New Easter Traditions

Easter was interesting this year. It was the first holiday that I spent without my family. I woke up feeling slightly empty because there were no baskets and eggs to greet me. My roommate and I made scrambled eggs and toast instead. Less sugar, but still filling.

The weather was a supernatural phenomenon this weekend, in the seventies and eighties. As a result the whole town vibrated with energy all weekend. After the breakfast I went for a walk with my friends Becky and Nick around downtown to enjoy this energy. After that all of the on campus students were outside grilling, we joined in and played Frisbee and then dyed eggs. Then, to top it off, watched Dead Alive. Even though my family isn’t around, Easter was still fun and next year I’ll be sure to buy myself a chocolate bunny.

Mardi Gras, Board Games, and Gumbo

So here at the Burlington College the Director of Student Services, Sarah Mell, is always coming up with new activities for the students to participate in. The other week it was board games. Students all came out at seven o’clock on a Friday night to play Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit. I rocked at Apples to Apples! Then Saturday all of Burlington celebrated Mardi Gras, late I know, but it was warmer. A bunch of students and me all painted our faces and walked down to Church Street where the parade was held. It seems like the entire town came out for it, and the floats were all super inventive - the Where’s Waldo float was memorable. Beads, key chains, and moon pies were thrown. I especially love moon pies.

Now everyone at the school is getting pretty excited about Gumbo. Gumbo is an art show created and curated by a Burlington College student that is going to be on display at Burlington College beginning March 26^th. It is going to have the works of many students and faculty on any subject they are interested in.

Pinocchio, Valentines, and Black Panthers at Burlington College

So one of the topics students are talking about in school is lately is Walt Disney. You see, one of the required classes forBurlington College is Vision and Revision where students learn basic essay writing. So, instead of writing just any old essay, we write essays completely dedicated to Walt Disney. Our first assignment is a four page essay on Pinocchio, so everyone is going around talking about their research. It’s cute.

What else is cute is Valentines Day! Woo hoo! Me and my honey (James) celebrated by getting Chinese food from a take out place up the street called China Express. Romantic right? Heck yeah! I hope all of you enjoyed your Valentines as well.

Earlier in the week there was a Black History Month presentation by Roz Payne on the Black Panthers. A lot of people in the community came out to see it, it was really interesting. She had a gallery up, and showed a movie. Pictures to come.

Tattoos, Saints, and Penguins

So, I have been on the hunt for employment since I arrived in Vermont. I go out and apply everywhere. I made resumes too. There are a lot of shops nearby Burlington College, and I haven’t applied to even half of them. So on one of these hunts I stopped by a tattoo parlor to see if they could fix a tattoo of mine. I started talking to the tattoo artist and BAM, I am now on top of being a full-time student, I get to put my art education into practice as an apprentice at Body Art Tattoo and Piercing.

This gives me a chance to practice a whole new style of art and make money. Two of the guys who work in the shop are from my neck of the woods, New Orleans. Which brings me to my next point… the Saints won the Superbowl? That’s nuts! The students who live on the Burlington College campus had a get together where we watched the game. Best part: free food. Everyone I know in the South has been doing back flips of joy over this phenomenon. Up here people are more interested in the Burlington Vermont Winter Festival. I don’t know much about it, but I know my boyfriend is going to jump into Lake Champlain in February. It’s some event appropriately called Penguin Plunge. I don’t think I’m up for being a penguin, personally. But if the rest of Burlington Vermont wants to freeze in the lake, I’m sure it’ll be fun to watch.

YMCA for Free

I lost my phone last night! What happened was James and I went to the YMCA because we get to go for free since we are Burlington College students. James is an ex-football player/wrestler and I’m this scrawny art geek. He was trying to get me to use muscles and stuff involving sweat. Haha. It was a pretty hilarious sight. He was lifting hundreds of pounds in weights and I was struggling with the ten pounds! On the way home I realized my phone was gone. I’ve grown pretty dependant on my cell phone while looking for a job and living so far away from my family. It’s weird not having one. But I’ll just get a new one.

Aristocrats, Cell Phones, and Lack of Muscles

This week has been very busy. Thankfully, I live so close to school in on-campus housing. I run across the street to school five minutes before class, it’s so convenient! My classes have basically been set up that the students read a lot outside class, and in the classes we spend lots of time discussing what we read. It’s great because it makes me feel like such an intellectual. I imagine smoking out of an old big pipe, wearing a monocle, and saying things like “How are the stocks today? "

Hey Ho, Let’s Go! Cont...

...So, it was at this time, after I was already enrolled in a little Mississippi Community College to occupy my time while I made my escape plan, that I heard of Burlington College. At first it seemed impossible, I lived so far away. But luckily the falcutly was very flexible and allowed me to arrive two weeks before classes started. This is great because everything about the college appealed to me. There was public transportation in the city, there was recycling, there was moose, skiing, snowboarding, and SNOW. While still in Mississippi I dug through my closet for the warmest clothes I could find and waited with anticipation to start the semester. About twice a week the school would call to make sure everything was in order and they let me sign up for classes over the phone. When I finally drove nonstop for a day and a half in a van full of boxes to Vermont I knew I made one of the best decisions in my life. Seeing the Adirondacks on a sunny January morning was eye watering.

Well now I’m a Freshman at Burlington College double majoring in fine art and writing. I’m a vegetarian, and that used to be a hassle but is now AWESOME. Coming from a town where the only store was Wal-Mart, Church Street in Burlington is like a magical land where people have options. Everyone here loves to be here and the positive energy that envelopes this town is contagious. In general, this college has become an adventure and I’m pretty excited to see what happens next.

Hey Ho, Let’s Go!

Well hello there, my name is Kim Rabideau and my life just changed drastically – for the better. I was born in Plattsburgh, New York, which is about as far north you can go without being in Canada. At the age of ten my family decided to move to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is about as far south in America you can go without being in the Gulf of Mexico. I’m still convinced to this day that one of the main reasons we moved to “The Bay” was to be closer to Disney World.

Well the south was definitely a change, and honestly, I don’t think my family liked it very much, I know I didn’t. It was even worse after August 29, 2005. Anyone who doesn’t live on the coast might not recognize the date, but in the south it’s about as important as July 4^th or 9/11. That was the day Hurricane Katrina hit and left our town, home if you will, a total pathetic mess. Since then nowhere on the coast has been able to fully recover. That year was my Freshman year of high school. Instead of worrying about boys and the typical high school fluff, I was worried about rebuilding my house. (A family of six cannot live in a FEMA trailer too long without lives being at stake.)

After four years of high school I was free! Being free, I felt (and still feel) that the world is my oyster. But there is no opportunity, or employment, in Mississippi for people like me. I knew I had to leave...

Burlington College Student Life

Burlington College seeks to admit students who are independent thinkers and share a commitment to collaborative, authentic learning. This blog is a place for several current Burlington College students to share what life is like day to day. You can read about where they are from, what they are studying, and how they are making their education their own. Reach out to students, and find out what Burlington College and Vermont have to offer you.