A New Year's Night with Zetas

“Why would you want to go back to Austin for New Year's Eve?” I foolishly asked my older brother, also a UT student, last year. Before coming to the University of Texas at Austin, I did not understand how he could possibly want to go spend time with his college friends when his high school friends and family were right here in Dallas. Well, now that I know for myself what it is like to be a UT student, I know that being home with nothing to do for 18 days is a long time. That’s how long I was at home in Dallas before venturing back to Austin for New Year's. Although being home and watching hours of Netflix each day has had its perks, it does not compare to the constant commotion that UT offers. Even though we all missed our own beds, our puppies, and our families over the past semester, I was not the only person ready for a taste of Austin again. So, for New Year's, three of my pledge sisters and I ventured to Austin to ring in the New Year with our new friends.

            Four girls piled into one car to drive 300 miles for one night. And what would a road trip be without some Starbucks? About halfway there we all started pining for some coffee, something to keep us warm for the freezing (not quite, but 40 degrees seemed pretty cold to us) weather. With approximately 600 Starbucks in Texas it would seem pretty easy to find one, but somehow the only one near us at the time was, unbeknownst to us, nestled inside of a Target. We detoured off the highway and searched the nearby shopping center for a Starbucks building, but we couldn't find one. After a few minutes of searching and feeling really oblivious, we finally discovered it in the Target and continued on our way.

            Every restaurant booked, every street packed on New Year’s Eve, we decided to make a delicious dinner of chips and guacamole, sautéed vegetables, and rice to avoid the crowd and to keep us full for the night. Because we avoided the hassle of going out, we got to spend time with each other within the comfort of Taylor’s apartment, as Tori sang and danced to the songs that beamed out of the TV. What better way to spend New Year's than with your Zistas, even if it involves cramming 11 girls into one apartment? At the end of the night, even though we all lost each other at our various New Year's events, we all ended up back at Taylor’s apartment, crammed on couches, floors, and air mattresses, but sleeping well nonetheless. I wouldn’t have wanted to start off 2015 with anyone else, and that’s when I discovered how strong the bond of sisterhood really is. 

ZLAM!

Anna Anderson