I made the mistake of taking physics last year. Every day I would come in, look at the hieroglyphics on the board, and leave very discouraged. In class with me was a bubbly blonde girl who wore pink every day that she showed up, which was not often. Considering the trouble I was having, I could only imagine how badly she was doing. One day, we ended up in a study group together and she breezed through every question that was thrown at her like it was high school algebra. When I expressed my disbelief, she could only say, “how are you having trouble? This is the easy stuff.” I’ve been trying to incorporate more pink into my wardrobe ever since.
Month: March 2016
The Tower’s Glow
I was leaving the PCL (The Perry-Castañeda Library located on campus) roughly around 3:30 one morning. Having consumed copious amounts of caffeine, I was feeling defeated by the exam that was approaching in only a few hours. As I walked slowly back to my house attempting to replay the information I had just reviewed in my head over and over again, I looked up to see an inspiring sight—the Tower, the center point of The University of Texas at Austin, glowing in an orange light which serves as a symbol of accomplishment (an athletic victory, a graduation ceremony, or things alike). In that moment, I realized the point of slaving away in the library until 3:30 in the morning; I AM a part of the Tower glowing orange with victory.
photo credit: http://www.universityoftexasimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2012060901-Orange-Tower-with-1-The-University-of-Texas-Austin-Texas.jpg
Austin’s “Winter” Months
When February rolls around in Austin, it’s safe to say the weather is a bit of a toss up. Walking to class one morning, you could need long pants, a long sleeved shirt, a jacket, and a scarf, and still not be warm enough, and by some work of nature, you could be walking to class in shorts and a t-shirt the next and find yourself profusely sweating. Consider this your warning from a native Texan. If you come to Austin in the “winter months,” I wouldn’t suggest boxing up your summer clothes.
Music in the Cold
Grieving for a Home Away From Home
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When I left behind Austin to go visit my hometown, Dallas, over spring break, I never realized just how much I was going to leave behind, especially the ice-cream. Amy’s Ice-Cream is a staple ice-cream shop in Austin, and I was used to grabbing myself a bowl of the sweets right before I went to my classes everyday. However, when I went to go visit the local Braum’s near my house, I asked the cashier if they had any rainbow ice-cream, a vanilla ice-cream infused with sprinkles mix which was a common favorite at Amy’s. The cashier said he sure did, but when he came back out with the ice-cream, it was just a small snow cone with rainbow food-coloring around it. I never held a feeling of regret as much as I did that day.
Everyday Politics
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One day while I was waiting for the campus bus on Dean Keaton, a man approached me with a fierce glare in his eyes. I don’t like to make assumptions most of the time, but with his darkened and blotchy skin and raggy clothes, I automatically assumed that he was going to ask me for money. I reached into my back pocket to grab my wallet once he got close, but to my surprise, all he asked me was, “What do you think about the presidential candidate that’s named after a Disney character?” I was shocked, but then again, Austin is never short of heated political debate.
An Average Day on The Drag
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I was walking down The Drag one afternoon when a man with pitch-black sunglasses and a saxophone walked up to me and asked me for a suggestion for a song. Confused but curious, I asked the man to play “The Eyes of Texas”, to which the man smiled brightly and started playing the song, dancing along with the beat. A crowd started to form around me, and I soon found myself clapping and cheering, with the crowd following my actions and clapping as well. The saxophone man finished his song with what seemed like his signature pose of jumping in the air and falling back down to the ground to do the splits, and then told the crowd that everyone should come watch his performance at an upcoming concert. Only on the streets of Austin would a famous musician come perform out of the blue in the middle of a busy sidewalk.
What’s for Dinner?
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Last spring I was giving a campus tour to a group of third graders visiting from a small town in east Texas. We were stopped outside of Gregory Gym, an area of campus oversaturated with our “famous” squirrels, when one little boy came up to me and tugged my hand. “Miss,” he said with a sincere look in his eyes, “Do you shoot the squirrels and cook them for dinner?” I smiled at let him know we did not, but the kid had a point, and I was low in Dine in Dollars.
Wallet Cleansed
[ picture from Juiceland website ]
No Surgery Knee-ded
No Surgery Knee-ded
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It was my first semester on campus, and talk of ACL permeated daily conversation in dining halls and classes. I knew Austin was a fit city and had a strong running community–that was one of the main reasons I loved it so much. However, one day I finally had to ask my roommate, “Have you heard people talking about ACLs a lot?” “Yes,” she squealed, “I can’t believe it’s almost here! We’re so lucky to live in a city with its own music festival.” My cheeks flushed. I thought everyone had bad knees.