Weekend Update Super Post

Check out the fun Fordham students have been having for the past couple weekends!

Some new friends from the retreat

Nicole Chiuchiolo

This weekend I went on my first Fordham Retreat, Emmaus 114. The retreat took place at Fordham’s amazing retreat house in Goshen. I had an amazing weekend full of prayer, personal reflection, and lots of fun! This was one of my favorite Fordham experiences so far. I made so many new friends who I can’t wait to hang out with outside of the retreat. It was the perfect way to recharge before midterms.

The retreat house's peaceful backyard

Shannon Donovan

This weekend I also went on the Emmaus 114 retreat. We stayed at Fordham’s own beautiful retreat house in Goshen, NY. There are various retreats available for students throughout the year, each with a slightly different focus.  It was a very fulfilling experience, and I definitely recommend signing up for one!

Rolf's beautiful decorations

Deirdre Hynes

The cold weather couldn't stop me from heading into Manhattan this weekend for a delicious dinner at Rolf's, a German restaurant known for its awesome food and Christmas decorations (that stay up all winter)!

My delicious Cuban dinner

Marisa Diaz

This past weekend, I went into Manhattan and had dinner at Havana Central, a Cuban restaurant in Midtown. After dinner, I stumbled upon a really good cookie place called Schmackary's. On the menu were 45 different types of cookies. The one I got was chocolate chip with a hint of sea salt.

My awesome new boomerang

Cerisse Gabion

This weekend was a great opportunity for me to hang out with friends from both on campus and off! I took the Ram Van downtown and went to see the musical If/Then with a friend and also met up with a friend from Australia at the theatre who gave me this really cool boomerang!

My friends and me enjoying dinner

Kayla Giampaolo

I went to see the musical Wicked on Broadway with my roommates. Out of the five of us, only three of us had seen it before so it was a really exciting trip. We began the evening by going out to dinner at Enzo's, one of our favorite restaurants on Arthur Avenue. After that we grabbed some dessert at Palombo and sprinted to catch the next Metro North Train to Grand Central. After quickly navigating through the city we made it just in time for the show to begin. Although I have already seen Wicked once before, it was an amazing performance. After the show, we decided to take the subway home to save some money and came back to Fordham. One of my favorite aspects of attending Fordham is how easy it is to explore and experience Manhattan. There's no better feeling than escaping the Bronx for a little while and enjoying the endless opportunities that lie just 20 minutes away.

That One Year We Learned to Cook...

Yum!

Family dinners with friends!

This past fall, I moved into Walsh Hall for my junior year and opted not to get a meal plan because each room in this apartment-style residence hall has its own kitchen. My roommates and I were eager to learn how to live like *real* adults and prepare each meal ourselves.

The challenge over the summer before move-in was coordinating who would bring what – we didn't understand what we would need and quickly realized we needed to figure out some system of dividing the purchases to avoid all bringing the same thing. Even so, when we settled in at the start of the year, we still somehow managed to each bring pans but forget to bring a paper towel holder…

Fresh pasta from Arthur Ave.

Staying cozy during the snowstorm.

My friends and I heard anecdotes from others about how difficult sharing an apartment could be, but we never really felt the stresses of having both private and public space to take care of, especially since we were already so close before moving in together. We quickly figured out a schedule as to when each person would be responsible for making dinners, washing dishes, cleaning various parts of the apartment, and even making the communal pot of coffee in the morning! It suddenly felt like we were our own little family, and, when our own families came to visit, they were always pleasantly surprised at how responsibly we managed our home away from home.

Dining hall trip!

Every so often, I still stop by the Marketplace – the buffet-style dining hall in McGinley – for a quick bite if I’m in a rush between classes or if I’m meeting a friend. In some ways, I really miss the convenience of on-campus dining (and I really did grow quite fond of the steamed veggies over rice at the vegan station!), but having my own kitchen and being able to make my own meals inevitably made me feel a lot more capable of taking care of myself. This year, my roommates and I learned to grocery shop, pick out fresh produce, make tons of healthy meals, and really bonded over this new level of maturity that we’ve reached.  

Burger night!

Sitting down for a “family” dinner at the end of a long day of classes will always be one of my most cherished Fordham memories.