AMR Project by Aristo Lok Him Wong

Group Choice AMR - Frita Batidos!! (Katie)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:29:25 UTC

To celebrate one last AMR in English 125, we decided to venture to the best burger joint on campus. Since its opening in 2010 in Ann Arbor, Fritas Batidos has always been busy no matter the hour or day. Through some research, we found that Eve Aronoff Fernandez learned her passion for cooking from her Jewish mother while also growing up visiting her grandmother in Miami. She was surrounded by Cuban influences, which were big factors in narrowing down her style of cooking to the famous “Batido” with a spicy chorizo sauce. We waited a thirty-minute line until we were able to order, where we found ourselves a seat at the cozy indoor picnic tables. Considering how busy it was, the food didn’t take long to come out. The burger has a tangy but savory taste. I believe that it is unique from a typical burger at any other restaurant you would find in Ann Arbor. I would recommend this place to anyone who has never tried it.

UMMA AMR (Preya)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:29:34 UTC

The museum was much prettier than we all expected, with the Upstairs exhibits being beautiful. The “Hey, We Need to Talk” by Philippa Pham Hughes caught our eye toward the end of our adventure with its vibrant colors on the floral wallpaper. I feel like this AMR assignment taught us how to truly appreciate art. Usually, we just look at art, make assumptions about it, and maybe read the description if we feel like it. But this assignment forced us to write down our first impression, and then write down what we thought of the description and note the change. I think it was an insightful experience for us and we definitely recommend checking out the second floor exhibit!

Performance AMR - Burton Memorial Bell Tower (Aristo)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:30:03 UTC

The Charles Baird Carillon is performed every weekday at noon. We wanted to look closer at the actual recital and the bells. After taking the elevator and climbing some stairs, we arrived at a small chamber at the top of the Burton Memorial Tower, which houses 53 bells of various sizes. The performance was incredibly immersive, and we could see the giant bells vibrating. However, the sounds were deafening, so we had to wear headphones provided. We recommend this experience as a group since it is very accessible as they play daily, and reaching the top floor, the view of the university is breathtaking.

Haunted Campus Lore - First United Methodist Church (Katie)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:30:33 UTC

We decided to visit the First United Methodist Church to investigate the ghost of David Lim. Food would go missing, books would be disturbed, and faint footsteps would sound from above. David Lim was a 28 year old transfer at UofM studying engineering. His grades began to slip and he was out of money. Afraid of humiliation, David resorted to using the attic at the top of the church as his home and shut himself out from the rest of the world for four years.

Upon arrival, nobody was in the building, and most of the lights were off. It initially felt scary but we decided to explore the church anyway. After lurking around, we ran into Pastor Tim where we asked him about David Lim's story. Surprisingly, he had news articles dating back to the 1950s, when David reached headlines all over the nation. He opened up the broom closet with his key and showed us the ladder that led up to the trapdoor of David’s old home.

Outdoors AMR - Law Quad (Preya)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:30:55 UTC

It was nice to sit outdoors on the Friday afternoon and take in the daylight, light breeze, and the greenery all encompassed within the four walls of the Law Quad. Our group agreed that this was a very relaxing experience, because we were present in the moment and not trying to get something tangible out of the experience. We feel like we always walk through the Law Quad to get to some of our classes, but it was nice that it was our destination for a change-- back when it was warm outside!!

What we enjoyed the most!! (Katie)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:32:58 UTC

As a group we enjoyed the diversity of the AMR options available to us throughout the semester. At the beginning of this course, we thought that this class would just be about going to different cafes or study spots and writing about them, but it’s so much more than that. We wouldn’t have even known about the Charles Baird performance or taken the time to explore the UMMA had it not been for this class. We like that there was a good variety of both restaurant/eatery, outdoor, and museum adventures available to us.

Our Top Takeaways (Aristo)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:33:25 UTC

Exploring the University of Michigan allowed us to appreciate its rich history. As freshmen, we learned about traditions, landmarks, and culture through this project. We gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for campus evolution and the effort put into preserving the buildings and their legacy. This project enriched our knowledge of the university and helped connect us with the university community.

Changes we recommend (Preya)

preyap — 2024-12-02 02:33:48 UTC

We liked the variety of AMR options, but we’d love to see more restaurant/eatery options closer to the beginning of the semester. Our group found that it was easier to bond and we had an overall more enjoyable experience during our trip to Asian Legend and Frita Batidos. I think including that within the first three weeks of the semester would be helpful in bringing the group closer together.