Alternative post title: Embry-Riddle, I love you.

So, you know how YouTube has YouTube Rewind filled with a recap of all of the year’s notable events? I decided that I’d do a Riddle one. So here’s my Riddle Rewind for the 2020-2021 academic year, starting in August and moving forward.

Move-In Day!

Of course move-in day makes the list. I was so excited to move in and get started at Embry-Riddle. I finally got to meet some of the people who I’d known online for months, and it was an amazing feeling.

The Rocket Launches

1-2 days into the semester, I went with my suitemates to the August SpaceX launch. We stumbled upon a bridge with a little concrete path under it, and that’s where we watched from. It was my first ever launch, and I didn’t know it yet, but there were many more to come. (I also watched the SpaceX Crew 1 launch and wrote about it here.)

The Online Class Meet-Up Lunch

In the fall semester, my HON150 class was completely online. We the students wanted to organize a get-together so we could finally meet each other. The first one was spontaneously organized, and then they just kept showing up after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A big group of us would walk over to the student union and get lunch together following social distancing guidelines.

The Caramel Waters and the Hangout Group

Although still around but not as prevalent, there was a group of freshmen in the fall semester called the Hangout group. They were usually found in the student union hanging out, doing work, and playing ping pong. We’d frequently go to iHOP/Waffle House on early Friday mornings (like, between 1-3 AM) and on random trips in the Daytona area. Sometimes we’d explore places at night like people in the horror movies, but thankfully, all of us lived. One time, we were in the union and some of the guys wanted waters. They made a joke to the barista that they’d like caramel waters, so the barista put some caramel in the water. I never had one, but I heard it was disgusting. 100/10 customer service.

The Hair Dye Experiments

I dyed my hair. Or, at least, tried to. Twice. And neither time did it really show up. My tiny YouTube channel also ended up flopping, but it was fun while it lasted. I’ve also learned that my hair will not dye without help. Oops.

Fire Fridays

Fire Friday took form on Halloween night after I won the costume contest. After the costume contest, everyone was running around in costume while a student burned wood pallets. It soon turned into a reoccurring event, but it ended up dying down in late March. They were fun while they lasted; a lot of people would come and hang out at the fire. It was also a great place for people to get to know each other.

The Only Correct Usage for Electric Longboards

Going along with Fire Fridays, people would bring their longboards and board on the sidewalk by the dorms. It was pretty fun to watch, and people would race each other. One of the most notable races was between two guys on electric longboards in the picture above. In my opinion, electric longboards are dangerous and could result in a major injury like a broken jaw. However, if you go slow(ish) on them while sitting down, they’re perfectly acceptable to use. I actually got to ride one like that, and I’ll admit, it was like riding a mini roller coaster.

Omigod You Guys: Joining a Sorority

I already kind of wrote about this one when I got a bid, and here, when I found out who my big was, so I’ll leave the links there. I will say that it was a really good decision; I love my sorority sisters. If you’re even remotely interested, investigate it!

Drives and Karaoke

While usually late at night, one of my friends and I started going out and driving while singing random songs in the car. These could range anywhere from World Burn from Mean Girls to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. We’d also usually stop at Wawa or Buc-ee’s and get a slushie. The picture above was after my second COVID shot when the friend took me and my suitemate singing since I shouldn’t stay in bed all day. It was fun, though.

My Chaotic Good Honors Class

I don’t have a picture for this one, but I took Dr. Lear’s HON250 class and it was so much fun!! The class was about video games and naturally, she set up a class Discord where students could talk amongst themselves. It has several channels: general, memes, pet pictures, in-class instructions, in-class responses, and most notably, the quotes channel. The class Discord was a very popular means of communication and a good source of student bonding.

At the end of the year, we planned to have an in-class awards show. However, the last day of class was cancelled, so we did it over Google Forms and Discord. I was the Awards Chair, so I got role-assigning permissions from Dr. Lear, and I ended up winning Emailholic (most emails sent to professor) and And You Can Quote This! (most notable contributions to the quotes channel). They make absolutely no sense without context.

Going Splat “fOr My jOb”

EaglePalooza was… interesting. Embry-Riddle has no shortage of interesting things for students to do. I was covering the event on social media for one of my on-campus jobs, and it was pretty fun. I wrote about it here.

The Campus Pets

On the Daytona campus, there are plenty of stray cats. One is quite friendly, approaching the tables where people sit and watching us. The PAWS (Protecting Animal Wellness Society) club has named her Beep, and I always liked seeing her around. She reminded me of my cats who are here at home.

Finishing the Year

It was nice to end the schoolwork of the year, but I missed my friends as they moved out. Some people moved out before finals week, others moved out during and after. It was bittersweet, but at the same time, most of them are coming back for the fall 2021 semester, so I’ll see them again. The year ended with a lot of good memories, too many to put into just one blog post. I’m glad I got to have a semi-normal first year at Embry-Riddle, and I’m even more glad that I can say I go here.

See you in the next post, and hopefully at Riddle! (Maybe you’ll even be in my orientation group…)