My Commons Life

News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here

Archives for February 2018

First Year, First Person Blog: Free talk and thoughts of lunar new year gala

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“Why you are desperate to watch Chinese Spring Festival Gala?” My friend in China asked me.

I’m from China and as many of you know, we celebrate lunar new year with many other Asian countries. It has been a tradition for us to watch our countries’ gala on new year’s eve. However, in recent years, the quality of Chinese gala has gone down. It is full of ideologies, stereotypes, and not-humorous jokes. Gradually, more and more people stop watching galas.

As I’m in America now, I’m desperate to watch the gala when new year’s eve is approaching, the same as many other Chinese students. When my friend studying in China asked me why, I started to think about this change.

When I’m in China and stay with my family on new year’s eve, I’m already celebrating the new year even if I don’t watch the gala. My grandparent generation plays poker and mahjong together. My parent generation drinks. My siblings and I chat and joke around. That is the whole point of new year–family reunion, delightful time, and best wishes.

When I’m studying abroad, I can’t stay with my family. The only thing I can do to make me feel like celebrating the new year is watching the gala. It is the iconic activity of maintaining the tradition and having a pleasant moment. I believe this is the same for all other international students when they can’t see their families as the new year is around the corner.

I learned in English class that our world is based on the system of signifiers and signifieds. The new year gala is a signifier of origin, culture, and family ties. It doesn’t matter how the quality of the gala is. What matters is that we respect its meaning and never leave it behind.

The Walking ‘Dore: Episode 3

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In this episode of The Walking ‘Dore, Amira shares some clips from her weekend at Vanderbilt. Lots of events happen on campus, making sure that students are never bored!

During her weekend, Amira attended a photoshoot to celebrate the diversity in all who identify as Black and female in the Vanderbilt community. Then, she went to a Vanderbilt lacrosse game, spent time on Wyatt Lawn, and ate a delicious veggie burger melt at Grins Vegetarian Cafe!

Meet This Commodore

Name: Amira

Major: Medicine, Health, and Society

Minors: Sociology and Spanish

Advice: Don’t be afraid to try new things when you get to campus!

MCL Top 5: Ways to Spend Your Spring Break on Campus

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While most of us may be going back home or going on Alternative Spring Break trips next week, there are quite a few of us staying on campus. If that’s you, here are the top five ways you can enjoy your spring break and turn it into a vacation! You can even make some friends by asking housemates or acquaintances if they want to do these activities with you and have fun while you’re at it!

5. Have a Movie Marathon

If you haven’t watched Black Panther already, this is the perfect time for you to check it out! In fact, if you get MoviePass (even just for the month of March), you only have to pay $7.95 to watch a movie a day everyday during your Spring Break at Belcourt Theater or Regal Green Hills!

4. Have a Picnic

As the weather’s picking up, Spring Break may be a great time for you to lay on the grass, read and maybe get ahead by studying while pretending like you’re basking in the Cancun sun. Plus, Commons and Alumni Lawn won’t be as crowded during Spring Break as it usually is. If you’re looking to get slightly off-campus, pack your bags and take a walk to Centennial Park to get comfy on the grass.

3. Explore Food Places in the Heart of Nashville

Challenge yourself by going farther than Jeni’s for ice cream and Satay for Thai food. Search on Yelp for some solid food places in Nashville, such as Mike’s Ice Cream, Woodlands Indian Vegetarian Cuisine, Otaku Ramen, Miss Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant, Mas Tacos, Korea House and more! Grab a friend or go by yourself and when your friends get back on campus, express them with your knowledge of delicious food places in Nashville.

2. Explore Nashville Itself!

Why wait until after Spring Break to return to the Frist when you loved it so much during your Class of 2021 celebration? Spend your break geeking out over amazing art at the Frist, virtual reality and science (the cool kind) at the Adventure Science Center, or the various music museums we have in Nashville (Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Country Music Hall of Fame, etc)! It’ll be just like vacationing in Nashville itself. Additionally, if you want to save some Uber money, Spring Break may be the perfect time for you to try taking public transportation (free with your Commodore Card) to save some money!

1. Give Back to the Community

There are ways to enjoy yourself and give back even as you watch your friends pack their bags to go on ASB trips. By going on https://www.hon.org/calendar, you can sign up for volunteering events that happen almost everyday during Spring Break and make your Spring Break as productive as it can be!

LIFESTYLED by Sophie: Lovely & Lively Times

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Hello friends,

Another series of weeks have come and gone bringing us ever closer to spring break. The recent sunshine and general feeling of optimism on campus have a strong correlation. I hope you are inspired as ever, as we are in the midst of midterm season. Here is a roundup of some wonderful and lovely things to eat, do, and of course, to wear.

Yours in style,

Sophie

 

EAT

As discussed, it is midterm season. So I have been on a wave of coffee shop eating instead of the traditional restaurant setting. All of these places provide a unique atmosphere and are wonderful options to sit and study for hours on end.

Frothy Monkey (Nations) 

The industrial exterior of this coffee shop contrasts perfectly with the lively spirit contained within the walls. I like for my coffee shops to have unique menus and this place does. Bonus: the wooden bar near the blue flower mural has built in outlets for your chargers to keep you (aka your devices) full of life!

The Well Coffeehouse

Tag lined “Where Coffee Changes Lives”, the Well Coffeehouse is cozy and community minded. Their profits are donated worldwide to help provide drinking water in areas where it would otherwise be unavailable. This mission focused coffeehouse exudes kindness and comfort. The pillow room is both convenient and inviting if you plan on staying to study for a while.

  

Dose.

If pale blues are your thing, this is absolutely the place for you. This coffee spot feels like a field of wild flowers on a warm spring day. The coffee is strong, and the fare is light. If you want to be off campus, but still near enough that you can not waste time, this place is ideal. This coffeehouse cares about the little things, like the dainty flowers placed all around. Be warned though, it is a little on the small side and the prime studying locations will fill up!

 

WEAR

I am featuring one outfit this week because it is so classically fun and could be integrated seamlessly into your weekly outfit repertoire! Denim+Denim+print= OOTD.

My version of denim+denim+print and my mom’s version of denim+denim+print!!!

Top: Denim

I opted for a structured denim jacket to add shape and structure to the look!

Bottoms: Denim

Two tone jeans add some dimension and fun to the monochromatic scheme!

Shoes: Print

This is the part of the outfit that should be a pop of fun. I ~of course~ chose cheetah platforms as my shoes for this easy look.

 

DO

Buy Fresh Flowers

This semester, I have managed to have fresh flowers on my desk every week. Technically they were sent to me, which is even more of a #win.  It is just a subtle touch that brings lots of joy into my space. Especially with all the daily stress, this is an easy thing to do! Try succulents or cacti for something more low maintenance. A Village of Flower  located in Hillsboro is a wonderful place to go grab a stem or two to brighten not just your day, but also your life in general!

 

Read

This is one of the easiest things to do to bring pleasure into our lives, and one of the most overlooked. When was the last time you grabbed a novel and flipped the pages? I recently re-discovered some of my old favorites. The stories contained on the pages of book can provide an outlet from the everyday stress and monotony. If you want to maximize time, download an audiobook and listen to it while you complete other tasks. I drove home over the weekend and listened to What Alice Forgot basically the entire drive!

Humans of the Commons: Linh Vu

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Linh Vu is a Vietnamese freshman. She comes from Hanoi, the second largest city in Vietnam, where the traffic jam is totally insane but has a variety of food. She is extremely passionate about media and how it can change and expand people’s perspectives. Let’s get to know more about her.

 

I know you are interested in Cinema and Media Arts, can you tell us why?

Growing up with my grandpa’s black and white films he made, I got engaged in movies since childhood. What impressed me was not the technology used back then, but the ability of movies to convey messages that still apply to the modern world. Movies have ignited my interest in working towards a strong, liberal society and in the way it alters people’s views on certain concepts and opinions in life.

I used to be oblivious about feminism and its importance for women; however, documentary films “India’s Daughter” challenged me to learn about the true experiences of women’s repression and pursuit of equality around the world. Exploring film at Vanderbilt by learning from talented film students and outstanding professors would allow me to deliver my own messages as a feminist, thereby challenging stereotypes and repressive social norms. I want to make my own documentary films to raise awareness about issues like sex trafficking in third world countries and the LGBT movement in Vietnam. I believe, by learning professional film-making, I could add a creative dimension to my intended career in broadcast media, finding new ways to shed light on injustice and promote equality across the globe.

What clubs are you involved on campus that concerns with your interests?

I’m involved in Vanderbilt Hustler, Vanderbilt Television News, My Commons Life and Vanderbilt University Theatre. I used to work as a photographer and a video editor. I’m currently working on a project interviewing professors to improve her photo-taking and video-editing skills. For this project, I ask professors at Vanderbilt about their academic interests, advices, hobbies and other aspects students wish to know about them. This project will be featured on My Commons Life soon!

Is there a very impressive event or class during last semester for you?

Professor Ben Tran’s first year writing seminar about The Vietnam War has huge impact on me. Born and raised in the Vietnam, I have always taken pride in my country’s legacy and my ancestors’ struggle to gain independence and freedom. For a long time, my knowledge was limited by ambiguous datas of years, historical figures and visual war images delivered by Vietnamese teachers. Those lessons denounced war crimes, displayed the hardships of Vietnamese during the Second Indochina War, and blamed United States for all problems. However, I underestimated impact of war on people from different races, cultures and beliefs. As I learn my country’s history in another country, I started to look at this period from a broader picture that the North and South Vietnam were actually divided and used as pawns in the chessboard played by two foreign superpowers—the United States and Soviet Union—or two binary ideologies—Capitalism and Communism.

What is your favorite place to study on campus?

I would say my top choices are the Baseball Lounge in Sarratt and Vanderbilt Law Library. The reasons are quite simple. The Baseball Lounge is the ideal location for me to get wonderful food at Local Java or Rand whenever I am hungry, while the Law Library is an extremely quiet place with a lot of serious graduate students focusing on their works, which too makes me feel concentrated on my study.

Concert Review: Gin Blossoms

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On Thursday, Feb.15, the popular 90s band Gin Blossoms played at Marathon Music Works as a part of their 25th anniversary tour of “New Miserable Experience”. As a lover of all things 90s I made sure to be front row and center to watch them play the entirety of their breakthrough album. If you’ve ever been to a 90s themed party or listened to a decades playlist you’ve most likely heard them.

The crowd was full of people who grew up listening to songs by Gin Blossoms and were excited to hear them live. I was 100% the youngest person in the crowd, but it was a great experience nonetheless. All throughout the night the lead singer Robin Wilson interacted with the audience and made the concert feel personal. At one point, he even high-fived me while singing “Long Time Gone”.

Longtime Gin Blossoms fan Barbara Watson said the following about the concert: “What a great concert at the Marathon Music Works! The Gin Blossoms sounded as great as they did 25 years ago, and hearing the album in sequence brought back great memories.”

I definitely agree with that!

 

The Walking ‘Dore: Episode 2

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In this episode of The Walking ‘Dore, Amira shows you her life outside of class at Vanderbilt!

Meet This Commodore

Name: Amira

Major: Medicine, Health, and Society

Minors: Sociology and Spanish

Advice: Bring a hammock for relaxing on the Commons!