// Week of August 23 //
Happy Friday!!
It was an eventful week for me– law school classes started on Wednesday!
I love my classes and professors so far. We don’t have too much reading (yet), and I’m learning so much. This semester, my classes are Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Contracts, and Legal Analysis & Communication.
But between readings, I made time to continue my journey as a new Austinite.
I Shopped at a Literal Warehouse (But Not an Amazon Warehouse)
It was a BIG week for my composting game. On Tuesday, I drove to Exaco Trading Co. to buy a composting bin. I thought I was going to a local Home Depot of sorts, but this place was literally a warehouse with a few offices attached.
I walked in the front door and there were literally cubicles… So I just said, “Hi, I’m here to buy a composting bin through the city’s program.”
The staff at Exaco Trading Co. was helpful and set me up with a Mr. Spin composting bin. Basically, there are two sides to the large cylinder, which can be spun to mix the compost.
Because of my busy week (see above), I didn’t start composting yet– but I will start this weekend!
In lieu of composting content, here’s a billboard promoting composting near my house- it partly makes me laugh and partly makes me glad to live in a city that spends taxpayer dollars to market composting.
Bussmann Takes the Bus
In second grade, a boy in my class asked me if my dad drives a bus because my last name is ‘Bussmann’.
On Monday afternoon, I called my dad, and among other things I told him that I rode the bus for the first time in Austin. He said, “Well, I guess it fits with our name!”
Austin has an awesome public transit system, including buses, rapid buses that make fewer stops, and a light rail route. I got lucky– there’s a bus stop 0.2 miles from my house.
As a University of Texas at Austin student, I can ride public transit free of charge– all I had to do upon boarding was swipe my student ID. A lot of urban universities provide this for their students, so I highly recommend checking it out!
I took one route to get to campus, and the ride went really well! I grew up in the suburbs, where buses aren’t as convenient. But I’m hoping to ride the bus to campus and elsewhere pretty often.
So far, the ride to and from campus has been super convenient. The Capital Metro app is reliable and there are stops pretty close to both my house and the law school. I’m not sure if waiting for the bus and walking from the bus stop to campus will feel quite as convenient when I get busier. But for now, it’s exactly what I need and it’s the best transportation option for the environment!
A few weeks ago, I researched local news in Austin.
I looked for impartial, reliable news sources that are reflective of the community.
The major newspaper in Austin is the Austin American-Statesman. I subscribed to their afternoon email updates. However, they tend to get lost in my inbox along with marketing emails and other news emails—so I’ve only read a handful of them over the past few weeks. I just moved them to my primary inbox so that I will see and read them more often!
The other news sources that I found are the Austin Chronicle, a weekly print newspaper that’s available at a lot of local businesses. Here are the copies that I’ve read over the past few weeks:
The Chronicle reminds me a lot of the Nashville Scene, for my Vanderbilt and Nashville people!
As a student, it’s easy to tune out the rest of the world, exist in a bubble, and miss years of current events just like that.
I also added a bookmark to The Austin Villager, a Black newspaper that comes out weekly.
Lastly, The University of Texas’ undergraduate newspaper is The Daily Texan. Those of you who know me probably remember that I wrote for Vanderbilt’s undergraduate newspaper, the Vanderbilt Hustler. So you know I’ll be supporting student journalism here in Austin as well!
As a student, it’s easy to tune out the rest of the world, exist in a bubble, and miss years of current events just like that. This fall, I want to curate a manageable and informative news diet for myself. For now, that looks like reading the news when I get home from school.
Celebratory Sweets
Lastly, I rewarded myself for finishing the first week of class with a red velvet cupcake and chai latte from Upper Crust Bakery– my new favorite locally-owned small business!
That’s all for this week!
Next week, I’ll dive into local government, the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Austin, composting, and my case books (law school is getting real!).
Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more frequent updates– and check back here next Friday for the next installment of Alexa in ATX and my adventures in Austin, Texas!
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