With the spring semester, everything seems to be happening and everyone seems to be lit. This is the time of the year when people are cheered up for seeing the sunshine bright after months of annoying and short sunshine. The campus has also been lit up for sure. Seeing these tiny flags for planting flowers and trees has never encouraged me as much as it does now. Just the other day, when I was walking in the grass near Siegal Hall’s back entrance and Man on the Bench, I spotted these small blue flowers (I cannot name them) blooming out of the grass showing a hope of survival past the Midterm results reveal. With this thought in mind, here is a list of other events in and around the campus that is helping me keep a cheerful spirit in times of crisis.
Starting with the henna party that a student organization named DesiGirls Student Association hosted on March 28 at the Pritzker Science center room number 111. They had planned this beautiful Henna party with amazing henna stencils for some of us less familiar with Henna who can’t design their own hands, had amazing volunteers offering to do other people, soft drinks to drink and tote bags to design with henna which was a new concept to me. They made henna for a very beautiful American bride who I know personally well enough to say she appreciated the art. We had a beautiful tribute to her and danced around her with henna on her hands.
After the dancing and the tiring henna party, just when every one of us wished we had some free food, there was Vedic Vision society’s kirtan and weekly Friday night event at Retialiata Center. The topic for the night was “From Universe to Heart” which uncovered some deep thoughts to think about. But once we were done asking a few questions to ourselves, they offered us some amazing vegetarian dinner – Rajma Chawal (black bean rice), aloo subjee, and a delicious little savory dish made from dates (whose name I am unsure of).
Furthermore, on Saturday, March 29, to celebrate the bride’s wedding ceremony, there was a cute little gathering that happened at the GodBox where the bride and groom were honored and congratulated. This event was hosted by the Bridges International, there was a huge cake that had photos of the to-be wed, plenty of chai, and a cute little afterparty for honoring the love birds.
These campus happenings have helped me recover from a huge week of work and more such events are planned for stressed out students such as myself. One of them is the “Palfest,” hosted by the Students for Justice in Palestine on April 3 at Herman Hall. The tickets cost around $5, but I have heard it is a lot of fun and an amazing experience is guaranteed. One more such event I am certainly looking forward to going to is named “SHPE Fiesta,” hosted by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers on April 12 at the MTCC. With campus this lively, be sure to keep your eyes out.