A Bantam's Blog: Gaby

A few of my favorite things about Trinity:

10.) The chaos that is Midnight Breakfast at Mather–served by faculty, staff, and our professors.

9.) The guys who work at the post office; they are some of the friendliest people on campus!

8.) Walking by the Chapel when it snows/rains/at sunset/when the trees are blooming. Pretty much anytime, actually.

7.) Finding “secret” places on campus, like climbing the bell tower of the Chapel and taking in the incredible view.

6.) The people.

5.) Hartford is fun. And the restaurants are out-of-this-world delicious. Ethiopian, Thai, Italian, Pizza, Bagels, Peruvian? Yes, please!

4.) Autumn in New England is breath-taking.

3.) The academics. I love my majors and have never had a course at Trinity that I didn’t like. We are so lucky to have small classes and rigorous (and unique!!) course offerings.

2.) The professors. They are the top of their fields and have a wealth of knowledge to share with us. Also, I love that they truly care about what students think.

1.) The ability to pursue whatever interests you, and to make a real difference–both inside and outside of the classroom.

Chapel in the Spring

Hope these scenes of spring on campus provide you with a small peak at just how beautiful Trinity is!

Why did you choose Trinity?

Visitors in the admissions office, including prospective students and their families, ask me that question a lot. I always answer in the same way: I chose Trinity because of the wonderful academics and the intellectual atmosphere on campus. I know that sounds like a well-rehearsed and cliched answer, but it is the truth. I love the classes at Trinity, and I also love the incredible professors who teach here.

Out of the 38 classes I have taken during my time at Trinity, it is too hard to chose one singular course as my favorite. I have truly loved almost every one of my classes (except for the fact that I could never get excited about statistics, but that’s a different story). My favorite class this year is “Contemporary Africa: Resource Wars and Human Rights”. In this course, we study the link between neo-colonialism, underdevelopment, resource wars, and African exploitation. It is a dynamic, up-to-date exploration of issues facing the African continent, and I have learned so much already. This course is just one example of the challenging, engaging, and rewarding courses Trinity has to offer.

Bunkering down in the library with my roommate to get some thesis work done on a snowy Friday in March.

Last night, my roommates and I went out to dinner downtown at a great Italian restaurant called Peppercorn Grille (if you are in the Hartford area, I recommend the salad with tahitian vanilla bean dressing!). Afterwards, we went to see a production at the Hartford Stage. We saw “Man in A Case,” a world premiere stage adaption starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. It was a very interesting rendition of the Chekhov story, and the actors made extensive use of multimedia–including video clips, music, and sound effects. The actors all did an amazing job, and it was really nice to have an evening at the theatre!

(Waiting for the show to begin)

My roommate studies Classics at Trinity (Yep, that means she speaks Ancient Greek and Latin!!) and is co-president of the Classics Society. I have an appreciation for the Illiad, having read it my first year at Trinity, and, like most people, I also enjoy movies like Gladiator and Troy–so I joined the Classics Society this year and I am so glad that I did!

On Friday, we had an olive oil tasting and watched the first episode of Sparticus in the Fred common room. The olive oil was delicious, especially the black truffle olive oil! We all had fun laughing at the cheesy effects in Sparticus and eating yummy chiabatta, olives, bread, and cheese. Can’t wait for the next event. Fingers crossed that we will watch Troy..

Returning for the remaining few weeks of the semester after Thanksgiving break is always a little bit daunting, especially because final exams and research papers are imminent. However, even with an increased workload, I still enjoy the beginning of winter at Trinity.

As I left home on Sunday after Thanksgiving and travelled back to school by way of car, (extremely rocky) boat, taxi, bus, and then finally in my roommate’s car, I couldn’t help but realize that I was very excited for my next few weeks at Trinity.

The winter season at Trinity encompasses snowy afternoons in the library, drinking hot chocolate from Peter B’s, meeting up with peers for study groups and class discussions, the absolutely beautiful Lessons and Carols service in the Chapel, and, most importantly, MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST at Mather! While walking back from club meetings and night classes, twinkle lights gleam in the windows of Jarvis, and students clutching cups of coffee walk briskly through the snow.

Trinity is beautiful during every season, but there is something extra special about the winter magic of the last few weeks before fall semester officially ends.

Snow begins to fall at Trinity!

This past weekend was homecoming here at Trinity, and I am happy to say that our football team continued their undefeated streak by beating Amherst, with the score 32-20!

It was wonderful to see all our alumni come back to campus, as well as to witness the high level of school spirit we all have–from alumni, to current students, to faculty as well.

The weekend started off on Thursday with free hot chocolate and Bantam-themed cookies for everyone wearing blue and yellow. The homecoming football game occurred on Saturday, but you can bet that there were many fun activities before and after the big game.

I have been super busy lately with classes, meetings, clubs, and all things thesis. BUT luckily for me, my roommate has her car on campus, so we have gone on a few study breaks around Hartford.

Our favorite activity in the area would definitely have to be yoga. Although we do have great yoga classes on campus, my roommate and I prefer to get out into the community and take classes at West Hartford Yoga, a mere five minute drive from the Long Walk. Before my roommate had her car, we even took the bus to the yoga studio–it is that close. After yoga classes, we usually grab breakfast at First & Last Bakery, which is delicious!

Tonight,  my three roommates and I are going to a Bruce Springsteen concert at the XL Center in Downtown Hartford and I am SO excited! We are so lucky that such amazing performers come through Hartford and play at the XL Center–right down the street from campus!!