My Year in the Vandy Bubble

I finished my last final on Tuesday. I sent a snapchat out with the caption of “Yay, summer!”  I got 3 snapchats back with lyrics to “In Summer” from the movie Frozen. It was so great.  After my final, I ate lunch with Allie and went for one last run.  I went 3.2 miles (which is the furthest I have run in a month) on one of my favorite routes and I didn’t have any knee pain. Taking a month off from running certainly helped.  I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate the end of finals and the beginning of summer.

 

Finish line of my final run as a freshman 

Once I got back, I showered, hung out with Allie for a bit, and ate dinner with Allie and Catey. Then, I packed. Logically, I would have started packing at the end of last week since I didn’t have anything else to do. I’m not sure why I didn’t, probably denial. So instead, I packed everything on Tuesday night.  I am not sure why packing was so hard. It was either because I just have too much stuff, because my mom wasn’t there to help, or because I just really did not want to leave school.  I think it was probably a combination of it all.

Yesterday morning, Allie and I had one final breakfast at this place called Pancake Pantry. It’s a cute little Nashville restaurant that is super popular. Normally, on the weekends, the line to get a table wraps around the building.  I had Sugar and Spice Pancakes with applesauce. It was delicious!

After that, I said some more “see ya laters” (I don’t like to say goodbye) and then my parents got to Nashville.  We packed up the car and made our way home to good ‘ol St. Louis.

Welcome home! 

I saw a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald the other day.  It says, “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.”  Looking back at my year, I know that I have changed. I have seen myself grow and turn into a person that I am proud to be.

I thought that maybe I would share a list of the things I learned in college.

• Free food and free t-shirts are totally worth the trip.
• You aren’t supposed to know what you want to do for the rest of your life.
• Just when you think you’ve figured out what you want to do for the rest of your life, it will probably change.
• It may change again.
• Your friends in college become your family very quickly. You will laugh with them, cry with them, fight with them, get annoyed with them, and lean on them. But, hey, that’s how you know they are family, right?
• It is okay to call your parents and to call them often.
• The nights you will remember the most are not the nights that you spend doing homework.
• You should probably go to class and do your work. 
• It is good to take a break and act on a whim sometimes.
• Keeping in touch with friends from home is hard. Do it anyways.
• Don’t get behind on your reading. It comes back to bite you in the butt come finals time.
• Ordering pizza at all hours of the night is completely acceptable. 
• Naps are good.
• Your professors are actually kind of cool.
• People change.
• Make mistakes.

My freshman year went by in a whirlwind.  There are times when I probably should not have reacted so quickly and other times that I should have changed my questions and answers.  There are people from classes that I should have spent more time talking to and a couple of cupcakes and cookies that just did not need to be eaten. But, looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I never imagined that I would ever meet such incredible people.  I have found some hilarious, weird, caring, and wonderful people to surround myself with. I cannot imagine what college would be like without them. They have taught me a lot about life and about myself. My dad always says that the friends I make in college will be the friends I keep for the rest of my life. I really hope he is right.

Leaving Vanderbilt for the summer was incredibly difficult. But, I think that it is okay that it was hard for me to leave. It means that somehow over these past 9 months, I have created a home at Vanderbilt and in Nashville. It means that even though a special part of me will always be in St. Louis, my heart is in Tennessee for now. I was talking to my sister about this, and she explained it perfectly: Not wanting to leave school to come home does not make me a bad person. It means that I am so incredibly lucky to find a place that makes me so happy and lets me do what I want. Going to Vanderbilt is one of the most special, honorable, and remarkable experiences I have ever had. I am so grateful.

Anchor down, y’all.

I Run for Me

When I first started running, I hated it.  How is it possible that people run for fun?  Over time, I began to understand.  Slowly, my mind shifted from focusing on how much further I had to run to focusing on my worries, regrets, wishes, hopes, and fears. Running is now how I do my best thinking.  It is how I get out of my bad moods.  It is how I celebrate the good times and sort out the bad ones.  It is almost as if running elicits the emotions that I try to hide from others.  The streets of Nashville and my Asics running shoes hold my deepest secrets and thoughts. 

This week, I have wanted nothing more than to run. I wanted to feel my feet pounding the pavement, the wind in my face, and the sweat running down my face. I wanted to feel the burn in my legs as I climb up a hill and the sigh of relief when coming down the other side.  But I told myself I’m not going to run for the month of April, so I stuck to it.   

This week I could have used running because of anger.  I am a passive person and so when I am angry at something or someone, I do not confront the person or thing.  I just keep it to myself and let it pass, even if he or she asks me what is wrong.  I’m not really sure why I do this.  I think part of it is definitely because for so long, I didn’t want to let others see my emotions. Sometimes I still don't want others to see my emotions. I also think that part of it is the fact that I would rather just suck it up and let it pass than get into an argument. I don’t like knowing that others feel bad because of me, so I don’t want to tell them what they did that bothered me, making them feel bad and sorry.  Hence the reason for running- it gives me a chance to exhale all of the anger I am holding inside.  But what’s a girl to do when she is angry but can’t run?  I chose strength training along with the elliptical and rowing machine.  My arms are incredibly sore right now. 

I run for more than just the emotional release, though.

I run because I love the feeling of being sore the next day.  I run to become a better version of myself. I run to spend time with friends (when they decide to come with me). I run for those who can’t run. I run for those who don’t run. I run to challenge myself.  I run to learn about my city. I run for the cupcake I occasionally eat at dinner. I run for the cute running clothes. I run for the cool race t-shirts. I run to temporarily escape my life at Vanderbilt. I run so I am not grumpy. I run so that one day I can run a half marathon with my sister. I run so that I can be athletic, just like my dad. I run so that my mom is proud of me. I run so that I am proud of myself. I run for the pride I feel when I hear someone call me a runner. I run because I have lungs and legs and feet that work.  I run to feel my heart beat. I run to see how far I can go. I run to see how far I have come. I run to be vulnerable. I run to cry. I run to smile. I run to feel. I run for me.

Weekend at Vandy

I could not have asked for a better way to end the school year. It was pretty much the perfect weekend.

As far as healthy eating and working out, I did not do so great.  I did not get a chance to workout on Friday or Saturday and my healthy eating was a bit iffy at times.  But, on Sunday, I got back on track. 

This weekend, we had the most incredible weather.  80 degrees and sunny all weekend.  I was DYING to go running outside.  Not running is actually harder than I expected it to be.  Normally I don't like running on the treadmill, but even seeing people running on the treadmill at the gym gets me jealous. I think that I may break my “no running April” this upcoming weekend if we still have good weather.  One last Nashville run is necessary to end my freshman year. 

This weekend was a pretty big music festival at Vanderbilt called Rites of Spring.  Naturally it was a huge party weekend here also.  It was not really my scene, per say, so I decided not to get a ticket. Maybe I missed out on a typical Vandy experience- but hey, at least I can remember all of my weekend.

Friday night my friends Catey, Allie, and I went to the baseball game… technically.  We stayed for about half an inning before we left to go get dinner.  Why did we even go?  The free t-shirts!  Then we went to Moe’s for dinner. I had nachos.  SO DELICIOUS. I hadn’t had good nachos like that in a while. 

After dinner, we went to downtown Nashville, what we like to call Honky Tonk Row. My friend Daniel came with us also.  We started out by doing karaoke at a place called Lonnie’s. Now normally, I am one to watch and sing along from my own seat.  But I’m tired of wondering if I will regret not doing things when I look back in the future, so I decided to sing.  My friend Daniel and I sang “Something Like That” by Tim McGraw.  Such a classic country song, right?  Perfect for Nashville. Perfect for welcoming summer.  

After Lonnie’s, we went to a line dancing place that is also downtown.  I know line-dancing sounds lame and so incredibly southern.  But it is honestly so much fun.  They have live music and people teaching different line dances for each song.  The best part though was when there was no one teaching a dance.  The band was just playing one of their songs and Daniel started dancing.  I started copying what he was doing to poke some fun at him. Catey and Allie started doing it also.  But then, the entire dance floor started doing the dance also.  It was SO SO SO much fun.  So, hey, maybe I can count line dancing as my workout for Friday. 

Saturday morning I had to wake up early to help with an admitted students day for Vanderbilt.  I served on a student panel to talk about life at Vandy and also got to talk with different prospective students.  The Dean of Peabody College organized the day, which is the college that my major is in.  Because there were only 7 students on the panel, I got to talk with the Dean a lot during the day.  It was nice to be able to get to know her better.

I loved being able to talk about Vandy.  One of the coolest parts was at the end when a prospective elementary education student and her mom came up to me specifically to ask some questions.  The daughter is really interested in doing marching band and does not want to be involved in greek life, which is pretty much my exact description as a student at Vandy.  After I talked with them for a bit, the mom said that she is a lot less worried about sending her daughter to Vanderbilt after hearing how well I am doing.  I had that great of an effect on a complete stranger that I only talked to for about 5 minutes. How great is that? I left with a smile on my face.

On Saturday night, I had no big plans.  I took a nap after helping with the admitted students event.  Then I had dinner on campus with Allie and Jordan.  Allie left after dinner, but Jordan and I stayed outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather.  We talked about how quick this year went by for the both of us and reminisced a bit on all that has happened in the 9 months that we have been here.  I still cannot believe that it is almost over.  I went to bed super early on Saturday night.  Lame, I know. 

Sunday was wonderful.  I worked out in the morning, and then did some work.  Sunday was also puppy play day! The university organized for an animal shelter to bring some dogs on campus for students to play with as a stress reliever. I met some cute furry friends.

 

90 pounds of pure dog

Our favorite dog, Kylie

After the dogs, my friends Allie, Courtney, and I went to the Commons Carnival.  This was basically a big end of the year celebration for the freshmen students.  Vanderbilt is a go big or go home kind of place.  With that being said, you can imagine how great this carnival was.  Food, dunking tank, free shirts, funnel cakes, bouncy houses, and so much more.  Jordan let me put a pie in his face AND dunk him in the dunking tank.  This may or may not have been one of the best parts of the carnival. 

 

We also got Winnie the Pooh balloons. 

On Sunday night, I had a Spanish presentation to finish up and I could not focus in my room, so I went to the library.  I went to this study room in the back of the library where I used to study with some friends at the beginning of the school year.  I had not been there in such a long time.  It really made think back to all that has happened this past year some more.  Luckily, I left the library with a smile on my face also. 

Keep a look out for a post on Passover as a college student and a post looking back at my year at Vanderbilt! 

Control

I hope it has been a good week for everyone!

I was planning on posting yesterday, but I ended up not feeling too great yesterday afternoon/last night and wanted to do nothing but sleep.  Luckily, two glasses of orange juice, 10 hours of sleep, and a couple of bowls of soup later, I feel much better.  But let me tell ya, being sick without your mom there to take care of you kind of sucks. 

I went to class this morning and then worked out this afternoon.  I have pretty much been working nonstop today, which is great because I am basically finished with my work for today!  I did decide that I need new music to workout to or I need to find someone to workout with so I have someone to talk to.  It gets so monotonous and dull listening to the same music all the time. Comment below if you have any suggestions on good music to workout to! I would love to hear from y’all J

At school I am on the freshman board of the Hillel (a Jewish student organization for those who don’t know) on campus.  We had our last meeting tonight which wasn’t so much of a meeting but a celebration of sorts.  Our student leader is graduating and the school year is almost over, so we had a special dinner for the board.  Maggianos and cake- definitely not the healthiest. BUT, it was a special occasion, I ate healthy every other part of the day, and if I want a piece of cake, I’m not going to tell myself no all of the time.  Besides, FYSH board is definitely something to celebrate.  It has left me surrounded by some truly remarkable people. 

 

FYSH board!

One of my friends, Jordan, is also very much into the whole healthy living thing.  The guy is amazing- his goal was to gain more muscle during our freshman year and to say that he fulfilled the goal would be an understatement.  But what is truly remarkable about his healthy lifestyle is his self-control.  If you put a piece of pizza or potato chips in front of him, it seems as if it doesn’t even faze him.  He also eats pretty much the same meal every night for dinner (and a lot of times for lunch): two grilled chicken sandwiches, a baked potato, some sort of fruit , brown rice, and a glass of water.  I’ve asked him before if he ever gets bored of the meal. He said he doesn’t.  In my opinion it is just another testimony to his commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Kudos to him on everything he has accomplished.  I don’t know if he knows it, but he is such an inspiration to all of us to live healthy, optimistically, and vulnerably. 

 

Jordan is on the right

Unfortunately, unlike Jordan, I do get bored.  Generally, I alternate between a salad with a piece of grilled chicken, a grilled chicken sandwich, veggie burger, or some type of fish (if I like what they are serving) for dinner.  As my sides, I normally get two sides of steamed veggies and then either a baked sweet potato or some sort of fruit.  Luckily, I have never been a big fan of the dessert section, which is good because the dessert section is huge. 

This is just the refrigerated section...

Tempting, right? 

I was talking with my friend Allie after dinner one night earlier this week about the idea of eating healthy on a college campus.  We talked about how it is hard to find healthy choices sometimes and how repetitive your meals get if you are trying to eat healthy.  Luckily, the food at my school is actually edible, unlike some other colleges I have visited.  But, even so, Allie and I agreed that it is hard to eat healthy.  We then sat at the table and thought of probably twenty different ways the food could be healthier at Vanderbilt.  Like, why not make the pasta dishes with whole-wheat pasta?  That is a simple solution to making a dish healthier. And how about instead of selling three different brands of the same flavor of oatmeal in the Munchie Mart (our little convenience-type store on campus), we sell just one brand and offer more vegetables in to-go containers in the refrigerated section? 

What I think it really comes down to is control.  When I am at home, I have a lot of control.  I can control what foods are in the house for me to eat.  I can control what I pack for lunch and can control what I eat for dinner.  I can even control how much food I get.  But at school, I don’t have those luxuries.  The lack of control is what makes it hard.  It is also what makes it repetitive. 

But, I suppose that is no excuse for having bad eating habits.  So, I keep trying. Sometimes I don’t do so great, but I do okay. The point is that I am trying and learning.  That’s the best that I can do.  It is the best that any of us can do.