What Your Mother Didn't Tell You About.....The Caf

This is part of a new kind of advice series that I wanted to start, which is really more reflection than advice. Going to college, I really knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. Like actually nothing about a lot of the things in college that the tour guides didn't go into detail on the college visit. I know some readers are still in high school and a lot of people are fellow collegiates/Bucknellians who can hopefully find some humor in the reality in this.

Ahh the Caf. If you go to Bucknell, then your freshman year, you will become quite familiar with this establishment because besides the Cheetos Puffs you have stored up in bulk in your dorm room, you are basically forced to use this establishment.

1) You will gain weight oh the dreaded truth. Guess what? Most Caf food isn't that good for you. Wow, what a shock. It's gonna happen I'm just warning you. I freaked out at first and no joke order 3 pairs of shorts in fear that I would never fit into my old ones again. But in the end, you will (hopefully) figure out a system that works but you may have a few tumbles- it's all about moderation.

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And no your brunch will (sadly) never look like this

2) It's a social opportunity so much of going to the Caf is about being able to see people and just hang out. After every Saturday practice, my whole team gets together and always has brunch, which is a great time to catch up and provides a lot of bonding time.

3) Brunch will be one of the highlights of your weekend so treasure it. Every Sunday morning I make it a routine to wash of the grime of Saturday night (smh) and go to the Caf for a long brunch with my friend(s) to catch up and laugh about things that happened over the weekend before our trek to the library for homework.

4) Having that piece of pizza is not the end of the world but it is if you order Dominoes every weeknight and then wonder why your pants that fit you in August don't any more- see number 1 and 6.

5) Be polite Ok, I understand. Where my dorm room is, I am often woken up to the sound of the Larrison Cottage dinning hall workers on the other side (by the way, who eats there?) and as much as it frustrates me, the people in the Caf work unbelievably hard. Since being here, I have witnessed the best and worst treatment of staff workers- don't be that person.

6) The gym is your new friend I hate to say it, but unless you possess the metabolism of a Olympic gymnast, you are going to have to use it. Especially if you played sports in high school and now have to work out on your own, but there are so many classes available it's a crime not to take advantage of something that you're already paying for.

7) Dining dollars disappear fast my friends. Since I don't ever drink coffee, my dinning dollars are usually spent on strawberries, since for some reason there is no fresh fruit in the Caf? Track this carefully.

8) Be weary of snacking because I didn't keep any snacks in my room, I would go the Caf around 3 for "a snack." It doesn't take me putting them in parenthesis to get the gist that it was more like a large meal for a starving pregnant woman.

9) It's not the end of the world is you eat alone People say it's the most awkward thing, and as long as you aren't staring directly at a person at another table with no obstruction, it's fine (I hope this does not happen to you as much as it does to me- especially when my food doesn't make it to my mouth and ends up on my lap). However I will honestly say, my greatest fear in life might be dropping my stack of plates somewhere in the 30 seconds of walking from my table to put my dishes away...that is not an exaggeration.

10) There are limitations when I first came to school I was shocked by the amount of options and yes, on the whole it generally beats the PB&J I ate every day for the first 13 years of school- however, it gets really old really fast. Try to be creative when you can, and cherish the time you are at home to get your favorite foods (oh Trader Joe's).

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!