Monday, May 28, 2012

Dangling through Day Two

So today was a day to get settled into Baton Rouge. I basically unpacked everything yesterday except for the few bags of stuff I want to work on this summer. It didn’t take too long tonight to get that stuff organized and I have started to make the “To Do” List of things to get accomplished. I can’t forget that I am on an adventure though, so I have to experience the local culture. I guess talking to the people at the office tomorrow will help me to figure out exactly what I need to do.

I went to lunch with my supervisor, my mentor and the controller of the accounting department today. We went to the PF Chang’s right around the corner from my apartment. I wasn’t in the mood to try the local flair just yet. I learned a little bit about what I am going to be doing at the plant but mostly we talked about food. It just reinforced the fact that I will most likely be spending a lot of my money on eating out this summer. After our lunch, I decided to give myself a tour rather than follow the GPS. I looked through the Towne Center shopping center and went into a few of the boutique shops. After that I decided to go to the other side of my apartment complex in hopes of finding LSU.

I saw a lot of the places that had been suggested for me to try and after pulling out the GPS for a little bit of guidance I found the campus. It is really flat in Louisiana, so I am sure walking around the campus is not as strenuous as in Athens. I don’t know what most of the buildings house but their architecture is unlike anything I have seen. All of the buildings are made of brick or stone and there are trees everywhere. It looks a lot like the neighborhoods in San Antonio which made the campus feel very homey. One of the first points on campus that I saw was the stadium. I recognized it because there was a huge sign acknowledging the championship seasons for the Tigers. I didn’t drive all the way around it but I can imagine the kind of tailgating that goes on during game days and I can’t wait to come back and experience it one time.

The other point that I was interested in was finding the Greek houses. They have a Greek Park about the size of the one in Athens and then there is Lakeshore Drive. I haven’t been to a lot of university campuses, so I don’t know how Milledge compares but Lakeshore Drive is absolutely beautiful. Like the name suggest, all of the Greek Houses have a view of the lake meaning they all have wonderful porches. Most of the houses are decently sized and they all share a huge parking lot behind all the houses. I got to meet the DG house mother because as I was walking around taking pictures she stopped me because she saw the letters on my car. Also all the houses are located around the corner from the student recreation center, I couldn’t get my bearings completely so I don’t know how far they are from the center of campus but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to walk out the backdoor and have a fully equipped gym. Running down Milledge is nice, but sometimes you need a change.  All in all, it was a great experience getting to see how another university is set up. I am sure I will be touring the campus again this summer, maybe I will even sign up for one of their tours, so that I can learn a little bit of history.

The rest of the evening was filled with settling in, working out in the apartment gym and eating some dinner. I will say there is not really a good place to eat in my apartment because the bar is too tall for the barstools that have been provided. My biggest realization today is that my mother has been right for the past 21 years. It is really nice to drive around a city to get a feel for the culture. Baton Rouge isn’t as centered on the university campus as Athens. I also feel like Baton Rouge has grown steadily but there are definitely still parts of town that maintain the roots. The biggest thing I need to learn is to ask questions. I think I was a little too worried today to speak up but in the end I need to know the information. I just have to get to a point where I feel comfortable which I am hoping happens sooner rather than later. I guess I will test out trying to ask more questions tomorrow at work but for now it is off to get ready for the next step of the adventure.

No comments:

Post a Comment