I survived Death Valley!

Hello readers!! So much has happened since my last post!! Let's start with Monday before Halloween. Tulane University hosted a very special event under the work of Direction, a nationwide speaker series. This past month, eight days before the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican Governor Mike Huckabee and Democrat Congressman Harold Ford Jr. came to Tulane to participate in a debate. Held in McAlister Auditorium and moderated by one of Tulane's most prestigious political science professors, the debate consisted of questions submitted by Tulane students. Also, there was a Q&A at the end of the debate. It was very informative and definitely gave students clarity on the issues that were most pertinent in the election.

That Friday was Halloween. My Big Sis in Pi Phi had a Halloween party, so a bunch of our friends got dressed up and went to her apartment (a block off campus). It was a lot of fun! They decorated and had bowls of candy and snacks everywhere. There was a huge turn out and the costumes were hilarious!! There I am with my lovely lady Pi Phi's on the left (I'm the angel!).

The next day I woke up really early for the LSU v. Tulane football game in Baton Rouge. It was the most insane thing I had ever seen. People started tailgating at 7am for a 7pm game. I went with three people that live (or have lived) in Louisiana, so they all knew a lot of LSU students at the game. We hopped around from tent to tent in our Tulane gear, with LSU fans yelling "TIGER BAIT" as we passed by. It was pretty funny... especially since LSU fans knew that Tulane was no match for their top 20 ranked football team. Nevertheless, we braved the Tiger roar in our Tulane gear!

So we ate some jambalaya and cheeseburgers (and crab cakes and sausage and nachos) and watched some football on TVs in the back of pick-up trucks all day. It was so much fun. And before I knew it was time to enter Death Valley. With 90,000 seats, 20,000 more than the Superdome, the LSU stadium was booming with Tiger roars and bleeding purple and gold. To the right is the almost full LSU student section... forty minutes before kick-off! Luckily, Tulane brought a pretty large following from New Orleans to cheer on the Green Wave! We didn't win, but we played really well against a nationally ranked team! It was such a crazy experience seeing Death Valley. And even though I was tiger-baited, I survived the mayhem!

The following Tuesday was the election... and campus was buzzing with chatter about the two candidates. For most students, this was the first election that they were able to vote in, and many of them chose to register in Louisiana, including myself. My polling place was right inside the LBC (Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life) so it was really easy to cast my vote. It was exciting to get so involved in the election and it was great to see that so many other students on campus came out to do the same.

Another big event that happened last Saturday was Hip-Hop for Hope. Hip-Hope for Hope is a Tulane student-run organization that puts on a fundraiser every year for a charter school damaged by the hurricane. The event is at Tipitina's, a bar that is famous for their live music. Hip-Hope for Hope featured artists such as DJ Raj Smoove, Raw Dizzy, The Show with DY and the local favorite: The Rebirth Brass Band. For a ten dollar donation to MLK Charter School in the 9th Ward, students were able to enjoy a night of amazing entertainment with transportation to and from Tipitina's.

And this week is the much anticipated Greek Week. Today is the big fraternity cook-off and sorority bake-off; tomorrow is Greek trivia night, Thursday is Greek Sync night, and Saturday is Greek Olympics. I'm really excited for Saturday because I'm on the Pi Phi dodgeball team. I was pretty good in gym class in middle school... I'm hoping those skills translate over into college!

I'll let y'all know how Pi Phi's team does during Greek Week! I go home a week from today for Thanksgiving! YAY! And then when I return... Pi Phi semi-formal... Stay tuned.