Taylor

Chances are, if you are under the age of 25 or you happen to have a younger sibling, you are quite familiar with and possibly very fond of Dora the Explorer. You’ve been there in the moment she asks a question and then patiently waits for you to respond. Perhaps you have been in that moment in real life too; you stare out the window of your dorm and ponder “What is there to do today?”

Followed by the pause. Only there aren’t a herd of overly energetic toddlers on the other end throwing answers at you. So you go with W2D2. (Not like the robot. That’s R2D2.)

I’m talking double W, double D. WWDD. What Would Dora Do?

And the answer is always Explore.  So that’s exactly what I did. I grabbed a friend and went exploring. I was pretty happy with the results too. Except for one thing: While discovering fun places to go, I also discovered, with the help of my mother, that apparently I have a striking resemblance to the prehistoric armored fish…

Do you agree?

1. Meal Plan 2.0

I would normally go back to sleep in that awkward time that is past breakfast, but not quite time for lunch. But following my new philosophy I rolled off my futon and went downstairs, not bothering to get out of my pajamas. Turns out I could mix what was left of breakfast with my lunch option. I’m not going to say it was the best meal I’d ever had but if I could do this all the time I have a feeling I’d consume a lot of bacon at night and a lot of grilled cheese in the morning.

The lovely meal I had at Hillcrest Marketplace, complete with breakfast sausage.

2. Home Salons

If you ask around, or mention the hardship of having consecutive bad hair days, you just might find that you know someone who is pretty handy with a comb. And if you are nice to that person (and if you bribe them with some gummy bears and a cold soda) they might come to your dorm and do you a hair styling favor. It’s worth a shot.

20 minutes in or 71% done

3. Bringing Sexy Back

And by sexy, I mean vent skinny caramel macchiatos on ice. When I arrived on campus, Starbucks did not exist. Then it was just a small cart up against a brick wall. But ten minutes into my Labor Day expedition I discovered that America’s beloved café has returned, and is making itself a home on the UI campus.

The artsy Instagram photo I took at the time.

4. Just Like Twilight 

I am not a vampire person. Just so we’re clear. I am not a werewolf person or a zombie person. I am a fairy person. But all that is beside the point. The point is, there is a gazebo nearby, in a park we discovered, that is perfect for those Bella moments (if you happen to be the kind of person who has always wanted to have one). Unfortunately, I was unable to go in it, as there was another girl who had picked it as a perfect place to nap. Maybe next time…

A lovely structure on a lovely day.

5. The Known Unknowns

You should take a trip to the museum. The Natural History Museum that is. Conveniently located on campus, it’s perfect for taking a break after trekking from the west side of campus.  And admission is free. My father always says that the problem with people my age is that “they don’t know what they don’t know.” So solve that issue with a solid hour of exploring.

Turns out you don’t need a singing map to find your way to a new location.  

Sinead with the famous giant sloth