North Sweet North
Why hello new friends! Welcome to my first ever blog post! To start off, I have a confession:
My name is Gabi Grys and I am addicted to Inside Dores.
It’s true. All throughout my junior and senior years of high school, I read Inside Dores OBSESSIVELY. I would check the blog every single day to see if there were any new posts. I am unbelievably thrilled that now I get to do the blogging and share all of my lovely little Vandy adventures with you! So buckle up and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.
To start off, I thought I would tell you a bit about my home for the year, North House.
I came to Vandy from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which is a thirteen hour drive away. Needless to say I was a bit anxious about living so far from home with a roommate and a hall of 43 strangers. Enter in North House
North House is one of the ten living learning communities on the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. The Commons is where each and every first-year student lives, along with our Faculty Heads of House. The Faculty Head of House is a Vanderbilt professor who lives in the dorm with his or her family. Professor Gregory Melchor-Barz (PBarz for short) is by far one of the most incredible professors I have ever met. He is a professor of ethnomusicology and spent quite a bit of time doing field work in East Africa. PBarz literally has a shelf full of books he’s written; it’s absolutely incredible.
From his time in Africa, PBarz picked up on the concept of Ubuntu which means “we are because you are.” This feeling of community and love is s apparent whenever I’m in North House, which is why I feel like I’m home even so far away from PA. I’m also lucky to live on a hall with some incredible girls from around the country who make me smile every day, support me when I’m stressed, and are always willing to take a midnight trip to the Munchie Mart.
Over the past 43 days North 428 has become my beautiful home away from home. It’s just another one of the many reasons I love Vandy.
Much love!
Gabi