When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip (our chips)

I would define chips and salsa as a main food group.  I might also include guacamole and cheese dip (or queso, for you Texans) in that group. Really, I'm not kidding. Chips with salsa (or other wonderful salty toppings) is the holy grail of all snacks. In my household, there is always an endless supply of tortilla chips. If there aren't at least two family-sized bags of Tostitos Scoops, something is seriously wrong. My roommates and I religiously eat them. Whether it's nachos on movie night, or one of us needs some comfort food, chips and salsa is the perfect way to say "Hola, te amo. ¿Querias estar contenta?"(look it up).

Regardless of my endless love for salsa, I have recently found that there is more to that word than the mere spicy tomato and pepper sauce. 

I found myself stumped this week when trying to find a cheap thrill. Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of ideas (I have quite the extensive list, just you wait!), but none we're speaking to me in the moment. So, while leaving the library one day, I grabbed a Flagpole newspaper. I brought it home, grabbed a highlighter and some chips and salsa, and browsed through it at my desk. Boom. There it was. Salsa dance lessons. Sold! 

That's right. This week, I went salsa dancing in Athens. I imagined I would look something like this: 

Well, let me tell you, I did. 

Kidding! Kind of... 

So, where does one go salsa dancing in Athens on a Wednesday night for only ten dollars? Read the Athens Flagpole newspaper, and you might find out that SALSAthens hosts salsa dance lessons every Wednesday night at Little Kings Shuffle Club. The offer sounded too good to pass up, so I decided to go for it. 

I have never danced salsa, but I danced and cheered when I was younger so I figured I couldn't be all that bad. Of course, there was no way I was going at this alone, so I dragged my friend Kathryn to it with me (you are a saint, woman). We walked into Little Kings Shuffle Club, timid and not knowing what to expect. In we walk, only to find a group of very talented, intimidating dancers, salsa-ing their lives away. I mean, these dancers were amazing. I nearly had a heart attack. I thought that we had arrived early, but had we confused the time? Was I supposed to have pre-watched salsa tutorial YouTube videos? Was I supposed to know how to dip, flip, bend, turn, and shake like these people? Am I a life failure? 

Lo and behold, I was mistaken. The intermediate/advanced class happened to be finishing up their class right before ours would commence. Hazaah! I was no longer a life failure. Kathryn and I proceeded to the check-in desk where we paid ten dollars for the class, and found out that a drink was also included in the package. We were easily the youngest people in the club so far, and needed something to ease the tension. We meandered over to the bar to get a glass of wine, and I noticed that one of the advanced dancers looked oddly familiar, but disregarded it and continued on with Kathryn. 

Some time later, an instructor starts playing music and everyone jumps in. Mildly confused and flustered, Kathryn and I set down our glasses and jumped in, having absolutely no idea what on earth we were doing. The instructor started yelling out random words and phrases and people would yell, clap, and turn while dancing. Meanwhile, Kathryn and I are bumping into every human in sight. We both looked at each other in a bit of a panic, wondering when the actual "instructing" process was supposed to happen, praying it would be soon. Luckily, the song finished and everyone gathered to listen to the instructor. 

Thankfully, she split us up based on past salsa experience. Even more thankfully, Kathryn and I weren't the only beginners. The beginners group would be instructed by Daniel, one of the dancers from the advanced class. As we split up into our groups and met our instructors, it hit me. Daniel was not just an above-average salsa dancer. He was also my predictive modeling and optimization professor from last semester. We even took a picture. 

I must say that I did draw some similarities between his math teaching styles and his salsa teaching styles, but as you can imagine the material was a tad different. Daniel (or Dr. Yanosky, as I used to call him) taught us all about the different styles and types of salsa dancing. During our class, we learned about Cuban (or casino) salsa dancing, which is different from the ever-popular l.a. style salsa dancing. I learned how to do the guapea step, enchufla, vuelta, and dile que no. I would try to explain all of these cool moves to you but there are two things stopping me: a) it's super top secret, you'll have to show up and find out on Wednesday nights, and b) it's entirely too complicated and over my head for me to explain all of that via this blog. I would need some form of a 3D online diagram. 

 While you might be cringing at the thought of dancing and learning salsa with my professor,  I can assure you it really wasn't half bad.  I can honestly say that I had I a ball (or a fiesta),  and that I might even be back Little Kings Shuffle Club next Wednesday at 7:30. Everyone that I met was unbelievably kind, even if they were twenty and thirty years older than me. I learned everyones names, and was approached countless times being encouraged to join other Latin American dance groups and clubs all around Athens. I even tried joining the Latin Athens Facebook group. Apparently they are a great time. 

While Little Kings doesn't maintain a large profile on social media accounts, they are not obsolete. Instead, they maintain the townie/classic city/hipster appeal, and don't necessarily care to appeal to the student crowds. As of August 2015, Little Kings Shuffle Club officially began prohibiting anyone under the age of 25 to enter on Friday and Saturday nights, in order to maintain a more established, tidier profile. They are frequently written about in the flagpole Athens newspaper, and also post regularly to their Facebook page, hosting many different events throughout the course of the year. 

So, my friends, I will leave you with these final words. Are you sitting on your couch? Are you eating chips and salsa? Is it Wednesday? If you answered yes to any of the above then I highly recommend that you get off that couch, and get salsa-ing! You can even bring the chips and salsa with you. Grab a friend, and spend that ten dollars on a great time and some good dancing (instead of the Wendy's you know you don't need anyways). Here is a picture of Kathryn and I being adventurous and trying new things. I hope it inspires you. 

This could be you! 

A Helping Hand and A Thicker Wallet

What better way to spend your days then lending a helping hand to those in need? My cheap thrill number two for this week was volunteering with Books for Keeps, a local nonprofit organization in Athens. Books for Keeps was founded locally in 2009 by Melaney Smith, decided to take a leap of faith and tackle an issue that had been nagging at her heart. When Melaney saw one child’s simple desire for an education, there was no turning back. 

The idea of Books For Keeps came to Melaney six years ago when her niece, MK, first joined a local mentor program. MK noticed that the children she was mentoring could not afford the materials required to make the most of their education. It all started when MK overheard a little girl say, “I wish I had a book at my house.”

With no books at home, and no access to a public library, many children lose the opportunity to learn and build on their reading skills during summer. What’s more, Melaney realized many of those children would actually lose reading skills entirely. Seeing this, Melaney took action that lead to a vast change in the lives of children across the community.

Some would have chosen to observe the situation and say, “someone should do something about this.” Well, Melaney decided to be that person. She took the situation into her own hands and said, “I am somebody. I can do something.” As Melaney began to build on this thought in her personal blog posts, she sought advice and ideas. These ideas led to the creation of an organization that has provided 185,000 books to children since 2009. Never in her wildest dreams did Melaney think that her idea would turn into such an amazing reality.

Now, you're probably thinking, "why is she talking so much about BFK? What's the point here?" Here's what I'm getting at. I have volunteered with Books For Keeps for a little over a year and a half now. It began with my involvement within my sorority, it grew as I became the philanthropy chair, and it expanded vastly when I decided to intern for them and volunteer regularly. Volunteering is one of the most rewarding, cheapest thrills that this girl can ask for. 

BFK offers weekly volunteer hours in their warehouse, and man do they need the help! The strong, amazing women who run this organization spend their time and hard work in the warehouse, moving and organizing hundreds of palettes and boxes of books. So, this past week, I went and helped out in the warehouse, and also brought some lightly used books for them to sell in their yearly book sales. 

Through my position as an intern with Books for Keeps, I handle many different aspects of this nonprofit. Currently, a graduate intern and I are working on compiling information for the first-ever annual report done by Books for Keeps. I also help manage social media accounts, blog posts, community involvement, and perform some market research for them. So, naturally, I'm kinda tuned into all the different ways BFK chooses to reach out to the local community. 

As a local nonprofit organization, Facebook tends to be the largest Books for Keeps media hub. It is the media site with the most following and attraction. Considering that the target segment demographic lies somewhere between parents, local contributors, and students, Facebook seems to be the easiest way to provide sufficient outreach. Instagram is generally used mores for informational blurbs and feel-good attitude posts, where thank you notes (from children that received books) are posted along with other photos from book distributions and local community activity. 

As Books for Keeps continues to grow, so do Melaney’s hopes for the future, and for the impact that can be made. Books for Keeps is laying the ground-work to reach more children. Feel free to browse around the website and social media accounts (click the hyperlinks!) and check out all the great ways you can get a cheap thrill while lending a helping hand to those in need. 

Make a donation. Lend a hand. Make a difference in a child’s life.

She said "It's fo free!"

What's a broke girl in college to do for fun? Nothing. Everything costs an arm and a leg these days. I'm serious. You want to exercise? That'll be fifteen bucks a class. You want to eat? At least $20 to fill this girl up... better not. You want to see a movie? Let's just count the tickets, popcorn, a slurpee, the gas to get to the theatre... there goes another $30.

Every activity we try to do nowadays costs something. Whether it's time, money, patience, happiness, or dignity, you will wind up paying something. So, what am I here for? I, friends, am here to save you that extra penny. Trust me, these pennies add up.

My name is Katerina Papadopoulos. I am a senior at the University of Georgia, majoring in marketing. Throughout the course of my college career, I have wound through all the in's and out's of Athens, trying to squeeze my way into every possible fun activity, concert, exercise class, and restaurant in Athens. Well, four years later, my parents have had enough. "THOU SHALT NOT SPEND... ith. Well, at least not our money" was the essence of that conversation. So, it is now my job to navigate through my second semester of my senior year, scraping through the depths of my piggy bank, and find ways to have fun while getting the best bang for my buck.

I have to be a little realistic. What is reasonable? I can't just beg for scraps from my friends at the dinner table (been there, done that). Instead, my goal is to find activities and deals for ten dollars or less in Athens, and tell you if it's actually worth it. I make no promises...

My first experience luckily came right to my front door. Literally. Two of my friends stopped by my house yesterday afternoon, yoga mats at hand. Emily, my friend who has been on an exercise-healthy-yogi kick, said, "We're going to yoga. Go get your mat." What choice did I have? She was at my house, waiting for me, and to top it all off, she said, "It's free." I asked no further questions and ran to grab my yoga mat. I didn't quite understand this concept of a free yoga class, but my quads were still burning from my PE Volleyball class that morning, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

We decided to walk to the yoga studio, considering it was only about a mile away from my house. As we approached the area on Pulaski Dr., I noticed so many different restaurants and shops located in the upcoming shopping center. My nasal senses primarily noticed Pulaski Heights BBQ, making me contemplate my decision to exercise. Nevertheless, we continued in to one entrance, titled Rubber Soul Yoga.

This yoga studio was tiny, but great. Their mission is in essence to provide the community with a yoga class that is affordable for all, which is why they operate off of donations. Hazaah! I get to declare how much I want to pay to get exercise? SWEET. Naturally, I left my wallet at home and felt absolutely horrible about it, but have no fear! I fully intend to go donate on my next visit. Yes, there will be a next visit. This yoga studio was warm and comforting, filled with kind instructors who had great, happy-go-lucky attitudes. They are also extremely skilled in what they do.

Given the size of their studio space, I can understand why they may not be able to broadcast the fact that they are a free establishment. They do have an active instagram account, which I followed, mainly because they have nice refreshing quotes and cool flexible people doing yoga poses that I could never imagine doing. Regardless, I would recommend giving them a follow and checking out their website as well. I found that their website has so many answers to the unanswered questions of yoga (and beyond). Feel free to check them out at http://www.rubbersoulyoga.com or give them a follow @rubbersoul_athens on instagram.

So, what are you waiting for? Go. Do. Be Fit. It's fo free! Take my wise, 22-year-old words of wisdom and go into the world. Save your pennies and find those cheap thrills.