Back to the Carolinas: Winston-Salem Diary 2019

September 24, 2019

Back to the Carolinas: Winston-Salem Diary 2019

Dream. Plan. Do.

I spent my summer at this building

I was given a chance to spend the summer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and I decided to keep a diary of my time there. I didn't get chance to really explore the town but I will do so one day.

[Winston-Salem Diary Day 1]

I left CLT around 1: 50pm and arrived at Winston-Salem around 3:30pm. The drive wasn't long or crowded due to Memorial Weekend
I booked a room at the Best Western Plus University Inn. The room was nice, clean and spacious
The staff at the hotel were friendly... well I said hi to everyone I saw and they were kind to me
after checking in, I went to look for food since I had not eaten. There were several restaurants around the hotel. For the first day I chose Elizabeth Pizzeria (which is an Italian restaurant). The cooking staff were very nice but the waitress :- ( Maybe I caught her while she was being overwhelmed or having a bad day but I was not impressed with her attituded.
I ended the day with a workout at the hotel gym.

[Winston-Salem Day 2]

I woke up around 7:15 am and prayed, washed up and went to the lobby for breakfast
The hotel breakfast section had an omelet station and the lady was nice and kind. I made my own waffle, got fruits, water, coffee and waited for my omelet to be made.
The breakfast was good; it's been a while since I've had breakfast. I usually have coffee and some fruits for breakfast but it was nice to actually eat food for a change
I went back to my room and got ready for the day
I spent the day touring Wake Forest University (WFU). Particularly the Law School since I would be spending a month at the law school.
afterwards, I went to the No 1 Chinese restaurant nearby. I got pork fried rice with General Tso Chicken (very healthy)

[Winston-Salem Day 3]

I did not sleep well the night before due to nonsense but I ended up waking up early and prayed
I got up and got ready. I went downstairs from breakfast.
I went to WFU early, hoping to get my parking pass situation resolved but I had to wait 30 minutes before the office open up
I got my parking pass and started my day
after completing my task on WFU, I went the get food at the restaurant that I wanted to try on Memorial Day called Putter.
the food at this restaurant was good. I order a Birdie Burger with sweet potatoes fries and the waiter was nice. Since I'm obsessed with sweet potatoes fries, I order a small box of sweet potatoes fries to go
When I got back to my room, I relaxed a little and watch the Big Bang theory (I love that show; I'm sad that it over) and got ready to work on a few projects that I had to do that evenings before going to do Pilates and ABS workout
Another good happened, the bar/lounge was open at the hotel which is good especially after a long day; I got a glass of Pink Zinfandel

[Winston-Salem Day 4]

I had a good night sleep; plus, I did not have to wake up early so I stayed in bed for an extra 30 minutes
I got up, prayed, listen to the Rosary and got ready for the day
I had breakfast at the hotel and left for campus
I finished my tasks at the WFU. I went back to the hotel to drop my things off and then I went to get food
prior to arriving at the restaurant, I had a mini break down due to all that was happening in my personally. But c'est la vie and God is still God regardless of my circumstances.
I had to lunch at Arriba Villa and the staff were so nice and the meal was good
I went back to the hotel. I got all my projects completed. I changed into my workout gear but I couldn't go to the gym because it was close … why? I don't know
I end doing ABS work out in my room then went showering
I drank coffee and went to bed.

[Winston-Salem Day 5]

I woke up tired maybe due to my late night coffee drink
I prayed, listen to the audio recording of the Rosary and got ready for the day
I got down to the lobby for breakfast; the breakfast lady was wonderful as always
afterward, I went to WFU for another long and fun day
Once I was done with my task at WFU, I went to get food. I decided to go to Prime Tyme Soul Café (World Famous Prime) restaurant. The food was good and the staff was great. I got ordered sweet potatoes fries with a hamburger sandwich.
I ate my food and went back to the hotel. Once I got into my room around 2:30pm and realized that my room had not been cleaned (I did not have a DO NOT DISTRUB sign outside my door). I assumed that since my room was at the 4th floor, housekeeping were on their ways. So I got down to the lobby and play with my phone for 45 minutes giving them time (I hoped) to work in peace. After 45 minutes had passed, I went up to my room and guess what? my room was not cleaned. I called the receptionist, and the nice lady said that she was sending someone up. Since I wanted to give whomever she was sending up space and peace to work, I went back down to the lobby and played with my phone for 45 more minutes. Afterwards, I asked the receptionist if my room was ready but lucky for me the manager was there and she took over and went to check. She came back and told me that it wasn't done and apologized. I asked for towels since mine were dirty. One of the staff members brought the towels to my room and got the dirty ones and apologized again.
Although Best Western Plus University Inn has its flaws, one thing for sure is that it has nice and kind staff members.
Once I got settled in my room, I packed, worked on some tasks, showered and got ready for bed.

[Winston-Salem Day 6]

I got into Winston-Salem around 4 pm. I checked in at the same hotel as last week
after checking in, I went to Elizabeth Pizzeria again for Chicken Alfredo and the original Stromboli. As always the cooking staff were nice and the waitress this time was friendly, approachable and had patience
I went back to my room and unpack. I went back to the restaurant to pick up my food
the food was good. I was impressed. So I give it an A!
after finishing my food, I started working on a project that I had hope to get done before 9pm. But It didn't work out that way.
I showered and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 7]

I woke up around 6: 30 am. I didn't sleep well due to a minor back pain and overthinking
I prayed, listen to the audio recoding of the Rosary and got ready for the day
I went downstairs and had breakfast
I went to WFU for the day
after finishing early, I went to change into my workout gear so that I could go run on campus
I went running Wake Forest for 40 minutes and I loved it. I will definitely try again
after running, I went to Jimmy the Greek Restaurant and got a gyro and grilled chicken salad which was round 2 pm
I got to my room and realized that it had not been CLEANED! This is the second time that I have stayed at the Best Western Plus University Inn and they did not clean my room even though I did not have a sign outside my room
I went downstairs, spoke to the receptionist again. She gave some towels and told me that she will let housekeeping know.
also for some reasons the WiFi and phone line was down the whole day at the hotel so I could not do my work.
I called my sister at midnight to wish her a happy birthday and I went to bed.

[Winston-Salem Day 8]

I woke up, listen to the rosary and got ready for the day
I went downstairs and spoke to the receptionist about housekeeping ( I know its petty but this is the SECOND time this had happened to me)
I got breakfast and went to campus
after I got done with my course on campus. I got ready for a run around WFU
after my run, I went to get some Chinese food at the No 1 Chinse Restaurant again. I guess I walked on one of the delivery drivers having a bad day but it was an interesting scene watching all the drama unfold
I ordered pork fried rice and hibachi shrimp. Clearly I was not thinking about my diet :-( The hibachi shrimp was different from the ones I had before at other restaurants, it was basically, shrimp in some sauce with veggies
Also, housekeeping finally visited my room, I could tell by my new towel, made bed, coffee and unclean bath tub. Unfortunately, the hotel still had not WiFi so I could not do my work.

[Winston-Salem Day 9]

I woke up before my alarm. why? I don't know!
I got up, prayed, listen to the audio recording of the Rosary and got ready for the day
I went to get breakfast and went to WFU
after I finished my task at campus. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to stay at the campus library and review or go back to my room and review there
after walking around for 5 minutes looking confused, I decided to go back to my room
I got food at Putter. I order the same thing as last time and brought back to my room
I surveyed my room and realized that housekeeping did come due to my trash bins being changed, new towels, coffee, made bed and UNCLEAN bath tub
So I cleaned the bath tub and then ate my lunch/dinner
Best Western Plus University Inn-at University Parkway is a good place to stay if you are on the budget, need to be close to WFU and don't care for clean room and bath

[Winston-Salem Day 10]

I woke up, prayed and got ready for the day
I got breakfast and went to WFU
after finishing my task at WFU, I changed into my running clothes and went running
I love running at WFU. There is a trail near the campus and it's perfect for a run
after my run, I drove to Jimmy the Greek restaurant and got a chicken parmesan pasta with a salad. The food was good and the staff was nice
I got to my room at Best Western Plus University Inn and as always housekeeping did not clean the bath tub so I cleaned it before I showered
after showing, I studied and went to seelp

[Winston-Salem Day 11]

I woke up, prayed, listen to the rosary and got ready
packed my bags since I was checking out and driving back to CLT
went downstairs for breakfast and checked out
I drove to WFU
after finishing at WFU, I drove back to CLT for the weekend

[Winston-Salem Day 12]

I got into Winston-Salem around 3: 35pm due to the rain storm. I checked into Best Western-Hanes Mall
my room at Best Western Hanes Mall was smaller than the previous one but I got a microwave and fridge
After checking in, I unpack since I was going to be staying there for 2 weeks.
after I settled in, I studied a little bit. Ate the food I brought with me from hone, showered, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 13]

I woke up, prayed, listen to the rosary and got ready for the day
I went downstairs and ate breakfast. Unfortunately, this hotel did not have an omelet station but they do have a kind staff
I went to WFU then went to run my errands
Then I went to this restaurant called BJ near Hanes Mall to get lunch. I got the boneless wings and sweet potatoes fries
I went back to my room and found my room cleaned and dusted including a clean bath tub
ate lunch and then studied
I did Yoga and ABS workout
showered and journaled then I went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 14]

I woke up, prayed, listen to the rosary, and got ready for the day
I went downstairs and got breakfast
ran errand, then went to WFU to study
got lunch from Red Robbins near Hanes Mall, I got a Southern Charm Burger with sweet potatoes fries
went back to my clean room, ate lunch and studied
I did Pilates and ABS workout
showered, journaled and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 15]

I woke, prayed, listen to the rosary and got ready for the day
I went downstairs and got breakfast
I went to WFU
after I was done with my lectures, I changed into my running gear and went running around campus
after running, I went to the BJ restaurant to get dinner to go
I got grilled chicken alfredo pasta and it was delicious
after getting my dinner, I went to my clean room and ate dinner
showered, studied, journaled, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 16]

I woke up, prayed, stayed in bed for 5 more minutes then got up and got ready for the day
I got breakfast and went to WFU. As I was leaving the parking lot of the hotel, I realized that I had left my USB that I needed for the lecture in my room, so I made a U-Turn and went back to my room to get it
I drove to WFU and realized that I left my earphone in my room
after I was done with my lecture at WFU, I walked to Chick Fil A (yes, there's a chick fil a at WFU)
after devouring my yummy chick fil a meals ( got two meals; I tend to overeat when I'm sad or stress now a days) then I went to the Student Commons Area and studied
after being done with work, I drove back to the hotel and my room was CLEAN
I reviewed my notes for a few hours, completed some quizzes then changed into my workout gear
I went to the Fitness Center and rode the stationary bike for 45 minutes then went back upstairs and did some ABS workout
I showered, journaled, and prayed. Then I watched YouTube videos and end up falling asleep around 1 am

[Winston-Salem Day 17]

I woke up tired as hell, prayed, got up, listen to the rosary and got ready
I took forever to get ready and went downstairs for breakfast
after breakfast, I drove to WFU
lecture was only 3 hours and afterward I changed into my running clothes and went running around WFU. I ran for 50 minutes. WFU is so big and pretty, I hope to be able to run the entire campus before my time at WFU ends.
after running, I drove to Red Robbins at Hanes Mall and got the Charm Burger with Sweet Potatoes Fries
I went back to the hotel and ate Dinner
I went to shower, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 18]

I woke up around 9 am, prayed, and got ready for the day
ate breakfast, then went to one of the conference room to study
it took me 3 hours to finally start studying then by that time, housekeeping came in to vacuum
I drop my bag in my room and went to TGI Fridays for Lunch/Dinner
I ordered the chicken parmesan pasta
somehow something got mess up with my order and the manager came out and told me that my meal will be covered by them due to their mistake
after TGI Fridays, I went back to my room and continue with my poor attempt of studying

touring the campus

[Winston-Salem Day 19]

I woke up, showered, and placed a DO NOT DISTRUB sign on my door with the intent on staying in to study
however, due to being sleepy, exhausted and tired, I end up leaving my room at 12pm to go get food
I went to Olive Garden. it was a good experience
I went back to my room and studied until midnight

[Winston-Salem Day 20]

I woke exhausted, prayed, listen to the Rosary and got ready
went downstairs and got breakfast and drove to WFU
after lecture, I changed into my running clothes and went running around WFU
ran for 50 minutes but it was a much a needed run
after my run, I went back to my hotel room for a shower and order Room Inn
after I ate, I spent all evening stung then did ABS workout, prayed and went bed at midnight

[Winston-Salem Day 21]

woke up tired, prayed, listen to the Rosary and got ready for the day
went downstairs, got breakfast then drove to WFU for another day fill with long lectures
after my lectures, I went to the Commons Area and study
order Room Inn and studied
I order 12 inch Philly Steak Calzone and a garden salad. It was good. I went downstairs to buy water since I'm out of water
study some more 2 hours. changed into workout gear and did Pilates and ABS workout
shower, prayed, journal and off to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 22]

woke up, prayed, listen to the Rosary, and got ready for the day
went downstairs, got breakfast and drove to WFU
went to lecture and after lecture I went to the common area to study
after studying, I went to the BJ restaurant and order food
I got chicken fettucine alfredo, salad and sweet potatoes fries. Yes, that's a lot of food but I was feeling low and hungry
after eating my meal, I studied some more. Then I attempted to workout but since I was exhausted and tired, I did ABS workout then showered, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 23]

woke tired as hell, prayed, listen to Rosary and got ready for the day
went downstairs, got breakfast and drove to WFU
went to Lecture and after Lecture I went to the common area to study
after studying for 2 hours, I left WFU and drove to Olive Garden for late lunch/early dinner
I order chicken and shrimp cabanora pasta to go
went back to my hotel room and ate my food
study some more and shower
journal, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 24]

woke up, listen to Rosary, packed and got ready for the day
went downstairs, put bags in the car and went back to my room to get my purse
went back downstairs, checked out and ate breakfast
left Best Western Plus Hanes Mall and got gasoline and then drove to WFU
after lecture, I went to Chick Fil A and then went to the Common Area and study for a couple hours before I drove to CLT

[Winston-Salem Day 25]

I got into Winston-Salem around 3:30pm, went to TGIF Fridays to get food
I got chicken parmesan pasta. It was good but the breadstick was too hard
went to Best Western Plus Hanes Mall and checked in
after I unpacked, I started studying
studied until 11pm, showered, prayed and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 26]

woke up, listen to Rosary, packed and got ready for the day
went back downstairs, ate breakfast and drove to WFU
after lecture, I went to Commons Area to study. After studying for 3 hours, I order food from Olive Garden for pick up
I got a salad, breadstick, a fettucine alfredo pasta and chicken pasta
I put the chicken pasta in the fridge for the next day
I ate the salad, breadstick and alfredo pasta
studied some more, changed into workout gear, did some ABS work out, stretch and showered
prayed, journal and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 27]

woke up, listen to Rosary, packed and got ready for the day
went downstairs, ate a little breakfast and drove to WFU
since I arrived on campus an 1 hour early, I study for a little
then lecture begins
after lecture, I changed into my workout gear and went running around WFU for 50 minutes
after my run, I went back to my room and showered
after my shower, I warm up leftovers and ate it for my lunch/dinner
after my meal, I study until 10pm
prayed, journal and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 28]

woke pup, prayed, listen to the rosary and got ready for the day
went downstairs and ate a small breakfast
drove to WFU and arrived an hour early and study
then lecture started
after lecture, I went to the Common Area and studied 2 hours
I order lunch/dinner from the BJ restaurant
I got a burger, clam chowder, garlic knot, and sweet potatoes fries
I finished the sweet potatoes fries before I got to my room. I ate it all while driving back to my room.
got to my room and finished eating
started studying. I studied for 4 more hours
I changed into my workout gear and workout for 1 hour
showered, prayed, journal and went to bed

[Winston-Salem Day 29]

woke up, prayed, listen to the Rosary and got ready for the day
went downstairs, got a little breakfast and left for WFU
drove to WFU. I got there early and I was able to do one practice problem
then lecture started.
after lecture, I went to the common area and studied
after 2 hours, I changed into my work out gear and went running around WFU
afterward I went back to my room
I reheated the leftover pasta from Olive Garden
after eating, I went to shower and then I studied some more
then prayed, journal, and went bed

[Winston-Salem Day 30]

woke up, prayed, listen to the Rosary and got ready for the day
went downstairs, got a small breakfast and left for WFU
I got to WFU early and did a mini quiz then we had a fire drill
after the fire drill, lecture started. After lecture, I went to study at the Common Area
after studying, I went running then got food and went back to my hotel room

[Winston-Salem Day 31-32]

stayed in the hotel. studied but didn't accomplished what I had planned
I went running

[Winston-Salem Day 34-35]

drove to WFU
ran around WFU campus. I'm going to miss running around this campus. it is a beautiful campus

[Winston-Salem Day 36-37]

stayed in the hotel and studied
packed my bags and prayed

[Winston-Salem Day 38-40]

stayed in the hotel and studied
packed my bags and prayed

[Winston-Salem Day 41-42]

on day 41, I went to my last lecture. After lecture, I went running around WFU campus for the last time. I got dinner at the BJ Restaurant and went back to my hotel room
on day 42, I took my written exam and left for CLT
I' am so thankful for the opportunity to be in Winston-Salem and I look forward to exploring it in the future