Beyond Tutoring - Looking Back

As the year is coming to a close, our group was able to work on the final report together and reflect on what we’ve learned from the VIP experience this past year. We realized that although we were not able to carry out our original project as intended, we were able to come together in other ways to serve. Additionally, we experienced how difficult it is in the real world to get a project off the ground. It is so easy in college to live in a bubble of obliviousness, only focusing on ourselves and forgetting about what life is like outside of college. Most of school life is convenient and happens smoothly because other people have worked out the details of our schedules, housing, food, etc. In trying to start our tutoring project, we had to get approval from so many people, figure out liability issues, work out scheduling, and then found out that we couldn’t do it anyway because those with whom we were in communication felt that the project housing children needed a more sustainable program. They felt that it would cause psychological trouble to the children if we worked with them for a year, built relationships, and then disappeared at the end of the year. For this reason, we sought other means of learning since our original project was not going to succeed as planned. By tutoring through an already existing program, reading books on issues related to poverty, and attending lectures on similar topics, we were able to find alternative ways to grow and serve.
Written by Erika Pinkerton

DEAR Vanderbilt -- A Quick Review

DEAR Vanderbilt 

            As VIP is coming to a close, our group sat down this past week and discussed the different aspects of our project and which activities we believed resulted in the best stress relief. From our discussion, our group came to the consensus that working out together and blogging were some of the most powerful stress busters that we found. The great thing about these two activities is you can place your own creative spin on both! If you want to work-out, you can go over to the Rec and participate in a variety of classes such as yoga, zumba, spin and even P90X. If you’d rather be out in nature, head over to Centennial Park for a nice run. The weather is perfect for it! And as far as blogging, you can really discuss anything you want: the latest movies, your boyfriend’s annoying habits or even the places you want to visit this summer. If you’re feeling venturous, you can easily set up an account on Tumblr or Blogger and publish your blog for others to enjoy.

            While we’re sad our project is coming to an end, our group is definitely happy we participated. Not only did we improve our stress relief methods, but we also cemented our bonds of friendship over this past year. Hopefully you can use some of these activities we enjoyed to wrap up the semester with a less stressful exam period. From DEAR Vanderbilt group members, we wish you all a great end of the semester and a fabulous summer!

In The Mood For Food

The month of March for In The Mood For Food was one of our slower months, as we all seemed swamped with work and weekend getaways. However, the local cuisine that we were able to explore was unique and delicious! Last weekend, those of us in town were able to head to Pie in the Sky, a local pizza place, and share a bunch of pizzas family-style! It was a bonding experience that we haven't had in quite a while. The week before, Jordan decided to make brownies late one night without all of the ingredients. We collaborated and decided that yogurt was an adequate substitute for eggs. Needless to say, they were some of the most delicious brownies I've had yet! While the month at large lacked structure, it was fun and enlightening to come together as a community once again and explore local Nashville restaurants whenever we could.

In summary, this year has been a fabulous one. We were able to explore a ton of different eating traditions, see firsthand how our community thrived when spending time together at the dinner table was a priority, and use our resources to serve the local Nashville community. As the year comes to a close, I think it's safe to say that our bellies are full and our hearts are happy. Coming to the end of Sophomore year is bittersweet, especially with so many of us going abroad next year, and I know that personally, I'll forever cherish being able to spend another year living alongside some of the most amazing people I know. It's been a privilege dining with you :).