Ep. 3: Let It Snow!

Notes from the 23rd-29th of January

Likely the single most recallable thing from this week, the defining feature of it if you will, was a rather regrettable one. Ever since getting back from Chicago, I have had this hacking cough that I develop perhaps once in a calendar year. It appears to never be a sign of sickness¹, and one can only speculate as to whether it is a signal of some underlying condition. My best guess is that it is some form of post-viral thing, where my body believes the best way of expunging whatever I am recovering from is to cough up every last ounce of pre-existing mucus and throat tissue in what can only be described as fairly violent terms. So, though I feel absolutely fine, it is safe to say that you would have a hard time believing me, given that to anyone nearby for more than 5 minutes it will appear that I have developed a packet a day habit. Which, in a place where I am constantly bumping into new people, makes for, well, slightly embarrassing first impressions. Discussions this week about what I'm studying, what they're studying and so on have doubled in duration as every third word seemingly is interrupted by a rasping cough from my end. The one positive though is that I can happily bypass working out my abs at the moment, this activity sufficing entirely and then some to serve as a workout.

The other main feature of the week was celebrating Australia Day abroad. Well, celebrating is a strong way of putting it. Although interestingly, for a holiday that I pay little attention to when at home, it was front of mind for much of the 26th, mostly as an interesting topic of conversation with American students in my class. Reactions to what the day is denoting ranged from bemusement, to dismissal, to downright horror. And fair enough, too. Regardless of what it symbolises now, it is concerning to have Australia stand alone as perhaps the only country whose national day delineates a day of colonisation and not some other culturally significant event. One of the professors in my classes, upon hearing about the public holiday, was nice enough to play Advance Australia Fair as he was handing out some paperwork to the rest of the class. He was also under the impression that Beck's (a German beer) was an Australian one, so I gave him a quick tour of the most popular beverages actually consumed back home. In my other classes, I tried prodding to see if there was a possibility of receiving an extension on some homework due that night due to the immense weight of import the holiday carried for me personally. Sadly, no luck on that front.

On Piano

One thing I was deeply saddened to leave in Melbourne was my digital piano that I had bought about 18 months ago now. Though I claim very little proficiency as a pianist, it is something that has brought great contentment since, and I was remiss to leave it behind. As ridiculous as I can be as an over-packer, even this was far beyond justification. Fortunately, a quick search through the Purdue Reddit revealed a list of possible locations where I might find freely available pianos to practice on. All of them are, however, in fairly obscure rooms around the campus, so I'm treating it as a bit of a scavenger hunt to find them all and verify their existence. The first one I ticked off was in the South Tower of the Purdue Memorial Union, and entering into this old ballroom turned miscellaneous space² really did feel like I was going somewhere I shouldn't be.

In any case, a piano was indeed to behold there, and what a treat it was. Sure, it's prehistoric, the keys in the middle octaves are a little wobbly and two of the keys don't work full stop, but it has a wonderful charm to it. And what's best, there is only ever at most 1-2 people up in the room studying, and is readily vacated if I tell them I want to play piano. After all, there are far nicer places to go and sit in the PMU than this crusty old ballroom I would have thought.

On Snow

Wednesday brought with it the first snowstorm of the new year, and the last since the violent ones that ripped through large parts of America shortly before Christmas 2022. Upon hearing about the forecast, the prospect of 6-12 inches of snow, there was for me a great anticipation. Obviously coming from Melbourne, I have been in the snow no more than a dozen times in my life and have actually seen it snow even fewer, perhaps twice. To awaken to find paths hidden beneath a soft white blanket, and to feel the flakes falling thickly on my coat and face as I walked around campus that day was such a wonderful treat.

Despite many of the in-state students bemoaning the weather, I couldn't be happier. Especially since in a place like Indiana where, due to its flatness, there is likely only a few such snowstorms each Winter. Of course, the snow is a dual-edged sword. It starts out creating the most magical of sceneries, but over successive days this serenity gives way to a far more dour one: melted snow turns to muddy slush from trampling footsteps and the snow left untouched hardens to an icy consistency.

It is traditional for Purdue students after a snowstorm to go sledding on Slayter Hill, and since actual sleds are in short supply any relatively flat item (and even then, sometimes not even this) play substitute. From different sources, I've heard of: trash can lids, old doors, planks of wood, bath-tubs even. Tragically, the snow was not quite thick enough to be suitable for sledding, and even if it were I was hastily slaving away on some homework due the next day to have the time to head out there to partake. Fingers crossed we can get one more good snowing before the Spring weather rolls around.

On Happy Accidents

Perhaps the most cherished memory I will take from this week came completely unexpectedly, and in the most beautiful and organic sort of way. I was taking dinner in the Earhart Dining Court near my apartment, very much minding my own business. But, I had learnt from past experiences to keep a casual eye out for the comings and goings around me in case of a familiar face or something worth observing. In this instance, it was an older lady and a female student who had sat down next to me and had engaged in a curious conversation about grits. And indeed, curiosity got the better of me here. Not knowing what grits were, though having certainly heard of them many a time, I enquired as to what exactly they were made from. Yes, I could have just googled the answer on my phone and I certainly would have gotten a more revealing answer than the one Toni (the older lady) ended up providing me. But, one thing lead to a another, and aided by their own interest in my accent, we ended up chatting away for the next 20 minutes or so.

Toni works over in one of the newer buildings in the Engineering department, but she has the dual role of running directives for Women in Technology, providing girls in STEM with resources (career or otherwise) for their studies, and the girl she was speaking with was one such example. Relevant to this recounting though, is that every fortnight this group does some sort of (usually arts-related) program in the evening so the girls in the group can socialise with other members and generally do something fun and relaxing.

As luck would have it, this Thursday night was one such night and why the two were in the dining court at all, because in short time they were to head over to the room they'd book to run their session. Very quickly a kind offer was extended for me to come along and despite having two assignments due that night, it was an opportunity I would be remiss to pass up on. Despite being the only guy there, it was a most welcoming crowd and I funnily enough met a girl (Vidisha) who was in my Electromagnetics class. Following this event we have corresponded a bit regarding homework and exams, which has proved useful in a class where I really didn't know anyone else.

The selection of choice for that evening was doing Bob Ross paintings. I feel as if everyone knows who he is at this point but the rapid-fire bio on him is that he was an ex-military piolet who became disenchanted with the aggression shown by his fellow soldiers and so left. He then made the totally natural transition into recording these short, 30-minute art tutorials painting mostly landscapes with acrylics. Beyond the artwork, though, his fame has grown since his passing primarily because of his immense calmness and positive outlook on life.

There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.

This quote of his was relevant in two ways for this Thursday night:

1. More directly in the sense that my particular painting was a mess especially compared to those of the rest of the group, and
2. Indirectly, as it relates to how I even stumbled into that place to begin with.

And yes, I did try the grits being served that night. Very salty, but I could readily imagine they would go down a treat with a proper Southern-style barbeque (when they are usually eaten).

On "Square Pizza, Where Do You Get It?"

I recalled a moment earlier this week from one of the opening seasons of the TV show Suits where Mike Ross and another associate are engaged in a Harvard Trivia Quiz. Louis, the host, asks the former the above question. Without spoiling anything, Mike comes up with no answer, since he never went to Harvard. For me, this represents one of the really nice aspects of college towns anywhere, but especially in the US; there are just some features of the place that you can only know about if you were there.

The answer to this question was Pinocchio's.

I thought it might be nice to start collating a list of similar such places at Purdue, each with their own distinguishing characteristic. Because despite not being as old and historic as the above-mentioned Cambridge school, Purdue has its own charming bars, restaurants and storefronts.

It was on Sunday that I had my proper introduction to the first addition to this running list. Purdue were playing against Michigan State in the annual "white-out" match, where every attendee receives a free white T-Shirt. The effect is pretty dramatic.

The game itself was another really solid win for Purdue, and Zach Edey nearly had 40 points, effectively having half of the team's combined score. As a fun fact, Purdue Athletics also claim that the noise in the stadium at one point in the second half was their loudest on record, notching 122.3 decibels which is allegedly louder than front row at a rock concert (this should probably be taken with a heavy grain of salt). Suffice to say that the place was rocking.

Afterwards, I made a stop at Panda Express for a late lunch. This was my first time there and I have to say, despite previously thumbing my nose at the place since there was no conceivable way it would be good quality Chinese food, I was suitably impressed and have since been back 3-4 times. It reminded me a lot of lower quality Chinese takeaway that one might get back in Melbourne, recalling memories of late dinners with the family after returning too exhausted to prepare a meal from a road trip or holiday.

Okay, but as promised, what iconic Purdue place did I visit on this day? The answer? Harry's Chocolate Shop, which humorously sells no chocolate whatsoever, unless chocolate is some new euphemism for beer and pub food. This is of course the bar in West Lafayette, and it is absolutely rocking whenever a game is on. Word on the street is you need to get there sometimes upwards of 2 hours before tip-off to get in, because as soon as there is a line out the door, you're out of luck.

The other thing I find hilarious about Harry's is their merch. Their infamous slogan

Go ugly early

can be seen plastered on shirts, jumpers, hats and any other wearable item everywhere on campus. I will certainly be picking some up before I go!

On Frats and Sororities

Before coming across to America, I had a short list of topics that I wished to become more knowledgeable on during my stay. On this list were things like electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, coding, etc. But at the very top of the list was uncovering the dark pall that rests of the so-called "Greek Life" of US colleges, namely fraternities and sororities.

Having spoken to a few people who are in such 'glorious' institutions, I am in a position to begin collating my findings and hope that they may be of service to you the reader, and more generally, a tool used in ridding the face of the Earth of these frankly embarrassing relics of a past world. This will be a fairly biased account of what I've found so far, but I hope in subsequent weeks to do more of a deep dive into their true origins.

As far as what I understand so far, the idea of Greek life emerged in the 20th century as a form of secret society on college campuses. Like a budget-version of The Illuminati, these groups were aggregators of the finest talent, and would work in devious machinations to alter the workings of their school, from student government elections to academic outcomes. Firstly, the co-opting of Greek culture (where each house will bear a name consisting of 2-3 letters from the Greek alphabet e.g. Phi Epsilon Delta) to nail together the flimsiest of high-browed facades is a little cringeworthy. Secondly, whatever the more serious intentions of these groups might have originally been, it is safe to say that these houses have devolved into little more than vapid vessels for sustaining drinking habits and a sense of superiority.

At the start of every semester, each of these houses will have what is a called a rush, wherein hopeful applicants will go through an arduous series of trials to gain the approval of their brothers (fraternities) or sisters (sororities). Beginning with more palatable events like a tailgate or BBQ, these rushes quickly descend at the pointy end into some of the most hideous of tasks dished up to their new recruits. For a sampling of what goes on here, a quick Google search of hazing US colleges should suffice.

What fascinated me though was that there exists a nation-wide organisation under which all of the various chapters are registered. This group functions essentially as the enforcing body of guidelines and rules for each of the houses in every state from California to Idaho. The main appeal today of Greek life are the ridiculous parties that get thrown seemingly every weekend. Interestingly enough, it is only the fraternities that are allowed under the regulations to throw parties. If a frat wishes to have such a party, it must register and notify the said event with the national body and have it approved. In such events, there are stricter guidelines in place regarding who can be invited, how much alcohol (if any) can be served and so on. However, these official parties make up but a fraction of the overall number actually thrown - most are never filed with the national organisation and are where all of the wild shenanigans go down. Getting invited to one of these parties as well is also another point of concern. Invitees are drawn almost exclusively from other sororities or other girls (deemed attractive enough) on campus, with the gender female-bias serving to support a really "positive" ratio for the frat brothers of girls outnumbering boys.

Sigh. More to come on this topic in weeks to come.

On Purdue Orbital

Last week, I mentioned that I had applied to a few clubs and societies around Purdue. Happily, I can report that I got accepted onto the Purdue Orbital team under the Guidance, Navigation and Control (here on, GNC) team. The setup and organisation of the team is still something that I need to wrap my head around³, but I am quite eager about the prospects of what I might be able to learn and subsequently contribute to their works. GNC essentially relates to constructing the control systems that drive the small nozzles connected to compressed gas cylinders you might see towards the bottom of a craft near the thrusters which, when actuated in particular sequences and intensities, allow for controlling the pitch and yaw (basically the orientation) of the rocket when outside of the atmosphere.

Now, since all of Orbital's crafts are (funnily enough) sub-orbital at this stage⁴, the necessity of a GNC system like this is effectively mute. So, the work we are doing is very much proof-of-concept, and will come into play later down the line when subsequent iterations of their crafts reach higher and higher heights. I am yet to have my first meeting (which will likely just be onboarding), but am excited to hear about the mechanics of these systems and how they are put together. Fortuitously, this semester at Purdue I am taking a digital control systems unit, without which I would very likely be technically way out of my depth.

Footnotes