The Heart of Student Life

In terms of student interaction, the last few weeks, have been amazing!!

As I mentioned in my last post, within our residential floors we have some communities listed as non-visitation, one for males and one for females. As a result, opposite genders cannot ever visit these floors unless, open houses are announced/being held; this happens a couple times a year. We also must notify these communities in advance if facilities, security or maintenance staff need to enter the floor.

Recently, I was invited to the women’s non-visitation floor for a social program.  It was being hosted by one of our Emirati staff members. As a woman, I can always walk on the floor, but this time it was different. Upon arrival, I felt like a member of a secret society.  Behind all the Shaylas and Abayas (for the women who typically wore traditional attire) were faces, I was seeing for the first time in an environment which could have been the perfect slumber party. Everyone was so relaxed and just having a wonderful time together.

In that moment and afterwards, I had a greater appreciation for being a woman especially surrounded by all these brilliant minds. We learned about the meaning of one another’s names and tried a buffet which consisted on food from a variety of restaurants. Including Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Indian, etc.  Also an ice-cream cake from our neighboring Baskin Robbins made an appearance in honor of a resident’s birthday.

Many laughs were shared as we all and I felt privileged to be a member of such a wonderful community. My hopes are to continue our conversations throughout the year and establish a core of support and mentorship. Because I obviously have much more to learn from our lovely students, and I am looking forward to this journey.

A little closer to home

Another highlight includes a program which my RAs and I hosted for our community. It was an “open house” baking party in my apartment. It was nice to have an actual space to rummage through and a kitchen with at least 10 people working diligently to prepare desserts. Other students were sitting and standing in the living room eating or decorating our delicious.


Sitting at the dinner table awaiting next dessert

Notice my aprons, which they wore for the occasion; we are very official.

From the moment the RAs came over, students started coming over to my apartment and were very eager to assist. A few students even brought their own recipes to add to the oven. This started at 3pm and we did not finish until 7pm. As a community, we were able to bake several items including fudge brownies, cookies with molasses and white chocolate , and baked brie. Having these types of experiences has been a stress relief especially for the students who needed study breaks, those who are homesick and missing home cooked food. It actually felt like a true open community, where we could share recipes and supplies. 

One of the residents decorated a cupcake for me:

Several students from the other floors also stopped by to socialize and sample the treats. As the baking took place, the students also helped clean the baking dishes. One student even walked back to his apartment to clean one of the bowls for me.  I was cherishing every moment because everyone was having a great time and it was nice to host. A few also suggested many international recipes they would like to cook in the future. I guess I will need to host more often. The small campus environment along with spacious apartment does have its benefits.

My concoction: baked brie with apples and mixed fruit jam.

A cake made and decorated by the residents.

Hours later, a few other residents gathered in another room to make additional French treats.
As I walked by, I was invited to have some tea and Madeleine cookies with approximately 10 other students who were visiting from their friends.  Of course I had to participate. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Bonus: This week I gave in and had to sample. Besides they deliver :)

Review.....Not bad!! I would order it again.