After being in college for a couple months, I’ve settled into a routine with my classes, school work, and lifestyle in a new setting. Likewise, I have settled into a routine with my social life as new traditions have formed throughout the week.

The first tradition is a hangout at my brother’s house every Tuesday night, or as we cleverly named it, “Tuesdays”. Since before I was born, a weekly hangout has been a tradition in my family. When my dad and two uncles were in their 20’s and 30’s, the three of them got together every Wednesday night for a tradition they called “Wackiness”. They would eat loads of snacks, stay up late, and most importantly play board games like Monopoly, Risk, and Poker as they got rowdy and competitive in the wife-free environment. When my brother, cousin, and I were born, the tradition strayed away from weekly and became more of an occasional get-together, but it was still something we really wanted to be a part of as we watched our dads honor their tradition. Once we grew older, we joined them for their occasional Wackiness’s and learned the ins and outs of the tradition. When my brother and my older cousin left for college, we postponed our Wackiness tradition until their winter and summer break, but while they were in college, they started the new Tuesdays tradition. This year, with my brother as a senior and my cousin as a junior, I made it to Penn State just in time to join the new tradition. Every Tuesday night, my brother drives me and my roommate to his house on the edge of campus, and we hang out there till late in the night with my cousin and his roommate. Instead of playing board games, we usually order Papa John’s and chill in their living room, jamming to music or watching any sports on TV. It’s a great way to unwind in the middle of the work week and talk to my brother and cousin, who I don’t see often as a freshman. Next year, I will be living in that house with my cousin, so we will definitely keep the Tuesdays tradition alive, even in the absence of my brother.

The next tradition that has been a large part of my freshman year is poker night. Every Wednesday night, I get together with 4 of my friends on my dorm floor, and we play poker for $5 each, something college kids consider to be high stakes. In one of our dorm rooms, we set up a fold out table, squeeze foldout chairs wherever we can fit them around the table, and divvy up $5 worth of chips to each person. Then, the games begin. We keep our rules simple to avoid any confusion. We play only Texas Hold ’em, rotate dealers, and stop once we all get tired or agree to stop the game. When someone runs out of chips, they can buy $2.50 more to keep playing, or cut their losses at $5. At the end of the game, we count our chips and cash out accordingly. Living on 5th floor Packer together for a couple months, we’ve become very comfortable with each other, so the games are friendly yet competitive as we all talk smack and take immense pride in beating each other in a betting battle. It’s a fun tradition that I’m excited to continue during the rest of my freshman year and hopefully the rest of my time in college.

During the grueling work week, having these designated times to unwind with my friends helps me immensely with lowering stress, and overall, they make college during Covid-19 much more fun. I’m excited to see these traditions evolve and what new traditions will form during my time in college.

With about 30 18-year-old guys on one floor, life on fifth floor Packer Hall is unpredictable to say the least. Out of the many dorm halls in East, Packer is one of the few that remains un-renovated. While this can be a disadvantage in terms of the smaller living space, lack of AC, unreliable elevators, and communal bathrooms, living in un-renovated definitely has it plus sides if you’re willing to appreciate them.

Surprisingly, my favorite part of living in Packer Hall so far has been my experiences in the bathroom. Although the floors are gross, the sinks are always filled with excess food, and the showers are like a cave, the bathroom is tolerable and, honestly, has its advantages. First of all, having a public bathroom makes my mornings much more efficient because rather than spending 10 minutes relaxing in the shower, I rush through my routine, so can be out of my $1 flip flops and ready for class in much less time. Also, being in the center of our hall, the bathroom is like a hub, where nearly every time you enter, you see at least one or two other guys in there with you. Some people would find this lack of privacy to be a huge disadvantage, but personally, I don’t mind seeing my friends from the floor in the bathroom. There is often music playing and people to talk to, so it reminds me of a locker room during high school sports with everyone jamming out together while going about their routines. In my first few weeks alone, I met 6 new friends from my floor while brushing my teeth, all of whom I’ve remained friends with through the course of the semester. Once I looked past its lack of privacy and uncleanliness, the bathroom and the memories associated with it are something I’ve come to appreciate.

 

Along with the interesting bathroom stories, living in Packer has also provided me with other memories I will never forget. One great example is the story of Cuervo the hamster. One day, my friend from across the hall walked into my room with a big purple ball in his hand. When I looked closer, I noticed it was a cute grey hamster. He said his sister needed him to watch over her hamster, Cuervo, for a few days while she went home for the weekend. He took Cuervo out of his ball to let my roommate and I hold him for a little bit, and then he put him back in the purple ball and let him navigate the ball around the floor of our dorm. Cuervo rolled around for a few minutes, but my friend eventually brought him back to his dorm. The next morning, my friend burst into my room, exclaiming Cuervo was gone. Even though he had been put in his cage before my friend went to bed, he still woke up to find that Cuervo had escaped. We scoured his room and the halls of 5th floor Packer but had no luck. After a couple hours of searching, I gave up to start my homework for that Sunday. A couple hours later, I left my room and immediately noticed movement out of the corner of my eye at the end of my hall. I quickly walked over and into the study room where I saw the movement, and there, in the corner, was Cuervo! I called my friend, and he rushed over to return Cuervo to his ball. Not only was Cuervo safe, but he gave me a story I won’t forget.

Overall, dorm living isn’t too bad, even in un-renovated Packer Hall. With the right perspective, living in Packer has its advantages. When I move out of the dorms next year to live off campus, I will certainly miss aspects of living in Packer, but it’s good to know that wherever I live next year will be a huge upgrade in living space and privacy.

 

With the Corona Virus extremely prominent on Penn State’s campus, life as a student can change in an instant. This is exactly what I realized when I woke up one morning with no sense of smell. I had come home to visit my family for the weekend, but what was supposed to be 2 days of hanging out together turned into 12 days of isolation.

After a nice 2 hour drive of catching up with my dad, I arrived back home for the first time in a month or so. Ecstatic, I said hi to my dog, Willow, and the rest of my family. It was late, so we only talked for a few minutes before heading to bed, thinking we had the rest of the weekend to hang out. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I went about my normal routine, eating breakfast, showering, and getting dressed. I had some free time then, so I checked my Snapchat and scrolled through my friends’ Snaps to see what they were up to while I was at home. One of my friends was in the isolation dorm, and she sent me a Snap saying that she lost her smell completely. “Dang, that sucks,” I thought, ” I wonder what it’s like not to smell”. After thinking this, I grabbed my shirt and smelled it. Nothing. Puzzled, I snatched the Cheez Its next to my bed and smelled them. Still nothing. Panicked now, I grasped my deodorant stick, something undeniably scented, and gave it a huge whiff. No scent at all; just the empty, cold smell of fresh air.

My mind was racing now. Not only did I probably have the Corona Virus, but I also was at home with my parents, the people I wanted to keep it from most. Quickly, I called my parents and told them about my symptom. Being a doctor, my mom took control and quickly started making plans to isolate me. While she cleaned my dad’s car and other places I had been, I began to prepare my room to be my new home for the next week or so. Throughout my life, I have never spent much time in my room besides to sleep, so there were a lot more things I needed before I could spend days in a row there without leaving. I moved a desk in for my school work and found a small TV in the basement for entertainment. It wasn’t much living space, but it was home for the next couple weeks.

Luckily, I had gotten tested the afternoon before at Penn State and was waiting on my results, so I would soon know whether ornot I was positive. Until then, my parents and I stayed apart, only talking through my door and feeding me by leaving food outside my door. Two days went by until my test results came back, and to our surprise, I tested negative. Still without my smell and now a congested throat, I was skeptical, so my parents and I decided it would be best to continue my quarantine.

 

Although they were boring and tedious, the days in quarantine flew by. Most dayswere filled with work, but my parents and I still made the most of it by finding times to hang out safely. I started to eat dinner with my parents outside and on opposite sides of the table. Also, when the Celtics (our favorite team) played their playoff games, I would watch outside on the patio with my dad, 6 feet apart and with masks on. After about a week, my symptoms were completely gone, so we waited a few more days and drove back to Penn State, a full 12 days later. Even though I was isolating nearly the entire time, I was happy to be home rather than in the quarantine dorms.

 

 

Since my parents remained healthy the entire time, our quarantine was successful from multiple aspects. For me, the home-cooked meals, short hangouts with my parents, sleeping in my own bed, and, of course, waking up to my dog outside my room everyday made quarantine much more tolerable. Now that I’m back on campus and healthy, I’m thankful for the short break I had in the familiarity and comfort of my own house.

Living on campus for about 5 weeks now, I’ve had the time to delve into the many different food options that Penn State has to offer. During the daytime, finding food is easy at the dining hall and in Findlay Commons; however, when they close at night, I find myself often making the walk downtown for some late night grub. Although most places are nearly a twenty minute walk from East Halls, it is well worth it. My food tour of State College may just be beginning, but I have already found multiple late night dives worth trying.

My first recommendation is Gumby’s Pizza. I first ate Gumby’s for a Fantasy Football draft on my dorm floor, and it was the perfect food for the occasion. Instead of pizza, we ordered Pokey Sticks, which is basically pizza with the sauce removed and a variety of dipping sauces. When I first heard the idea, I thought it sounded pointless, but once I tried it I changed my mind. We ordered a massive 20″ size, so it fed most of our Fantasy Football League with one pie. Next time you’re craving pizza, I highly recommend ordering Pokey Sticks from Gumby’s instead. Personally, my favorite dipping sauces were marinara and ranch, but they have many other options.

 

Next is D.P. Dough, a restaurant that specializes in calzones and fast service. I’ve only been there once, but I can’t wait to go back and start making my way through their diverse menu of calzones. So far, I’ve only tried the original Italian, but once I tasted it I knew I had to try their other options, like a barbecue chicken calzone, chicken parmesan calzone, and even a cheeseburger calzone. In addition, the food wasn’t too expensive, and they had my calzone ready extremely fast, so I knew it was definitely a place worth revisiting.

 

My last recommendation for late night food is Sheetz. Once the market at East closes, Sheetz becomes a great replacement to buy snacks like chips or drinks. However, because Sheetz is technically a gas station, most people overlook their extensive menu of hot food and drinks. They have everything from fried apps, to smoothies, to burritos, to even pizza, so they can satisfy almost any craving. Their service is quick, they are open 24 hours, and their food is surprisingly good, so it’s definitely worth trying if you need a place to eat late night.

 

Now, it probably seems like I’m only recommending unhealthy, greasy foods, but in terms of late night dives when most other restaurants are closed, I believe these are the places to go. One place that I have visited for breakfast is Irving’s, and I definitely recommend it if you’re ever looking for breakfast downtown. They specialize in smoothies and breakfast sandwiches, so they have a large menu of fruit combinations and different variations of bagel sandwiches and breakfast wraps. I’ve eaten there for breakfast twice, and I loved my breakfast and smoothie both times.

 

Being only 5 weeks in, I’m happy to have found some staple restaurants downtown, especially those open late night. Once I become tired of eating the dining hall everyday, I will venture downtown more often to see what I can find during the day. My food tour is just starting, so I have plenty of restaurant exploring left to do.

 

Although it was nearly a year ago, I remember the moment that I became a Penn Stater like it was yesterday. I was sitting in Physics class on a cold winter day when I received an unforgettable text from my dad: a picture of a white envelope with “WE ARE” written across it in big blue letters. My acceptance letter was here, so I was one step away from officially being a Penn State freshman! Once I got home, I opened it immediately and logged onto MyPennState to accept my offer. Upon acceptance, I started filling out details such as my meal plan, housing, and other important requirements, but I stopped when I reached the blank that asked for “roommate”. This was a big question mark for me at the time, but I knew it was extremely important to find a compatible roommate while living in the cramped dorms. I started thinking of friends from my school who I could room with, but every name I thought of seemed too easy. The part of Penn State that had me most excited was the vast student body, and I felt that rooming with one of my friends from high school would be holding myself back. With that mindset, I started to search online for my roommate. After spending hours looking through Instagram that night, I found a few people who I messaged but all of them had roommates already. Frustrated, I gave up for the night and went to bed.

The next morning, my dad brought up the idea of checking the Penn State Class of 2024 FaceBook page. He claimed that a lot of freshmen used that page to find roommates, so once I got home from school that day, I created an account and logged onto the app. I searched up the page and immediately it appeared with over 5000 members, most off whom were freshmen also looking for a roommate. Finally, I felt hopeful about finding myself the right roommate, so I started scrolling through the posts. After reading a few, I started to work on a post of my own, so I compiled all of my best pictures and began writing. Within minutes of posting, I had people liking, commenting, and instantly trying to get in touch with me. About an hour later, I found myself trying to juggle personal conversations with over 20 different people, all virtually strangers. Overwhelmed, I gave up for the night and put my phone away. The next morning, I woke up with even more people trying to get in touch with me, so I went straight to Facebook and deleted my post. If I wanted this to work, I knew I would have to go about it differently.

“Quality over quantity” became my new mindset, so I narrowed my new friends down to 5. I spent a few days Snapchatting them and learning about their interests, but I started to realize none of them would be the right fit for me. I was back to square one, so I went back on the Facebook page and started scrolling. My goal was to find one person with similar interests, and within a half hour, I came across a post that caught my attention. A post from a guy who was a science major like me, listened to the same music as me, and had the same goals at Penn State as I did. I sent him a message, and we hit it off instantly. As we talked more, we found more and more similarities that we shared. Even some that were incredibly unlikely, such as us both being Celtics and Steelers fans despite him living on the other side of the country in San Diego. Quickly, we became close friends as we talked on Snapchat, played Xbox together, and started introducing each other to our friends. Within a few days, we decided to room together, excited to know that within a few months we could finally meet each other in person.

When I walked into my dorm room on August 18th and met him for real, it was like we had been friends for life. Even though ever interaction till then had been virtual, hanging out in person felt no different. My roommate search was a success, and although it took effort from both of us, we both know that we owe it all to Zuckerberg.