UW Student Orientation

Hi everyone!

The last two weeks the University of Washington (UW) organized the International Student Orientation. This Orientation is for new International Students at the UW and there are lots of them. Only 700 students take part in the Orientation. The students come from more than 100 different countries and their ages vary between 17 and 30. Their studies also vary a lot: mechanic engineering, rhetoric, law, computer science, nursery and I can keep going for a while. This makes the group of students very diverse.

On the first days of the Orientation, the activities were organized to get to know the University. The Campus of the University is very big, there drive a lot of buses on it and it is beautiful! They built the Halls in an old style. The UW is located in a bigger area called University District. This district looks like a small town and almost all the students live in it. There are also lots of restaurants and cafes and places to get coffee or other things. The Orientation started with a campus tour, introduction games and campus activities, which included canoeing on Lake Washington (the Lake next to the UW).

The next days, I went to a Community BBQ where we ate hotdogs and played Frisbee and I went to Seattle Downtown for a challenge. All the students were divided into small groups (I was in a group with 3 Chinese girls) and the groups had to solve puzzles while walking around in Downtown. We ended up having dinner in the City Hall.

In the weekend the International Student Organization organized a hiking camp. We went with 200 students to the Mount Rainier, which is the highest mountain in this area. The first day we drove up the mountain with big vans and we walked on the top of the mountain. It was very cold up there, we also saw snow. In the evening we stayed at Camp Arnold, and we learned square dancing. It is a kind of American Country Dance. The next day we played games and we prepared country skits. Each country had to gather and prepare a skit to play for the other students. We performed a Dutch skit about cheese, the queen and wooden shoes haha.

The second week started with information sessions about visas, travelling to other countries, insurance and all the other important stuff. After this, there was a social-student-gathering in the brewery. There were also American exchange students who participated the gathering. These students went to Europe on exchange last year; it was very nice to talk to them and get to know their experiences. After this there was a Pub Quiz in an Irish Pub.

Besides, I also participated in the Soccer Tournament. There were not a lot of girls who participated in this tournament, so I was in a team with 9 boys and 1 other girl. Our team consisted of a lot of German (I was the only Dutch), but we were very good! We made it to the finals! Unfortunately, I couldn’t play the finals. I signed up to play in a movie and I was very lucky, because I was chosen to play together with a lot of other students. The movie is called ‘21&over’ and it is from the makers of the Hangover movies. They were filming the movie at the UW Campus and they needed people to be in the extras. I had to be on set at 8 pm and I had to wear red or grey. I even painted red hearts on my face (hoping to end up in the final movie, which is released next year). It was very funny to play in the movie; there were a lot of directors telling you what to do. We played a pep rally; this is the time after an American Football Game. We had to dance, shout, scream and jump. All the students stood around a big bonfire.

Furthermore, there was a Library Tour (which has a lovely Harry Potter Study Hall) and an IMA Tour. The IMA Building is the sport building and it is huge. It has four floors and sports are free for students. There is also a Golf Range on Campus and a lot of Tennis Courts (in the color purple). Moreover, you can do water sports; the UW is located next to Lake Washington, so you can do sailing, canoeing, rowing etc. On the last day of Orientation (Friday) there was a Boat Cruise. The weather was beautiful and there were some lovely views on the skyline of Seattle and we also saw mountains and nature.

During Orientation we didn’t have the same group; in every activity the students were divided in new groups or new teams. So, in the last two weeks I spoke to a lot of students from different countries!

To immediately start with the American Life after the Orientation period, we decided (with a group of international students) to buy tickets for the first American Football Game. The new American Football Season started last Saturday, so we decided to go to the first official game. On this game day everyone wears purple and gold (the colors of the UW). The team of the UW is called the Huskies. The Huskies played against California (the Bears). All the Americans get together before the game starts, to barbecue and to drink. We also bought some purple stuff and golden accessories and I really enjoyed my time in the Husky Stadium. The game itself is very difficult with all the different rules and it took 3.5 hours. However, the atmosphere in the stadium is great, there were 60000 people in the Stadium and there were musicians, cheerleaders and entertainers.

Yesterday, on Sunday, the official opening of the UW took place. It is an official Convocation and all Professors wear academic dresses and caps. The University Marshal carries a Mace, it is a gold weapon. We sang the National Anthem and the UW-song ‘Rise up with pride for Washington’ and the Dean welcomed the freshmen. Besides, there was a speech of the President of the UW.

This coming week, the lectures will start. I look forward to meeting American students, and I would like to what the content of the lectures is and what the level of the courses is.

With love,

Judith.