Spring is FINALLY in the Air~~~

Hello awesome people :) 

I really hope that everyone is doing well! Instead of writing an awfully long blog post this time around, I would like to bombard y'all with beautiful pictures of the PLU campus in spring time!

This is PLU's prime in spring time

View of Xavier Hall from the Hauge Admin Building

Close up of some beautiful purple lavenders!

PLU Students enjoying the sun

The sunshine makes everything look beautiful!

Closer view of Xavier Hall and you can see Harstad Hall on the far left

Splendid looking tree right next to Hong and Kriedler Halls

(Photo credits go to me as I spent quite some time taking and using the best pictures) :D

By now, you could probably see what this blog post is about! It's just to show everyone how picturesque the PLU campus is during the Spring :)

And oh my, the weather here right now is absolutely magnificent! It's such an awesome feeling to have the sun shining warmly down on your skin, slightly toasting and glazing you as you stroll across campus. Like how a doughnut gets browned . (haha that was intended to sound funny)

Well, for those of you that are staying for Summer, enjoy the hot sun and great weather! Have a great rest of the week and take care always.

Sincerely,
Joel

Spring Visit Day 2015

On April 10th PLU again invited local international students from several community college in the area to visit campus and our current international students. This gave them the chance to see the campus for themselves, experience a real day as a student, meet students from their home country and even spend a night in the dorms.

Campus showing itself at it's best! (@brekkemo)

This year we had ten students join us from Green River College, Shoreline and Tacoma Community College. They received a campus tour and had a dinner social with current international students where they were given the opportunity to ask the important questions:

"What are classes like? How are the professors? What is there for students to do around campus? Should I live in a dorm or off campus?"

Visiting students and current students enjoying dinner in the Commons!

The students also went to the annual Dance Ensemble, which showcases talented PLU student dancers and choreographers, the PLU dance team, and professional choreography. Students of all technical dance levels can participate and it is a lot of fun! This is a huge campus event that everyone usually attends!

The Admissions interns at the Dance Ensemble

Some students chose to spend the night with hosts on campus, meaning that they could experience what PLU dorms are like and breakfast on campus. This could be a valuable experience when applying for housing to help decide which resident hall they would like to live in. 

All of the student volunteers and admissions interns had a great time with the visiting students and we hope to one day see them on campus! If you are interested in a campus visit you can request a visit here! See you on campus!

Madeleine

I Have Never Dyed Easter Eggs

Photo Source: http://www.whoknewtips.com/diy/how-to-dye-and-decorate-easter-eggs-for-free-with-household.html

Dear International Friends, 

I hope that you all guys had a nice and enjoyable Easter Break! 

Welcome back to the second and final round of the semester. It is definitely gonna go by fast, but let's just sit tight, I am sure we'll be fine!

Okay, let's talk about Easter! 

When I think about Easter, this is what first comes to my mind, 

Photo Source: https://senegalissimo.wordpress.com/category/nourriture/
If you want to try, here is the recipe: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Ngalakh

the dish is called "Ngalakh". I am not sure if you can pronounce it, but anyway it is usually made during Easter and shared with the community.

Being from Senegal, even though the majority of the population are not christians, Easter is still a big holiday for every family there. I could always feel that "Easter is on its way coming" due to the huge preparations. But more importantly, Easter symbolizes a day of sharing and community, where each christian family or community had to prepare this meal and share it with neighbors, relatives, and friends regardless of their religious background. And this is pretty much the way, each religious events are celebrated in my country. 

Different countries have different ways of celebrating holidays, so Easter might be celebrated in a different way in your country.

During the Easter break, I have had the chance to discover and learn a little more about how people celebrate Easter here in the U.S. through the help of some friends, housemates, and even coworkers. And today, I will share with you few things I have discovered. 

Here, in the U.S, as Easter approaches, families do a lot of activities. For instance, some people celebrate it at churches, some families organize Easter family dinners. But also many people hardboil eggs and dye them with brilliant colors to decorate their houses, these could be eaten later, but may also be model eggs made of plastic, chocolate, candy, or other materials. 

It is also common to organize easter eggs hunt. This is usually the most fun part as my friend, Madeleine, mentioned. Eggs of some sort are hidden by parents or a family member, and children then search for them. This is a popular Easter family game. 

Aside from the Easter Egg hunt, the White House Easter rolling is also a popular Easter game. 

Photo Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_rolling

It is an egg roll race, held each year at the White house lawn, where children and parents push the eggs along through the grass with a long-handled spoon. 

All of these activities constitute Easter here in the U.S.

These are all I got for you today!

Best of luck for the rest of the semester.

Your friend, 

Pape Mathioro Samba

A Thirst for Adventure

Hi again!

Tacoma has been really sunny and it finally feels like spring. In this season where there have been a few breaks (Spring and Easter break) and the end of the school year is coming up, I'd like to write about traveling on a low budget. You might think that it's impossible for you to travel while you're studying at PLU, since buying a plane ticket would be too expensive and you might not have a car. However, since the Pacific Northwest is so diverse and unique, why not go to places that are close to PLU?

Over Spring Break, I took the train to Salem, Oregon to get away from Tacoma for a few days and spend some time at a friend's house. The perks of taking the train are: it's cheap and relaxing. I was able to get the train ticket for only $40 to go to Salem, and all I needed to do on the train was sit back and enjoy the ride. The scenery is absolutely stunning. While the train goes through urban and suburban areas, you also get a chance to see a lot of nature along the way. Even though I was planning to study during the five hour train ride, I instead ended up staring out of the window for a few hours and enjoying the view. During the few times that I have traveled by train, I have gotten to talk to some interesting people as well. There are a lot of friendly and interesting people who travel by train, so if you ever get the chance, I'd encourage you to talk to people!


The Amtrak trains go to areas in Washington, Oregon, California, and even Vancouver BC. If you are interested in knowing more about traveling by train, I'd be able to help you out and give you some advice. Happy traveling!