“Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana” – just one of the many biology puns that can be found in the Biology 2970 lab manual.
It feels like just last week I was browsing online for a tapestry to fill the blank spaces of my new dorm room, and about three months later the semester has ended and I have yet to put anything on that wall. It’s true that time flies when you’re having fun, and one of my favorite things about WashU is that there is always something to do either on campus or in the wonderful city of St. Louis! (Besides all of the Physics homework you keep putting off.)
So, without further ado, I’d like to highlight just some of the things that have made this semester so memorable.
August
Move In – After summer break, it was so great to be back on campus and see everyone again. There was a sophomore BBQ on the lawn, trips to old favorites on the Loop, and even a visit from a shaved ice truck!
Reunited and it feeeeeels so goooood.
Activities Fair – The annual Fall Activities Fair features most of Student Union’s 300+ student groups, as well as numerous departments and other University-affiliated initiatives. This year the fair was held on Mudd Field, and I’ll never forget the awesome image of hundreds of plastic tables lining its perimeter. I also tabled for WUnderground, making my involvement at WashU come full circle.
And – I went to class.
September
Zelda Orchestra – I’ll admit it: I love the Legend of Zelda. So, as soon as I learned that the Symphony of the Goddesses concert was headed to St. Louis, I snapped up tickets quicker than you can say Shigeru Miyamoto.
Beautiful.
Jenny Visited – My since-graduated RA from last year came back to visit! You get to meet and make long-lasting relationships with some pretty great people here in the Midwest.
LouFest – The LouFest Music Festival is an annual two-day event, held on Central Field in Forest Park. This years’ acts included Hozier, Ludacris, The Avett Brothers, Misterwives, and more! And, all within walking distance of campus!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wait for the sun to set just perfectly between the gap.
Balloon Glow – The night before “The Great Forest Park Balloon Race,” the oldest and most well-attended free Hot-Air Balloon Event in the World (according to their website), the Balloon Glow is a fiery exhibition of each hot air racing balloon held in Central Field. Unfortunately, it was too windy this year for the balloons to be inflated – but there’s always next year! At least, that’s what my friend and I told ourselves last year when we arrived at the field too late after the glow had ended. Third time’s the charm, right?
Taylor Swift Concert – Does she need an explanation?
Tswizzle feat. St. Louis native, Nelly
Bo Burnham – Every semester, the Social Programming Board hosts a comedian on campus. This semester was, of course, Bo Burnham. With record-breaking attendance, the line to get in to Graham Chapel was so long, it wrapped around the DUC and just about reached Francis Field. Nice job, Bo.
Unfortunately we arrived too late to see the show. But, this happened.
And – Ikea St. Louis had its grand opening! I got a free mug.
October
Ariana Grande Concert – I still remember the day I bought my tickets during Writing I…
Beautiful redux.
Tori Kelly Concert – Another concert, this time at the Pageant on The Loop.
I promise I go to class! (Usually…)
Chicago Roadshow – Often times during breaks, the Career Center will host roadshows in cities from Los Angeles to New York that focus on exploring industries from entertainment to engineering. I took part in the Chicago roadshow during Fall break, which focused on advertising and public relations. The Career Center set up information sessions at four top advertising firms in the city, and even paid for my transportation! I would definitely recommend attending a roadshow if you ever want to get an in-depth look at any career path you may be interested in!
What a view!
Apartment Viewing – After freshman year, a bunch of different housing options become available. Although I elected to stay on the 40 for my sophomore year, I wanted to take a look at off campus housing just to see what was available. However, my friends and I quickly decided that buying our own mattresses and toilet paper would be too much adult-ing for 20 year olds.
WILD – A free concert held in Brookings Quad every semester, this fall’s WILD hosted Magic Man and Kygo. Needless to say, I found myself at the front of the stage for most of the night.
Walk In, Lay Down
Mosaic Whispers and After Dark A Cappella Concert – After Dark and Mosaic Whispers performed together in a joint Halloween concert for an audience that filled all of LabSci!
Haunted House – WashU Class Councils hosted a trip to “The Darkness” haunted house in St. Louis, one of the Top 10 scariest haunted houses in the nation. One of my “friends” talked me into going. Personally, the Harry Potter movies scared me, so, you can only imagine how this went. 9/10, though, would recommend.
And – I bought a plant (to benefit Sigma Iota Rho, the International and Area Studies Honorary).
Its name is Willis.
November
Spoon Senses – Spoon University of WashU hosted an event during which attendees were blindfolded and asked to taste the difference between the name and store brands of 10 different snack foods like soda, cookies, and chips. I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything… but I did guess 9/10 correctly.
Paul Farmer Presentation – GlobeMed brought Dr. Paul Farmer to WashU to speak about empowering local communities in order to tackle the global health inequities we face today. What was especially cool about this presentation was that for the past semester, I had been studying his work for a class I was taking called “The AIDS Epidemic: Inequalities, Ethnography, and Ethics.” As someone who wouldn’t normally call himself an anthropology enthusiast, I highly recommend this class led by Professor Parikh, as it taught me the importance of viewing every problem from multiple contexts and perspectives!
ASA Gala – A friend of mine invited me to the African Student Association’s Gala, which was a night of fantastic music, speakers, and food!
#squad
TGTF Welcome/Training – As part of the Tour Guide Training (Task?) Force, I get to teach 6 new tour guides how to walk backwards around campus for an hour while spitting some sweet WashU trivia.
And – I accidentally bought a power bagel from Einstein’s.
Enough said.
December
Ongina Presentation – For World AIDS Day, +PLUS hosted HIV/AIDS activist and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Ongina for a fabulous discussion about the disease in today’s society. (Not to mention I got extra credit for the AIDS class I mentioned earlier.)
A’ Cats Concert – More a cappella! The Aristocats is a group that specializes in everything Disney. My absolute favorite was one of their encore songs, a Phineas and Ferb medley. (Which can conveniently be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA8_lGelcwg).
Ice Skating – The outdoor Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park opens up every winter, and, in addition to sledding down a snowy Art Hill on a BD food tray, should definitely become a tradition.
What happens when you haven’t skated for years and your friends insist on bringing you to the middle of the rink and taking a selfie.
And – finals.
~
WashU Fun Fact #4: Analogous to the First 40 for Freshmen, the Sophomore 60 is a series of fun and informational events for sophomores to reconnect with friends, meet new people, and tap into resources for important decisions.
