Tulane changes over the summer..

I mentioned in my last entry that Tulane's campus seems very different during the summer session(s)... I thought I would describe that in a little more detail for you guys, since I don't have much else to report this week! So here are some things I've noticed: \

• Dorms are emptier, and a lot of the residents are at Tulane for special programs, Orientation, or summer workouts (for athletes).
• There's a very different crowd at both Reily and Bruff - a lot of this is due to the summer camps going on right now ... there are so many!
• It's much easier to find a parking space.. yay!
• Um, it's hotter. I'm glad it's not THIS hot/humid all year, because it would make walking to class every day a miserable experience. (I'm just glad my summer classes are in the morning!)
• I miss eating in Bruff, and I miss a lot of my friends.

You'll notice that over the summer, you'll really miss Tulane, New Orleans, your friends, etc. I felt that "homesickness" earlier this summer, and I know my friends are too - some of the lucky ones actually make a trip back over the summer. Actually, two of my friends (one from Maine and one from Connecticut) made it back to NOLA for the weekend, so I was excited to have visitors!

Alright, I'm going to get back to studying; I have a test tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Home Sweet Home away from Home

That's right, readers -- I'm back in NOLA! I moved into Mayer, a sophomore residence hall, on Sunday afternoon and I started my classes Monday morning. I'm taking two really interesting classes - "Music in New Orleans" and "Sociology of the Family." Summer classes work at a totally different pace than fall- and spring semester classes. Tulane has two five-week sessions, May-June and July-August (there are certain six-week classes offered, like lab sciences, that start at the same time as the five-week classes but just end a week later). There aren't too many people on campus right now - just summer school students and athletes - so it's strange being back at Tulane without a lot of my Tulane friends. However, those of us that are here decided to go out together Tuesday night to celebrate being back in New Orleans. On the left is a picture of me with my friends Tim and Jessica at Bruno's.

Since I'm a sophomore now, I can buy a parking pass to have my car on campus - that changes things a lot too! Even though I've only been away from home less than a week, my family misses me already (I guess they just got used to seeing me every day), so I'm driving back to Lafayette tomorrow for a visit. You bet I'll let my parents help with laundry and take me grocery shopping while I'm there!

Feel free to email me with questions or comments... I love hearing from you! ahollier@tulane.edu

Summer Fun / New Orleans in the News

Hey y'all! Here's another summer update...

After spending a week on the beach in Florida with my family, I took a little trip back to New Orleans to visit Amber. We headed over to the House of Blues on Decatur Street (something you should check out) for the Rooney concert. I've had a crush on the lead singer, Robert, for awhile... if you guys have seen the movie The Princess Diaries, he's the one who played Michael Moscovitz! Anyway, all three bands that played (The Bridges, Locksley, and Rooney) were fun, and all the performers were really nice after the show. Amber and I took pictures with almost all of the band members, including my crush, so I was really excited! There's my picture with Robert on the right.

The next morning, I went over to campus to help out with Orientation. I was on a panel that answered parents' questions about freshman year and Tulane in general... so feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

Not much else has been going on here... I've been working pretty much, but I went out with my friends from high school to celebrate my friend Kate's birthday Monday night. I also got to hang out with my friend Jacque that went with me from STM (our high school) to Tulane... he's missing it too!

Oh, also -- I found this USA Today headline on the Tulane New Wave, and I thought y'all might be interested: Freshmen flock to New Orleans Enjoy!