Weekend Update: Thanksgiving Edition!

Michelle Datsur, FCRH '19:
"Last weekend my friends and I got together to have a thanksgiving of our own, aptly named “Friendsgiving”, before going home for the holiday. It was a potluck of various delicious foods ranging from cornbread to potatoes to spaghetti squash lasagna. One of our friends even bought a ham on Arthur Avenue, and it was delicious. We gathered around, talked, and watched old thanksgiving episodes of Friends. It was a really great way to relax for a few hours ahead of the business of the week and traveling home, and I hope we do it again next year! "

Connor Murray, FCRH '18:

"This Friday, I went ice skating in Bryant Park. Thanks to the Residence Hall Association, I was able to do this for free!

Connor Murray at Bryant Park

Katie Porter at Book of Mormon

Katie Porter, FCRH '19:

"This weekend, I attended Book of Mormon on Broadway for an RA program! Before the show, we participated in a discussion about religious satire and learned about Mormonism."

Luke Berman, FCRH '18: "Last weekend I went to see Fordham Experimental Theatre’s (FET) performance of Mercy Mercy Mercy, a student written and directed production in the intimate black box theater. FET allows students the opportunity to take on any theatrical position they may be interested, including but not limited to actor, writer, director, or stage hand!"

Autumn Has Arrived at Rose Hill

It's autumn here at Rose Hill, which is a very busy time for Fordham students. We are in the midst of midterms right now, so the library is busy with people studying. However, everywhere you go on campus, you hear people talking about their Halloween costume ideas and even some plans for Thanksgiving! 

Fall Foliage here at Rose Hill

I always look forward to the different holiday events on campus, especially events that involve food! Many of the Residence Halls have gone apple picking, which I always enjoy. However, I particularly enjoy the fun food options available around the holidays. Our dining services always do a great job of incorporating the holidays into the menus. One of my favorite days to eat on campus is the Thursday before Thanksgiving because there is a big Thanksgiving meal in the main cafeteria (The Caf).

As a Resident Assistant in a freshman Residence Hall, we have a lot of upcoming programs to celebrate autumn and all of the associated holidays! Queen's Court has always had our traditional costume dance in the basement on the night of Halloween. It's dark and spooky, but so much fun! We also have pumpkin painting, Halloween movie nights, and even a program to make autumn air fresheners to keep those rooms smelling nice! 

Wherever you are reading this, I hope that it is as beautiful as it is here at Fordham when autumn arrives. The leaves are changing, and autumn is in the air!

Weekend Update: Thanksgiving Edition

Sara Power

Unfortunately I was not really home for the holidays; however, I definitely made up for it throughout my Sunday! I spent the morning picking out a tree with my family and then travelling back to the Bronx, where my roommate and I got into the Christmas spirit! We've filled our apartment with ivy, holly, cinnamon sticks, bows, miniature trees, you name it! These rams are ready to spread some Yuletide cheer as is the rest of campus, which is currently wrapped up like a present. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but Fordham has a particularly infectious holiday spirit that is sure to get every student excited!

Even a little Christmas tree can spread a lot of cheer!

Allison Misciagno-Bergin

This weekend, my friends and I hosted "friends-giving" in our apartment. We cooked all sorts of delicious thanksgiving food: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and more. We also made custom appetizers with ingredients from our favorite Arthur Ave stores like Casa de la Mozzarella. Overall a great time spent celebrating with friends.

Some of our delicious Friends-giving food!

Deirdre Hynes

I spent the holiday weekend in New Jersey with family, enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, quality time with my little cousins, and some free time before the last few busy weeks of the semester!

You're never too old for arts and crafts!

Giving Thanks...My Experience as a Freshman RA

A Few of the Halloween Air Fresheners

This year, I am a Resident Assistant in Loschert Hall, which is one of the five freshman Residence Halls. My floor is co-ed, but my hall is completely female. In total, I have 43 female residents in my hall. As an RA, I am responsible for being a resource to every resident, building a sense of community within my hall and the building, and ensuring that the residents adhere to Fordham policy.

A Flyer for a Program

My favorite part of being an RA is definitely programming. Each RA has a budget for programs, which means that we can do really fun things with our residents without them having to pay for anything. While I have a ton of program ideas, I really try to find out from my residents what kind of programs they want. Recently, I ran a program to make Halloween-themed air fresheners with oranges and cloves after hearing several residents complain about stinky roommates. This Friday, my hall is having a Girls' Night Movie Night. Next week, we will be having a floor dinner. I will be cooking, so hopefully everything comes out okay!

November Bulletin Board

I also love decorating our hall. We have a bulletin board, which I update each month. For November, I decorated our bulletin board with an autumn tree. I had each of my residents email me something they were thankful for, and I put each of their responses on a leaf on the tree. Tied to this idea of giving thanks, we are doing weekly Sunday Service Projects for the month of November so that residents have the opportunity to give thanks to various groups. Some of these projects will be writing letters to veterans, baking cookies for security, and making Thanksgiving cards for retired Jesuits. 

November Door Decorations

On the first of each month, I also replace the name tags on each door. For November, I made turkeys, which ended up being a much more time-consuming project than I originally anticipated, but it was worth it since my residents seem to really like them! I really try to decorate our hall as much as possible. I know that Fordham is not home for my residents, but it is a home away from home. Therefore, it is important to maintain a friendly and inviting hall at all times. 

Having 43 residents means that we have a pretty big family, but that is just part of the fun! I have a truly great hall, so I am thankful this month for my residents who have made my first semester as an RA absolutely amazing! Hopefully I have helped to make their first semester at Fordham just as amazing.

Being Thankful for Fordham

Every year for Thanksgiving at my house, we go around the room and tell each other all of the wonderful things we are thankful for. Overdone and cheesy, I know, but tradition is tradition. This year, I couldn't help but be thankful for my amazing school, Fordham. I'm thankful for all of my great and interesting classes and all of the things I've learned in them. I'm thankful for the excitement of New York City that I am fortunate enough to have right in my backyard. And most of all, I'm thankful for the caring people that I am surrounded by everyday in the Fordham community. 

I'm extremely thankful for my wonderful Fordham friends!

But it's always nice to come home and be around family, especially since I'm from Texas, and I don't get to come home that often. I always envy the people who live in the tri-state area because they usually take a train home, which means that they don't have to deal with airport security, flying, and baggage check. Fordham, however, makes at least one portion of the flying process much easier. During school breaks, the Ram Van has a shuttle service to and from LaGuardia Airport and JFK airport that is open to all students. The ride is usually only 30 minutes and it costs $20, which is much cheeper than a cab. They help you with your bags and drop you off right at your terminal. I've used it so many times, and I can proudly say that I am definitely thankful for the Ram Van. 

Even on a rainy day, the Ram Van is there to make sure we all make our flights home!

Spending time with my family and loved ones this Thanksgiving has been perfect, and a much needed break. We all spend time together cooking and baking in the morning, watch the parade, and then we eat and watch football, like every good Texan family should. We think about the year we've had while we eat too much, laugh too much, and talk too much. 
I always enjoy getting to come home and relax a little bit, but I know that once this turkey coma wears off, I'll be ready to be back in New York at my wonderful school!

Celebrating Thanksgiving with all my loved ones in Texas!

So from everyone here at Fordham, we would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Hanukkah! 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Last year, my family and I spent part of our Thanksgiving Weekend watching the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. There were a ton of performers, dancers and floats. Certain roads in the city were closed, and New Yorkers would all come out together to watch. It was a great experience! The floats reminded me a lot of the television shows I used to watch not too long ago. My younger relatives would shout "hey look it's Spongebob." while I would daydream and recall the times when I was in their shoes.

If you haven't been to the parade, then it's time that you check it out! This year it will be held on the 28th of November starting from 77th Street and Central Park West, all the way to Macy's Herald Square. The parade is sure to be a blast! I tend to think of it as a grown-up Disneyland, but you're free to think of it as a concert, carnival, or whatever you wish! 

Only 30 days to go. I hope to see you there!