Within my camera roll, there are 28 metallic bird statues. I remember opening my photos app last year to show a friend the pictures we snapped together–only for her to completely forget about our photos and instead question why the album was so bloated with this random mascot.
I first came to the University of Iowa for a two-week writing program before my senior year of high school. This was during the college’s anniversary celebration, “Herky on Parade,” so the scowling Hawkeye was stationed on various corners of Iowa City and even Coralville. My summer classes and spontaneous outings with camp friends took up a decent chunk of my time, but there were still those inevitable moments where I felt like I had absolutely nothing to do and no one to talk to.
I figured I would turn these boring instances into an opportunity to explore an unfamiliar place. Accompanied by a pair of headphones and my favorite playlist, I went for an aimless walk simply to see what I hadn’t already. I kept encountering new statues and ended up googling them, only to discover a map of each statue location. I decided that this could be an interesting boredom repellent and a more guided way to uncover new campus spots: pick a different statue and go find it.
As ridiculous as that sounds, it actually helped me become more confident in my place on campus. I had a “reason” to visit new locations and a goal to keep me entertained during the mundane moments. I developed my own shortcuts and was even able to give my family directions to certain places when they came to pick me up. Returning as an actual student this year, I had the reassurance that I somewhat knew the primary parts of campus–and also the reassurance that it’s okay to explore the parts I don’t know.
My advice to any new college student–using the little wisdom a freshman has–is to find ways to make your own fun and appreciate the seemingly insignificant tasks you do for yourself. College life can be very busy and social, but that doesn’t mean there are never moments when you feel stranded with nothing to do. Take advantage of these instances and try to think up creative ways to derive value from them.
Most of the Herkys from last year’s celebration are gone, though a few sporadic ones do remain. Here is a brief overview of many different campus locations that are worth visiting, told through the graveyard of statue school spirit:
Now that I’ve shared some campus and off-campus locations to check out (and cleared these statues out of my camera roll before iCloud hunts me down and forces me to buy more storage), I hope you’ll consider exploring your new surroundings. Make Iowa City feel like home by making it familiar to you.
Until next time!
