A Hawks Guide to Homesickness

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I’ve come down with a sickness that I can’t seem to get rid of and the only cure is to be home. Unfortunately, fall break is in three weeks so I’m trying to do my best to make it until fall break. Until then I’ve been using these tips to “cure” my sickness.

  1. Packages from Home
    The best way to cure homesickness is to bring home to you. I’m very thankful that my parents can send little pieces of home. Recently, I got a package from my parents full of the comforts of home.

    • Starting with Christmas lights and plushies because my mom knows my love for Christmas decorations and the season as a whole.
    • Haitian bread, peanut butter, and patties! This is easily my favorite part of the box because I love being able to have Haitian food so far from home. It makes it feel like I’m not too far from home even though I’m thousands of miles away.
    • Finally, getting some of my clothes from home makes the adjustment better. Since the weather was getting cold, I was able to get more of my sweats, jeans, and thicker jackets so I could adjust to the weather changes from hot to cold.
  2. Trying New Foods from Other Cultures
    Iowa City restaurants have a wide variety of foods from different cultures that I haven’t tried before. Even though they are different than my own culture, it is easy to find flavors that remind me of home. Here are some of the restaurants I’ve tried so far:

    • Taco Depot: Torta, a sandwich made with telera bread, filled with meat like beef and chicken, vegetables like cabbage and lettuce, and cheeses.
    • Oasis: Falafel Pita Sandwich, a warm pita filled with chicken, hummus, Mediterranean salad, baba ganoush, and a falafel ball.
    • Marsala: Chicken Biryani, basmati rice cooked with spices, herbs, chicken, saffron, and nuts. Mango Lassi, mangos, yogurt, and little cardamon.

Being homesick definitely sucks but between getting packages from home and trying food from other cultures. I have also been able to talk to my family and friends which helps me feel more at home. Without them, I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through homesickness so easily. Fall break is only 3 weeks away, so my home sicknesses is at ease for now. Next time I’ll be talking about preparing for midterms, see you next time!<3

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Getting Excited for Fall Break

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The hardest part of the semester is upon us, since Labor Day there have been never-ending classes and I’m honestly ready for a break. Although being on campus is fun with my newfound friends making new memories and exploring everything Iowa City has to offer. I miss my parents, sister, and dog, so I am really looking forward to fall break in November.

While I am from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, my family and I are originally from South Florida. Meaning that I will be able to escape the cold weather that awaits us in November for the sunny Florida beaches. I know that most of my time will be spent seeing family members and shopping for Christmas presents. I will also get to share everything I have done in college from being an Iowa Experience Blogger, taking out-of-the-box classes, joining various student organizations, and being in Iowa City as a college student. I am mostly looking forward to getting a home-cooked meal from my mom for the first time since I moved in. Looking back at it now I never realized how much time had passed until I purchased my flight for fall break. Since fall break is the essence of the giving season, I have my own thanks I want to give to my parents and sister for always answering late-night calls and my friends for being the home away from home support that I need.

Until it’s time for fall break it is important to stay focused on classes to end the semester on a successful note so, I will share a few tips that have helped me so far.

  1. Make a weekly checklist of all your assignments for the week to make sure you don’t have to cram out an assignment the night before it is due
  2. Find a study method that works best for the individual class
  3. Don’t be afraid to take a break to avoid the point of no return

Even though fall break is still a while away I can’t wait for it to be time to go home and see my family, but until then I will be looking towards the future of Halloween, the final few football games, and the beginning of the basketball season. See you soon!

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Navigating My First Month At Iowa

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Freshman year is exciting, nerve-racking, and everything in between. I have loved every minute so far, from my first midterm to my weekly study sessions with my Edge group. So, I’ll give some insight into what I have been doing in my first month as a Hawkeye!

  • Studying

Studying and homework take up a good amount of my week, especially when preparing for my first midterm. Personally, I study everywhere except my dorm because I get distracted, so I have tried many study spaces around campus. So far, I have been to the Tippie Quiet Floor, Main Library, Seaman Center, Linquist Center, and Catlett Study Lounge and Rooms. My personal favorite so far is the Tippie Quiet Floor when studying alone because of the quiet and really nice lighting. I will go a little more in-depth about each study space in a later post coming soon!

  • Student Organizations 

The best way to gain friends and meet people who have similar interests as you is definitely to join student organizations. I recently joined the Accounting Society, Black Studnet Union (BSU), Hall Association for Catlett (HAWC), and Sunset Club. Each student org has a different vibe, Accounting Society is an academic club that connects to my major, BSU is a cultural club that lets me form connections with students with whom I share a racial identity, HAWC lets me continue my love for planning different events for my peers, and Sunset Club is a great way to end the day by just watching the sunset. So far I really like Accounting Society because different accounting firms, most recently Eide Bailly, come and speak to us about what their job is and how we can prepare ourselves are Tippie students to have the skills needed for jobs such as theirs. Also, they put on an accounting career fair which is only jobs that are specifically recruiting for accounting which is super convenient for internships and just learning about different company options for the future.

 

  • Exploring Downtown Iowa City

Downtown Iowa City is awesome, there’s always something new to explore such as the Saturday Farmer’s Market. It has all sorts of food trucks, I personally recommend the Caribbean Kitchen food truck, fresh pastries, handmade soaps, and all sorts of flower arrangements. There are also a lot of cute shops downtown as well such as:

  • Om, a crystal and wholistic store, they definitely have something for everyone
  • Basic Goods, a plant store with different-sized plants for small dorms and big apartments
  • Beno’s, a flower shop with small jewelry and decor
  • Prairie Lights, a bookstore with a really good coffee shop on the upstairs level

These are just some that I have been to so far but there is so much more that is 100% worth exploring.

So far, my first month has been exciting with starting a new era in my life as a college student. I look forward to being involved in my student organizations, prepping for my next three midterms, and most of all enjoying Iowa City! Coming next month I will go more in-depth on study spaces and football games, see you then!

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My favorite On Iowa! events from welcome week

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What is On Iowa!?

When you get to campus for the first time knowing that the University of Iowa will be your newfound home for the next 9 months it is hard to know how to spend your time. Luckily, On Iowa! has been created to provide a variety of different types of events that everyone is sure to like, such as Kickoff at Kinnick, the President’s Block Party, and small welcome groups by major.

Iowa Edge

Iowa Edge is the best program I have ever been a part of. Starting Sunday morning I moved into Catlett Hall and nervously prepared to be placed into a group of other minority, first-generation, and LGBTQ+ students that are first-year students at Iowa. Little did I know this would become the stepping stone for my first friendships on campus. From Sunday afternoon to Wednesday night ending with a banquet, my group was thrown into different teambuilding exercises like a challenge course with the leadership from our wonderful peer mentors Che Der, Madisen, and Sami.

Bingo Night

By far the best and most frustrating On Iowa! event the whole week. First, you must arrive early to get into the ballroom because seats are limited. Once inside you better be ready because it’s about to get crazy. Starting with the traditional bingo with 5 in a row, I didn’t win anything…but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Then, we had to complete our board in different letters like an H and I, and for the final pattern the dreaded blackout board. By the end of the game, I got close to winning a few times but not close enough leaving me one of the many losers of bingo night.

Silent Disco

The literal definition of dance is that nobody is watching. The second you put your headphones on you get to choose from three different DJs that are mixing other songs throughout the entire night. Feeling like you have been transported to your own personal concert you can sing or scream the lyrics of your favorite songs as loud as you want without worrying about anyone hearing you sing. It was a good time to jump around and feel like there was no care in the world.

Kickoff to Kinnick

It is time to learn the official traditions of being a Hawkeye! If you are anything like me and have never been to a Hawkeye football game or ever even heard the fight song prepare to be enlightened. I was allowed to star in the video that was used to teach the fight song of our school which was pretty interesting because my friends and I had no idea what it was. During kickoff, you get to practice the Iowa Wave, and other football game traditions, and at the end watch a firework show with games.

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