Category: General

Meals that Flex

College is a great place to meet new people, make new friends, explore yourself, and explore new FOODS. YES, FOODS! Sorry for all caps, but I cannot stress enough how much tasty food I’ve had since I’ve been here.

First off, I live in Catlett Hall which has a ‘Marketplace’ (dining hall). This Marketplace has a huge variety of food every day, whether that be ranging from a Yellow Curry Thai Chicken Wrap or the Omelet Bar, I am sure you can touch all ends of the ‘food spectrum’ at your time in the Catlett Marketplace. I always know that when I leave, I am satisfied and stuffed.

Marketplace food is tasty, as I have already stated, but there are times when I feel that I have to switch it up a bit. Enter Flex Meals.

When you choose your meal-plan, you also have a number of Flex Meals that you are able to use. What are Flex Meals? They are pretty much the same as meal swipes, but they can be used at many different locations. Some of the locations that accept Flex Meals are The River Room in the IMU, Food for Thought in the Main Library, and the StreetHawk Food Truck, which is my personal favorite.

In The River Room, there are many options such as pasta and stir-fry. This dining option is a good one if you aren’t in a hurry to get to class or a meeting. The food takes time, but boy oh boy, is it worth it. I had some pasta smothered in Alfredo sauce with a side of a banana and a bottle of water. The food is just half of it. The dining area of The River Room is located right next to the Iowa River. Whether you want to enjoy the view from the inside or take advantage of the patio seating, take the view in with the food!

Food for Thought is just a clever name for a café in a library. When I imagine a library, I see books and hear ‘shushes’. You know what I don’t see? You guessed it, food. The neat little café offers ready-to-go meals, fruit, bottled drinks, and some sweets as well. I have taken advantage of it multiple times. Sometimes I don’t feel too confident on the assignment I am working on, so I bought a cookie and a water and I have to say that it helped me push through. Maybe it is just living up to its name. Food for Thought is a smart move. Ha, I’m funny.

I saved the best for last. The Street Hawk Food Truck is one of a kind. The Street Hawk varies location, depending on the day. Monday and Friday, it is located on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway. Tuesday and Thursday, it is posted up right next to the Main Library. Wednesday, it is at Mayflower Hall. This option takes a little time, but it is worth every minute (and Flex Meal). I always get the BBQ Bacon Burger. Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. My choice of sides are an apple and a cookie (I like cookies if you couldn’t tell already). I sit on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway and devour this burger masterpiece. If I said that I eat with a little class, I’d be lying. It is usually a mess, but a mess I don’t mind.

There are many more options across campus that allow you to use Flex Meals. I HIGHLY suggest that you use them wisely. They aren’t unlimited, so make sure you make those meals count. I should probably start working out a little more with all the food I’ve eaten. Wait, it’s lunch time. Maybe after lunch.

Swarm

My alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. You may be thinking, “Poor Derek, Saturdays are for catching up on all the sleep you miss because of school.” Well, you’re not wrong, but you’re still wrong. Why? Because it is HAWKEYE GAME-DAY!

Finally, the time has come for Hawkeye Football, and I could not be more excited about it. I have been a Hawkeye fan since I can remember. I’ve been to games before becoming a student at Iowa, but actually being a Hawkeye and attending these games is a whole other experience.

After waking up so darn early on a Saturday, I got my Iowa Football shirt on. On the back it has the Iowa Classic A.N.F. label. For those who are unaware of what this acronym means, it is ‘America Needs Farmers.’ I brushed my teeth, had a Pop-Tart, and headed out the door with my roommate.

My roommate and I met up with a group in front of Daum Residence Hall (on the east side of campus) and made the trek all the way to Kinnick Stadium (on the west side of campus). To some people, the walk is boring and long. On Hawkeye game-day, it is such a festive walk. People are all decked out in black and gold, hootin’ and hollerin’, and just celebrating their love for the Hawkeyes. It makes the walk seem shorter than it actually is.

We finally arrive at Kinnick Stadium and before our eyes is the sea of black and gold. You hear all different types of music. From old style country to modern day hip-hop, everyone is having a good ‘ole time. The smells consist of burgers, breakfast, and well, pretty much anything that can be grilled. If you want some free food, take advantage of this opportunity. Not only will people give you a plate of some good grub, but they will welcome you because you’re a Hawkeye.

The term ‘Iowa Nice’ really comes into play on game-day Saturdays. You see fans, no matter what team they are cheering for, come together to have a good time before the game.

After we arrive and check out the game-day scene, we decide to get in line for the student section tickets. It is about 8:45 a.m. when we get our spot in line. They let in the students an hour and a half early, and since the game started at 11 a.m., we were let in at 9:30 a.m.

Those 45 minutes went by so quickly. Everyone is excited to get in the stadium so the chatter about the game keeps you occupied.

The goosebumps arose when they played a ‘hype video’ on the south end-zone scoreboard. It replayed highlights last season, displayed all of the die-hard Hawkeye fans, and finally, former Iowa defensive lineman Mike Daniels shouts, “We fight for Iowa!”. Man, I have goosebumps just typing it out.

Everyone goes crazy. You can literally feel the sound of 70,000+ fans scream as the Hawkeyes band together to ‘swarm’ the field hand in hand. The song ‘Back in Black’ blares, everyone is on their feet clapping to the beat. It is game time!

Before the National Anthem is played, the crowd hears the famous Heisman Acceptance Speech from the legend himself, Nile Kinnick. So many things get me riled up for Hawkeye Game-day, but this has to be the most thrilling. Some people even have it memorized. I am going to make myself memorize it before my time being a student ends.

The flags are off the field, the coin is flipped. It. is. GAMETIME.

There are so many cheers that were new to me. Being in the 2nd row, I had a pretty nice view of the game and the overall atmosphere. My favorite cheer, however, is the ‘I-O-W-A’ cheer that takes all of Kinnick Stadium. After every score, the spirit squad raises a flag with your designated letter. So, if you are seated nearest the ‘I’ flag, as I was, you form your body into the letter ‘I’ and yell as loud as you can ‘I!’. The whole stadium follows, spelling Iowa. It goes on for a couple minutes at least, and it sure is deafening.

The Hawkeyes took the win against a solid Wyoming team, with the final score being 24-3. I’m proud to say that I am 1-0 while sitting in the student section.

Now, during this week I’m writing this post, is ‘Beat State Week’ or ‘Hate Week’. Why? Well, we face our in-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones. If you are a Hawkeye fan, you know how much this game means to us. It gives us bragging rights for a year and makes Iowa officially the ‘Hawkeye State’. It really doesn’t do anything officially, but we like to make it feel like we are better.

In my hometown, the Hawkeye to Cyclone fan ratio is split pretty evenly. Here in Iowa City, it is all Hawkeyes, go figure. Actually, you’d be surprised how many Iowa State fans go to the University of Iowa. One student I met is a die-hard Cyclone fan, but works as a video-team member for Hawkeye Football. Ironic, huh?

Speaking of my hometown, one of my bus drivers is a HUGE Cyclone fan. He would always give me grief about choosing to go to Iowa instead of Iowa State. He even made up his own acronym: I.O.W.A. = I Oughtta Went to Ames! Pretty clever, even for a Cyclone fan. Frank, if you read this, we ought to see who wins! Go Hawks, beat State!

Overall, the game-day experience is everything I imagined it would be. The environment is so electric, you don’t even have to try to feel it. Even if you don’t like football, I highly suggest going to a game. You’ll have a fun time no matter your knowledge of the game. It is sure something I will remember forever. It made me proud to be a student here, to be black and gold, but most importantly, a Hawkeye!

1/15

One of out fifteen. That is how many weeks of classes I have under my belt this semester.

I remember being so eager and excited to get to Iowa City to start college. Now look at me, ‘College Boy Derek’ has one week of class down. It is unreal to think about how fast time has been.

If I could sum-up the first week of classes in a phrase, it would be this: a lot. So much new info (informative or not, it is truly up to you) is thrown at you all at once. It is like you are on a one man dodgeball team and getting pelted by the playground bullies. But, instead of rubber balls, it is syllabi, club/organization invites, and yes, even homework.

To all those high school students out there, I envy you. You get to go back to school, catch up with some friends you didn’t see much this summer, and casually work your way back into the school flow.

College is exactly like that, you see when you first arrive to class yo—SIKE. Your first week of college is like…well…wait. There is a wise guy that goes by the name of Forrest Gump, he states, “Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re gonna get.” And boy oh boy, does Forrest hit that right on the nail.

The first week of college is all crazy, all stressful, but it is all OKAY. Yes, you will get assignments on your first day of class. Yes, you will be overwhelmed with it. This is college, and I have a feeling that it is all up hill from here.

You also have to remember that you are here for school. Yes, it is easy to get distracted with the beautiful campus, your friends, and food. Yes, I find the food to be distracting because it is so good. Anyways, you should treat school like it is your job. The reason I say that is because the University of Iowa is big on, “You’ll get out what you put in.”

Long story made short, if you work hard you will be rewarded. Iowa has so many opportunities in store for everyone. Find your passion and stick with it.

Yes, the first week of college is stressful. I feel like I can’t stress that enough, no pun intended. BUT, it can also be super fun, only if you make it.

My focus is mainly to treat school like a job. This means from 8 a.m. to about 4 or 5 p.m., school is the main priority. This obviously depends on your schedule, but as of now this is what works for me.

After you ‘clock out’, the rest of the day is up to you. Spend it wisely!

Okay, back to the point. The first week of classes is a blur. Don’t be intimidated of this blur for it is super manageable. I truly do enjoy being in a routine day in and day out.

I already mentioned it, but I cannot emphasize this enough. YOUR SYLLABUS WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND. Wow, I never thought I would ever type such a sentence, but I did. Your syllabus or syllabi, will entail what your course will be touching on throughout the semester. This is way different from high school due to the fact that you had little to no idea what you’d be hitting on during your class. In college, your whole semester is already planned out. If you want to get a head start and do your homework that is due two weeks ahead, go for it!

I’m pretty sure I covered all that the first week has to offer/throw at you. Don’t take my word for it though, everyone’s experience will be different. That is something that Iowa prides itself on; everyone’s experience is different. Embrace your experience, it will truly be one of a kind!

A New You

Yes, it is here. College. Wow, just wow. Where does time go? I remember trying to hit a ball off a tee with my way too small helmet for my way too big head. I almost looked like Chicken Little when he saved the day in his first baseball game.

Sorry, sorry, I’m getting off topic. It is really hard not to on Move-In day.

Move-in day makes for a rainbow of emotions. You feel ecstatic for this new journey, new people, ‘new you’. While you feel like a little kid on Christmas, you also feel the sense of an ending. Your family has been with you through every step, but Move-In day is when it is time to let go of their hand.

Now, some kids cannot wait to get away from their parents. Some kids don’t even want to think about letting go. Me? I’d say I’m probably in the middle. I love my family, I love my hometown, but at the same time I love the University of Iowa. So, if you are wondering what rushes through your head during this huge day in your life, just expect a rainbow of emotions.

However, after saying goodbye to your parents (Yes, I cried and I am not ashamed), you get to explore new places, meet new people, and take advantage of what the U of I has to offer. After my parents left, I was asked by a friend I met at Orientation if I wanted to go to the ‘Around The World Food Crawl’. What is better than food when you have the blues? You guessed it, free food!

Then, my roommate and I combined with a couple of new friends and hit up the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center to play some pick-up basketball. I am proud to say, as of now, my record is 2-0. I am as proud as I am out of shape, which is very much so.

If you feel like you’ll be one of those kids who will think about home 24/7, stay busy. Not only do you have fun, you meet some new people. Don’t worry about judgement or about embarrassing yourself, it is college. Everyone is in the same boat as you, so take advantage of that.

At the end of the day, sit back and be proud of yourself. You did it, you made it to college. You can now start on a ‘new you’. Be ready for all of the new opportunities that lie ahead, don’t be afraid to mess up, but most importantly, soak it all in. My parents said that college was the best time in their life, but also the shortest thanks to time being faster than Usain Bolt.

I am more than beyond Cloud 9 that I chose the University of Iowa. I’m just as nervous as I am excited. I have my job orientation in a few days and I attend my first college class on Monday (Elementary French I, oui oui).

A lot has happened in these first couple of days, but I feel like I’m ready to take on this new journey. I can’t wait to see ‘New Derek’ by the end of this experience. Hopefully his jokes are more funny, because they are a little rough at the moment.