Nik

Now, don’t get me wrong, Iowa City is pretty awesome, but there is something about going home. I live in a little town called LeGrand, and by little I mean population 800, so tiny. Honestly, it is great. Everyone knows everyone else, and it is really friendly. AND Quiet, which is rare when living in Iowa City haha.

So this weekend was my first time to go back, it just so happens that it was also my high school’s musical. This year it was The Sound of Music, and it went quite well. I only got to spend a couple hours actually enjoying my hometown, but it was really refreshing. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving break!:D

Homecoming is such a fun time here at Iowa, and the weather has been awesome! I was able to check out the parade, which was really neat, and there is just a lot going on on campus. So many different events occur around homecoming like concerts, residence hall socials, and a bunch of other stuff. Right before homecoming Active Minds did “Stomping Out Stigma”. The event was a success. Here is a picture of my friend Gail holding all the stigma balloons.  Speaking of Stigma and other scary things…There is no shortage of fun with Halloween coming up. It is my favorite holiday and I can’t wait. This year I’m wearing a Tron costume that I will post pictures of later. 😀 Also, I’m going to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show,which, if you have not done, I highly recommend it. This year I will be dressing up as Brad, and accompanying me will be the always lovely Stephanie as Janet. It isn’t the most amazing movie when you watch it alone, but the midnight showings are great!

Guess what? There is a new season of Glee, which means my Tuesday night’s are booked. Actually they were already booked, so now, I’m forced to watch it semi-illegally on sketchy internet sites. However that doesn’t stop it from being awesome! I’m just a little bit in love with the girl named Rachel (Lea Michele).

Don’t lie, you now you are a little infatuated too.

Having new episodes coming out makes me really nostalgic about the old music, so for a good two hours tonight I was listening to all my favorites while doing my chemistry. Surprisingly, I think I got more done while jamming than I normally do. My guess is that I had a little more fun…Usually it is such an arduous task and all I do is sit and bang my head on the counter, but now I take a brake every couple minutes and belt out a high note before I get back to the grind. So let the record show that I recommend music….and even a little singing when doing homework!

An active mind is a good mind! 😉 I just recently joined a student group called “Active Minds”, you may think we sound like the mathletes….(which I really would join) , but actually we are a student organization on campus dedicated to “eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness.” Basically in English, that means that we try to make people realize that it isn’t a bad thing to get help if you are feeling stressed or depressed or anything else that involves your mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it is often not discussed or not taken into account. There is also a false notion that seeking help is “weird” or somehow not cool. I find this to be absolutely ridiculous. I consider myself to be in good mental health, but I still see a counselor here at the University on a regular basis. The service is free and they can really help you manage your stress and many other aspects of your life. The point is, seek help when you need it, don’t wait. Work towards a more active mind!

WARNING: This post will be my shameless plug for student organizations.

I would like to point out some of my favorite student groups on campus, and tell you a little about what they do.

SAS- Students Abolishing Slavery- A group on campus that works to create awareness of sex trafficking and other forms of human slavery.

Dance Marathon- A group on campus that works to raise money to provide financial and emotional support to pediatric oncology patients and families.

Active Minds- Last but certainly not least, this organization works to eliminate the stigma of mental illness on campus across the United States.

There are several other organizations that I love and am involved in, such as C.A.B., STAT, and GLBTAU.

Here is the deal, we have around 500 student orgs on campus, and they all work to do some pretty cool things. I encourage anyone who is considering going to Iowa, or any current students to at least try a couple. I can hardly contain myself, all of the groups seem so interesting and beneficial. I kind of want to join them all, but I have been trying to limit myself. Managing classes can be difficult with so much other stuff going on, but in most cases I think it is helpful. Having meetings everyday helps me prioritize and develop time management skills. I have to always remember that school does come first though, if things get to be too difficult then I will be forced to drop one of my extra-curricular activities. They are really fun and I enjoy them all, but at some point my education does win out over them.

I have seen the light, and by the light I mean, the reason I need a calendar. There are such a plentiful variety of things to do on campus that I don’t see how anyone could survive without a calendar, or two…or three. Yes, I know, it may seem a little bit nerdy, okay really nerdy, but I do have three calendars. One goes on my desk and has all of the major assignments and test dates for each of my classes the other travels with me in my bag so I can write down various homework and day to day tasks, and the third is in my phone, which shows me which events I need to be at, as well as when and where they are.

Honestly, I’m loving the method so far. I am a bit of a forgetful person, but when I can check my phone and see where I have to be, it is really nice. Especially because I plan to be quite involved here at the University, I actively participate in Dance Marathon, The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered and Allied Union (GLBTAU), and Medicus (A group for pre-med students). Also, I am applying to be a S.T.A.T. Ambassador, and a Freshman Senator in the UISG. Trying to do all these things, while keeping up with my homework will certainly be a task, however, with the help of my handy dandy tri-calendar system…I should be able to accomplish all that I have set out to.

It may seem like I am micromanaging my life, with all of the organization methods and what not, but I still pencil in plenty of time for friends. I don’t think I have come home before 1 a.m. so far this year, and I’ve been having the time of my life. Meeting so many new people and forming relationships with them has been so rewarding. I’m so psyched for the rest of the year.