Recently in Social Life Category

So winter break is almost over:( A lot of student ambassadors went back home for the break (I'm so jealous!!!) Others travelled to other cities, states and countries. Well it sounds like I might have a boring winter break since I didn't go anywhere. However, there is still a lot of fun being around campus during the break. Just want to share with you what I have done for my break

1. Working: Take a break from school and work more and more. Actually it is not a bad thing at all. Since we can work up to 40 hours a week, break is a great chance to save up some more money^_^

2. Shopping for sale: We have the biggest mall in the U.S. Why not taking advantage of it. I went out for Chrismas sale and got a lot of good deals. Plus, no tax on clothes in Minnesota!!!

3. Spending time with my loved ones: My family is still back home in Vietnam. Break is when I have more time to skype with them. I also had more time with my puppy:)

4. Celebrating my bestbfriend's birthday:: My best friend came from Seattle to visit me during winter break. See!!! There are people coming to Minnesota for the winter break:)

5. Ice skating: One of the most popular winter sports in MN!!!

6. Eating good homemade food: Break is when I have time to cook and enjoy homemade food



7. Working out: Trying to stay healthy and get ready for the new school year.

8. Getting together with friends: Of course I was not alone. A lot of people were still around campus during the winter break. We had great time together. No worries about homework and class!!!

Such a list with a lot of pictures. Now you all can see how BORING my winter break was:) I would love to hear any interesting story about your winter break. Feel free to leave any comment if you have any question:)

Enjoy the rest of your winter break. <3

Hey!!! I hope that busy school work isn't taking a toll on your social life. And if it is, take a deep breath.. everything will be alright! After all, hard work always pays off. :)

This blog post is for all of you who are passionate about celebrating India's rich culture. Bharat- The Indians is a student organization at University of Minnesota that fosters awareness about India, and its culture and tradition. Being a member of this group myself, we have organized several events that feature traditional dance and singing performances, activities, games and FREE INDIAN FOOD!

Here are some pictures from our events.

Republic Day Celebration:

Holi Celebration:

Jashn-e-Diwali:

India's Culture Day with MISA:

To keep yourself updated about our upcoming events you can either join us at Bharat's facebook page, send us an email on bharat.umn@gmail.com or contact me!

I hope you join us in our celebration of India's culture. :)

Hi all!
We survived the long winter break, and I am back to Minneapolis from a long trip.
I went to Las Vegas, Los Angeles , and San Francisco.
I had a great time with my dear friend, Meng, and her parents.
I somehow missed here in Minneapolis very much. Now I am back, I am so busy with
my new semester schedule. However, time to time when I am tired I'd like to re-visit
places that I went before. Those places were so awesome, I'd like to share three places today.

1. During the short autumn, we have a gorgeous weather and outside feels so nice.
Even though now it is too cold to go there, time to time during nice weather day I'd like to go 'wilde roast cafe' at riverplace to enjoy their gelato (Italian ver. Ice Cream) . Their gelato are really good to rid of your too-much-help stresses, and they have happy hour Mon-Fri 3:3-6:30 for half-priced tap beer, wine by the glass, and all appetizers! YUM!

2. Also, have you been to 'big bowl' restaurant?
It is located in Rosedale shopping center in Roseville. If you like spicy foods or fusion Asian foods, you will LOVE there! Also, after you finish your dinner with your friends, you can walk around the shopping center. It is definitely smaller than MOA , but they have various good shopping stores, including A&F, Apple, American Eagles, Hollister, etc...

3. Now you all heard about places where you can eat, I am introducing 'Walker art museum' and 'Minneapolis Sculpture Garden'. The garden is located next to museum. It is part of Walker art museum. They have cherry spoon!!! (actually the artwork name is Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-1988). Anyway, this is a place where I'd love to go once a while when I have too many thoughts to process. During spring, summer, and autumn, it is awesome to walk around the garden. Museum itself also have many artworks including special exhibitions. They have a conservatory too. Check out these places~! The garden admission is free, and they open daily, 6 am-12 midnight. Cowles Conservatory admission is also free. And they open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm; closed Monday. You can review Walker art museum visit info by visiting their website. These places are worthwhile to visit.

Today is really cold!!! Take care all!
And see you next time~ > <

안녕하세요, Hello, 你們好，こんばんは。

WOW! I cannot believe this is almost the end of year. I once again realized how fast the time goes by. As I've been living on big campus several years, I realized that finding my own favorite places are important during school year. Around the campus, there are many places I love, but for tonight hopefully I can share some, at least.

1. For Study.
Yes, I have to read a LOT for psychology major and sometimes when I am so tired after all the night classes I don't want to go back to my room because I know I will fall asleep.
So then, I look for places for study. We have many libraries.
1) Walter library at East bank,
2) Wilson library at West bank,
3) and Magrath library at St.Paul campus).
Today, I am introducing bio-medical library at moos tower.
What make unique about this place?

• Library itself opens until 3 A.M and the tower opens 24 hours! (enter b/f 10 P.M)


• During final week, the library opens 24/7! (It's already started)


• Have printer, copy machines, and even quiet room for group study.

Another place is starbucks. We have two starbucks on campus, but the Coffman union starbucks closes early (7 P.M) and the building itself closes early too. For whom who wants to study at the place where they also can have some delicious coffee, go to starbucks on Washington Ave! It's next to radisson hotel. This starbucks location open until12 AM, and they just finished their renovation so there should be a plenty of spaces where you can sit! ;) The picture I attached only shows 2/3 of the place.
Check out this place!

2. Where do I go to hang out with my friends?
I go to ...
1) Starbucks
2) chilly billy's
(frozen yogurt place. This place now has happy hour during Mon, Wed, Thurs, and Fri between 3-6.)
3) Pagoda Chinese restaurant (中國餐館～).
This place is my FAV Chinese restaurant on campus! They have karaoke place too~
4) MOA (Mall of America).
5) For musical or opera, go to orpheum theatre at downtown Minneapolis or
6) Gutherie theatre. They have great selection of musical/ opera.

Finding places while you study at U and in America is very important. You want to make sure you feel home-like comfortable and you would feel happier if you know where to go to make yourself feel better. Good luck during final weeks, and hopefully my little information helped all of you!

다음에 또 만나요, bye bye, 再見, さよなら~。

P.S If you are already in Minnesota, have you gone to holidazzle in downtown Minneapolis? This year is their 20th season, and as always they are doing amazing parade at Nicollet Mall area from 12th street to 4th street. It was started this year on Nov. 25th, and they are ending it on 18th of this month! It is very fun. So if you get tired during studying it may be a good idea to visit.
You can visit this website and see last year parade video! :-)

I hope you guys are not over-stressing yourself with school work. But if you are, then I've got to share some great ideas that can help you give some break from busy school life.

Student organizations- Get involved in these organizations!! There are a lot of student groups on-campus, such as academic oriented, culture themed or leadership based. You can browse the Student Unions and Activities website to search for the organization of interest.

On-campus events- Alright, you are busy with studies and have no time to devote to these organizations. But you still want to have fun :( Don't worry! You can go to Gophers After Dark, which plans free or low-cost events every Friday and Saturday night. You get to see movies, concerts, play games and taste free snacks!
You can also go to events organized by student organizations, like the one that I am involved with,the Indian student organization- Bharat. These events present dance performances and skits, and traditional food. They offer a great way to socialize!
Below are pictures from the event that was recently organized by my student organization, Bharat.

On-campus jobs- If you are one of those kinds who believe in socializing and earning money side by side, then on-campus job is for you. Being international students we are restricted to work on-campus only, but don't worry there are loads of places on-campus where you can work. The best place to start with is the University Dining Service- , which I consider as the most enjoyable place to work. Other potential places to work are- libraries, recreation center or labs. You can search for on-campus jobs at the Employment Opportunity website.

Gamerooms- There are two game-rooms with bowling alleys, pool tables and video games. There is Goldy's Gameroom in Coffman Memorial Union and Gopher Spot in St Paul Student Center, both of which offer exciting deals for U of M students.

Gym- You can even rejuvenate your body by exercising a bit. You can go to Recreation Center on East bank or St Paul gym on St Paul campus. Both facilities have fitness centers, handball, racquet and squash ball courts and swimming pool. The services are free to the U of M students!

Don't forget that college life doesn't repeat itself. So enjoy as much as possible :)

Well, Minnesota's winter is world-wide famous--big snow, freezing temperature, thick ice--sounds scary, huh? Haha, don't be scared, even it's cold here in the winter, people still have lots of ideas of having fun. ;)

Outdoor--Ski

A year ago, an 18-year-old girl left her country of 200,000 to arrive at a university of quarter of that population. For sure, this was the greatest challenge she had ever faced in her life. Imagine, she came to this huge country on her own leaving all her loved ones behind and being terrified of the future awaiting. Her mind was tangled with tons of questions regarding her future. But the most important one was "How will I make good friends, will I ever be able to find amazing people like those in my country?"

It is no secret that Minne-snow-ta winter is characterized by cold (below freezing) temperatures. In the Twin Cities (Minneapolis - Saint Paul) region, the average winter temperature is around 10 degree Fahrenheit (-12.2 degree Celsius). Yet, you have nothing to worry about because Minnesota also offers various attractions which help you forget the fact that it is cold outside!

Some people do ride their bikes to school >.< Picture taken by: Asa Widiastomo

Hi guys,

How are you? Hope you all had a good winter break and enjoy the new semester! (maybe not the homework huh?) As we all know, it was Lunar New Year last week and according to Chinese tradition, I should eat dumplings--so, I made dumplings!

University of Minnesota is a huge place with a vibrant community. If you are someone who is not only into reading this school is a right place for you. University of Minnesota has more than 400 groups organizations and associations ,ranging from the skydiving club to the Union of Students Speaking Russian. Everybody can find something which really makes him or her excited.