Home Is Where The Heart Is

As much as I love living away from home in my own house with my own space, to do what ever I please with, sometimes I really miss the comforts of home: delicious home-cooked meals and of course my family.
Last weekend was Mother's Day, and it was great that my mom could come to Salt Lake and spend it with me.

My mom is the opposite of a shopaholic so we always try to get innovative with the activities we do together.   We decided to take advantage of all this beautiful Salt Lake weather has been getting and go for a hike. This hike is great for Westminster Students, because it's only about a 15 minute drive away from campus.

Easy Directions
Head towards the avenues and once you get into the letter streets go down to Street B and just keep going to the top. Signs will direct you the rest of the up. The trail is called City Creek.

This is a great, easy hiking/biking trail that has a beautiful scenery the entire time.

Can it stay summer forever?

Another Mother's Day adventure took place at a fantastic movie theater and pub (for all 21 & up readers), called Brewvies. You can order food and drinks, while enjoying a movie. If you get to your movie early it is no problem, because Brewvies has multiple televisions, and pool. Remember to bring your student ID for $5.00 movie tickets. Brewvies is located at 677 South 200 West.

For Mother's Day brunch we went to The Dodo, a restaurant located at

1355 E 2100 S  Salt Lake City, UT 84105. A great place for Westminster students who are looking somewhere to walk to from campus.

Mother's Day Brunch

A little love from home is great way to replenish your good vibes, and spend some much needed, quality time with the parents. Salt Lake has tons of fun things to do of all different capacities.

May Term

As many of you know, Westminster basically gives away free credits during the month of May. During May-mester you can get any electives out of the way by partaking in fun and unique classes. My freshman year at Westminster I took a May Term class and absolutely loved it, called Sexuality and Immigration. May Term is  such a fun opportunity, because many of the classes have interesting and diverse topics such as Sex in the Brain, Vegan Revolution, Etiquette on the Golf Course, or even for you chemistry majors a class on brewing. I personally love May Term, because it allows me to meet tons of new people. I'm getting closer to graduating, and am current'y only taking upper divisional communication courses. Being the small school Westminster is I pretty much have had the same people in my classes. But that's why May Term is there, so students can branch out educational and socially.

This year I have decided to enroll in two May Term course (why not, right? It's free!). I am taking Introduction to Translation and Slow Violence in the Environment. It's the first week of classes, and I'm already excited to see what this month will bring. Since this term is so short, the classes can be pretty demanding and intensive, but on the bright side you get free credits in less than a month.

One thing about May Term that many students don't know is that if you can decide to not do May Term and use those credits for a half discount on a summer class. As a student who has already taken out loans to pay for college, this is an amazing opportunity to save on your education!

Westminster Celebrates Earth Day

Westminster, in a Princeton review was named one of the "Greenest Colleges," and recently just celebrated Earth Day. From power saving contests between all the dorms to having its very own garden complete with chickens, Westminster has always strived to save energy. Earth Day at Westminster included tons of different booths of organizations around Salt Lake and clubs ran by students to advocate their message.

At Westminster's Earth Day event I stumbled upon one of the coolest things I have ever seen, a moveable green house. What made this green house unique was that it was in a huge school bus that has been decorate by different artists. Talking to the man who was overseeing the bus he told me all about the great things this green house bus does.

Well this 35-foot bus physically shows we can grow healthy and natural food in a urban environment, and this teaches others to do the same.  This bus or "The Green Urban Lunch Box" brings agriculture to the elderly, and spreads knowledge on gardening in the city!

Inside of the buse was incredible. He had a system that allowed the circle of life to happen right in the back seat. I personally tried some of his herbs, and they were absolutely delicious.

Westminster also brought in a profession who works on training hawks and owls. It was quite the learning experience. I had never been that close to a wild bird like that.

Westminster continues to impress me with its involvement in improving Westminster students and the Sugar House community knowledge about the environment.

Surviving Finals

It’s getting closer to finals week at Westminster and work is starting to pile up. It’s easy to get overly stressed, but there are something things you can do relax. It’s important during this time to find healthy ways to calm the nerves.

Exercise is vital for surviving finals week. I suggest going for a long bike ride, exercising in Westminster’s facilities or simply just go on a long walk to clear your head. Take time to just breath. My favorite outlet is yoga. Many challenges that see impossible to deal dissipate after some downward dog!

Stay Organized. Find a tactic that works best for you. I’m a list person. Without my lists I feel pretty lost, but at times when I can feel a homework freak out about to happen I can go back to my lists and see what is a priority for me. Staying organized is crucial to surviving how hectic finals week can be.

As college students I know that most of us turn to the basic food groups: Ramen, Mac and Cheese and PB&J. We are all on college budgets so these foods are unavoidable, but these foods can be counterproductive for your studying needs. Make sure you eat lots of veggies, fruits and get plenty of protein to get the nutrients your body desires.

College is all about balancing. Balancing relationships, friendships, school and work. The best tip I can give is to make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep, especially during finals week. Personally I know I barely make 7 hours a night, but try to organize your day so you can hit the sack early and get some Zzz’s.

For all you students looking for work, but don’t feel like you can on top of your heavy workloads I suggest working on campus. I work for Westminster Admissions and my boss gives everyone finals week off. A great perk that you cannot get working off campus.

Finals are a crazy time for everyone, but take the steps to make your finals experience a little more bearable. Most importantly try to stay positive. A positive attitude can do wonders for improving your chi. 

Far From Home Documentary

Westminster is a great place to follow your dreams whether it’s in an office discussing business tactics or shredding the slopes, or even a mixture of both. New strides in the business world are there for the taking and I’m happy to say that this year Westminster students are taking new projects to new levels.

As I have mentioned in previously blogs, my hometown is Jackson Hole; home of the famous and rightfully so, majestic Tetons. I've met some great people throughout my life in Jackson, and coming to Salt Lake I’m pleased to be able to keep some friendships with me. I have known Phil Hessler (Far From Home’s Producer) and Brolin Mawejj (the talent) for a while now, and am very pumped to spread the word about their upcoming project, the documentary chronicling Brolin’s life Far From Home.  

There has been quite the buzz on campus about this upcoming documentary that starts in Uganda and travels all the way to the glorious Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Recently Chair 83 presented the teaser for their documentary Far From Home to Westminster students on campus in the Gore Auditorium. The love and support for this team was incredible, and they produced a fantastic turnout. 

Presenting the teaser for Far From Home

Phill Hessler, Myself & Galen Knowles 

Some of the guys involved. Stoked on their upcoming film!

Brolin Mawejje over came some hard obstacles from complete isolation when he first moved to the states from Uganda to struggling to find his place in the world. Currently studying pre-med and hoping to be the first person to represent Uganda in snowboarding at the Olympics. The film representing Brolin's life has a unique story line and should definitely be on your to watch list. I know personally I will be waiting to hear upcoming news about the progress of this film.

Being a true J-Hole native and good friend of Brolin and Phillys I am stoked to see this movie develop into what is truly going to be a heart wrenching and impressively filmed documentary.

Meet the students involved!

The Talent

Brolin Mawejje

Producer

Phil Hessler

Director
Galen Knowles

Creative Director

Dan Rosen

Head of Public Relations

Lori Heden

Events Coordinator/ Fundraising

Zeppelin Zeerip

Marketing Coordinators

Shaun Nakamine, Ryan Mcgowan & Brendan Chadwick

Accountant

Dominic Kallas

Business Analyst

Gus Gardner

This summer the Far From Home team will be traveling to Uganda to begin filming for this documentary. Support your fellow students in their progress and keep an eye out for more teasers, fundraisers etc. 

Check out the Far From Home facebook and "like" it. Below is the official website where the teaser can be found. 

http://farfromhomemovie.com

http://vimeo.com/62433696

Quick guide to survive the winter as a warm weather enthusiast.

I’m from the Jackson Hole, Wyoming home of Teton Village Mountain Resort a renowned ski mountain, and I am going to school in Salt Lake City, which is super close to multiple ski hills (Park City, Snowboard, Alta etc). One small problem… I don’t ski. The looks I get for not being a skier in this city are similar to that of someone encountering an extraterrestrial life form. So what could I possibly do in a city that is known better for providing skiers and snowboarding with epic face shots over all other things? I’m about to give you a quick and painless guide to surviving the winter as a warm weather enthusiast.

Who says skiers and snowboarders are the only intense sports on these hills. I have seen many participants of this cut throat, die hard sport end up with bruised butts, ice burn and some have even crashed through fences. What is this extreme sport? Sledding and it’s closer to you than any ski mountains! One of my favorite places in Sugar House is Sugar House Park located on 2100 South, 1300 East, and it’s only a short walk from campus. This is the ultimate sled spot, but you have to be willing to race some eight year olds and get competitive to be the first to hit the kickers that are usually set up. Now that the weather is starting to warm I have been taking long walks in the park with my roommates dog, enjoying being outside without snow-pants on.

Sugar Hood

Coffee has helped me to survive finals weeks, long nights working on papers and early morning classes so I have to find a perfect coffee shop to indulge in my guilty pleasure and escape the chill weather outside. I avoid winter gloominess by getting a good ole cup a joe from Sugar House Coffee located on 100 East 2011 South. The colorful employees and delicious coffee beans are sure to make anyone in a better mood!

Bring your student ID, for a student discount!

Now to switch to my favorite activity, shopping. Everyone knows of the big malls, The Gateway and City Creek, but I’m going to expand your shopping horizons by telling you my favorite stores in Salt Lake. The Dancing Crane is a beautiful store located on 673 Simpson Ave and is filled with more items geared towards customers looking for greener products. From bamboo plants, to intricate tapestries, Dancing Crane has become my favorite store in the 801 and has taken a big chunk from my bank account.

I tend to gravitate towards the natural beauties of the world so it would be no surprise that my other favorite store is Cactus and Tropical, a garden store located on 2735 South 2000 East. Everything is stunning in there and it’s wonderful way to escape the negative temperatures and surround oneself with tropical wonders. If you think warm thoughts maybe it will become a reality!

My findings in Cactus & Tropical

Westminster is a great place to find something to do, why waste that tuition money?! Along with our Wild Wednesday activities, Westminster has different lectures, plays and recreational trips every week. I recently went to Westminster's rendition of The Sea Horse and was truly blown away by our students performance. For absolutely free I got to see talented men and women go up on stage and try something completely knew. The play The Sea Horse by Edward J. Moore and directed by Westminster's very own Michael Vough has a very interested twist. This is originally a two person play, but with so many actors available, Vought decided to cast five women playing one main part of Gertrude Blum and three men playing the other main part of Harry Bales. All actors are on the stage at some point, and it is executed perfectly, making the already intriguing play more intense. Westminster has several shows throughout the year!

Upcoming & Past Westminster Performances

This week was also the Westminster student art exhibit! This exhibit displays student art such as pottery, photographs, and mixed-media works. The exhibit is March 4th-March 19th and if you have't checked it out go support your fellow Westminster students and see all the hard work they have put into beautiful works of art!

Salt Lake has so many amazing things to go, you just have to go out and find them.

Stay tuned for other upcoming blogs on Salt Lake City through my eyes!

Saralynn basics

My name is Saralynn Skinner and I am a junior, studying Communications at Westminster College. I’m very excited to be blogging about my life at Westminster and am looking forward to sharing my adventures and findings in the beautiful Sugar House, (the area surrounding Westminster’s campus) SLC.

Taking advantage of all the beauty!
This photo was taken in Immigration Canyon (a great place to escape the city).

What a more perfect time to start a blog then during my favorite season, fall. Westminster's campus has been absolutely breathtaking. The leaves are a fiery red and giving the usual brown mountains a stunning look.

I am a true Wyoming girl, with some city sass. I have an intense love for snow-capped mountains and urban living, making Salt Lake City a perfect destination for me! :) I currently live in Sugar House, my favorite part of Salt Lake City. Sugar House or “Suga Hood” as most students have dubbed it, is filled with quaint little coffee shops, beautiful parks, trendy boutiques, and tons of fabulous places to eat (with a college budget). It’s a place I can happily call home. Salt Lake City is a great place to spend my college years, but no place on earth can every replace my beloved hometown Jackson Hole, the 307 and the gorgeous Teton Mountains!

I’m a Communications major, with a public relations and journalism emphasis. My dream is to work for National Geographic, where I can use my love for animals, nature, writing, and taking pictures all in one amazing career! I could never see myself living in one place for too long, nonetheless living in the states for my entire life, so I plan after graduating working somewhere abroad. Hopefully in Scotland.

In my mind, music=life. I’m always dancing (goofily) and singing (usually the wrong lyrics) to everything I do. I try to see as much live music as I can and am always looking for different artists. Salt Lake City has an incredible music scene, which can cater to many different tastes. I’m sure you will see plenty of posts from me about different concerts I will attend throughout the year!

Well those were the Saralynn basics. Keep reading my blog to see Westminster and Salt Lake City, through my eyes!