Monday, October 22, 2007

Quite the Ruckus

I went to eat dinner at Bruff with my friends and then we headed over to McAlister Auditorium to hear Ann Coulter, a conservative columnist, commentator, and author. She is very controversial in her views, which is why I think so many people attened her speech tonight. I'm pretty sure there were more people there to hear Anne Coulter than there were for Lil Wayne. Ann Coulter came to speak at Tulane on behalf of the College Republicans and a couple other campus organizations. Regardless of one's political views, everyone was curious as to what she was going to say. And it's a pretty big deal to have someone as well known as Ann Coulter come to our school. I don't think she received the warmest welcome, however, as her polarizing and ultra-conservative views offended many students and community members. Nonetheless, it was quite an experience. And it was awesome to see how involved the TU students were with current issues and politics.

Long Time No Chat

I am so sorry I left y'all hanging for soooo long! I've been so bogged down with school and midterms and extra-curriculars. Luckily I have some time now to catch you up on everything that has been happening in my life and at Tulane. First of all... just a little weather forecast update: It has been raining all day long... but finally starting to clear up a little bit! I swear it wasn't just raining cats and dogs; It was raining elephants grizley bears as well. I've never seen such a downpour. The bright side to all of that is that you can wear really cute rainboots and accessorize with a cute umbrella. Sometimes it rains so hard that people don't even bother and and slosh through the rain in their flip flops and without an umbrella... subsequently becoming drenched from head to toe. It's a pretty funny sight when everyone is running to and from their classes.

Anyway... so much has been going on here. Two weeks ago I started my GWA (Green Wave Ambassadors) training. The people of GWA are the people who y'all will get to interact with the most when you come and visit. We work in admissions, give tours, and talk to y'all about how amazing Tulane really is. It's such a fun job because now not only do I get to write about Tulane, I get to show people Tulane! So I had my training two weeks ago, and since then I have been participating in Preview Days. Preview Days occur throughout the months of October and Novemeber and allow students to look at the school really early on in the college application process. It's a lot of fun and they also have some realllly good food. This past weekend I flew solo on my first campus tour. It was sooo much! I saw so many of my friends along the tour, which made it entertaining... they yelled out to the people in my group "COME TO TULANE," "ROLL GREEN WAVE," OR "LAUREN IS THE BEST TOURGUIDE EVER." It was pretty hilarious... they added some life to the tour. But I loved my group and I think that a lot of the prospective students got really excited about the idea of attening Tulane. Y'all should definitely come for a tour. The best way to get a feel for any campus is to visit.

Two weeks ago was also really exciting for me because I got to meet up with my family friend Will and go out to dinner. As much as I LOVE Bruff (the main dining hall on campus), it is nice to get out on the weekend and have a slightly more upscale experience. So my family friend, all the way from Ohio, is in the Public Health and Tropical Medicine graduate program, which has its school located in downtown New Orleans. He came uptown to pick me up and we went to a place not too far off campus: Jacques-Imos. Seriously, y'all, if you like Louisiana cuisine, this is the restaurant for you. It's a little off the beaten path... which adds so much character to it. They've always got oldies music playing... like the Beatles and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and the ambiance is chaotic, but not too loud or crowded. The food is literally TO DIE FOR! They have things like jamalaya and shrimp creole... and something really crazy on the menu: aligator cheesecake. This place is a must-go-to! Jacques-Imos is well known for the pick-up truck that sits in front of the restuantant. It has a table for two in the back of the truck... and guess who got to eat there. ME! Such a hilarious experience. Everyone in line who was waiting for a table was talking to us. A little awkward, but an unforgetable experience.

This past saturday, one of the fraternities on campus hosted "party buses" at night. Basically there were five buses that took students to a few venues throughout New Orleans. It's kind of like a big caravanning extravaganza. We started off at The Boot, where my friends and I got some food and waited for the buses. The Boot has a pizza place attached to it called the Dough Bowl. For anyone from New York or New Jersey, your pizza standards are probably pretty high. I know I miss that thin, crispy crusted New York/New Jersey pizza. But the Dough Bowl is the closest thing to it. And, let me tell you, it delicious. And the slices are HUGE. Definitely satisfies my craving. Then we (freshman, fraternity brothers, sorority sisters) hopped on the buses that lined the street and we went to the next venue, Tucker's. Tucker's was so much fun. They have a courtyard in the back that is filled with sand for a beach volleyball court. It is so cool!! And almost no one judged me when I tried to show off my skill and served the volleyball into the back of one of my teammate's heads. Ooops. I'll definitely be picked last for teams next time. Haha. Then we went to another place called the Frat House. Then the buses took us all home. It was a really fun night. And definitely nice to mix it up and go to different places, rather than the same old, same old. That is why I love New Orleans. There are always new places to go, new people to meet, new things to do!

I'll write back soon, as Ann Coulter is coming to speak on campus tonight... should be interesting.