Life of a Blogger (1) - An Ode to Old Virginia

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by Novel Heartbeat to get to know bloggers on a more personal level. This week's topic is "School"

Ashley and I have been wanting to participate in this feature for a while now and there's no better way to make our debut than by talking about the place where it all began for us:

The University of Virginia

Ashley and I both attended The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, VA, for our undergraduate education. If it weren't for UVa, Ashley and I would never have met, never would have started this blog, and never would have become the friends that we are.

We seriously love this place. There is no other school quite like UVa and we can't imagine having attended university anywhere else. Here's what makes it so special:

The Town

Although Charlottesville is out in the country, there is so much to see and do, and so much history to take in. And UVa Students take advantage of all of it. In case you didn't know, Thomas Jefferson, or as we like to call him, "TJ", founded the The University of Virginia, and his home, Monticello, sits atop a mountain overlooking UVa and is a beautiful property to explore. 

There are also numerous orchards and wineries in the Charlottesville area that Ashley and I have frequented many a time to pick fresh fruit, try local vintages, and stuff our faces with donuts and froyo. Shenandoah National Forest and the Blue Mountains are also nearby for a variety of hikes (and skiiing/snowboarding although neither of us did that). Charlottesville is also home to the world's best Farmer's Market (I have yet to find one better and trust me I have been looking), and has one of the highest restaurants per capita (and trust us it is ALL good). The James River is a popular spot for tubing (lazy river style). And so much more!

The Culture

Ashley and I both feel honored to have studied at UVa. It's a damn good school  and we had the opportunity to learn from some incredibly talented and distinguished people, our fellow classmates included. But what makes UVa so great is that it's not ALL academics. There is a huge emphasis on living a well-rounded lifestyle which we appreciated.

The Traditions

UVa has MANY traditions, some crazier than others. First, you'll notice we talk different. It's not Freshman, it's First Year, and so one. It's Grounds not campus, The Lawn, not Quad or whatever. We dress up for football games, "guys in ties, girls in pearls", and sing the Good Old Song after each touchdown. We have three secret societies! And we even have a tradition to streak the lawn (and pretty much everyone does it.) I'm forgetting a ton, but basically we are big on traditions and we fully embrace it.

The Events

Dominating the social scene at UVa is the Greek life which is cause for all sorts of debauchary (which Ashley and I may or may not have partaken in). Date Functions, Charity Events, Boys Bid Night, Big Sis Week, Frat parties. But there are also football games, and concerts at JPJ and FOXFIELDS. There was so much to do and Ashley and I have so many good memories of it all. 

We can certainly go on and on about this place. But we will leave it at that.