Category: Campus Life

about campus

It’s Almost Over!

Hey everybody!

My last post was about Hawkeye Swing Fest, and I’m happy to report that it was AWESOME! There were about 400 dancers, and everyone had a really great time!

And now it’s the last week of school! I have one final on Tuesday… at 7:30AM. I was trying to remember the last time I woke up for school before seven, and it was high school. I am not entirely sure my brain will be able to function in English at that point, let alone French. But, after that I have a totally open schedule until Friday, when I have my Russian final.

It’s crazy to think that this year is almost over! It went by so fast! And while I’m very, very excited to go home and see my family, I think I’m going to miss this place more than I thought I was.

Dorm Life

Dorm life, so far, is awesome. I didn’t really realize what a big part of my life it would be. I thought that the dorm was somewhere where you ate and slept, and then left and did things elsewhere for the remainder of your free time. Actually, there are really cool things to do in the dorms! There are always events going on if you’re looking for something to do. For example, a little while ago a bunch of us in Burge went down and made caramel apples!

Yum!

But that’s not all it’s about. It is very important to have a group of people that are consistent in your life. The first few months are so crazy and hectic, that seeing a person from your floor on the street reminds you that everything isn’t scary. You do know people here. Because I’m from out of state and didn’t know anybody when I got here, I think it’s really important that I’ve made those connections.

Hep to the Jive

During the welcome week activities, I signed up to be on the Swing Dance Club mailing list. When they emailed me about an all-day swing workshop they were having, I knew it was the place for me! Last Saturday I spent all day learning the basics of swing dancing. It was amazing! I was so excited to find that there was a place where my old lady dresses wouldn’t seem out of place! Not to mention, I’ve always loved swing music. After the workshop, there was a social dance. It didn’t matter whether you’d been dancing for 6 years or 6 hours, everyone had a ball!

Last Tuesday we had our first lesson, which was excellent. You can’t beat twenty bucks for a whole semester of lessons!

All ready for some fancy stepping!

It’s “The Pentacrest”

From the very beginning of my time at Iowa, I knew that the Old Capital and the buildings surrounding it were called the Pentacrest. This is why I was so mystified when my mom and dad insisted on calling it the quad. One day, fed up with their improper reverence for this “quad,” I muttered words that will always come back to haunt me.

“It’s called the Pentacrest.” At the time, I did not realize what a can of worms I had opened.

“Hey Savannah, go stand at the Pantomime for a picture,” insisted my mom.

“Savannah, do you have to cross the Parallelogram to get to class?” asked my dad.

“Hey, how snowy is the Pineapple in the winter?”

“Can you sled down the side of the Polka Dot?”

“Savannah, you should study on the Penelope when it’s nice out.”

You can imagine how tiresome this has gotten. Recently, on a phone call with my dad, I tried to correct this troubling trend.

“It’s a pretty easy word, Dad. Pentacrest.”

“Pentegram?” he asked.

“Pentacrest.”

“Paradox? Pentagon? Penthouse? Peninsula? Oh no, I’ve got it. The pergola, right?”

I guess the only thing left for me to do at this point is to wait until they run out of “P” words. I wouldn’t put it past them to whip out the dictionary, though, so it looks like this is going to last a long, long while.