could not dream of what I was about to see. The Spanish royal palace dwarfs the White House.  Please see the attached picture. There are over 3000 rooms of which we saw a mere 20. Back in the day the king had separate rooms for lunch, dinner, special events, sleeping and even getting dressed. Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside the palace but each room is adorned with spectacular ceiling frescos, unbelievable chandeliers and amazing sculptures. It is truly a site to be seen. My favorite rooms were definitely the throne room and the dining salon. This table must hold at least 70 people. After we exited the palace we moved on to plaza mayor, puerta del sol and the Prado museum. Each just as amazing as the next.

The following day we took a day trip to Segovia which is an hour north of Madrid by bus. Segovia is an amazing city with cobble stone streets and an ancient aqueduct designed by the Romans. In addition there is a spectacular cathedral (see attached picture) along with a castle the king used for relaxing years and years ago.

Finally, let me tell you a little about the Madrid nightlife. I must preface this by saying lunch is eaten normally anywhere between 2-4 and dinner not until 10 or 11 pm. Spaniards go out very late. The first club I went to, Kapital, did not get busy on a Thursday until about 3 am. Kapital is one of the many amazing clubs Madrid has to offer but the city also has amazing bars on every corner. One of my favorites is el chapandaz also know as the cave bar because of its interior decoration. They specialize in a drink called el leche (the milk). The milk even comes down from the ceiling.

That's my experience in Madrid so far but I'm only two weeks in. I expect much more in the coming weeks and months. I have trips planned to Oktoberfest, Prague and Amsterdam thus far. In fact, I'm writing this on my way to Barcelona.

Adios y buena suerte,
Jordan Hainsfurther

(!Hello from Amman, Jordan) مرحبا من عمان الأردن

Guest Blogger: Peyton Smith

After two and a half years at Tulane, I thought I had it all. A major I was passionate about, the best friends a girl could ask for, a Frisbee team that had my back, and a comfy off campus house. So when I decided to study abroad in Amman, Jordan, I was terrified. I was leaving New Orleans for a life in a conservative, Middle Eastern city to study and live with a new family. First thing you should know is that New Orleans is my favorite place on the planet, so leaving was sad enough, but leaving for a place so outside of my comfort zone was probably the scariest thing I have ever done. But after being in Amman for three months now, I can genuinely say that studying abroad was the second best decision I have ever made; only second to choosing Tulane. Here is a little about about my experience in a Middle Eastern country. 



My abroad program is amazing. While here, I took two different Arabic courses, a course on modernization and social change in Jordan, and a class on research methods and ethics. You may ask, "Why would you take a class on research while you were abroad, Peyton?" Good question, I'll tell you why: I get to conduct my own research and write my own undergraduate research paper! For an entire month, I have no classes; its just me, lots of Arabic coffee, and my research. In fact, I am procrastinating my research paper by writing this blog post for you! It isn't often that undergraduates get to conduct their own research, especially in another country, so this a once in a life time opportunity. I am graduating next year, so I am hoping I can use this research to get me into graduate school!

But here in Jordan, I am not just studying Arabic and doing research all day. I have had the chance to experience life in the Middle East and to become a temporary Jordanian. As part of my program, I get to live with a home stay family. I am currently living in a three bedroom home with seven other people: my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. There is no such thing as privacy or personal space here. But I got used to it and grew to love my new family as if they were my own. We eat every meal together (the most delicious Middle Eastern food you've ever tasted), sing ridiculous amounts of tribal music, smoke hookah until all hours of the night and laugh at how bad my Arabic is. They are my big, fat, Arab family.

I have also had the chance to see some of the most beautiful sights in the world. During one of our excursions to the south of Jordan, I checked off one of the seven wonders of the world: Petra. The ancient city of Petra is an entire city carved into the most beautiful, red rock. It was absolutely breathtaking. But my fun didn't stop there! I went to Wadi Rum, slept under the stars and listened to the silence of the desert. The best part about that was the camel ride the next morning. Camels are awesome, by the way. Perhaps the coolest cultural thing I have had the chance to do is that I lived with a Bedouin family for a week. I left my home in Amman for a week to live in the village of Umm ar-Rasas (mother of bullets) with a Bedouin tribe. My family spoke absolutely no English, but that made it all the more interesting. My host mother taught me to make homemade bread, herd the sheep and milk the goats. I also drank the most delicious Bedouin tea, which consisted of tea, way too much sugar and fresh, warm goats milk. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Although I was terrified to be leaving NOLA, I am getting sadder and sadder every day to leave Amman. In just four months here, I have learned and experienced more than I ever thought possible. It will be hard to leave the hospitality and kindness this country has showed me. But I find comfort in knowing that I am leaving it for the best city in the world. And the fact that I can finally eat po-boys again.