Day 106: The Finale

Good evening Gamecocks and fellow readers!

It's the final week of classes before exams here at LSU. That means final projects and papers are in full swing. Everyone is preparing to batten down the hatches in preparation for finals next week.

Last week was a fairly relaxing week as everyone went home for Thanksgiving break. Rather than drive eight hours home, I chose to do a simple hour and a half flight. If you are planning on flying home for Thanksgiving, make sure you book your flight weeks ahead of time. Also, make sure that you arrive to the airports a couple hours ahead of time because they are packed! Regardless, it was nice to be home after being away for so long. It definitely made me miss home a little more though.

In regards to NSE, it has been an amazing experience. I would whole heartedly recommend this experience to anyone who is interested. Through this exchange, despite it only being domestic, I have become connected to an international community. I have met people from all around the world that I would have never encountered had I not done NSE. Also, NSE allowed me to learn more about my own country and the people who live in it. I was able to travel to a part of the United States that I had never experienced before. It has been a thoroughly enlightening process.

For anyone thinking about participating in NSE, know that it is going to be a long journey. It'll involve a lot of paperwork and patience. There will be times when you worry if the whole process is going as it should. Just have faith and patience that it is all going to work out. It will be more than worth it. My only recommendation would be to finish all of your requirements as soon as you can. It will save you a lot of worry later on.

Anyways, it's been an amazing journey. Thank you for tagging along and reading.

Day 100: The End is in Sight

Good afternoon Gamecocks and fellow readers!

      Once again, warmth and rain have returned to Baton Rouge. When you live here, you have to get used to weather not acting along a set plan. You never know what the day might hold in store for you. Most students here almost always carry a small umbrella on them just in case. Nonetheless, the rain has done little to nothing to hamper the students' spirits. Everyone is excited and ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving break! Once the break is over, it will be a week of studying and then finals. This semester is quickly coming to a close.

      Last weekend saw the football team triumph over Arkansas. Campus was once again filled with tailgaters filling every space they could find. Even restaurants will come and set up tents to celebrate the game. Unfortunately the best picture I took (placed below), does not do the LSU tailgate justice. The closer you get to the stadium, the crazier it gets.

     Overall, the rest of the week was more of the usual. Classes were attempting to squeeze in final test and quizzes before the break coming up this week. Everyone else was busy finalizing their travel plans. Personally, I am pretty excited to go home. As the title says, it has been 100 days since I last was home and saw my family. It'll be nice to be home and take a break from my course work. Hopefully it will give me the burst of energy I need to finish out the semester. Once I'm through my exams, I will give you all my final thoughts on the National Student Exchange program,

Until then, take care!

Day 92: Home: So Close and Yet so Far

      Good Afternoon Gamecocks and fellow readers! Things are warming up a little bit here in Louisiana. Last week's cold front seems to have temporarily stopped as today was fairly warm. For context, last week was so cold that everyone could see their breath. Officials were even worried that the roads would freeze over and school would have to be cancelled! Fortunately (or unfortunately for some), school was not cancelled and we have had some pretty nice days.

      Last week was more or less pretty similar to the week before. Lots of studying and exams; it was perhaps the biggest exam week for me thus far. None the less, I managed to survive all the exams that were thrown at me. I will admit though, it was also the week I probably missed home the most. This is the longest time I have been away from home. Deciding to go to Texas instead of home for Fall break definitely factored into that. However, I am very excited to come home for Fall break. The connections I made with the people here and the experiences I have had also made the experience easier. Always surround yourself with good people and life's hardships will get easier.

      Advisement for USC was definitely another challenge that I had to overcome. My advisor and I decided to handle my advisement for next semester over email. In hindsight, I really wish we had chosen to call instead. We exchanged emails back and forth for about a month (up until my day of registration). I cannot help but wonder if we could have finished those talks in a thirty minute phone call (normal advisement length). For any students, I would definitely talk to your advisor about handling it over the phone should you consider participating in NSE. None the less, we managed finish my advisement and I am all set to return next semester.

That's all for this week folks. Until next time!

Day 85: Still Undefeated

Good afternoon Gamecocks and fellow readers! It's a surprisingly warm day here in Baton Rouge. The past couple of weeks have seen a number of number of cold days come and go. We could even see our own breath on some days.

      It was another busy week at Louisiana State University. Classes are starting to shift into gear as the semester comes closer and closer to a close. Test, quizzes, and homework are in full gear keeping students busy outside of class. Nonetheless, we have still found spare time to have fun with our friends. In particular, the students here had a lot to look forward to as LSU geared up to play Alabama in football. There was a lot of anticipation in the air.

     I was fortunate enough to watch the game from a bar with my friends. The atmosphere was amazing. People were shouting and cheering the entire game. There were an unfortunate few Alabama fans who had to listen to us. It was close game the whole way through and more than a few people were biting their nails and knocking on wood. However, LSU managed to pull through and it was a night full of celebration. The following day my friends and I treated ourselves at the Mexican restaurant Caliente. I whole heartedly recommend Caliente to anyone who visits Baton Rouge.

Well, that's all I have for this week. Until next time!

Day 78: It's that Halloween Spirit

Good evening Gamecocks and fellow readers! Hopefully you are doing well on this wonderful Monday night.

     It was a week of tests and celebration here at LSU as Halloween was around the corner. The beginning of the week saw to it that students were busy with homework and exams. Eventually the week's work slowed down and students were able to look forward to their Halloween celebrations. Many of the resident halls and apartments on campus held varying activities and events. LSU also held its infamous Fall Fest. Fall fest is a massive event held on LSU's Parade Ground where students, faculty, and staff can partake in free food and festivities. It is truly not an event to be missed!

     On Halloween day, most of the students here like to go out with friends and party through the night. Due to Halloween being on Thursday, some students unfortunately had exams the following morning. Despite Friday exams, Halloween celebrations continued well throughout the weekend. Even on Saturday, people were still dressing up and going out. Although I did not try anything entirely new this week, it was still a fun week full of good times and celebration. Halloween on LSU's campus is not something to miss.

Day 70: Returning to Routine

Good afternoon Gamecocks and fellow readers!

     It's a cloudy day today in Baton Rouge as it has been raining the past couple of days. It was a big time this past weekend. The LSU football team had a tough fight against Auburn, but ultimately pulled through in the end. Once again, campus was full of tailgaters and students alike. Even when it's raining, there is always a festive mood on campus during gamedays. You would be hard pressed to find an LSU football game where people are not in a good mood.

     The earlier parts of the week saw many students returning from Fall break with classes in full swing. Personally, I started my week off with two exams and a quiz. Even if its after a break, always be prepared for when classes enter into full swing. None the less, it was a good week at LSU. I am saddened to say that I did not do much exploring in the past week. Most of my time was devoted towards getting back into the swing of things. Hopefully I will have much more to tell you about on the next post! Until next time, take care!

Day 65: On the Road Again

Good morning Gamecocks and fellow readers!

      Hopefully you are doing well on this wonderful Tuesday morning! Today has finally seen to the return of sunshine here in Baton Rouge as it has been raining the past couple of days. The weather is starting to get a bit colder, so it's time to break out the jeans and jackets.

      Last week was a very exciting week! The students here at LSU finally got to take a break from testing and assignments and leave Wednesday for fall break! I left immediately after class and headed West towards the city of Dallas, Texas, with my girlfriend to visit her family. It was a long seven hour drive and there was not a whole a lot between here and there. If you ever want to travel from Baton Rouge to Dallas, make sure you stop for gas in bigger towns as its usually cheaper. Any of the stops in between will more than likely sell you more expensive gas. After watching the beautiful Texas sunset, we arrived in Texas without any major complications.

     As I learned in the days that ensued, there certainly is not a lack of things to do in Dallas. We were busy each and every day. In Dallas, there are malls everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Not only is there mall every couple of blocks it feels, but the malls themselves are also massive. You would be hard pressed to find a shop in a Texas mall that didn't suit your needs. We also enjoyed a hefty game of Top Golf, where I found out that you don't always have to be good at golf to have a good time. I also had my first taste of an In-N-Out burger and it was pretty good for how fast they made it.

      Later in the week, my girlfriend's family and I traveled further into downtown. There we visited the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, which was a fantastic experience! The Perot had an exhibit on just about any topic you can think of. It also had plenty of interactive experiences that allowed to be engaged with the exhibits. After the Perot, we went to El Fenix for lunch. El Fenix is a true Tex-Mex restaurant and the food there was pretty incredible. It's definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Dallas. We ended the day by walking around downtown and visiting the infamous spot where Kennedy was shot.

     Overall, I can safely say that we only covered a fraction of what Dallas had offer and it was amazing! If you are ever have the chance to visit, I would whole heartedly recommend it. I know for me at least, I miss the experience a whole lot.

One of the exhibits from the Perot.

Day 59: A Game to Remember

      Good morning Gamecocks and fellow readers! Hopefully you are doing well on this rainy Louisiana day. It has been raining almost nonstop for the past couple of the days. One thing I have learned about Louisiana is that it is very prone to flooding should enough rain fall. For students, this means that getting across campus becomes quite the puzzle. Should you visit Louisiana, always carry an umbrella on you and be prepared to leap across some puzzles.

     Rainy weather aside, last week was a pretty good one. The week saw to the normal routine of attending classes and making sure I studied hard enough for my test. However, we had the biggest the football season so far coming up on Saturday. Both LSU and Florida were undefeated so it meant that one of the two teams would finally be defeated. The game also received a lot of attention due to two more factors. Firstly, College Gameday was on campus in order to cover the game. Gameday is a show that goes to a different college every week in order to cover athletic games. One of my classes was next to the Gameday set up and the shouting was so loud you could hear it through the walls.

     Secondly, it was homecoming week here at LSU. Events were in full stride every single day and many alumni came back. Homecoming events included a silent disco, concert, parade, alligator cook off, and many more. Overall, everyone was pretty excited for this game to happen. Come gameday, campus was abuzz with people tailgating in any and every space that was open. The game itself was amazing. For a while, the game was closer than most of us would like, but LSU pulled through for the win in the end. 

      The week ahead is very exciting for us students because, starting tomorrow, fall break begins. I will be driving to Dallas, Texas to finally see what it is like. I'm excited for this new experience and take a breather from all my classes. Until next time!

Day 50: Keep on Keeping on

     Good evening Gamecocks and fellow readers! Hopefully you are doing well on this wonderful start to week! Today it finally rained here in Louisiana after not raining for almost two weeks, which is unusual. Usually, it feels as if it rains every other day. Weather forecast aside, its time I filled you in on the events of last week.

      Last week was less of an exciting week than the previous ones have been. Most of it was dedicated to homework and staying on top of my classes. However, I did finally had the opportunity to visit the Student Health Center on campus. It offers the whole variety of services that you would expect from a student health center. However, it is also as busy as you would expect. As a last minute visitor not in an emergency, it was hard to get an appointment the day of. If you ever need to visit there for a regular check-up, I would recommend calling at least a week ahead of time. That ensures that you are able to get the best time possible to meet your scheduling needs.

      Nothing too exciting happened the rest of the week. Life went on as it usually does. However, I was lucky enough to see LSU beat Utah State in the heat (which it's surprisingly hot for the fall here). Take care and until next time!

Day 42: Old Searches and New Experiences

     Good night fellow Gamecocks and readers! Admittedly, I'm writing this one a bit late so one or two yawns may be had typing it up. Last week was a tough, but good week. Exams are in full swing over here at LSU. Personally, I have two exams and one project due this week alone. Thankfully I discovered that the student union building (and more importantly Chick-fil-A) is open until 11 pm on weekdays, which was a life saver tonight! Anyways, I want to tell you about the events of last week and weekend!

     As per usual, the week did not see too much excitement (unless you count classes, homework and test as exciting). The long weekdays saw me attempting to stay on top of my assignments and reattempt my previous mission to find an internship. For those of you who do not know, as Media Arts major at the University of South Carolina, each student is required to complete an internship as a part of their degree. Unfortunately for me, Baton Rouge is not exactly a hub for media related internships. While there are media internships in Baton Rouge, they are far and few in between. This means that the limited number of positions makes for a pretty competitive field. If you are looking for a Media Arts internship, I would personally recommend keeping an eye on positions back home in Columbia.

     The end of my school week saw me finally utilizing there perks of being 21 years old. I had my first (responsible) experiences in "Tiger Land." For people who are familiar with Columbia, Tiger Land is Louisiana State University's equivalent of Five Points. It's essentially a large amount of bars that are clumped together in one small area. Due to it being a bye week in LSU football, the bars were not as packed as they usually are (according to my local sources). None the less, they were still fun and provided just what you would expect from a bar. Fun fact, in Louisiana, you are able to enter some bars as young as nineteen (obviously you are unable to order). As such, you have bars like Fred's (upperclassman bars) that only allow 20+ year-olds and Mike's (underclassman bars) which allow 19+ year-olds. Like anywhere, always be safe in Tiger Land and never drink while driving. Ubers are available in surplus to take you home. Always remember to double check the cars credentials and ask, "what's my name?"

     That's all for this time. Stay safe Gamecocks and have an excellent week.

Day 37: The Good Ol' Days

     Good afternoon Gamecocks and other readers! It's that time of the week again!  As per usual, the weekdays did not see too much excitement. Exam week had officially kicked off! LSU does their exams a bit differently than how it is in South Carolina. Most of the larger classes will have you schedule a session in the testing center. The testing center is a large, 400+ computer testing center that facilitates all of LSU's electronic test. This ensures that, even in large classes, the tests are still monitored and regulated. However, as I discovered today, the testing center can be a little finicky. Sometimes the test are not uploading correctly, which means that you cannot always access your test even though you have an appointment. So its always beneficial to not wait to last minute to schedule your test or you might risk missing it due to technical difficulties.

      Despite my testing mishaps, its been a great experience here at Louisiana State University. However, the National Student Exchange was right about missing home from time to time. It truly is a huge adjustment to go to another University. Not only are you in a different city, but you are also in an different university where the entire process is different. This has also been the first time in my life where going home is not a decision I can casually make. I know this sounds like I've abandoned all hope of adjusting to life here, but that's not the case. The biggest help to me in this shift in my life is the fact that I made connections here. I had friends who I could count on to help me get through the whole process. They have truly helped me in feeling like I belong here and that this whole experience is worth it.

P.S. As a bonus, below is a picture of Mike the Tiger (the school's mascot). It may or may not be related to me feeling guilty about not posting more pictures.

Day 30: Let's Geaux Tigers!

      Good afternoon world! This past week was excellent as it was full of celebration and new experiences. The start of the week began with the usual routine of returning to classes and getting in the school mentality. However, on Tuesday, I turned the big 21! Unfortunately for me, this also meant no big celebrations due to it being the middle of the week. Being far from home meant that I would be making frequent trips to the post office due to all the gifts coming in. Thankfully, the post office here isn't much different from the one back at the University of South Carolina. I simply had to sign in on an iPad and approach the pickup desk to receive my packages and letters. As it turns out, there are cakes online that apparently you can ship people. Not going to lie, it was surprisingly good for internet cake.

      The rest of the week went just about the same as always. Most of the days were spent attending class and completing homework. On Friday, I was finally able to celebrate my birthday. My friends and I went out and I was able to order my first beer. It wasn't my favorite, but it was definitely a first in a lot of new experiences I've had here. Saturday saw to the arrival of the infamous gameday!

     I spent the whole of Saturday with my friends. We stayed in our conveniently air conditioned apartment and tailgated before the game. As game time got closer, we went out into campus and made our way towards the stadium. Unlike South Carolina, Tiger Stadium is located on campus. So long as there is a green space (grass) that isn't reserved, you can set up anywhere on campus. We also made our way past Mike the Tiger's habitat. Mike was out on gameday, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get any good pictures of him. The game was amazing and LSU absolutely kicked Northwestern State's butt. I was lucky enough to get close seating to field. However, leaving the game was a bit of a nightmare. Traffic was terrible leaving gameday and I had to drive my friend home who lived off campus. When the game ends, LSU turns all streets into a one way exit road. Luckily for me, traffic delayed me long enough that the roads had switched back to normal by time I headed home. All in all, it was a great week!

Day 23: A Week in the Life

     Good morning Gamecocks! It is a beautiful and (luckily) sunny day here in Baton Rouge. The past few days have not seen a drop of rain, which is unusual for Louisiana. None the less, it has been an excellent week on exchange. The week consisted of me attending my classes and trying to get ahead of school work. It's taken longer than I thought it would, but I am finally getting adjusted to how different things are at LSU. For the past two weeks I have been getting used to new websites and finding my way around campus.

     The weekend was much more relaxing. I did do a little bit of work by searching around for internships. Let me tell you, Baton Rouge does not have much in the sense of media arts internships. Once that was out of the way, I went over my friend's place to celebrate game day! It was a close game, but Louisiana triumphed over the University of Texas. It's also exciting times coming up this week as it will be my 21st birthday! This week will certainly be one to remember and I can't wait.

Day 16: Making Adjustments

     This past week marked the start of what some students dread: the start of classes. Luckily for us students, we got to enjoy a couple easy days during the infamous "syllabus week." At first, all of my classes seemed a little overwhelming. I was in a new school that uses a completely different system. I also had to sign up for three different online sites as well. It was a lot juggle at the start of school, especially when I am still trying to find my bearings here.

      However, I am proud to say that the course load has become more bearable and easy. My advice to any incoming college student is to develop time management skills. For me, that meant looking at my classes and putting all my assignments in a planner or calendar. It's also very important to make sure that you make time for yourself. In college, it is way to easy to get caught up in your school work in classes. Take time to treat yourself. Go out with friends, watch a movie, or try something you have never done before. Time management planning and making time for myself greatly helped me adjust to my courses here at the university.

     Unfortunately, I did not due too much this week besides go to classes and focus on my course work. I made time for my friends and met with them in between classes. I went to UREC a couple days to make sure that the days of the "Freshman 15" are behind me. Lastly, I went to a well known restaurant around here called "The Chimes." The Chimes is a southern-Cajun restaurant that is on the outskirts of campus. It is a very nice place and the food looks amazing! Sadly, I went to hangout with my friends after I already had dinner, so I did not get to partake in any of the amazing smells that surrounded me. Maybe next time. I'm coming up on a month a being here and clearly, I still have a lot to explore in Baton Rouge.

Day 8: Getting Settled

     It's official! I have been at Louisiana State University for a week. In my last post, I mentioned that the road to get to this point was rocky and difficult. However, I am pleased to say that is has been well worth the wait. I spent the last week attending multiple events and getting adjusted to campus. All week I have been getting to know my roommates and spent time with them.
   
     On Tuesday, the UREC, which is LSU's massive gymnasium, hosted a large welcome week event. When I say the place is massive, I really mean it! The UREC has tennis courts, beach volleyball, indoor and outdoor pools, lazy river, and much more. The night was supposed to culminate in an outdoor showing of Avengers: Endgame, but I will get to that part later. My French roommate and I began the night with some "light" workouts. I can easily say that it's never wise to follow someone else's workout when you haven't been to the gym in months. I was sore for days. After our workout, we went around and enjoyed our reward in free food and free shirts. With our tired spirits lifted, we made our way to enjoy the outdoors. Now as I've come to learn, it wouldn't be Louisiana if it did not torrent rain every other day. Sadly the movie was cancelled, but we made the best of the situation and enjoyed our night in the pool.

     The rest of the week held similar festivities. During one night, the library held a small party for the students coming back. Once again I spent time with the international students and got to know them more. Meeting people from all across the world has been my favorite part about this exchange program. Without this exchange program, I am not sure if I would have met such a diverse group of people. We partied the night away with food and drinks, board games, and, of course, terrible karaoke.

     The rest of the week saw my friends from Georgia finally moving into Louisiana. It was nice to regroup and catch up with them. Of course, they put me to work moving the occasional couple boxes or so with my car. None the less, I am ecstatic to be here and can't wait to see what other surprises might be in store.

Day 3: Making Landfall

     After months of waiting and no short amount of paperwork, I have finally arrived at the University of Louisiana (and Agriculture - everyone forgets that part). For those of you who don't know me, my name is Thomas Anderson. I am originally from the state of Georgia and study at the University of South Carolina. Now you may be asking yourself, "I thought he just said he arrived at LSU?" You would be right! I decided to participate in a program called National Student Exchange. NSE, for short, is essentially a study abroad program for those who wish to remain within the states. You, like so many others, might ask, "TJ, why did you choose to go to Louisiana when you could have gone to France, Spain, or anywhere really?"

     Louisiana (and more specifically New Orleans) has always been a part of the United States that has always fascinated. I grew up with tales of this unique culture surrounding a very diverse people. I wanted to become more immersed in a culture that I did not know about. Plus, it didn't hurt that I already had a few friends here to get me settled. Regardless, I had no idea of what I should expect.
     It would be hard to begin this story without admitting to the hardships that predated it. The process of applying for NSE and choosing a school to exchange to involved a lot (and I mean A LOT) of paperwork. Furthermore, I had a trouble communicating with the coordinator from LSU, which had me a little worried. After all was said and done, I ended up not getting my first picks for classes or housing. Now, I understand if it sounds like this story can't have a happy ending. However, closer to move-in day, all the pieces seemed to finally fall in place.

     I finally met my roommates in person and it is an interesting bunch. I have a roommate from Texas, Puerto Rico, and France. Especially with my international roommates, it has definitely been eye opening to hear about how different America is from their respective countries. Did you know that the minimum wage is Puerto Rico is significantly lower than the U.S.? That is why so many choose to leave the country and come to the United States. Interesting facts aside, I was fortunate enough to be invited to lunch by my French roommate with the other international exchange students. At that lunch, I met people from Ecuador, Spain, Sweden, Britain, and Germany. It was truly a blessing to be able to hear their stories and how they lived back in their home countries.

     Even though I chose to stay in America, it seems as though the world has come to me. It goes to show how often the phrase, "it's a small world after all," is often proven true. You never know what you might find around the corner. As for me, I can't wait to see what this semester has in store.