First-Month Adventures in Vandyland: Music, Ice Cream, and Trees
Even though I like to walk around campus somewhat confidently and have finally been able to stop asking patient upperclassmen for directions, I’m definitely not well versed enough on Vandy shenanigans or college life to be able to give out any type of advice to you lovely readers right now. I’m still very much a freshman, stopping to watch squirrels in the middle of the woods (aka main campus), marveling over how good the food here is (definitely posts dedicated to that coming up don’t worry) and getting used to the fact that we have complete freedom here. So while I may be able to start giving Confucius-worthy advice a couple posts down the road, I’ll begin my Inside ‘Dores blogging journey with a list of the five things I would never have expected to have done by the first month of freshman year…
1) Taken a campus tree tour.
As part of my “Walking in Nashville” first-year writing seminar (super casual, I know), Vanderbilt’s residential tree specialist (totally a thing) Steve Baskauf gave our class a detailed and energetic tour of the campus’s beautiful flora and fauna. His passion for trees is the cutest thing ever!! Basically I’m now an enlightened human being with a favorite tree, and am able to better appreciate the environment in which I live!
2) Gone to see the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
I was able to attend a free mini-concert a couple weeks ago, where I got to sit on stage with the musicians and have a behind-the-scenes peek at what one of their rehearsals might look like. I’m a huge fan of music, and my Blair roommate and I have decided to go to one of these events at least once a month! We also met super awesome Uber drivers both ways, but maybe that’s just a Nashville thing.
3) Gotten my SD card run over by a slew of cars on a crosswalk, which I needed to complete my first Communications assignment.
Suffice it to say that it was a very “I’m-stuck-in-a-movie” moment, but not in the “I’ve-just-saved-China-from-all-the-Huns” kind of way.
4) Gone to Jeni’s 8 times. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about waste 30 minutes drooling here).
I had heard it was good, but I didn’t know it was good. Plus, it’s located dangerously close to Commons (where all the first-years live).
5) Fallen in love with my roommate.
It’s only been a month, but it feels like Julianna and I have known each other for forever. We’ve already stayed up for hours at night talking (I’m starting to realize college is just one huge fun sleepover), had shameless Hannah Montana midnight jam sessions (still hoping that we didn’t wake up the whole floor with our “Nobody’s Perfect” jam), and tried out super awesome new things like Bhangra (we’ll be doing this in the Diwali showcase this year!) together. I know this might just be the “honeymoon phase,” but I genuinely think that there’s the potential for us to be those cute roommates that stay together all four years so stay tuned for that.
I cannot describe how excited I am to share bits and pieces of my Vandy life with all of you readers. But this blog isn’t about me — it’s about your own journey to this beautiful place. It’s about your questions and thoughts, so please feel free to send any of those over to abigail.wei@vanderbilt.edu! Let’s be friends!! I am SO excited that you are here reading Inside ‘Dores, and are joining all of us in exploring all that Vanderbilt is and has to offer.
Smiles,
Abby