Football season is over and I'm working through my emotions

I often find myself asking why I chose to stay in a state where the air is physically abusive to my skin to go to school.

I curse the wind as it penetrates each layer of clothing I stacked on as if the chill was invited up my spine.

I am brutally honest about how much I hate winter and being cold makes me mean. Yet, attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is not something I regret choosing to do.

UNL has my heart. And well, so do my Husker football players. (So far, three or four actually know of my existence, but that's okay.)

Yesterday was the last home game of this year's season. We beat Michigan State 9-6.

We are officially 4-7 this season. We need to upset Iowa for a shot at a low-level bowl game.

It has been disgustingly cold the past two games. We will have eight 11 a.m. games this season.

Yet, the stadium was always full. Memorial Stadium holds approximately 90,000 people and every home game has had over 84,000 attendees.

Thousands and thousands of people have come together all season long to support the Huskers. Even for the first game against Akron with a monsoon that canceled the game. Even with an 0-6 record. Even with windchills in the single digits and snow coming at us.

We truly do "stick together through all kinds of weather."

But any team can fill seats if it has to.

What I love about my fellow Huskers is that we trust the process.

Huskers are known for being kind and just plain nice.

We don't like it when referees have bad calls, but we won't take issue with opposing fans.

I have welcomed visitors to games since my first year in the student section. What I love is that when I shout out my "welcome to Lincoln," I am rarely the first to have greeted them.

Nebraska is not for everyone, ask our tourism department.

But Nebraska is for me.

Nebraska is for those of us that want to come together to support a tradition of excellence, toughness and progress.

This state and this football program has brought together fans across all walks of life and that brings me hope.

Each week we welcome the pilots of whatever aircraft makes an appearance for the flyover during the national anthem. We thank someone new each week for watching over the empty chair representing a POW.

I look forward to meeting up with a certain fan that always makes an appearance to tell us in the student section to get hyped up (normally at the wrong time). I know the marching band's introduction for pre-game by heart. The band's hype video is one of my favorite videos each week,

The Huskers have had a rough season. We didn't start well, we've lost members of our student body and we haven't been given the best weather or timing for games.

But I can still count on the fans to come out and support the school and sport they love.

So, I guess, it's all worth the air hurting my face.

International students adjust to Nebraskan life

DISCLAIMER- This project was done using only an iPad and my compter was only allowed to be used to type. This was my final for a multimedia journalism class.

International students adjust to Nebraskan life

When Rushi Ou looks down at her phone to check the time, she must remember which of the two clocks to trust. One shows Nebraska time while the other shows the time in her home province Fujian - a 13 hour difference.

As an international student, she has found this and many other ways to adjust to living in the center of America instead of southern China.

Both Ou and her roommate Yuting Yang are studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as first year transfer students.

Ou, an advertising major from Fujian studied for two years at the Taihu University of Wuxi in China and transferred here for the Advertising and Public Relations major offered by the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

“It is just so safe here,” she said.

To research, she asked her cousin, who was a senior getting ready to graduate high school, to help her decide between UNL, The Ohio State University and Michigan State.

“I don’t know if it’s true,” Ou said. “But I saw online that this program is one of the top 15 in the country.”

On the other hand, Yang’s decision to come to UNL was made when she decided to attend the Partnership Degree Program in Hangzhou Zhejiang City College for her finance degree.

Yang is from Zhejiang and knew that this program started there and would transfer to UNL after two years.

“My parents thought the program looked really great and so did I,” Yang said. “They were really supportive.”

However, as President Donald Trump issued differing travel bans, Ou worried at home that the work she put into getting accepted and making her decision to study abroad had been for nothing.

“I asked my parents, ‘what if they don’t allow me to go?’” she said. “I would have been so disappointed.”

While the politics in America made things more difficult, the two made it over with no issues and say they have enjoyed their time in the States.

Both said they kept an open mind before coming to America, and were mostly surprised by Nebraska’s weather.

“The hot in Nebraska is not that hot,” Yang said. “But cold is very cold.”

The most confusing aspect of Nebraskan culture that the women could not seem to wrap their minds around was how Nebraskans wear t-shirts and shorts year-round.

“I saw someone wearing shorts with a heavy coat,” Ou said. “It just didn’t make sense.”

The women arrived in Lincoln in August and understood the shorts, but the continuation makes them laugh.

While the weather surprised them, the women said the adjustment to Nebraska did not take long.

“It’s just another city,” Ou said.

Ou credited her ability to adjust to her knowledge of the English language and history of studying far from home for her first two years in China.

She claims Chinese students first “touch on English in the third grade” and then revisit it with more detail and focus again in seventh.

Yang was also happy upon arrival knowing one of her roommates was also from China, as they had not signed up to live together.

Originally there were two Chinese and two domestic students in their room in East Side Suites.

Ou said this was a good way to acclimate into the university because it allowed her to feel comfortable in her skin.

“I did not feel that I was alone,” she said. “But I could also get to know people that are very different than me.”

This stranded feeling is something that people like International Business Lecturer Chandra Schwab aims to help alleviate.

“I don’t think they get out into the community enough,” Schwab said. “I have worked hard this year to help them do so mostly through group volunteer events.”

Schwab has a heart for international students and claims she is “surprised the variety of backgrounds and experiences that the students brought with them.”

“Even within China there are students from all over the country from many different types of schools and family backgrounds,” she said. “It is definitely impossible to categorize the students.”

This is the case for Ou and Yang. While both are from China, Ou is from a much more southern region than Yang, which leads to them speaking with different dialects. However, both speak and understand Mandarin.

According to Ou, when Yang speaks on the phone with her family, Ou can understand Yang’s dialect, but this is not true vice versa.

These are some examples of the Ou speaking her native language:

Hi, my name is Rushi Ou My favorite animal is a lion. This is my first year at UNL.

“As you go more north, the languages get closer and closer to Mandarin,” Ou said.

This can make the experience of living in a foreign country more difficult, but also more rewarding, according to the two.

While there are many people in their shoes, no two experiences are the same.

According to the UNL Factbook, there are currently 105 countries represented in undergraduate courses and 904 students from just China.

Here is an interactive visual to see where students are coming from. 

Nonetheless, the stories and events in each person’s life will differ.

The one thing that hasn’t been argued about so far? The American food nobody can avoid.

“For Chinese food, I let me roommate cook,” Yang said. “But I like French fries.”

Sometimes, Self-Love is Pizza

I've been reading a lot about loving myself lately. It's interesting to read through what other people say is loving themselves and comparing it to what I think of.

When other people say to love yourself, they throw in ideas like a warm bubble bath, treating yourself at the mall, and working out.

Almost every list involves sweating in the gym with headphones in ignoring the world.

I find this intriguing.

Sure, I also love the endorphins after a couple miles on the treadmill, but it is not what I would consider loving myself.

When I think of the gym, I think of where I go when I am stressed out of my mind and need a clearer head.

Hopping on a treadmill with who-knows-what jamming in my earbuds is perfect for days like those. But that is not my happy place. No, that comes afterward.

I also think of the gym as a place I wish to change myself.

No, I am not looking to lose a bunch of weight (I am content in that area), but my goal is to run a 5k this summer, so I need to build endurance and the mental capacity to keep moving.

This also helps me in trying to tone what I have.

I am not a muscular person. This could be why I don't weigh very much. But, the gym helps me work on this as well.

And all of these things are changes. Good changes, but changes all the same.

So that brings me back to my point that brought you here.

To me, self-love is loving myself as I am, right here. It's loving the girl in her fuzzy "If it's snowing, I'm not going" sweater with the heater on.

My "self-love" isn't changing myself. It's acknowledging that who I am today is good enough. Who I am today can kick some booty. Who I am today, right now, can smile thinking about what I do day-to-day and who I talk to regularly.

My ideas of loving myself allow me to know that there is half a small pizza in the fridge behind me and I am excited to eat it all tonight.

I am not saying that going to the gym is bad or that your idea of self-love should mirror mine.

However, you should love who you are. You are right where you are meant to be in this moment. If you weren't you wouldn't be here.

You are meant to be reading this blog post and hopefully smiling and sipping hot cocoa.

But these are my thoughts and my definition of self-love. And that's all they are. Take them for what they are.

These are simply my thoughts,
Christa

Open Letter to Those Hiding Behind "Looking for More Friends"

Dear you, yes you, the girl or guy that has the New Year's resolution of making more friends and being more social this year, semester, month, week. I know who you are.

I see you.

I see you because I am you. Ever since the 7th grade, I have been looking for my group. That ideal friend group that allows me not to wonder who I would try to set up plans with on a Friday night, but what we would be doing. The groups you see in the movies, on Instagram, and seemingly everywhere I look.

If you're like me, that's probably why you're still reading this and not writing me off as some loser who needs to get her stuff together.

Yes, I am 20 and looking for friends.

You see, I have friends. I know I have friends. I could make a list of them for you here and now and feel better about myself for the next few hours before I watch Netflix in bed and fall asleep.

But, that's not what my thoughts say. As I sit alone in my dorm typing away, my thoughts remind me over and over of just what is occurring. Sure, I can make all sorts of excuses for why I am not with others right now and they would be convincing, too. But that's not the point.

If you and I share these thoughts, you probably feel as though none of your friends form that specific bond. You haven't established the go-to group for plans every weekend. And, sometimes, as hard as it is to admit, we let ourselves believe we don't have friends to begin with.

"If I truly had friends along with acquaintances I wouldn't feel as lonely as I do," you think to yourself. And then it becomes your own little pity party.

Then the self-doubt sets in. This is the worst. Your new ever-constant thought is "why." Why don't I have friends? Why am I not hanging out with people right now? Why do I have to initiate all the time?
The list goes on and on.

And, yes, it sucks.

You know deep in your heart that you're not alone and you probably have someone in your contact list you could talk to, but nobody wants to admit to feeling lonely.

I go to a school with 26,000+ students enrolled, yet I am sitting in Smith Hall wondering when my boyfriend will text back.

Yeah, I've had those thoughts.

For some of you that are more an acquaintance than a tight friend, and maybe even some close friends, this will surprise you.

I try to be the happiest person I can be. However, since beginning college, I have realized that life is not always offering smiles and rainbows. But, I still believe there is always at least one thing going on to smile about.

I've let people know this more often than earlier in my life.

This authenticity is scary to show people. It's a leap of faith to not say every day is "good" and every class is "fine." Some people want to know the truth, others don't. But being real with people allows them to be real back. So I'm hoping this will work out into stronger relationships with people I have yet to meet.

So what now? I've told you a lot. I have been brutally honest. To be more explicit- if you feel the way I do some nights, you understand what it feels like to think nobody else understands because everyone else has a group.
I promise you, not everyone does. I am living, breathing proof of that fact.

I know when I posted this, you were probably hoping for some step by step guide in making friends or finding your group.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

I am still working on finding a club or group of people with similar interests in order to just start this process.

But, here's my advice to you.

Think of those you already spend time with. For me, I think of old high school friends, the RAs I work with, and my friend from elementary that rooms with a mutual friend from hall government last year.

Are any of us hanging out each weekend or shopping together every other day? No. But they are people I trust I could open up to about an issue if one were to arise.

If you don't have this type of groups, that's okay, think of individuals you enjoy being around.

Now, work on those relationships first. It is much easier to get closer to people you already have an established relationship with.

I cannot be truly sure about the next step because I am admittedly a work in progress. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

What I foresee as being the next step is trifold.

One, find some people you kind of know and work on those relationships, you never know how they could work out. Ask if they want to study or go somewhere. The worst that could happen is they say no.

Two, find a captive audience and see how it plays out. For me, this means talking to people before class when they have already sat down. So far, I have one potential buddy to go see a play for my theatre class. I don't know how it'll work out, but at least I am potentially not going to a musical involving puppet nudity alone.

Three, with your old friends, go out and meet people. Your confidence in talking to someone new is strengthened when you already know someone else involved in the conversation, or at least have someone to rant to afterward if it goes badly.

I am not guaranteeing you a new best friend. I am not guaranteeing you anything.

I hope you all make some great friends and I hope you smile today.

By the way, if you ask me about this post in person, I will likely cry and say I was "in a mood." I am much stronger facing these struggles behind a screen and dealing with them internally. So, sorry in advance if I shoo you off regarding anything mentioned here.

These are simply my thoughts,
Christa

Sorry I Welcomed You Here

This post is not about football. Well. It is. But it's about so much more.
If you're here to hear my thoughts on losing 56-14 yesterday, you won't find them. If you're wondering how I feel about our new AD, you'll have to wait.
This post is about to be much more personal.

As mentioned above, the Huskers played the Buckeyes last night in Memorial Stadium under the lights. The game started around 6:30, I arrived at noon. The forecast said it would be 65 all night, in reality, it felt like 40 with 35 mph winds. I knew Ohio State was good but they were up by 21 and we hadn't scored yet. This was before halftime. To put it in layman's terms, I had been having a rough day.
However,  I have been working this year on not taking that out on people. It's nobody's fault that I'm cold and we're losing. I should have put on more layers and our defense needed some work.
That being said, I try my best to always exemplify "Nebraska nice." I do the three claps when the announcer introduces the opposing team, I shut up when a player is hurt, and I welcome every opposing fan that walks past to Lincoln.
Unfortunately, that tradition may need to end.
Last night around the end of second quarter, some Buckeye fans were standing beneath the student section, right under me to be exact. They were hooting and hollering for their team and I was cheering for mine. I'll admit, I tried to be louder on my own than the four of them. Maybe that's what prompted the rest of this story.
When the plays stopped, a Buckeye turned around to look at me. As I do, I welcomed him to Lincoln. He thanked me and said something to the effect of liking the score. How could he not? His team had scored every time they received the ball. I replied that I was hoping for a better half that might just make him a little sad. It was a joke. I figured these people were leaving soon.
Well, he didn't like that very much. He let me know how nice it was of me to "want to make an old man cry." I tried to joke with him again and went back to watching the game.
He wasn't entertained. He wanted a high five. I gave him a high five. He wanted a high ten. I gave him a high ten. At this point, I was annoyed with the clearly intoxicated at least 45-year-old. I wanted him to leave me alone.
I tried to ignore him and glanced at the fans around me. They thought he was annoying but didn't think much of it.
Well, he came back and wanted me to come down to the field with him. That was an obvious "hell no." I told him I wasn't interested. Instead of backing off, he grabbed his friend and they both let me know that I could trust them. It would be fun.
I'm not stupid.
I told them both that I was content and didn't want to leave my spot. I was in the front row, why would I give that up for anything??
The guys went and watched the game with their sister or wife for a while and I was a little more at ease.
Then they all came back. One of the men gestured at me with both his hands up, I looked down, confused. I tried to give him another high ten, but this time that wasn't what he wanted.
"Give me your armpits," he told me. "I won't drop you."
I told him that I was still not interested. At this point, I was pissed.
I asked his whole group why they were standing here.
The woman replied "because we're winners! We can stand wherever we want! We're wiiiiinnners. We PISS excellence."
What a lady. I asked them why they wanted to stand right in front of the student section when there is a whole section just for visitors.
They didn't care to answer.
One of my friends got involved and told them they had a section they belonged in and it wasn't by us.
Three of them went back to the cheerleaders. One stayed and tried to convince me to give him my armpits again. I was not amused.
I ignored him and he went back to his group for a while. I told those around me that they seriously made me uncomfortable.
A fan I met that day intervened the next time he came back to offer me a hot dog. Talk about Nebraska nice.
I did not want anything to do with that man or a hot dog.
The group finally left and told us they were going to go to the bar. I told them to drive carefully and to be safe. Luckily, they weren't planning on driving.

I will likely never see those people again and I am just fine with that.
The reason I am posting this publically isn't just to make Ohio State fans look bad, though.
I am posting this for a couple reasons.
1. It helps me think through things by writing them out.
2. If this ever happens with a Husker on the drunk man side, I will not be happy.
And most importantly, 3. The world needs to be careful with people.
No matter where you go, people need to be aware of their surroundings and the possible consequences for their actions. This story is honestly not a big deal. I won't have to think about it very much after this week or so.
But, what if someone else had climbed down with them just to see what would happen? Who knows what they could have decided to do with her.
And why did they think I was dumb or slutty enough to want to let them touch me at all?
For those of you that still think girls can "ask for it" with their outfit choices, I was wearing high top converse, jeans, and two jackets with both hoods up and everything zipped and buttoned.
Sure, it was just some drunk guys trying to have a good time, but I for one did not enjoy it.
So, don't be that guy. If you're old enough, treat each lady you see like she's your daughter. If you're not, treat them like your sister.
You never know what your actions can do to a person's mental stability. I am fine now, but last night I just wanted to be in my dorm.
Don't make someone want to stay home from their favorite thing.
Don't be a drunk asshole.

That's all I've got for today.
Thanks for reading,
Christa

My Takeaway

I have been a Husker since 1997. No, not because I am a bandwagon and that last championship convinced me I should be. That just happens to have been when I was born.

That being said, I have seen the Huskers win some great games, and lose some sad ones. 

The problems I saw on Saturday and following stretched off of Tom Osborne Field and through Memorial Stadium. When the clock hit 0s, I saw the problems stretch their hands much further than Lincoln, Nebraska. 

After losing to Northern Illinois, a team we paid plenty of money to play, nobody was excited. Well, except the Huskies. 

Mike Riley was not happy, Shawn Eichorst wasn't excited, and there wasn't a sober Husker in sight that was content with how the game played out. 

To me, that's a duh moment.

The issues right now are the fans. It started when too many of us released our legendary red balloons at a scoreless halftime. I personally kept mine until we put six points on the board.

They continued as fans flooded the aisles to go home long before the last whistle- sure of a loss. 

And they continue now as too many fans are calling for people's heads and turning their backs on the team they claimed to love. 

Bo Pelini was fired for many reasons, one being that he was publicly upset about fairweather fans. I don't disagree with his anger.

When players throw touchdowns they're our heroes, they throw an interception and all of a sudden we need to work on recruitment and quit scholarshipping players that don't deserve it.

These players are my age. I am 19 years old. I barely understand how many people 90,000 truly amounts to, yet these players- these people- are dealing with the people that paid to watch them play boo them from the stands. 

I can't even imagine how they feel this week. This week they still have to go to classes, do homework, study, oh- and read USA Today articles being tweeted at them about how miserable our program is. 

Maybe you're not quite 19 yet, maybe you're older by far. Does it matter? Nobody signed up on Saturday to purposely blow this game. 

People complain about rotten recruitment and then wonder why players wouldn't want to play for a fanbase that turns their back when things go wrong. To me, there's not enough money in the world to be offered. 

We play the Rutgers on Saturday for our homecoming game. It could be tough. It could be something we don't want to watch.

But, all I ask is that if you say you're a Husker fan- prove it this week. Rep your scarlet and cream, put out your blow-up Lil' Red and admit that we all make mistakes.

I was at the stadium on Saturday for our 11:00er at 6:30am. I plan to be at the Rutgers 2:30 closer to 8:30 or 9:00. I look forward to sleeping in a little bit.

Last week it was a rainy, sad day. This weekend, it shouldn't matter. 

We should all stick together through all kinds of weather for dear old Nebraska U.

♥ Christa

First Post

Hello,
My name is Christa Rahl. I am a sophomore journalism major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am proud to call Papillion, Nebraska my home and I love squirrels, minions, and football.
I will probably make this post cuter later on, but right now I want to get started on my second post.
♥
Christa