International Ambassadors

Today it is a very cold day in Minneapolis which follows two very strong winter storms from last week. Occasionally the University cancels classes if the storm is outrageous, but it is unusual (I enjoyed it only once in two years). So if I don’t want to miss classes, I have to be ready to leave the comfort of my apartment wearing the proper clothes.

I roll over on my bed to the window shortly after my alarm wakes me up, stretch my neck and head and very slowly try to open my eyes (at least one!) to see if the sky was clear and sunny. Shortly after and I would (wrongly) think that sunny days equals warm day… hahaha … I am so wrong! Who would think that getting dress is such a protocol? What a big deal!

Now, after almost two years I know that sunny days during the winter are tricky. I don’t check on my window any longer to see if the day is sunny…that is what technology is for! (Among millions of other purposes) I will talk about how to get dress for the snow, places to buy winter clothes, websites to check daily and hour-by-hour temperatures very important!, how to protect your skin (if you are interested too) and more…..nothing but a list of best practices!

Continue reading "Clothes to wear" »

Posted by Gabriela at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

No time to exercise during the semester?
I had the same problem that maybe many of you are having regarding to exercising and controlling your health, especially when we have little time to even get some sleep! I know that particular intervals of time during the semester you will not even think about getting close to the treadmill or the gym in general. I did this same mistake the first 3 semesters. Then I started to fill so tired, and completely bored of doing nothing but school related stuff. So at the beginning of this semester I changed my mind, and a little bit my schedule. I was determined to be healthier not only physically, but mentally too.
I will talk in this blog about working out and jump into the bike, and getting some quality time to relax and make new friends! It is amazing what happens when you open your circle of places, people, and activities just a little bit more ;)

Continue reading "Ready for school in mind and body?" »

Posted by Gabriela at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The month of January must have been very happening to all the prospective applicants. People must be busy filling out application forms and sending them, and waiting for their admission results. Some of you might have even received the admission status later from the Programs you have applied to. Good luck to you all!

Let me share some of my winter experiences with you, a few highlights here.

Continue reading "Winter is Fun!" »

Posted by Vamsi at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Are you from countries where there's no snow?

Do you want to experience nice winter sports in Minnesota?

Do you like speedy and fun winter sports?

Then it's time to try and learn snowboarding and skiing!

Continue reading "Snowboarding & Skiing in Minnesota" »

Posted by leex3211 at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Winter has started and we’ve had a couple of sneak peaks of the snow. The winter here is crazy. The sun can be shining in all its glory and you are fooled into thinking its warm out, but its freezing. Then its snowing all white and you would think it would be freezing, but it is pleasantly warm. The wind chills, the snow storms, flurries, slushies……all these new terms have been added to my winter vocabulary. Coming from Kathmandu Nepal, where the winters are not too merciless, just layering up is adequate. We don’t really need central heat nor snow boots. So how do you prepare for the Minnesota winter? I had a lot of questions regarding the kind of clothes, winter gear I should pack up before landing here. And well, I didn’t do a thorough research and ended up packing 5 winters jackets when all you need was a couple good ones. So I thought I’d put together a brief list just to help you prospective students pack more wisely �

Continue reading "tips for winter clothing" »

Posted by shre0031 at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My second winter in Minnesota has arrived...yay! When I was preparing to leave for Minnesota, it was almost funny to get the same sympathetic reaction from people: "Oooh, isn't it a cold place? I hear it's freeeeezing in the winter there." "Good luck surviving..." Well, thanks everyone, but I do enjoy it a lot. I tried ice-skating which I hadn't done for many many years since I was a kid. I wanted to do cross-country skiing, too, but missed the chance last year. Definitely this year!

The buildings are kept warm (or even hot), so as long as you master how to dress up in layers, you'll be fine. Be sure to cover your head and ears, and wear gloves or mittens. Mittens are said to be warmer than gloves because they keep more air inside. If arriving in Fall semester, you can wait until you come here to get some of the survival items, such as down jackets and winter boots. The good news is, clothes are tax-free in Minnesota!

I also enjoyed learning all the weather/winter related words, so here is a nice vocabulary lesson and more tips for you.

Continue reading "Tips on Minnesota Winter" »

Posted by Misa at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently, a prospective student from Malaysia asked me those three questions and I had replied to it personally. I just thought that I can share this with more people who read the blog as well. Just a quick note on the word course. The word "course" in Malaysia equals to the word "major" and the word "course" in America usually refered as "subject" in Malaysia. Just thought it is necessary to point this out.

Continue reading "How is life, study and weather here in Minnesota?" »

Posted by Faris at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well recently we have started to warm up a little bit. We are in the 30s-40s Fahrenheit (so 1 to 6 degrees Celsius) and people are switching from the triple layers to a simple T-shirt around the freezing temperature of the water!!

Continue reading "So how nice is it exactly here?" »

Posted by Viviane Tchonang at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)