Tourists For A Day!!

When someone uses the term, “scavenger hunt”; it’s inevitable that a few things come to mind. First, I’m reminded of those ridiculous backyard scavenger hunts they do at birthday parties when you’re like 8 years old. You know, the one’s where you’re supposed to run around and look in crazy spots like inside the doghouse, all for the sake of finding a pathetic Reese’s peanut butter cup. As we’ve gotten older, the perception of scavenger hunts has changed dramatically. When I joined a sorority this fall, I learned that, in addition to many other things, scavenger hunts are considered a form of hazing and therefore should be kept on the down low, at least in the Greek community.

            So, imagine my surprise (and annoyance) when I found out for our next FIG assignment we were to complete a “Mizzou scavenger hunt”. To be honest, Kelsey and I were kind of annoyed at the thought of having to walk all over campus, taking embarrassing pictures of ourselves in front of various locations. After Kelsey figured out the clues though, we grabbed out sunglasses and headed out on a sunny afternoon to complete our mission.

            The first place we visited was the Student Health Center. It was ironic, because it was only the day before that we had been at there. “Not here again,” Kelsey whined as we walked into the building. (Kelsey and I both share a fear of hospitals or anything with a hospital-like setting, by the way). We were brave though, and made our way up to the fourth floor. I posed with some pamphlets on STD’s and then we quickly headed off to our next destination. 

            The following places we visited were: Hitt Street Subway, the sand volleyball courts at Stank Field, the Math and Science Building, Strickland Hall, the Student Success Center (where you can get help with career decisions, find review sessions, and get mock interviews), Neff Hall, the bridge at Peace Park, Shakespeare’s Pizza, and Wich Wich (our new favorite sandwich place).  

            Despite our initial annoyance with the assignment, the scavenger hunt turned out to be a lot more fun than either of us had expected. On a usual afternoon we would probably be just sitting in the dorm, either studying, on Facebook, hanging out, or a mix of all three. The scavenger hunt gave us a change to get out of the dorm and explore campus on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

We got to hang out together, act goofy as we made funny poses in our pictures, and walk around parts of campus we don’t see as often, such as the Quad. Plus, for me at least, it was nice to do something that distracted me and took me away from things for a while. Just walking around for an hour, seeing the beauty of campus, people watching, and enjoying the sunny day really helped me de-stress and take my mind off things. It was like a mini escape from my usual everyday worries and stress.

As we walked back from downtown towards campus, making our way towards Gillett: the now well familiar and second home to us both, I actually felt glad to have done the scavenger hunt. It was kind of fun being goofy and walking around campus taking pictures like a tourist. I also enjoyed the carefree feeling it gave me, not having to worry about things like classes, midterms, and jerks - even if it was only for an hour. I especially felt grateful to have such a great friend who I know I can always count on to be there for me and get me through my hard times, no matter what. J