Tag Archives: life in Bloomington

Living within the means of your new life as a grad

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Yikes!! Reality can be painful but completely doable.  If you’ve been out in the workforce this return to school will require adjustment to your usual spending habits.

Here are some ideas on reducing costs:

-Housing: Do share the cost and get some roommates.  The Indiana Daily Student (IDS) has its very own housing guide to get you started.  To furnish your place check out Freecycle Network, a website dedicated to saving good furniture and household items from being thrown away and keeping you furnished for free.

-Food: Do cook; and if you don’t know how check out these blogs

Clearly Delicious        The Graduate Student Food Blog            Frugal Cooking

-Entertaining: Do get creative and check out all the free events on campus, there is always something going on.

Happenings Calendar                    Bloomington: Things to Do

-Car: On a campus like IU, you don’t need a car.  You have the campus bus which takes you to major shopping areas, the city bus which  has various campus routes and connects you to the rest of Bloomington. If you need a car you can always rent one from zip car, or get on one of the various shuttles to get to the Indianapolis airport.

Depending on what your income looks like now, the sacrifices may seem many but remember this is temporary and from my perspective well worth it!

 

 

Spring has sprung!! Well….kinda.

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Hello everybody! Today is the first day of spring! As a southerner, and person who believes in minimum 45 degree weather, I am thrilled that winter is coming to a close. I personally prefer Bloomington in the spring and fall. Mother Nature puts on a show with an array of flowers, colors, sweet smells, and sunshine. However, I can live without the bugs…but I guess we need them for pollination…oh well.

If you are interested in coming and visiting Bloomington, the perfect time is right around the corner. Come up, make some new friends, and enjoy what the city has to offer. My favorite activities are the Farmer’s Market, Taste of Bloomington (a summer event, but start deciding which restaurants you want to try now), an IU Softball game, or you can just take a walk around campus.

That’s all for me folks….Have a springy day! :)

Community Involvement

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For those who interested in providing social services while studying at IU, there are numerous chances for you to do so. Following the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Bloomington has a total of 1,082 nonprofit organizations (NGOs) in 2001 with a large percentage of arts and culture nonprofits. These NGOs focus mainly on human services and religious development. Living in a vibrant Bloomington community where there is large number of NGOs, the demand for your help and involvement is huge. While nonprofits in Bloomington are actively seeking for your help, IU also has lots of initiatives to connect you with the local community.

Asian Center organizes monthly meeting at the center to connect local organizations with students who wants to become a volunteer/intern for these organizations. Last time when I attended the meeting, there were representatives from the United Way of Monroe County, the Middle Way House, Stone Belt, Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington, Interfaith Winter Shelter. These organizations came to introduce their organizations’ programs and recruit volunteers/ interns to work for their programs. The purpose of the monthly meeting is also to discuss ways you as well as student organization group can reach out to the community. There are various funding options for you and the student groups to do these kinds of activities. Besides, IU Center for Student Leadership Development also has similar programs to enhance the connection between IU students and community organizations.

Getting involved outside of the classroom not only supplements your traditional education, but also helps to prepare you for life after graduation. You certainly will get lots of real-life opportunities while you prove your responsible engagement with the local community in which you live. And very important, you will have lots of fun joining in these community activities :)

Reference:

Gronbjerg, Kristen  and Tennen, Patricia, Bloomington Nonprofit Dimensions, (2005), http://www.indiana.edu/~nonprof/results/npsurvey/inscombloomington.pdf

Gluten-Free Dining

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First, allow me to state that I am neither gluten-intolerant nor celiac.  I do, however, have several family members who have been gluten-intolerant/celiac for a number of years.  Family get-togethers often involve switching to a celiac-friendly diet for the duration of the visit.  Plus, since celiac, or as I like to call “gluten-intolerance set on high,” runs strongly in families, it’s better that I don’t eat much of the stuff and will often go for days without gluten.  I don’t even know how to work with gluten anymore, only the gluten-free stuff.  The good gluten-free stuff tastes waaay better than the regular stuff anyway.  For example, I prefer Tinkyada brown rice pasta over regular pasta.  It doesn’t get mushy.  Period.  In other words, I may not be gluten-intolerant, but I know how to live like a celiac.

So, what’s the dining scene for celiacs?  You’ve probably know by now that Bloomington has an extensive list of options.  Well, while gluten-free options are not as advertised as vegetarian options, Bloomington has a lot to offer.  My sister, a celiac, says that she has an easier time eating out here than in East Lansing, MI.  I’ll go through a small selection of places that aren’t national chains in increasing order of difficulty.

Very easy:

Darn Good Soup:

Outside of Darn Good Soup. Photo taken by Lori.

It’s fast, it’s cheap, it’s darn good, and all made from scratch.  If you cook much, you know that soup can easily be made without flour as long as it’s made from scratch.  Darn Good Soup changes its menu regularly, so it’s best to walk up to a worker and ask what’s gluten-free for the day.  The worker will point out anywhere between 5 to half the soups listed.  The hard part is picking a soup.

Bloomingfoods Market and Deli:

If your looking for a snack to pick up, Bloomingfoods is a good place to go.  All gluten-free items and snacks are labelled on the shelf.  The deli portion often keeps gluten-free cookies and muffins available, too.  Bloomingfoods must have dedicated cooking materials somewhere because I have not run into any cross-contamination issues with the cookies.

Gluten-Free shelf at Bloomingfoods. Photo taken by Lori

Easy:

Mandalay:

Mandalay restaurant. Photo taken by Lori

4th street is a street full of restaurants, many of them ethnic, not psuedo-ethnic.  As long as the place isn’t a buffet, gluten-free options abound.  Mandalay is a good example.  The restaurant specializes in Burmese cuisine and only uses fish sauce for the fish dishes, not soy sauce.  So, anything with fish and no wheat noodles is gluten-free.

Ami:

Ami is located on 3rd street and, last I recall, kept gluten-free soy sauce available.  The workers may be a bit wary when hearing about the dietary restrictions, but they can do gluten-free.  If you’ve been to Japanese restaurants before, this is neither a surprise nor a reason for alarm.  Just remember to say, “no barley,” as well when ordering.

The Owlery:

Talking to vegetarians about gluten-intolerance is often a two-fold scenario.  On one hand, vegetarians are more likely to know what gluten is and are aware of how dietary restrictions work.  One the other hand, vegetarianism often replaces meat with more grains, especially wheat, the exact opposite of what living with gluten-intolerance requires.  So, vegetarian places understand, but may have trouble accommodating.  The Owlery, however, tries to accommodate both at the same time.  The vegetarian restaurant keeps a separate gluten-free menu and ships in breads from a gluten-free bakery in Florida.  I haven’t been able to test this place out on any celiacs yet, but it looks like a good possibility.

The Owlery is a newer restaurant in town. Look for the small building on the square. Photo taken by Lori

Le Petit Cafe pick-up window:

During the Farmer’s Market, Le Petit Cafe opens a pick-up window along a path to the Farmer’s Market.  The pick-up window offers small items for a couple dollars.  It’s a good place to pick up breakfast after going to the market.  Anyway, this past year the cafe began offering gluten-free quiche.  I haven’t come across any contamination issues here, just yummy quiche.

“Gluten-free,” but not recommended for celiac:

Chelsea’s bakery:

Chelsea’s specializes in making a variety of organic baked goods.  This bakery makes some good gluten-free items … next to some items with gluten.  So, while the bakery has options for those with gluten-intolerance, I would not recommend this place to celiacs who cannot have any cross-contamination whatsoever.

4th St buffets:

As stated before, 4th street has numerous ethnic restaurants, but some are buffets.  A situation begging for cross-contamination.  If you arrive at a buffet just as it opens and before anyone else arrives, you can collect your lunch before anyone else has a chance to mess up the buffet.  My sister and I did that with an Indian buffet on 4th St.  She can test for gluten at a distance (I have no idea how she does it) and collect the gluten-free curries before the naan gets spread around.  I would not recommend this for anyone new to the whole no-gluten thing or celiacs in general.

5 Reasons I love the BFM

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After avoiding the hot and humid Saturdays outdoors these last several weeks,  I realized I was punishing myself by not going to the Farmer’s Market.  Once there I remembered why I love the farmers market.

1)   Fun, quirky music you can hear from block’s away.

2)   Yummy assortment of food, from gourmet tamales, to crepes to Italian soda!

Photo: Feast http://www.feastcateringonline.com/tamales.html

3)   Vibrant colors, and smells….build your own bouquet of flowers or follow your nose to the smell of fresh cut lavender

4)   Charlie the parrot!  A parrot that dances to the tunes played by a man and his ukulele.

5)   And finalement, the fresh produce!    Personally, I’m always inspired to go home and cook after meeting and chatting with the people who spent time, energy, and care for the food I’m about to prepare.

Summer is over, and Saturday morning are cooler. So if you haven’t been to the BFM, check it out, eat something and savor the tastes, colors, and smells.

Do you have kids? Finding childcare and schools in Bloomington

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Once I was admitted to IU, there seemed to be an endless list of tasks that needed attending to before my family and I made the physical transition to Bloomington, such as arranging housing, setting up utilities, finding the grocery store and opening a bank account. For me, one of the foremost tasks on my list was arranging for childcare and school for my daughter and son, respectively.

When we moved here, my daughter was only 2 years old. As I quickly learned, finding childcare in Bloomington for an infant or toddler can be a challenge. This is not unlike many cities were infant care is in short supply, but if you have a young child, you should be warned that you will probably end up on several very long lists with other parents who are also looking for care for their young children.  As a result, I ended up looking for alternative sources of care for my daughter. As a grad student I could not afford an in-home nanny, but I was able to find an in-home group care setting for her. To do this, I used the following website to help me with my initial search for reputable, licensed daycare providers: http://childcareindiana.org/childcareindiana/ptq.cfm. This website allows you to search by zip code and also find out what violations of state regulations, if any, a licensed provider has had in the recent past.

When my daughter turned 3 (and was potty trained), we enrolled her in the local school district’s preschool program called Ready, Set, Grow. She really thrived there. The teachers were terrific, many of which were certified in early childhood education. The program has a curricula that includes academic and social skills development. My daughter not only learned the alphabet, but also built relationships with other children with whom she attends school today.

When we moved here, I also had to enroll my son in elementary school. The local school district, Monroe County Community School Corporation (or MCCSC for short), provides lots of information on their website, including how to register your child in a school: http://www.mccsc.net/subsite/dist/page/title-raw-nid-3. You will need to determine which school covers the neighborhood in which you live using the District Boundary Map and then go to that particular school to enroll your child. Although it depends on who you ask, the public schools in the area are good quality, and I have found the teachers and administrators to be very caring  and interested in the welfare of students.

In sum, if you have children, get started early arranging for their day care. Although Bloomington has many wonderful options, it takes a while to find the right place for them.

Getting excited?

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It’s the season for acceptance letters! Are you coming to IU in the fall? If so, congratulations! The next few months are going to be exciting and hopefully not overwhelming. Don’t worry – you have time to prepare for what’s ahead, and we have some resources to help you.

Ahmed and Kuang have provided some great tips on finding housing (scroll down to check them out). If you’re still looking for options and you’re interested in communal living, you might want to consider Bloomington Cooperative Living.

The Coop has several houses – the largest is home to 14 people and the smallest is home to 5. Meals and chores are shared, and it can be a great way to save money and instantly become part of a community in Bloomington. They also sublet rooms for the summer, which might be a great option if you want to arrive in Bloomington early and get to know the town and people.

That brings me to my next point. When should you schedule your arrival? In my experience, most leases in Bloomington start between early and mid August. Many students, however, are looking to sublet their rooms for the summer, and you can rent a room for a an extra month or two if you want to arrive earlier. It’s always nice to have some time to settle in. If you sublet for the summer, you could also use that time to search for a permanent housing arrangement for the school year. Being able to check out your options in person definitely has its benefits.

To help you in your housing search, here’s another neat resource: myBloomington. This tool lets you type in a Bloomington address and gives you information on resources in the area such as parks and neighborhood associations. I just discovered my neighborhood association has a blog!

Still have questions? IU’s Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) has a checklist for new students with lots of great information. And as always, you can send us an email anytime with questions about IU or Bloomington. Just click on the link in the sidebar at the left.

Accepted program offer, now what?

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So the next steps after having accepted a graduate program offer of admittance is to carefully consider all of the resources-networking available to you. Several examples include: banking, cost-of-living, parking permit, change of address information (i.e., mailing and all other correspondence), access to social and peer networks, and staying organized (i.e., good record keeping). Although I came to Indiana from another state, I made many of the appropriate transitions mentioned prior to coming to Indiana. I recall emailing, making phone calls, and doing a number of online searches to gather all of the information I needed so that as soon as I did arrive to Bloomington, IN I had taken care of most of my to-do-list in terms of making the transition from one state to another.

My best advice is to make a list of all the things that can be done prior to your arrival as well as once you arrive. In my own case, I came to Indiana in the July prior to the start of my first semester, this was primarily because my assistantship start date–but it allowed me enough time to be settled in before the start of my program. So, talk to current students, your given faculty, and ask plenty of questions as you outline your next steps.

Good Luck!

The Indiana University student newspaper is a good resource to find information on community opportunities, housing, the surrounding city of Bloomington, restaurants-entertainment and you name it. Check it out.

 

Latino Film Festival and Conference

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Currently, our very own IU is hosting its first ever Latino Film Festival and Conference. This event has brought together national scholars and film makers, to discuss the themes and issues within Latino cinema. The event began yesterday evening with a screening of Sleep Dealer, followed by a Q&A by the director, Alex Rivera. Several discussion panels were organized for today and tomorrow, along with more awesome film screenings, including Blacktino (director Aaron Burns), Gun Hill Road (director Rashaad Ernesto Green) and some classics, like Zoot Suit (Director Luis Valdez). This event is a depiction of the dedication by IU and the people and organizations within it to promote the diversity of perspectives and enrichment of life in Bloomington. And best of all, it’s completely FREE!!! Hats off to the IU Cinema and organizers of the event (for a list of the organizers, and more info, visit the website).

IU Outdoor Adventures and the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

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Every year the Banff Center located in the Banff National Park in Canada brings the Banff Mountain Film Festival to more than 300 locations all over the world. This year marks the World Tour’s 10th anniversary in Bloomington! Sponsored by National Geographic, The North Face, Parks Canada, and hosted by IU Outdoor Adventures, this Mountain Film Festival screened 17 films over the weekend of March 31-April 1 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in downtown Bloomington. The award-winning films ranged from 4-46 minutes long, covering inspring stories about outdoor sports and adventures, nature, and environmental issues. Tickets are $17 for a festival pass and $10 for a day pass for students.

If you are an outdoor person, definitely check out IU Adventures’ website: http://www.imu.indiana.edu/iuoa/. They offer classes, trips, gear rentals, as well as custom trip planning for your specific needs.