Photo by Amy Leong

In honor of Earth Week, BC’s Fashion Club hosted the Eco-Friendly Fashion Show, with fashion styles and clothes designed from recycled materials. The show took place in the cafeteria on Thursday, April 19, at 11:30 a.m.

The show began with a DJ on stage playing remixed songs like “Moves Like Jagger” and “I’m Sexy and I Know It.” The cafeteria’s usual stage had been moved and rearranged into a runway for the models. The show started a little late at 12:05 p.m. The team was putting  together the finishing touches on the clothes, but when they came, they were ready. Fourteen models walked single-file down from the Student Programs to the cafeteria in an array of designs and materials, which consisted mainly of newspapers and trash bags.

The designs were elaborate with everything from headdresses, roses, fans and masks, to bow ties, vests, suspenders and arm bracelets. One dress consisted entirely of trash bags and formed a newsprint baby doll dress; another skirt was pleated with a newspaper rose on the side.

The models themselves looked like they were having a good time, laughing and posing for pictures. The ladies strutted their stuff down the runway, while the men made the crowd scream by removing their shirts on the runway.

“Everyone liked it, so I guess it was a success!” said Michael Yoon, President of the Fashion Club and host of the event. “I’m glad, because we worked on it for two months. This is our fourth fashion show.”

Yoon also took part in the runway show, being the last model to walk. He wore a newspaper thong and bra. After the show Yoon explained that he and the other designers created every piece by hand. “Everything was very intricate. It took lots of hard work.” It was evident by the minute details of the roses and necklaces that Yoon and the others had put a lot of thought into the designs.

Another fashion show is coming up in May. In honor of Asian week, the Asian Fashion Show will take place on May 7. More details to come.

Courtesy of Michael Yoon

The 13th annual Earth Week is underway with students actively raising awareness regarding consumption and conservation. This year’s theme is “Living Local,” which emphasizes supporting the local economy, rather than the larger franchises.

The Sustainability and Science Association (SSA) is the primary sponsor of this weeklong event with advisor Robert Viens, dean of the Science Department, as the organizer of the event. With his hard work and dedication, Viens has invited guest speakers and planned an agenda full of fun and excellent educational experiences.

Earth Week is off to a great start with yesterday’s “Pledge an Act of Green” kickoff along with the film “Revenge of the Electric Car.” It wrapped up with guest speaker Lon LaFlamme, the marketing and national sales rep from Dillanoes Coffee Roasters; Abigail Doerr, from the Washington BUS; Nicole Keenan, from the Washington Environmental Council; and Andrew Villenevue, the founder and executive director of the Northwest Progressive Institute.

BC’s third annual farmer’s market is hosted in the courtyard with great local products, such as honey and fruits.  The guest speakers are Franz Lowenherz, the Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Bellevue; Mike Hanson, a BC botany instructor; Michael Meyer, a BC English instructor; Falaah Jones, from Seattle Tilth; and David Williams, the author of The Street-Smart Naturalist. Sit in on the lectures and learn about transportation, eating locally, and gardening within a community.

Wednesday will be full of more learning opportunities concerning sustainability. Chi Pak, the senior manager of sustainability from T-Mobile, will be describing sustainability within their business. Later on, Buzz Hoffbord from Bon Appetit and Chris Makyut, the owner of Chaco Canyon Café, will explain sustainable food businesses. The final speaker of the day will be from Lisa Mikesell, from the Washington Toxics Coalition, and will be sharing a presentation entitled “You are what you eat, use and wear.” The two films being shown on Wednesday are “The Dark Side of Chocolate” and “Forks Over Knives.”

On Thursday, listen to Emma Johnson from Zero Waste Washington; Kurt Hoelting, the author of The Circumference of Home; Mark Storey, a philosophy instructor at BC; Trina Carlstrom from Microsoft and Trenten Huntington from Sustainable Business Consulting.  The film “Tapped” will be shown at 11:30 a.m. in the cafeteria and will be one of the most anticipated events for the entire week.

The BC Fashion Club has worked hard to design and create clothes from recycled materials, such as newspaper, to demonstrate that it’s possible to look good with reused items. Approximately 15 models will be strutting down the runway, showing off the members’ hard work. Michael Yoon, president of the fashion club, excitedly shares, “Fashion and sustainability goes hand in hand!” There are approximately 60 members in this club, but Yoon encourages all interested to join.

The final day of Earth Week on Friday will begin with the film “Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?” Then, Deric Gruen, our very own sustainability coordinator, will discuss sustainability at BC. The day will wrap up with the “Taste of BC Community Potluck” in C120. Finally, students will have the opportunity to embark on a field trip to Jubilee Farms in Carnation. This is a community-supported agriculture farm owned by part-time BC professor, Erick Haakenson.

Most of the events will be in the BC cafeteria, but specific times regarding Earth Week can be found at http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/rv/earthweek/2012/schedule12.php.

SSA was founded many years ago but has disintegrated. Megan Phan, an active leader in the club, serves to inform and recruit students. She hopes to strengthen the club and build a strong foundation for next year so that there will be many more Earth Weeks to come.

Photograph by Amy Leong

Whether it’s for business advice or what to wear on a Friday night, Michael Yoon knows it all. Elected as co-president of the Business Leadership Club and president ofthe Fashion Club, Yoon is a bigger part of the school than many people know.

Yoon’s interest in fashion stemmed when he was in high school and attended his first fashion show in Seoul, Korea that was sponsored by Gucci, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and many more. “When I got home all I could think [of] was one word in my head – ‘fashion’,” said Yoon. “That show changed my life.”

From then on, the latest trends, designers, and styles were constantly flowing through his mind. To Yoon, that experience made him realize that “fashion is the key for people to enjoy and express [the] different and hidden characteristics within a person.” So it was only natural for Yoon to want to create a fashion-oriented club once he got to Bellevue College. But this ambition wasn’t always the first thing on his agenda.

Yoon’s parents, who are very traditional Korean parents, disapproved of his ambition. “They aspire for me to work in lucrative fields, such as medicine, law and business – [which are] studies that do not interest me at all,” said Yoon.

Though Yoon respected his parents’ wants, he could not shake the true passion that was in his heart. So against their wishes, he took a few design courses. Unfortunately Yoon’s parents found out about his secret agenda to reach his goal of having a career in fashion and informed him that they would no longer pay his tuition. For most this ultimatum would be reason enough to set their dreams aside, but for Yoon this was a challenge he was willing to take on.

“This inspired me to major in business,” said Yoon. He took this as an opportunity to expand his skills that he would later be able to use in the fashion industry. But Yoon learned afterwards that studying business can be a bit hectic at times. “My first few business courses were strenuous,” said Yoon. “I quickly grew exhausted and needed motivation to continue my schooling.” His solution? To create Bellevue College’s first Fashion Club in fall quarter 2011. Because Yoon could not “pursue an education in fashion,” he said, he used the club as a way “to channel [his] interests and passion for fashion with others who have similar motives.”

With the goal to “inspire the creativity of fashion amongst Bellevue College students by sharing and creating new styles,” Fashion Club meets every Friday from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. in C211 and invites everyone with an interest in fashion. “Fashion Club is full of enthusiasm,” said Yoon. “Each member wears their own personal style of fashion and share their fashion tips and gets feedback from other members as well.” Members also get to be part of multiple photo shoots that allow them to gain more modeling experience and appeal to their own character. Yoon already has experience from modeling for a Korean online clothing store in high school and also getting the opportunity to model at his high school graduation. No wonder he was voted most fashionable!

The club has expanded significantly since being just an idea in a fashionable young man’s head. With 66 official members already, numbers increase every week, as well as the participation in the club’s events.

This is probably because Fashion Club creates an environment where everyone feels welcome. According to Yoon, the members are really close to each other like one big family. “We welcome new ideas and never judge individual’s thoughts,” he said.

Combined with Ellie Kow, co-president, John Dang, the secretary, Daisuke Sato, the project manager, and Koichi Sato, communications/advertising, Yoon has high hopes for the club this year with the goal to incorporate more ideas of fashion into the club and inspire members to use their creativity to share and create new ideas that can help the club. In the very end, the ultimate aspiration would be to have a huge fashion show like UW did last quarter.

Although Yoon’s main niche is Fashion Club, he continues to attend to his business side. The Business Leadership Club has hosted many events over the past couple quarters such as the Cultural Potluck. “It has honored me to be the co-president of such a prominent club such as the Business Leadership Club,” said Yoon. He has many plans in the months to come not only for Fashion Club, but for the Business Leadership Club as well.  On May 17, they will be hosting “Alumni Night” where students can meet successful graduates from the college and network with them. “This is going to be the biggest event we’ve done this year with rare opportunities, so don’t miss out and come join us!” said Yoon in encouragement to all students who want to build more business connections.

While these two clubs may seem like they never intertwine, Yoon has found a way to combine them. With recruiters from Nordstrom, Campus Point, and Verizon, both clubs are collaborating to host the event “Dress in Success” on April 24 to inform students on how to dress for job interviews, internships, or a networking event like Alumni Night.

Another event that is very exciting for Fashion Club will be held during Earth Week where they are planning an Eco-Fashion Show. Co-hosted with the Sustainability Club and Dj Club, they are making clothes using mainly newspaper, cans, and recycled bags. Creativity is a necessity for this event and will truly make it one that will be talked about for a while.

Whether fashion is your thing or not, Fashion Club and Michael Yoon show us that fashion is more than just the clothes you wear. It is a combination of what you like, the goals you set out for yourself, and the boundaries you push all coming together to express who you are.

We look forward to see what Yoon has in store for BC next as well as in the election for Vice President of Student Affairs and Pluralism.

The United States is unarguably one of the most expensive countries for a college student in the world, with tuition rates for four-year colleges ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 a year. Community college in the U.S. is usually either an affordable shortcut to a four-year college or an affordable means to an associate degree or career training. It’s affordable because community college tuition today remains cheaper than at any four-year college. The question is, should affordability only be linked to tuition?

At Bellevue College, a full-time in-state student pays approximately $1,200 a quarter for tuition, along with additional technology fees, course fees, late registration fees, parking fees, and those other obscure fees called comprehensive fees and commute reduction fees. The number one expense for a student, however, is the price of the textbooks, an expense that can sometimes cost as much as tuition itself.

Most students are so used to the high textbook prices that they don’t even question them anymore. “The Spanish textbook cost me $180,” said Jason Hutchison, a student at BC. “That’s just what these things cost.”

“Some of our books that we have out there are running two and three hundred dollars,” said Kristen Connely, director of the BC bookstore.

At BC, one credit costs about $96. So, how is it that at community college, where the point is to make education more affordable to every student, some textbooks can cost as much as tuition for a three-credit course?

Ann Kenny, who works part-time at the BC bookstore, says the price is high for a reason. Publishers don’t print many copies of a textbook since the audience is only students in specific classes and not the general public. “It’s not like a Harry Potter novel,” she says, so publishers don’t print hundreds of thousands of copies. Plus, textbooks usually require colors and graphics and have laminated pages, so printing them is much more expensive than printing a basic black-on-white novel.

On the other hand, Anthony Blanchett, the supervisor of the BC bookstore, is a little more skeptical about the need for textbooks to cost so much to print. Back when he was in college in the 70s, the average textbook cost $10 to $20.

Back in 2005, at the request of Congress, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) researched why textbooks cost so much, and found that textbooks have been rising in cost at twice the rate of inflation for the past 20 years.

So where is all the money students pay for textbooks going? Basically, publishers don’t only pay to print the books. They also find the authors, pay them royalty fees, provide the copyrights, and pay their sales representatives who visit colleges to show the product. Then there’s the five to ten percent profit that BC makes off of the books that go to the self-supported bookstore. Finally, and most importantly, there’s the profit that publishing companies make, the percentage of which is safely locked away in a secret file somewhere.

One could argue that there’s no real difference between the publishers’ jobs today and their job 40 years ago. If anything, the cost of textbooks should be going down. There are more and more publishing companies each year, so there is more competition among them. Technology is developing faster than ever, so it couldn’t possibly cost more to laser-print a textbook.

So what on earth is the publishers’ excuse for prices being so high?

One trend that has been increasingly popular, much to the delight of the publishing companies, is all the electronic additions to the traditional textbook. Today there are CD-ROMs, homework websites and special software to support instruction. If a student wants to buy or rent a used book, and the professor requires online homework, buying ONLY a code would cost the student an extra $100 or so. The worst part is, the code has an expiration date, and so even if students and professors wanted to collaborate to pass the code on, it would stop working one year later.

So how come a code costs so much if the only extra charge is the salary of the web developer? According to Connely and to the GAO research, publishers are using the extra money for research that contributes to future developments in what they call “course material delivery.”

“I haven’t actually seen the end results,” said Connely, but the cost of this obscure research has been at the expense of the college student.

Are publishers truly using every means possible to ensure that every student pays these inflated prices for their products? That question is unlikely to be publicly addressed anytime soon. But, despite this inflation, people like Kristen Connely are seeking to find a way to make students pay less.

Six years ago, Connely started the first college textbook rental program in the state at the BC bookstore. “I felt that that was my obligation to my students” she said. Today, nine out of ten stores across the country are offering rentals. The program at BC is funded by two federal grants, and in the past year alone, Connely has saved the students of BC almost half a million dollars.

Despite these efforts however, Connely is still met with various obstacles. Sometimes professors decide to order new editions of books every year, so the older ones can’t be used anymore. Other times when a class is added or cancelled at the last minute, ordering new books takes time and causes long waiting lines at the beginning of a quarter, like what happened in January. The most significant obstacle though, is when a book order has to be returned to the publishers after a class has been cancelled. When that happens, the publishers will only refund ten percent of the book price, costing the college the other 90 percent.

Despite all attempts to the contrary, textbooks at BC continue to be quite expensive for the students. “These book prices are out of control!” said Rose Mansour, a student at BC. Publishing companies today are undermining the goal of community college. What’s the point of lowering tuition when textbooks can cost as much as a college course?

Source: http://aws.amazon.com/

Mitt Romney:

• When asked what he would do about rising college costs if elected: “It would be popular for me to stand up and say I’m going to give you government money to pay for your college, but I’m not going to promise that. Don’t just go to one that has the highest price. Go to one that has a little lower price where you can get a good education. And hopefully you’ll find that. And don’t expect the government to forgive the debt that you take on.”

• Created a merit-based scholarship that gives full tuition to state universities or colleges to the top 25 percent of high school students graduating from public schools.

• Suggested that for-profit colleges are a potential solution to student debt (declined to comment on financial support Romney’s campaign office has received from executives of for-profit colleges).

Barack Obama:

• Wants to reduce federal aid for as well as shift money to schools that control tuition costs.

• Wants to make community colleges into community career centers.

• Proposed requiring that debt collectors let student-loan borrowers make payments based on what they can afford instead of the debt amount.

• Expanded the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which gave an additional $17 billion over two years for Pell Grants.

• Proposed 2013 budget would increase the Education Departmen spending by $69.8 billion (a 2.5 percent raise).

Rick Santorum (Recently withdrew): 

• Voted no on shifting $11 billion from corporate tax loopholes to education (2006). A yes vote would’ve restored education program cuts for vocational education, increased the maximum Pell Grant scholarship, increased future math and science teacher student loan forgiveness.

• Voted no on spending $48 billion of tax cuts on education and debt reductions (2001).

• Called colleges “indoctrination mills.”

• Said he would support for-profit colleges if elected.

Photo Courtesy of http://fc00.deviantart.net

An operation, which launched 26 years ago by Ugandan running man Joseph Kony, is now in the process of being permanently halted by supporters and members of the Invisible Children. You all may have heard about this controversial issue, which some may say has literally erupted into a global awareness overnight, via an emotionally fueled YouTube video. BC has had the pleasure of hosting the Invisible Children’s organization in the N-building. Guests were welcomed with Domino’s pizza and a hallway adorned with tables full of KONY 2012 wristbands, T-shirts, bumper-stickers, regular stickers and of course, for all the supreme supporters the notorious “action kits.”

The evening began with a speaker who thanked everyone in attendance and told the audience about the surprise of everyone who were initially involved with Invisible Children before the famous video aired. “We were hoping for 500,000 views, now… I think it’s over 100,000,000 views,” said the house speaker for Invisible Children.

Invisible Children were “oversimplifying a wildly complex issue.” The Invisible Children were hoping to clear up this accusation that essentially labels the KONY 2012 movement a scam to get money. It was because of this that the Invisible Children came out with a KONY 2012 Part 2 video.

The video delved into a mash up of the news stories and interviews regarding the Invisible Children’s movement. It emphasized the intentions of all who support and are involved with Invisible Children. We could hear the voice of Jason Russell, the leader of this organization and director of the infamous videos seen at high schools, colleges, and on YouTube. He words together pieces of empathy and action into a collaboratively passionate statement: “The idea behind KONY 2012 is not new. For the first time in human history, people of the world can see each other and want to protect each other… the global community is in their backyard.”

According to the video and the words of the house speaker for the organization, what began as an attempt to overthrow the Ugandan Islamic government and rule under the Ten Commandments evaporated into a blind, fear-driven movement controlled by Joseph Kony. He is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, better known as the L.R.A., comprised of young women and men who have been abducted from their families. The women would become sex slaves and the men child soldiers. Since 2008, the L.R.A. has killed 12,500 people and displaced over 440,000 people. Currently, the L.R.A. has no political purpose except to withhold the power of the leader Joseph Kony so he can continue to rule and escape his long awaited capture. He has since fled the country of Uganda, but has retreated to Southern Sudan, the D.R. of Congo and the Central African Republic. Apparently, he is now residing in a jungle the size of California, where the U.S. advisers deployed by Obama are assisting the Ugandan military in searching for him

The film closed with tactics the Invisible Children have created in hopes of effectively emancipating the child soldiers who have been brainwashed and exploited. The tactics are civilian protection, peaceful surrender, supporting rehabilitation and reconstruction (of the child soldiers and war-torn communities), and lastly to arrest the top L.R.A. officials.

The night followed with a testimony by a woman named Oko Subia, who was a former victim in Africa. “I want you to know that I am not sitting back even though he has left my country. I am fighting to see justice prevail, knowing that the whole world wants to see justice.”

Invisible Children provided time for a Q & A session at the very end.

Illustration by Brandy Pickering

Upon learning about my enrollment at BC, someone I have just met will typically ask me to disclose my major. “I don’t know,” may have been a valid response in high school, but with my Associates Degree being awarded at the end of the quarter and the immediate transfer to a four-year university, I’m going to need to decide a major before I register for classes.

If you’re struggling to make that final decision, you’re not alone. In fact, according to the National Academic Advising Association, 20-50 percent of new college students are undecided. Here are some suggestions about how to pick your major by exploring aclasses at BC.

The most obvious tip is to consider what your interests are. Perhaps you love interacting with people or working on the computer. For the general Associate in Arts and Sciences degree, a vast range of classes are required, including 30 credits worth of electives. Investigate the classes regarding topics that peak your interest. There’s everything from psychology to cultural and ethnic studies to communications offered at BC.

If you are not keen on investing money in a class to explore interests, then check out the numerous BC clubs on campus. Join the computer science club, the business club, or one of the various cultural clubs. Visit the front desk of Student Programs in room C212 for a list of chartered clubs. Clubs provide excellent networking opportunities, friendship building, and an expansion of knowledge within that particular area.

Not all people can sort out their interests easily though. In this situation, think about what useful skills you possess. You may not necessarily enjoy writing essays for English class, but if you continually receive A’s, then pay attention to it. Or you may be one to help your peers whenever you are working in a lab because you follow the material easily. It can be shocking to come to the realization that  things you do well may not necessarily be the things you enjoy doing. In that case, mold it around your interests or hobbies.

Another factor to take into consideration is your desired future. Take into account a love or hate for traveling, working with children, technology, and living in rural versus urban environments, as picking one major over another may cause larger effects in your life than anticipated.

If all else fails, set goals for your preferred paycheck. Do you want to work hard and make a lot of money? Or do you want to spend lots of time with family and make enough to live comfortably? The Department of Labor published the top paying careers as being a natural sciences or marketing manager. The majority of the highest paying jobs are in the science fields.

While science-related careers offer great wages, the expenses and time to get to that level of income may turn some people off. Do not let the cost of a major dissuade you from declaring it. The financial burden may be tough, but you can apply for FASFA, scholarships, and participate in work study.

For some, talking it out may be the simplest way to make the decision about which major to declare. Meet with one of BC’s academic advisors to figure out what would be the best option for you. More information about their department can be found at http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/advising.

In the end, a major is a major. The average American worker will change careers anywhere from three to five times in their lifetime, and this number is continuing to rise.

Pick your major for your own benefits and not because of what your parents or friends may tell you. Use your time at BC to explore your interests and expand your knowledge. Let BC help you learn more about who you are and what you plan to become.

Graphic by Seth Walker

In approximately one week, the entire content of your class will be summed up into a two-hour exam, and to emphasize the importance of this final, realize that many professors have made the final a large percentage of your grade (up to one-third). This is one test you cannot bomb. But in order to succeed, you must first prepare. That’s where effective studying comes in handy.

First off, you need to designate study time in not just one but several days. Cramming the night before may have worked in high school, but only because classes do not span over a year, instead, only a few months. Find a way to effectively divide up the material you need to review before the final. Perhaps conquer three chapters a day before the week is over. By distributing your studying material, you will have a higher retention level.

The location of where you study matters. While the cafeteria is nice because you can casually chat with friends and munch on pizza, it’s not the best. Though some may be able to effectively focus in busy environments, the majority of students need a quiet environment filled with minimal distractions. There are several great study spots on campus: The math/writing lab, the library, the student programs study area, the science (S) building, and if the weather is nice, the outside tables in the courtyards.

Once you have established a schedule and location to study, it’s time to get that information in your head! A lot of professors will provide a study guide that you should utilize completely. In the event that you are fortunate enough to have a study guide, break it up in such a way that works for you. Visually, it may be easier to arrange a section for terms and the other side for definitions.

Depending on the subject, a chapter by chapter arrangement is easier so there is space to practice problems and review the information in a chronological order.

The goal is to have a completed study guide. Although I do admit to writing in super small and messy handwriting, I find that finishing the study guide on a separate piece of paper helps to organize my notes better and can easily be understood when referring back to it later.

While you’re in the process of filling out the study guide, look back at your notes, textbook, and online course content. Do your best to thoroughly understand each term/concept. The positive portion of studying is that you’ve already learned the content, you just need to review it and have a good understanding of the material.

In the event a study guide was not provided, talk with your professor after class about the format of the test, what to expect, and how they would suggest preparing. There may be material you will be tested on that you did not even know would be on the test. After some studying hints from your professor, go through your notes and figure out what the biggest topics are and how you can familiarize yourself with them.

Repetition is tedious, but it will be effective depending on what type of learner you are. Keep doing the practice math problems in your textbook over and over to understand how to solve those types of problems on your math exam. Continue hand writing the definitions of the terms on your study guide until they stick in your mind.

Another studying technique is creating and using flashcards. The wait for the bus can go much quicker when you’re quizzing yourself. If you love human interaction, grab a pal and have them quiz you. Perhaps even turn it into a game and see how many flashcards you can get through within a certain period of time. Compare it to that of a friendly competitor. There are even free flashcard applications available for smart phones. The trick with studying is that if you put effort into making it fun, it can be just that!

Whenever I begin to study, everything on the Internet just seems so much more interesting than what I need to get done. Whether it is from Facebook pictures to Skype chats to reading about what’s going on in the world, the Internet is a huge distraction. If you’re studying for a class that does not require the use of Internet, refrain from using it. Lacking self control? Physically turn your Internet off.

It can sometimes be tempting to get up and go searching for food. If you enjoy snacks, prepare some ahead of time. Even though it’s oh-so-tempting to grab the flamin’ hot cheetos and a bowl of ice cream, go for fruits, nuts, or sliced meat. Have a glass of water and a tasty drink by your side. My favorite study snack is a Nutella smoothie (one tablespoon of Nutella, one cup of milk, a banana, and one forth cup of ice).

Don’t let studying be the death of you. Do not sit for more than two hours at a time, and give yourself breaks to step away from studying and allow yourself to be refreshed.

Lastly, arrange a reward for yourself. Besides being motivated to be academically successful, you will have an additional incentive to keep on going. If all else fails, get your friends to root for you to keep on working hard!

Courtesy of http://lifeandsound.blogspot.com

A week off of school is not something to be taken lightly. I know a lot of people whose plans for spring break can be explained in one of two words: “Sleep” or “nothing.”
With as many amazing opportunities, activities, and cool places as this area of our lovely green state has, that is simply not an acceptable plan.
“But…what is there to do here?”
Hey, I get it. It’s hard to realize and remember what’s in a place when you’ve lived for so long – you almost become desensitized to your surroundings.
But never fear – I have a list of awesome, free or relatively cheap stuff to do. Just because you don’t have a plane ticket doesn’t mean you can’t have some vacation-worthy experiences.
The Washington Park Arboretum
Located in Seattle and owned by UW, the arboretum contains a lush 320 acres of greenery. It has greenhouses, expansive trails, and plenty of places to picnic (weather permitting). There are two bus routes that run there (43 and 48).
Fremont Troll
Made of rebar steel and concrete, the Fremont Troll is a free exhibit located under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. A great photo opportunity, and if you have any younger siblings you can give them quite a scare (or they might just enjoy making faces at it; everyone’s different). Friday, March 23 is “Cajun Night,” a free night of live music and fun located near the Troll at the Gypsy Pub & Café. Thursday, March 29 is a free Open Mike Night in the same café.
Snoqualmie Falls
This is another great photo op. Nearby is a gift shop ,as well as other quaint little shops in historic downtown Snoqualmie, including The Black Dog, a restaurant that has “Fare Share Suppers  on Monday nights 5:30-7:00 p.m. The concept of these is to “pay what you can for dinner,” meant to help families that are working hard to stretch their food budget.
Chism Beach Park
Tucked away in Bellevue, this place has a gorgeous view (though I wouldn’t recommend swimming just yet…).
International District, Seattle
This is a really awesome place with cheap food.
Pike Place Market
Not only does Pike Place have cheap food, it also has free samples.
Red Robin
Get a table with a friend (or a few). Order two drinks, and one plate of fries. Refills on both are free for as long as you want.
Barbeque
To save money, ask people to bring one food/drink item to contribute (another weather permitting activity, but as long as it’s dry.
Spontaneous Road Trip
This is probably the least cheap, given gas prices and all. But odds are one of your friends has a car, and chipping in for gas and snacks can be worth it in the name of adventure. See where you end up. There’s no telling what you’ll discover, and the act of going somewhere unknown is exciting and gives an intoxicating feeling.
Bellevue Library
I know, I know, a lot of you are probably sick of studying in libraries by the time finals are over. However, if you’re like me and love books any time of the year, this is a really great place to go. Their corner bookshop (near the entrance) is stocked with tons of great, gently used books, some for as little as 25 cents.
Even if you’re not into the whole book deal, given that it’s one of the bigger libraries in the KCLS system, they have a pretty big collection of DVDs. You can check out a few for a movie night for way less than Blockbusters.