Dublin is great... but its no UVA.

As I have blogged earlier I am currently studying abroad which is amazing, but there are some things this semester at UVa that I am definitely sad about missing. Here is a list of things I feel like I am missing out on while being abroad with number one being what I feel like I am missing the most:

10) Trick-or-Treat on the Lawn! This is a UVa tradition where everyone at UVa helps buy candy for the Lawnies to give out to kids in the Charlottesville community that come out in the cutest costumes on Halloween.

9) Third Year Ring Ceremony! Another tradition I am missing, one which I have not had a chance to be apart of is the Third Year Ring Ceremony. I don't know what it is like, so I can't say I miss it, but I do feel like I am missing out, because this is something I can only do in the fall of my third year. From what older students have told me about it, it is memorable experience not to be missed. They told me it is a really amazing ceremony that bonds you with your class as you are presented with your class ring. They also told me there are fun festivities afterwards that are just for the third years, and since it is with just the students in your class you know the majority of the people there.

8) Classes! I know I sound like a nerd, but before I found out I got into my trip I registered for classes and got into all of the ones I have been dying to get into for too long. At UVa we have some of the best professors that make students rush to sign up for classes. Also, since I am a Politics major the first time that I would be able to take classes in the new South Lawn building (the one with Starbucks) would be this year, so I find that extremely frustrating.

7) Sleep Out for the Homeless! This is an amazing event where for a few days students raise money by getting donations to sleep out for the homeless. I am involved with Madison House's Hoos Against Hunger and Homelessness (which I really miss as well), so this event that anyone can get involved in, is especially important to me and I wish I could be apart of it this year.

6) Football! I am missing football season. I know currently we are not the best team in our region, but going to the games is not about winning as much as going out as "girls in pearls and guys in ties" or your orange apparel for UVa's "Sea of Orange" with your friends to socialize and have fun!

5) Pancakes for Parkinson's! Of all the community service events put on at UVa this is probably the biggest. It happens every fall and is an event that raises money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The Pancakes are free, but we ask for donations so in the past five years we have raised more than $125,000. I think I am missing having one of those fun T-shirts a ton too.

4) Food! Besides missing those yummy pancakes, I am missing the cheap eats that are so close to Grounds.The Corner, that is right near the University has some of the best cheap restaurants that taste ridiculously delicious. In Dublin I am having a hard time finding good food that I can buy for less than $20. Bodo's and Christian's back home gives me a great lunch for $2.

3) Lighting of the Lawn! This is an event that has given me some of the best memories. During Finals, students take a break from studying to go to the Lawn for hot cocoa or hot cider provided by the Lawnies who open their doors to everyone. Students and the Charlottesville community enjoy the singing of the acapella groups, a special speaker and of course the actual "lighting of the lawn". It's a fun break from the stress of studying and a great way to be apart of an excellent tradition with your entire school.

2) Fall and Winter in Charlottesville! I will be able to catch most of the winter when I get back, but hopefully I will not miss the first snow. It is one of my favorite days of the year when you get that first sign of snow that just makes the day seem magical. You will see students eagerly hoping for classes to be canceled, snowball fights (we had a planned midnight snowball fight on the Lawn last year with a huge number of students and when I was a first year we had one in the Quad of only first years that was Old dorms vs New Dorms), snowmen on the Lawn, and just beautiful sights everywhere. Fall, which I am missing completely is definitely the most beautiful time to be in Charlottesville. The leaves change all different colors and it just isn't fall without a trip to Carter's Mountain where you can pick pumpkins and apples, buy cider and fantastic doughnuts, and just hang out with people you love.

1) The People! This isn't specific to this semester, but more than anything I miss the people that make UVa what it is today. Everyone I have met at UVa has impacted me in someway or the other and if I could change anything about my study abroad trip, it would be that all the people at UVa could come with me. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but I truly miss the people I love, the people I have yet to meet, and every random person I have come across while at UVa.