My Hectic Summer Thus Far!

Riverwalk in Grenoble

Fellow Salukis! Hello! I am finally finding some time to sit down and explain what's been going on in my life lately. Well, where to begin....

I started off my summer by getting an amazing opportunity to study abroad in France. I studied at a school called Grenoble Ecole De Management and took business and marketing courses while I was there. While we had to go to class during the week, we had a bunch of time to explore as well. The first three weeks were spent in a city called Grenoble, France, and the last full week was in Paris, France. Seeing what life was like in Grenoble was so cool! For someone who has never been out of the country before, experiencing the culture of a totally different continent was incredible! The food, the people, the architecture, EVERYTHING was new to me.

Park Guell in Barcelona

We were fortunate enough to be able to travel on the weekends as well! The group of people I went with decided to take a trip to Barcelona, Spain on our first weekend. The views in this city were like nothing I have ever seen before. The non touristy parts of the city were my favorite because you got to see how people actually lived with the markets, shops, neighborhoods, and schools - so neat!  The people were so friendly and fun loving everywhere you went here too! We saw the Sagrada Familia (the church that the disney castle is based off of), explore Park Guell, eat at the yummy tapas restaurants, and experience the fun nightlife of the city! And those were just the highlights!

Grand Canal, Venice

The following weekend the group and I traveled to Venice, Italy. One of my favorite cities by far! Strolling around the streets of Venice and looking out to all of the canals feels like walking past a massive painting. Everything in Venice looks exactly like I imagined it to be, but better! The Grand Canal and riverwalks were so breathtaking. We even got to take a gondola ride through the city! And the FOOD! Ugh Italian food is so amazing! I would live in Italy for the food alone!! Such beautiful, much wow! ;)

Gondola ride in Venice

Our third weekend was spent traveling to Paris and exploring the beautiful and historic city. From venturing through the Louvre museum, to strolling around and going up the Eiffel Tower, to taking a river tour through the city on massive boat, to exploring the Notre Dame, to going to see the famous Moulin Rouge show, to diving deep down under the city to the Catacombs........Paris did not disappoint! SO many firsts in this city! We got around solely by walking and subway everywhere we went - especially because driving in Europe is too intense for me! Getting to be in Paris for an entire week is still so unreal to me. It has been a life goal for me to see Paris for myself, and I was lucky enough to be able to do so.

In front of the Eiffel Tower, Paris

The entire trip and experience was hands down the best thing that I have ever decided to do! Because of this trip I now have so many great friends, the coolest stories, and memories that will last a lifetime. I miss it so much already and cannot wait to continue my adventures traveling again soon!!

The whole crew in Paris

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If studying abroad wasn't cool enough, I've also had many other cool experiences this summer as well! Along with working at the Student Center, I have been a marketing intern with the Bluegill Music Fest. The fest took place on July 4th and the Rend Lake Dam in Benton, IL. 20 bands, 3 stages, unlimited food & drink, and lots of cool activities - this was a rockin' good time! This was the first country music festival of this size to ever hit Southern Illinois! The Eli Young Band headlined the festival and killed it on the main stage right after the biggest firework show in Southern Illinois took place! Such an awesome experience! The makers of the festival plan to make it an annual event and bigger and better each year! I cannot wait to see how it expands in the years to come!

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If you haven't realized by now, I am quite the adventurous person. I love thrill and am a major risk taker! My biggest thrill of the summer so far was taking the leap of faith and jumping out of a plane......yes! I went skydiving! Such a wild time! I surprisingly wasn't scared to jump out, but more anxious. My heart pounded so hard as soon as we were standing 13,000 feet in the air, looking down at the ground that was so far away, and getting ready to jump out. I did a tandem jump and had a guy attached to my back that jumped out with me. Jaco, a new friend from South Africa, was super cool and helpful the entire time! He counted to three and we jumped from the plane, backflipping and spinning around everywhere! SO Epic!! After 40 seconds of free falling we were down to 6,000 feet and Jaco pulled the parachute. We jolted straight up and down and floated down to the ground the rest of the way. He let me control the parachute for a while and we spun around multiple times until we were about to land. Skydiving = UNREAL!!

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My summer has been insane already, but it is far from over! Stay tuned to catch up on the rest of my adventures! :)

#SIUFinalStretch Week

The week before finals is usually very stressful and tense...but not this semester! Final stretch week was so much fun! On Monday the Student Center offered a tea tasting of lavender and ginseng teas. Tuesday our very own graphic designer and cartoonist extraordinaire, Nathan Bonner, was down by the escalators by the north end showing people his work, giving tips on cartooning, and allowing people to practice their own designs for National Cartoonist Day. On Wednesday there was an ice cream social (yum!) outside on the north end. Thursday we had a fabulous talk show, Sydne at the Student Center, and interviewed students about how they relax before finals. Friday was music day and WIDB radio station allowed us to borrow their equipment and jam out in the Roman Room while playing games and giving out prizes! It was a GREAT week! I had a blast!!

Check out Thursday's interview! Look out Ellen Degeneres!

Earth Day & Science Wiz

What a day yesterday was! Being Earth Day, there were all sorts of happenings going on around campus yesterday. Outside at the north end of the Student Center there was FREE bike repair, FREE Mountain Dew Kickstarts, and FREE Space Jam movie tickets, organic lotions, chocolates, and jar openers made from recycled tires. Wait..and did I mention that all of this stuff was FREE!?! Yes, we had all kinds of good stuff going on. We also have lots of fantastic Earth Day related chalk art work on the sidewalk thanks to many students! It was a blast!

Later that night we were honored to have Michio Kaku come and speak in the Student Center ballrooms. Not only is Dr. Kaku ever so brilliant, but absolutely hilarious as well! He was saying the craziest things! He was telling us how our future will be like in the years to come. With all of technology growing and developing constantly, the future knows no bounds. Have you ever seen the movie "Smart House" on disney channel?! (Lol that I'm referencing disney channel) But it seriously reminded me of that so much. I cannot wait to see what is to come in the near future. After hearing him speak I HAVE to read his books now. He was fabulous!!

Wait, when was the last time I posted again?

It has been a while since I have gotten a chance to make a blog post. All of last week I was out with the pesky flu :/. Being sick is never fun, and it is sad knowing the show goes on without you. I have missed so many cool things going on in the Student Center this past week. Don't be like me and miss out on all sorts of happenings around the building! Check out the link below to the Student Center Calendar and get involved in many awesome activities! There is truly something for every one!

http://studentcenter.siu.edu/calendar.html

Are you ready for the most adorable video ever?!

This past Monday March, 23, it was NATIONAL PUPPY DAY! The St. Francis Care Shelter brought 9 super adorable puppies out to the north end of the Student Center and allowed students to play with them. The puppies were more than thrilled to be getting all sorts of love and attention. Some students were even convinced that they were going to take the puppies home with them LOL. Check it out!

If you are interested in adopting a puppy/dog, kitten/cat, or even wanting to volunteer at the shelter, please visit http://www.stfrancis-care.org for more information!

As cute as all of these puppies were, none of them could compare to my little pit bull puppy Madden. I had to go home and spoil him after giving all of these other puppies love! Someone got lots of new toys and treats! :)

Spring Break

Wow Spring Break was much needed. After all of the stress from Midterms, a week off was perfect. A few friends and I ventured down to Panama City Beach, FL for the week. Being my first "official college spring break" I had no idea what to expect. BUT it was so much fun! The nightlife down there is ridiculous for the fact that there are so many people in one place! There is always something going on all hours of the day in PCB during the month of March. It is a prime college spring break location.

My friends and I were lucky enough to be in PCB the same time Luke Bryan was there. (looove him!) It was actually his last time performing at spring break after 7 years. That is a very happy and sad statement for me considering I was able to be there to see his last performance, but also if I were to go back he won't be there with me :/ With that being said, there were so many people at his concert. I'm talking thousands! It was insane. Just imagine thousands of people screaming out the lyrics to Luke's songs along with him. My voice is STILL feeling a bit scratchy after almost a week LOL. The atmosphere was just really cool. Many different universities brought their school's flag and hung them around the beach- and yes of course SIU brought theirs along, too!

Overall it was a fabulous time. I met lots of people from different parts of the country and totally different cultures. There was never a dull moment!

Tell me about your spring break experiences! Comment below!

What a weekend!

This was one interesting weekend here at the Student Center! Unfortunately we have been so busy this week with our Start Seeing Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Scholarship tables, handing out free cold cut combo samples from Subway for National Cold Cuts Day, and SNOW! that I am just now getting to tell you about this past weekend.

Drag Show

On Saturday evening the Student Rainbow Network and Student Center Special Programs presented a drag show with a fairytale theme. "Once Upon A Drag Show" it was called. It was FABULOUS. I have never actually attended one of these shows before but I am so glad I finally got a chance to.

There were professional queens, one all the way from Chicago, as well as SIU students that came out and worked the stage. You are handed a "goodie bag" filled with all sorts of things, compliments of the Student Rainbow Network, as a gift for coming to the show.










Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is definitely an experience like no other. I had no idea what Rocky Horror had entailed until I got there. If you have never seen the show before, the people working it draw a big "V" on your forehead, standing for virgin, in red lipstick. They also pull you on stage and make you do an embarrassing activity in front of the audience if you are a Rocky Horror virgin.

People are chosen before the show begins from the audience and are called on to act out the movie. Each person chosen represents a certain character and they have to do as the character does in the movie. The rest of the audience is also strongly encouraged to participate during the movie by throwing rice, toast, toilet paper, confetti, wearing a party hat, using noisemakers, and covering their heads with a newspaper at certain times of the movie. If you have never seen the show and been apart of the audience, it is definitely something you need to experience!


And yes, there is a big V on my forehead!



Next blog? SPRING BREAK!

Welcome to the Student Center

If you didn't already know, the Student Center put together a little snippet of what it is all about. We first showcased this video at the Chamber of Commerce banquet this past Saturday evening. I will walk you through the video and show you what the Student Center has to offer. Check it out!





Did you know the Student Center had a Youtube channel? Log on to see more videos!

---> https://www.youtube.com/dashboard?o=U

SNOW DAYYYYYY

TODAY WAS SUCH A GREAT SNOW DAY! (As in, there is snow covering campus because we did not get the day off today). But is that really such a bad thing? Campus was beautiful today!

Monday was quite fabulous, however. I'm certainly never opposed to lounging around on the couch all day in my PJs watching some Netflix and sipping down some yummy french vanilla cappuccinos. My 9 month old pitbull puppy, Madden, loved running around in the snow. Being it was his first time dealing with so much snow, it was so funny watching him try to decide what the heck the cold white stuff all over the ground was! LOL. He enjoyed snuggling up all day in his "let it snow" sweater too!

I want to see how YOUR snow day went! Upload your snow day pictures to Instagram or Twitter and hashtag #SIUsnowday for a chance to be featured on the blog!!

-Sydne

So much food, so little time!

For your sake, I really hope you did not miss out on this year's International Food Fair. If you didn't join in the festivities however,  let me fill you in on what you missed.

Students from around the world prepared cuisine authentic to their native lands. Several countries were represented at the booths, allowing visitors to sample all sorts of appetizers, desserts, sides and main dishes. The following groups served:

African Student Council

• Jollof Rice 
• Fried Rice 
• Yellow Rice 
• Chicken 
• Red Stew
• Plain Rice 

Chinese Students and Scholars Association

• General Tso's Chicken 
• Kung Pao Chicken 
• House Special Fried Rice 
• General Tso's Chicken & House Special Fried Rice 
• General Tso's Chicken & Kung Pao Chicken 
• Kung Pao Chicken & House Special Fried Rice 
• Combo of all items 

Gaia House

• Bison Buffalo Stew 
• Quinoa Salad 
• Hominy & Black Beans 
• Spicy Chocolate Drink 
• Old Timey Energy Drink 

Iranian Student Association

• Tahcheen Tah-Chin 
• Adas Polo 
• Salad-E Shirazi -Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Mast-O Khiar - Persian Yogurt and Cucumber Dip
• Iranian Saffron Rice Pudding Sholeh Zard 

Nepalese Student Association

• Chicken Mo:Mo
• Chicken Leg
• Mango Lassi Drink

Saudi Arabia Cuisine
Free Drink With Every Main Meal

• Chicken Kabsa 
• Creamy Chicken Pasta with Vegetables 
• Hummus with Arabic Pita bread 

Sri Lanka Student Association

• Fish Ball 
• Chicken Fried Rice 
• Chicken Curry 
• Tempered Potato 
• Avocado Drink with Ice Cream 
• Avocado Drink without Ice Cream 
• Combo 1: Fish Ball, Fried Rice, Chicken, Tempered Potatoes, Avocado with Ice Cream 
• Combo 2: Fried Rice, Chicken, Tempered Potatoes 

Turkish Student Association

• Potato Salad
• Cig Kofte 
• Baklava

United Asian American Council (UAAC)

• Fried Plantains 
• Fresh Crab Rangoon 

You walked into the ballrooms and could not help but be hungry with all of the tempting smells lingering around. SO MANY OPTIONS! It was hard to choose what to try, but everything looked sooo delicious. This is a foodies' dream! I'm already excited for next year's fair!! 

-Sydne 

Strriiiike!

You guys, Lunch League is so fun! On Tuesdays, anytime between 11am-1pm for only $1, you get a game of bowling and shoe rental. $1!!!!! Bring your lunch over to Student Center Bowling & Billiards and have some fun! This league is not a strict every-week-required-attendance event, but a come-when-you-can type of activity. The league is an ongoing program and you can join at any point in the semester. The offer is open to anyone and everyone.

P.s. my team won this week! WOOHOO!

Bookstore Goodies To Take Advantage Of

The Spring semester is surely taking off quickly, am I right? Student mode is back in full effect and I'm excited for the fresh faces in classes and the rich smell of new school supplies. If anyone knows me well, they know that I love convenience and a great bargain! This being said, the bookstore in the Student Center is my favorite go-to. While picking up text books in the University Bookstore I can not help but grab my on-campus necessities while I'm there for a great price. Are you ready for my recommendables? Drum roll please.............

(Mug $14)

Early classes can be tough sometimes, and I often need a sweet pick-me up to keep me going throughout the day. That's where this Saluki mug comes in handy.

Also *HINT* if you bring your own mug into the Marketplace Food Court you can fill up with Seattle's Best coffee for a re-fill price of only $1.07.

(Headphones $9.95)









How cool are these colors?! I'm a music maniac and am constantly listening to my favorite tunes on the walk across campus. I'm lost without my favorite pair of headphones. Keep a spare pair in your bag just in case!

(5 subject notebook $9.99)
(Weekly organizer $4.99)
('Stay focused' pencil pouch $12)
(Pen pack $1.99)
(Index card holder $2.69)
(Folder $0.99)

Keeping organized has just been made easier! With a 5-subject notebook you'll only need one to carry around to all of your classes. And how neat is this weekly organizer? Everything tidy at your hands for the crazed organization freak like myself. The 'stay focused' pencil case, SIU folder, pens, and index card holder top off my class supplies list in style!

(Eos lip balm $3.39)









Eos my favorite! I cannot leave my house without lip balm in my bag, and this is the perfect balm to
carry around. Plus is smells so yummy who can resist??














                                                                                                                (Campus tees $12.95)






Every saluki needs to represent. These SIU tees are perfect for sporting around campus and showing off your SIU pride. Plus at $12.95 - what a steal!










(Umbrella $10.95)

Well, let's face it. We all know how funky this Carbondale weather is. Sandals and shorts one day, and parkas and snow boots the next. You never know how the day will turn on you. Having an umbrella is a necessity and ultimate life (and by life I mean hair) saver!












Be sure to drop into the bookstore soon to check out all of the cool stuff available for yourself! Am I missing YOUR essential campus must have? Let me know!

How To: Syllabus Week

The college student guide for the first week back to school

Holy cow. Is winter break over already? Time to unpack your car and throw everything into your bedroom. You’ll put everything away later. Although you have to start dreadfully setting your alarm again, at least the first week back gives you a chance to get back into school mode before the going (assignments) gets tough. Slip on your shoes, throw on your backpack, walk out the door, begin the march across campus (with Starbucks in hand of course) and brace yourself for the semester ahead.

First thing’s first I’m... SO TIRED. It’s 7:15 am and after snoozing my alarm three times I have finally decided to roll out of bed to get ready for this 8 am class (why did I sign up for that again?). The most glamorous part of winter break is the fact that you can sleep in until noon…or 3 o’clock in the afternoon if you really wanted to. I mean we all need our beauty sleep right? Well looks like this week the joke is on me. Right when you fall into the habit of sleeping in until whenever the heck you’re ready to get up, the college gods throw you a curve ball and spin you right back into your early morning routine. Here we go, zombie eyed and bundled up to face the frigid Carbondale winter weather, I suppose I’ll head to class now. I will reward myself with a nap later.

Take a screenshot of your class schedule. Having the schedule on your phone will make your life 10x times easier when walking around campus trying to find your next class. With last semester’s class route still on the brain, sometimes it is hard to remember where it was you were supposed to go next. Having the exact time, building, and classroom number at your fingertips can be a major lifesaver. Trust me, there is a BIG difference between Lawson and Lindegren.

No smartphone? No worries! Print a copy of your schedule and stick it in your pocket to keep with you.

Actually read the syllabus. It is understandable to be focused on what you and your friends are doing later tonight rather than paying attention to the packet of paper in front of you that your professor has been reading word for word for the past half an hour, but the syllabus is really important to follow along to. I mean it essentially dictates how the class is going to go this semester. It is helpful to know if the professor weighs attendance and participation as a significant percent of your grade, or when and how often D2L assignments will be due.

Buy/rent the book! Yeah, yeah I know they’re expensive, and yes most of the time your professor has an extra copy on hold in the library. However, the book is a major resource for your professor, and he/she most likely pulls a lot of information from the text. Don’t be the one waiting hours in the library for someone to return the ONE book on hold or stressing over an upcoming exam simply because you don’t have the right study materials. The University Bookstore has your back! The book will be worth the money in the long run, and it is less expensive than having to re-take the class.

Catch up. Take the chill week of classes as an opportunity to catch up with people you have not seen over the long break. Mom isn’t breathing down your back at home anymore wondering where you’re at constantly. Relax and hang out with some friends. Get back into the college-town groove.

May the grades be ever in your favor this semester, Salukis!

WELCOME

Hey there fellow Salukis!

So here at the Student Center we are going to be trying something a little different. Follow along with me each week as I post about happenings around the Student Center and all sorts of aspects of student life in dawg country. From stories, event details, videos, advice, pictures (thank you Instagram for making me the photographer I am today), there will be all kinds of good stuff to check out. Spread the word about this new blog and follow the Student Center on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates!

-Sydne