New Student Blogs

     All the way back in 1934, a much loved tradition began at Baylor University. On Thursday, Baylor Bears got to take a day off from studying in order to celebrate Diadeloso, or Day of the Bear. Diadeloso encourages students to get outside and take in some vitamin D while strengthening friendships and fostering Baylor Bear spirit. This year, the day started off with some Diadeloso zumba. Throughout the day, lots of different events went down at Fountain Mall. The comedic duo known as the Kamikaze Fireflies came and entertained with stilts, firebreathing, and hilarity. Rob Williams then proceeded to make a sandwich using only his feet, which apparently is a delicacy enjoyed by many people he has entertained across the world (Jay Leno has eaten one of his foot sandwiches!). Wandering around Dia resulted in so many opportunities for fun, including (but not limited to) face painting, moon bouncing, an intense tug of war competition, and a caricature booth. Later on, a hypnotist came and Parachute played a really awesome concert. Though I missed the hypnotist because I was playing in a Dia volleyball tournament, word on the street is that his show was pretty incredible. As my first Dia experience, I’d say the day was definitely a success. I can’t wait for next year’s Day of the Bear!

 One of the key values at Baylor is the idea of community service. Through giving back to the community, Baylor students can truly show their appreciation for everything that they have been given. Steppin’ Out, a massive campus-wide community service project, is one of the most popular ways for Bears to get involved in the city of Waco and help out their neighbors. With Steppin’ Out, you can get involved by doing yard work, gardening, painting, cleaning, and doing just about any other kind of handiwork for locals who need a few extra hands. I ended up tagging along with Baylor MSO (Medical Service Organization). Over the course of several hours, a porch was painted, windows were washed, a vegetable garden was maintained (we had planted it earlier in the year), and two of my friends and I conquered an evil stump that was preventing a rose bush from being planted. We may or may not have used several different heavy duty shovels, a saw, a tree branch cutter, and an ax.  For the record, no males were allowed to aid us in the stump removal process (girl power, right Lauren?). The lady who owns the house is sweet as can be and we were all really glad to be able to help her out in any way we could. Steppin’ Out happens twice a year (once in the fall, once in the spring) and I highly encourage anyone who can to get involved in this awesome opportunity. 

     Lately, I’ve been working on having a healthier life style. At Baylor, I’m taking advantage of the many opportunities we have to eat well and stay fit. One of the new things I’ve checked out is the pool in the SLC. Though swimming laps is definitely a way to get in shape, I prefer water basketball to staying in a lane. Some of my friends and I went to go play the other day, and though I’ve never played basketball before, it went really well (for the other team, that is…). It was a ton of fun and the pool is definitely a place I’ll be visiting on a regular basis. Another awesome part of the SLC is the upstairs level. There are treadmills, a Zumba room, and a running track for those who prefer exercising indoors. Now that it’s starting to warm up, I personally think running in the AC might be a good idea. One of the best parts of the SLC is the rock wall. I climb all the time and it is an amazing way to work out while developing balance, strength, and agility. Something new that I want to try is Swing Dance. One of my friends is in the Swing Dance club, and I’m very excited to check it out! There are so many other ways that people can stay in shape at Baylor, too! As of right now, though, I maintain that rock climbing is the bee’s knees.

     Greetings from Mardi Gras! Galveston 2012! I am taking a break from Waco to celebrate the Mardi Gras weekend with friends and family. For out-of-staters, Galveston Island is just over four hours southeast of Baylor and is located on the Gulf of Mexico. This year, Galveston is celebrating its 101st official Mardi Gras festivities with twenty-six concerts and twenty-four parades. Last night, the island attempted to make the Guinness Book of World Records (as the largest choreographed umbrella dance) with the Funky Uptown Umbrella Brigade, where over 1500 participants danced the hokey pokey while marching with festively decorated umbrellas. Today, I had so much fun eating barbeque and celebrating with family and friends while watching the parades along the seawall. I have recently acquired a HUGE collection of beads (over three million beads will be thrown over the course of the next two weekends). It was definitely a welcome change from hitting the books. My classes are going well this semester and I am really appreciating taking a lighter load. This semester I have Great Texts, Intermediate Ballet, Christian Heritage, Chapel, Phonetics, Language Therapy, and Anatomy and Physiology. Tomorrow I’ll be heading back to campus so I can study for the exams I have this week. I’m reallllly looking forward to them…

     Well, second day of second semester has ended! Although I had a WONDERFUL break being home with my family and friends, it’s really nice to be back at Baylor. Christmas break was an interesting experience. It was a lot longer than the high school breaks I’m used to, but the time was much needed – my family moved from Detroit to Galveston. Having lived in the same house all my life, I now appreciate just how much work moving is.

     My classes this semester look like they are going to be just as amazing as the ones I took in the fall. I have two of the same professors (no accident! They rock) and it looks like I got lucky on the others as well. I’m toning it down and only taking sixteen credits as opposed to the eighteen I took last semester. I have 8am classes every day and I am surprisingly okay with that. I get out much earlier than I did before, and one of my New Years’ resolutions is to get to bed earlier anyway… hopefully early classes will be a good motivating factor to stay resolved.

 What an amazing weekend! Homecoming was this past Saturday, and Baylor definitely knows how to celebrate it better than anyone else. The week began with a worship service/concert featuring Sidewalk Prophets and Chris August. The next day, the class of 2015 learned all about the Baylor Spirit at the Freshman Mass Meeting. We heard the story of the Immortal Ten, the ten men who were killed when their bus was hit by a train on their way to a basketball game in 1927. The story was tragic, but the message and the Spirit of Baylor were clear throughout. I’ve heard the story of the Immortal Ten before, but I learned something new about one of the men. Abe Kelly, captain-elect of the basketball team, saw the train coming just in time to save the life of his roommate and best friend by pushing him out one of the windows of the bus. This selfless act cost him his own life.

     Afterwards, the Eternal Flame was lit and we all headed outside to grab a candle of our own before building a giant homecoming bonfire. We didn’t get to light it till the next day though, as the big finale to a good old Baylor pep rally. Saturday kicked off bright and early with the Homecoming Parade. At Baylor, we take this parade VERY seriously (it’s said to be the largest and oldest homecoming parade in the country). The floats were absolutely incredible and, even better, most of them featured a bear in some skit or another taking down a tiger. At 6pm began the main event: the Battle of Missou. Though we maintained a pretty steady lead throughout the game, it got a bit dicey at the end. No worries though, we beat the Tigers (as everyone should already know and proudly tell anyone who will listen). All the Bears fans left Floyd Casey in high spirits, and I know that I at least didn’t go to bed anytime soon. The celebratory spirit was too strong to sleep, so we spent the extra hour from Daylight Savings eating subway and watching Finding Nemo. In my opinion, Disney-Pixar was definitely the best way to finish off such an epic weekend.    

     Greetings from Tiger Town! It’s a big sports weekend now that midterms are over, and I can finally relax and have time to watch a game. Studying for midterms, reading and writing papers have taken away virtually all of my free time the past few weeks. Maybe taking six classes, chapel and two labs was a bit much for my first semester…

     I’m home in metro Detroit, but my beloved Tigers are making the trip to Texas. Game 6 of the American League Championship Series takes place today in Arlington, and although I know the strong majority of Baylor Bears are rooting for the Rangers, I am a die-hard Tigers fan. Speaking of the Bears, we are currently the NUMBER ONE RANKED TEXAS FOOTBALL TEAM. Sic ‘em Bears! Let’s make our 4-1 record 5-1 when we play A&M today for the last time (SEC you later, Aggies!).

     I love being home. I flew out of the Waco airport Thursday afternoon after catching a ride from my wonderful roomie, Kelsey. (Thanks dear!) I haven’t been in Michigan since my high school graduation in the beginning of June. It’s great to see my family again and spend some time with my Michigander friends. All of the leaves are turning gorgeous fall colors. Yesterday I took a trip to the cider mill with my mom, little sister, Molly, and my best friend, Emily. There is nothing like the taste of fresh donuts and apple cider on a crisp fall morning. I am so happy to see everyone in person instead of over Skype! Sadly, all good weekends must come to an end, so tomorrow I spend most of the day flying back to Waco. I’m still not sure how I’m getting home from the Waco airport though…

      It has been such a busy week! Everybody has been studying up for their first tests and trying to keep up with the looming deadlines of the first papers and major assignments. This weekend, however, we all get to take a break from the academic buckling down and focus on our families! Parents weekend is here and the campus is slowly filling with moms and dads and adorable little siblings. The big Rice game is tomorrow and hopefully (definitely) our winning streak will continue. I’m going to be spending the weekend finding other families to tag along with, since mine couldn’t make the trip from Michigan. I know that I have at least two families willing to adopt me for the weekend, so I won’t be lonely. Thankfully, I’m going home in a few weeks so I’ll be able to see my own family soon!

   One of Baylor’s best features is the McLane Student Life Center, known around campus as the SLC. The SLC is home to the fitness center, racquetball courts, volleyball sand pits, ping pong tables, rock wall, swimming pool, and more. It is completely free and is a great place to come hang out on a not-so-busy weekend or when in desperate need of a study break. I’ve been there quite a few times since the beginning of the semester and I always have a ridiculous amount of fun. In the gym, there are always a few basketball games going on and the ping pong tables are never fully deserted. The Rock (the tallest free standing rock wall in the entire state of Texas) is an extremely popular attraction. If you’ve never climbed before… go do it. It is incredibly fun. I had never gone before this semester, but I made it up a 5.7 on the first try yesterday and am pretty proud of myself. For non-climbers out there, Baylor’s trails range from 5.6-5.13, 13 being the hardest. My goal is to work towards a 5.10 by the end of the year. Maybe by then I’ll be able to do a pull-up successfully… Even if you are not the most athletically-inclined, there’s always swimming, watching a football game in the lounge, or just paying homage to the art of spectating. The SLC always has something to do, so go take advantage of your next bit of free time and head on over.

     What a start to the Labor Day weekend! On Thursday night, I went to the Traditions Rally with a group of friends I met during Welcome Week. The rally is held before the start of every Baylor football season. At this rally, all of the freshmen (sporting their bright gold line jerseys, of course!) are welcomed to the Baylor Line and are officially inducted into our most important role: helping to carry on the Baylor legacy of spirit. Old and new Baylor students gathered together to get pumped up for the game over burgers and a band.

     After picking up my ticket on Friday, I headed out with a few friends to wait in the line for the bus to Floyd Casey Stadium. The whole ride there, I couldn’t stop thinking about how excited I was to go to my first college football game. After an enormous number of Sic’ ems and BU cheers, I joined the sea of freshmen decked out in gold line jerseys as we ran across the field before the game started in the “Good Old Baylor Line”. Then we all sat (or stood) together in our free seats behind the TCU bench and cheered on our team.

    The game was a stunning upset with Baylor victorious over TCU 50-48. Watching the game was incredible. Though I’m not the most football-savvy girl out there, the energy of the crowd and the intensity of the game was absolutely amazing. In the swell of green and gold after the game, I came to realize that there are three things Texans hold close to their hearts: faith, family, and football. Baylor is victorious in all three. Sic ‘Em Bears!