(!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.

Katie Cleghorn, a new Tulanian

The first thing you should know is that I am an incredibly awkward person. 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I shall continue with my introduction. 

My name is Katie. Okay, all right, it's technically Savannah but, as much as I love my parents, their decision to name me after Jimmy Buffett's daughter isn't one I'm particularly proud of. I am a high school senior (less than two months until graduation!) and, as of about a month ago, I will be attending Tulane next year. 

My vert best friend

So, I'm a huge nerd. I'm just going to put that out there right now. I skipped eighth grade and so I'll be barely seventeen when I start school next fall. I am planning on double-majoring in political science and neuroscience and, being as geeky as I am, I've already picked out which classes I'm going to take next semester. I'm also really into biographies and stuff of the like, so I'm thinking about minoring in history. I'm mildly obsessed with Harry Potter and England. I'm actually going to London for the first time this summer. I'm really into YouTube and will be going to VidCon in Anaheim this summer. I'm also a musician and I've opened for a bunch of really great musicians, although I'm not sure how exactly that happened.

This is me playing last February after Billy Currington!  

While in high school (okay, I'm still technically IN high school but a girl can pretend), I changed schools five times. Yeah, I know. That's a lot. For the most part it wasn't my choice. The homeschool I went to freshman year kind of fell apart and my family and I moved back to Nashville after my sophomore year. The other changes were purely me, though. (Just for future reference, don't agree to go to boarding school unless you're absolutely sure.) Because I changed schools so often, I never really got involved in school activities. When I get to Tulane, I'll probably go insane with all of the choices. I really want to join a sorority (for some reason unbeknownst to me) and the student government. I'm also up for any Harry Potter clubs or club sports. I find the Hullabaloo really interesting, too. (I realize that kind of rhymed. It was not meant to.) If you couldn't tell, I'm ridiculously excited for this fall. 

Okay, so that's me. I'm going to end it here before it gets too unbearably awkward. Thanks for listening! Or reading, I guess…

NOLA Active Life

Juese Wang

Hometown: New Orleans

Major: Marketing and Legal Studies

Email: jwang7@tulane.edu

Your freshmen year is just around the corner and I bet you can’t wait to see what the buzz is all about! 

At Tulane University, your social life will be filled to the brim with the great nightlife of New Orleans, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, Camellia Grill, Crawfest, Jazz Fest, The Riverwalk, Dat Dog, Canal Place, and exploring this fabulous city. At the center of these activities are food…food… food… and MORE food! Strawberry lemonades, pounds of crawfish, jambalaya, beignets, po’boys, Canes, Snowballs, king cake, gumbo, and undoubtedly more than a few Bruff trips to round out your New Orleans College diet.

While it’s great to enjoy the countless activities and delicious cuisine New Orleans has to offer, it’ll be a smart idea to take a step back every now and then and see what you’re feeding your body. That strawberry lemonade is yummy…. but do you know how much sugar is in it? And who can resist a fried oyster po’boy?! But what is it doing to your heart? Just being mindful of what the food you’re putting into your body consists of is a great start to avoiding that fabled freshman 15. 

In addition to being aware of what you’re munching on every day, get active with your life! Tulane is located in the uptown area of New Orleans and is just minutes away from Audubon Park.  It has running and biking roads lined with exquisite oak trees, lagoons, and if that’s not enough incentive for you…did I mention the ducks and swans just chilling there? Yeah, this is real life. Now get moving!

If you’re more of an indoor person (read: treadmills, cross trainers, weigh room…) Tulane’s got you covered. The Reily Student Recreation Center has 5 basketball/volleyball courts, 7 racquetball/squash courts, 2 tennis courts, a 7000 square foot weight room, an Olympic sized swimming pool, an elevated indoor track, multi-purpose aerobic rooms, a cardio area, a spinning room, a social pool, a sundeck, an outdoor track…Feel free to stop me at any time! With all those options available at just a walking distance away, you have no excuse to not get moving! And if your excuse is that you’ll miss the newest episode of How I met Your Mother…. 1). Reily has T.V.s pretty much like it’s a Best Buy and 2). If you didn’t find out in the first 7 seasons, chances are…. Ted is still ranting on about that wonderfully elusive mother of his children.

Hidden Gems in New Orleans

Blogger: Michael Marchese

Hometown: Irvine, CA

Email: mmarches@tulane.edu

So you’ve already eaten at Café du Monde, strolled through Audubon Park, and had your photo taken in front of St. Louis Cathedral. New Orleans certainly has a ton of great tourist destinations, but once all those bases have been covered, where can a new NOLA resident go to blend in with the locals and experience some true New Orleans gems? Luckily, I’m here to answer that question for you with a list of my own favorite “Hidden Gems in New Orleans.”

1.     Coop’s Place

This restaurant and bar on lower Decatur in the French Quarter has all the makings of a true New Orleans hole-in-the-wall.  The dining experience which awaits the customers willing to brave the sketchy exterior and intimidatingly long line is absolutely worth the wait. In my opinion, the rabbit jambalaya served here is second to none, even the plates served at the city’s ritzier establishments. The shrimp creole and fried chicken are also some of the best I’ve had, so try the combo plate and get all three, plus red beans and rice. Coop’s Place’s low prices, authentic ambience, and high quality local cuisine make this local favorite stand out in a city that’s known for its food.

 

2.     Oak Street

Because most tourists generally don’t make it very far outside of the French Quarter, I consider all of Oak Street upriver from Carrolton to be a “hidden gem.” That’s because this street has recently become a gentrified avenue of trendy clothing stores, coffee shops, local and international cuisine, and bars featuring some of the city’s best live musical performances. Jacques-Imo’s is a Tulane favorite for creole and Cajun specialties, especially during parents’ weekend and around graduation. Squeal and Cowbell offer fantastic barbeque and burgers for all you meat lovers, and Zotz and Rue de la Course both offer great coffee (and a great place to study). During the fall semester, the street comes alive for Po-Boy Fest, a street fair honoring New Orleans’ favorite sandwich.

 

3.     La Crêpe Nanou

For a classy night out on a college student’s budget, this is the place to go. Perfect for date night or celebrating the end of finals with your friends, La Crepe Nanou offers French cuisine in a beautiful art nouveau building located in the Garden District, not far from campus. The Crepe Bourgogne and the Ratatouille are my favorites, but the menu boasts provincial cuisine for a wide range of palettes, including daily seafood specials. A friendly orange cat greets those waiting outside for a table every night, and local art depicting nearby antebellum mansions grace the walls.

 

4.     Piazza d’Italia

This large public space located on Poydras Street in the Central Business District is even unknown to most New Orleanians. A celebration of the city’s Italian heritage and the various architectural styles which were pioneered on the Italian peninsula, this plaza was hailed as a postmodern masterpiece even before its completion in the 1970s. Even after its restoration in 2004, it’s not a popular spot; every time I’ve wandered in, I’ve been the only visitor, and have had free reign of the fountains and gardens to myself. However, it’s a beautiful plaza, and in my opinion deserving of more attention and use.

Have you found these gems yet, and do you agree that they’re worth the search? Are there any gems that you think I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments!

Ready to Call it Home Sweet New Orleans?

Deborah Yim

Hometown: Chicago, IL

dyim@tulane.edu

Finally, after experiencing the luxury of Sharp and Monroe, the option of living off campus becomes available! Do you start looking for an apartment or pick which dorm you want to live in next year? After living in Mayer my sophomore year, I decided to venture out and get a place to call my own for the remainder of my college career. I was excited to live with my close friends and have my own room.

Before my roommates and I found and signed a lease for the place we now call home, we had a checklist of things to cover. Figuring out on-campus housing at Tulane can be stressful. We worry if our lottery time to sign up for a room will be soon enough to get our first choice dorm, and if the people we plan to live with will commit under the varying circumstances. Similarly, many Tulane students are out looking for that perfect apartment, just like you are. And most landlords will give their lease up on a first come, first serve basis. It’s a rush to find an apartment, but we wanted to be sure to find the right one for us.

The off-campus housing options around Tulane have varying amenities. One of the first things my roommates and I did was make a list of what we were looking for in an apartment. Our list considered the following:

●      What is our budget for rent?

●      How much will utilities, Internet, and cable cost?

●      How far away are we willing to live from campus?

●      Does the unit have central air and heat?

●      Does the unit have a washer and dryer?

These questions served as guidelines that helped us pick and choose potential apartments. To find out what was available, we looked for listings online at sites like Craigslist, walked around the neighborhoods that we would consider living in to find “For Rent” signs, and asked upper classmen for their landlords’ contact information, or if any seniors were graduating and looking for new tenants to take their place.

After seeing multiple apartments, my roommates and I finally found a place we agreed on. Personally, I really enjoy living off-campus. I was really excited to have my own room, and just the general comfort of a “home.” Bruff is really convenient, but I also like to cook, so I looked forward to having a kitchen to prepare meals and bake. Living off-campus also offers a sense of freedom. There are no RAs around to check up on you, or make sure you’re moved out by a certain date. It was nice to be able to stay in New Orleans a few days after finals and just hangout with friends and explore the city.

As you become more a part of the New Orleans community, you may become less a part of the Tulane community. You’re no longer eating every meal at Bruff or the LBC and spending all hours of the day on campus, which can lead to a slight disconnect. It’s up to you to stay in tune with what’s happening on campus. Living in an apartment may give you more freedom, but it also brings along more responsibilities. If you lived in the dorms, you wouldn’t have worry about paying rent and bills, going to the grocery store, and cleaning the bathroom or kitchen. You can no longer call Service Wave if the air conditioner is broken or rely on the front desk for more toilet paper.

Based on all the pros and cons to living on and off campus, decide which option you think will better suit your lifestyle. Living off-campus gives you more flexibility and freedom, but comes with more responsibilities. For me, having my own place has been really fun and served as a good life lesson. I learned to manage my finances better, budgeting for rent, utilities, groceries and spending money. I also gained knowledge on overall household tasks that I would have never been exposed to living in the dorms. Be sure to weigh out all your options and decide if living off-campus is right for you.

Seeing Past New Orleans’ Nightlife

 Living in a city that is known for its amazing food and unique nightlife, it is important to keep an active lifestyle and stay in shape. New Orleans has many different recreational areas and parks that can be used by the public. Staying active and experiencing the different parks and recreational areas is a good way to not only stay in shape, but it also is a good way to experience the unique aspects of the city that tourists do not have a chance to engage in.

-          Audubon Park has both a dirt path and an inner cement path that wraps around the park that can be used for running/walking or biking. On a sunny day, Audubon Park’s historic Oak trees provide the perfect shade to run under.

-          City Park also features paths that residents of Lakeview and Mid-City utilize, and there is a new hiking trail throughout the park.

-          The St. Charles street car line is used by locals and students alike who run down the line towards the French Quarter while taking in some of the nice scenery that New Orleans has to offer.

-          The Butterfly (“Fly) is located in the back of Audubon Park near the Mississippi River, and it has open fields which are used to play soccer and Frisbee, or even to play fetch with dogs.

-          There are many different running stores and groups that sponsor neighborhood runs which group tens to hundreds of people together to run. These groups change their routes weekly in order to keep it fresh and fun.

-          The St. John’s Bayou in Mid-City is a great place to take in some sun and  paddleboard with many of the locals. The bayou runs through Mid-City and runs right by City Park.

There are always things to do in New Orleans, and staying active is no different. New Orleans has plenty of trails to run or bike through, and the scenery is always fresh and entertaining. The weather and scenery in New Orleans is so unique and amazing that it is necessary to spend time outside and stay active.

David Napoli

New Orleans, Louisiana

dnapoli@tulane.edu

Choosing (and loving) Your Freshman Dorm

Guest blogger: Laura Manning

Your freshman dorm is one of the first major choices you make as an incoming student at Tulane, and arguably one of the most important. The options seem nearly endless, with six freshmen housing options and countless different combinations within those six buildings. Here are some general tips that I wish someone had told me before making my freshman commitment!

1. Don’t rely on pictures from the housing website. I spent hours and hours agonizing over the handful of images of each dorm, and looking at their floor plans. Totally not worth it! Many of those pictures are outdated, and fail to take into account your personal style, which will make any dorm room seem more “homey” than stock photos of boring staples.
2. Don’t go random. Luckily I found a wonderful roommate on Facebook and ended up having a great year living with her in Sharp. Many of my friends were not quite as lucky. Tulane offers many services to help you match up with someone based on living preferences. Use them.
3. Know that the decision doesn’t have to be permanent. Sometimes students just aren’t meant to live together, and that’s okay. Housing understands, and will work to help you find a situation that you’re comfortable with. Knowing that back up exists in case things go wrong is so relieving. 
4. Buy a mattress “topper”. Trust me. There is only so much comfort that can be achieved from a twin mattress without box springs. Investing in a mattress topper is a purchase you won’t regret… and can use again in your sophomore year dorm. Many students opt for egg crate foam or down filled additions.

5. Keep an open mind. Your dorm will ultimately be what you make of it. Bring comforting items from home, picture frames, favorite blankets, and whatever else it takes to make you feel relaxed in a new space. No dorm will look perfect when you open that door for the first time, but with a few welcoming touches, it will quickly become a place that you can truly call “home”.

The dorms offer a wide variety of spaces designed for pretty much any personality. Whether you choose the traditional route of Monroe, Sharp, or Butler, or opt for a women-only experience in JL, joining a Residential College in Wall, or a wellness community in Paterson, there will be myriad options for you to deliberate between. Each dorm has its own individual personality, and it is ultimately up to you to embrace the lifestyle you will adopt while living there!