After a short Thanksgiving break, I am back at Susquehanna. Though I returned Sunday evening, and today is Tuesday, I still don't feel as if my focus has completely recovered, though it better come back soon since I'm approaching my first college finals (Should I be more worried about this than I am?) and have to throw together a PowerPoint and oral presentation tonight on social media in Iran, on top of other homework. I have a feeling, though, that my focus will be further impaired, due to the fact that one of the few shows I watch while at school, Glee, is on tonight.
It's strange to think that my first semester at college is almost over. I'm almost 1/8th of the way through college! I know, I know, that means I have 7/8ths left still. Even so, I'm a bit nervous that this college thing will just start going faster and faster until, before I know it, I'll be graduating. Sometimes it's still weird to think that I'm even here at all, after anticipating college for such a long time.
Speaking of next semester, I was very lucky when it came to registration. Over break, I received an e-mail saying schedules were up. To my delight, I was placed into all 4 classes I signed up for--and at the times I signed up for them too!
Here's what my SU spring will look like:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday:
Introduction to Nonfiction, 1:45-2:50 p.m.
Thought & Civilization, 3:00-4:05 p.m.
Tuesday/Thursday-:
Applied Biblical Ethics, 10:00-11:35 a.m.
Principles of Sociology, 2:25-4:05 p.m.
I also will have work from 9 to 1 on Monday and Wednesday and 10 to 12 on Friday.
I'm excited to see what I think of my new classes and my new schedule; obviously, I hope to think of them favorably. I also wonder what else next semester will have in store, like new people I'll meet in my classes and perhaps new friendships. I plan on getting involved in some different ways next semester. For example, I might start going to Lit Club. I wanted to be a part of it this semester, but it conflicted with my schedule. Also, I want to participate on a reading board for Susquehanna's literary magazine RiverCraft.
But even more so than next semester, I am looking forward to Christmas break. It will be an adjustment, having such a long stretch of time at home, but it will be a welcome one. Especially after enduring these upcoming weeks of projects and portfolios and finals.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Approaching Thanksgiving Break
As I start this blog entry, I'm about 3 hours away from Thanksgiving break, which can seem a little unfair as I know people who got to leave on Monday or over the weekend. Me and many of my fellow students have talked jealously of other schools, like Penn State, where break started on Friday. As much as I might whine about the shortness of this break, however, all in all I had a pretty good weekend that I'm glad I didn't miss.
Friday night was the 80s party at TRAX. My friends and I began getting ready early, mainly because we didn't have much else to do. I didn't have 80s clothing, so I borrowed a pink Star Wars shirt and gray leggings from my friend Karen. Annie lent me fluorescent socks to add to the 80s look. The most quintessentially 80s aspect of my appearance was my hair, which Karen wrangled into an impressively enormous side ponytail (the enormous part came naturally, sans any teasing). When we first arrived at TRAX, which was admittedly early, the place was pretty empty, but soon things picked up. We danced our night away to 80s tunes and belted out "Living On A Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believing," among other songs.
Saturday my friend Jill picked me up to go shopping, and we headed over to the mall on the strip. I bought the most adorable pajama pants at Maurice's. It was significant that I bought anything, since usually on shopping trips I'm the one who goes away empty-handed. Later that night, my friends Karen, Lindsey, and I headed over to Charlie's Coffeehouse for a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." This was my first time at Charlie's, much to the shock and dismay of my friends. Somehow I had never gone any of the times other people on my floor had. I was very impressed with the atmosphere and enjoyed having a soft pretzel as I watched Charlie Brown force his dog into making his friends Thanksgiving dinner. That same night, I ordered some Dominos and stayed up late with my friends talking.
The low-point of the weekend occurred when I experienced my first fire alarm at Hass, approximately at 3:40 something in the morning. I must have been asleep for about a half hour when it sounded. It wasdisconcerting, though my first thought was that it was my alarm waking me. We dashed out of the building. I was wearing slippers and fell on the steps. Luckily, we all got out alright, though it was pretty cold and spirits weren't exactly jovial. On the bright side, I was wearing aforementioned adorable pajama pants.
Sunday improved from there and was, all in all, a relaxing day. I went to chapel service at 11. Chaplain Radacke performed a great one-person play about Christ the King. Afterwards, a friend I sat by at chapel accompanied me to brunch in the caf. Later, Karen and I went to see our friend Kathleen in her band concert, which was really great. Then the three of us and a friend from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship headed over to the Church of the Nazarene to help with Christmas decorations. We assembled a fake tree and decorated it. We also got some really great food while we there; the sugar cookies were delicious.
Monday almost felt as if it was part of the weekend, since I only had one class, compared to my usual four. I had a great time going to Lutheran Student Movement, and I also got to watch some of my favorite TV show Freaks and Geeks with my awesome roommate Sarah.
Even though I do wish our Thanksgiving break was longer, I had a good time with the days I was here that some other students weren't. Now bring on break!
Friday night was the 80s party at TRAX. My friends and I began getting ready early, mainly because we didn't have much else to do. I didn't have 80s clothing, so I borrowed a pink Star Wars shirt and gray leggings from my friend Karen. Annie lent me fluorescent socks to add to the 80s look. The most quintessentially 80s aspect of my appearance was my hair, which Karen wrangled into an impressively enormous side ponytail (the enormous part came naturally, sans any teasing). When we first arrived at TRAX, which was admittedly early, the place was pretty empty, but soon things picked up. We danced our night away to 80s tunes and belted out "Living On A Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believing," among other songs. Saturday my friend Jill picked me up to go shopping, and we headed over to the mall on the strip. I bought the most adorable pajama pants at Maurice's. It was significant that I bought anything, since usually on shopping trips I'm the one who goes away empty-handed. Later that night, my friends Karen, Lindsey, and I headed over to Charlie's Coffeehouse for a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." This was my first time at Charlie's, much to the shock and dismay of my friends. Somehow I had never gone any of the times other people on my floor had. I was very impressed with the atmosphere and enjoyed having a soft pretzel as I watched Charlie Brown force his dog into making his friends Thanksgiving dinner. That same night, I ordered some Dominos and stayed up late with my friends talking.
The low-point of the weekend occurred when I experienced my first fire alarm at Hass, approximately at 3:40 something in the morning. I must have been asleep for about a half hour when it sounded. It wasdisconcerting, though my first thought was that it was my alarm waking me. We dashed out of the building. I was wearing slippers and fell on the steps. Luckily, we all got out alright, though it was pretty cold and spirits weren't exactly jovial. On the bright side, I was wearing aforementioned adorable pajama pants.
Sunday improved from there and was, all in all, a relaxing day. I went to chapel service at 11. Chaplain Radacke performed a great one-person play about Christ the King. Afterwards, a friend I sat by at chapel accompanied me to brunch in the caf. Later, Karen and I went to see our friend Kathleen in her band concert, which was really great. Then the three of us and a friend from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship headed over to the Church of the Nazarene to help with Christmas decorations. We assembled a fake tree and decorated it. We also got some really great food while we there; the sugar cookies were delicious.
Monday almost felt as if it was part of the weekend, since I only had one class, compared to my usual four. I had a great time going to Lutheran Student Movement, and I also got to watch some of my favorite TV show Freaks and Geeks with my awesome roommate Sarah.
Even though I do wish our Thanksgiving break was longer, I had a good time with the days I was here that some other students weren't. Now bring on break!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Where to GO? Looking at Study Abroad Options
A unique part of Susquehanna’s Central Curriculum is the Cross-Cultural Experience requirement, which is generally fulfilled through a semester or a few weeks abroad. In Susquehanna lingo, these are called GO long programs and GO short programs. GO stands for Global Opportunities.
I thought it might be interesting to record how I might be interested in fulfilling this requirement as a freshman and see if any of these are what I end up doing later on in my SU career. Right now, I am leaning towards going away for a full semester, though shorter, service-oriented trips have also intrigued me. One of the things I must keep in mind when choosing a location is affordability. I should also consider that I might not have the chance—or quite such a convenient chance, at least—to travel in the future as I do now as a college student. My older brother often cites not doing a semester abroad as one of his college regrets. Right now, however, the thought of going away for a semester is frightening, especially when I’m still adjusting to life here.
One program that’s listed as a “low-cost semester program” is in Budapest, Hungary. I really would like to go someplace in Europe, and the idea of going somewhere in Central Europe, rather than more typical destinations like Paris or London, is intriguing. What I also like about the possibility of studying abroad in Europe is that you can basically get to anywhere else in Europe once you’re there.
However, when people ask me where I might want to go, my usual answer is Prague. The city in the Czech Republic has somehow captured my imagination, though I need to do much more research on it. I suppose it’s really a superficial fascination—I’m just struck by the beautiful pictures I’ve seen of it. I also find the course options a bit more intriguing than those in Budapest; they include Script Analysis, Czech Short Stories, East European Cinema, and Contemporary Czech Culture: Alternative Literature, Music, and Lifestyles. Still, it’s more expensive than Budapest and a bigger program.
Then I start wondering if it’s a mistake to focus on Europe. Places like Stellenbosch, South Africa are also plenty intriguing, as are schools in New Zealand.
A different option altogether would be doing the Washington, D.C. Internship Semester. It would be affordable and wouldn’t provide much of a culture shock, but it would still provide me with an experience of city living. It would also provide internship experience. I would classify it as one of my more practical options.
Another issue with studying abroad is where I’d like to stay: in a homestay, apartment, or a dormitory. I have heard homestays provide a more authentic experience, but I’d already be out of my comfort zone enough; immersing myself in a family of another culture might be too immersive.
All in all, there’s an awful lot to consider. As someone who seems to relish opportunities to stress out, this requirement can be a source of worry. When I actually get to have this cross cultural experience, though, I think I’ll have a much different perspective.
I thought it might be interesting to record how I might be interested in fulfilling this requirement as a freshman and see if any of these are what I end up doing later on in my SU career. Right now, I am leaning towards going away for a full semester, though shorter, service-oriented trips have also intrigued me. One of the things I must keep in mind when choosing a location is affordability. I should also consider that I might not have the chance—or quite such a convenient chance, at least—to travel in the future as I do now as a college student. My older brother often cites not doing a semester abroad as one of his college regrets. Right now, however, the thought of going away for a semester is frightening, especially when I’m still adjusting to life here.
One program that’s listed as a “low-cost semester program” is in Budapest, Hungary. I really would like to go someplace in Europe, and the idea of going somewhere in Central Europe, rather than more typical destinations like Paris or London, is intriguing. What I also like about the possibility of studying abroad in Europe is that you can basically get to anywhere else in Europe once you’re there.
However, when people ask me where I might want to go, my usual answer is Prague. The city in the Czech Republic has somehow captured my imagination, though I need to do much more research on it. I suppose it’s really a superficial fascination—I’m just struck by the beautiful pictures I’ve seen of it. I also find the course options a bit more intriguing than those in Budapest; they include Script Analysis, Czech Short Stories, East European Cinema, and Contemporary Czech Culture: Alternative Literature, Music, and Lifestyles. Still, it’s more expensive than Budapest and a bigger program.
Then I start wondering if it’s a mistake to focus on Europe. Places like Stellenbosch, South Africa are also plenty intriguing, as are schools in New Zealand.
A different option altogether would be doing the Washington, D.C. Internship Semester. It would be affordable and wouldn’t provide much of a culture shock, but it would still provide me with an experience of city living. It would also provide internship experience. I would classify it as one of my more practical options.
Another issue with studying abroad is where I’d like to stay: in a homestay, apartment, or a dormitory. I have heard homestays provide a more authentic experience, but I’d already be out of my comfort zone enough; immersing myself in a family of another culture might be too immersive.
All in all, there’s an awful lot to consider. As someone who seems to relish opportunities to stress out, this requirement can be a source of worry. When I actually get to have this cross cultural experience, though, I think I’ll have a much different perspective.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
"The Most Important Era in American History You Never Heard of, And Why It's So Important"
James Loewen has a habit of turning “common knowledge” on its head—revealing facts to be nothing more than oft-told fables. His most popular book, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, does just that, exposing outright inaccuracies as well what gets glossed over in order to provide a biased and bland historical narrative. The summer before my senior year of high school, I was assigned the book in preparation for my AP U.S. History course. More so than the falsehoods Loewen used as examples, I was struck by his desire to overhaul the teaching of history as a whole. To make it less about memorizing and more about doing, students investigating and interpreting, and most importantly, discovering that history is not a definitive subject in the least.
When I visited my high school over Fall Break, I saw my AP U.S. History teacher and was excited to tell him that James Loewen was scheduled to speak at Susquehanna. He asked if I planned to attend.
Honestly, I hadn’t at the time, but I’m glad I went.
James Loewen’s lecture, “The Most Important Era in American History You Never Heard of, And Why It’s So Important,” focused on the nadir period of race relations from 1890 to 1940, a time of the Ku Klux Klan, lynching, construction of Confederate monuments, and most interesting to Loewen, sundown towns.
Sundown towns were towns that purposely kept themselves all-white; minorities were restricted from the towns after nightfall. Loewen shared with us his investigation on sundown towns, which to me seemed pretty extensive. However, Loewen requires more research if he hopes to find sundown towns across the country—he requires us, college students and everyday citizens, to open our eyes and explore. He asked the audience in attendance to try to find sundown towns on their own, an intimidating proposition. What I classify as an impossibility Loewen views as my own capability—and the capability of all my fellow attendees.
In person, Loewen proved to be of the same passion and philosophy Lies My Teacher Told Me espoused. Perhaps this lecture shows one of the main differences between college and high school. In high school, I read this man’s words. He was a book, a summer assignment. In college, he stood in front of me. He was a person. And just like his book, he had a lot to say and just as much to ask of us.
When I visited my high school over Fall Break, I saw my AP U.S. History teacher and was excited to tell him that James Loewen was scheduled to speak at Susquehanna. He asked if I planned to attend.
Honestly, I hadn’t at the time, but I’m glad I went.
James Loewen’s lecture, “The Most Important Era in American History You Never Heard of, And Why It’s So Important,” focused on the nadir period of race relations from 1890 to 1940, a time of the Ku Klux Klan, lynching, construction of Confederate monuments, and most interesting to Loewen, sundown towns.
Sundown towns were towns that purposely kept themselves all-white; minorities were restricted from the towns after nightfall. Loewen shared with us his investigation on sundown towns, which to me seemed pretty extensive. However, Loewen requires more research if he hopes to find sundown towns across the country—he requires us, college students and everyday citizens, to open our eyes and explore. He asked the audience in attendance to try to find sundown towns on their own, an intimidating proposition. What I classify as an impossibility Loewen views as my own capability—and the capability of all my fellow attendees.
In person, Loewen proved to be of the same passion and philosophy Lies My Teacher Told Me espoused. Perhaps this lecture shows one of the main differences between college and high school. In high school, I read this man’s words. He was a book, a summer assignment. In college, he stood in front of me. He was a person. And just like his book, he had a lot to say and just as much to ask of us.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Social Evolution of a College Freshman
Being a college freshman is weird. There’s no way getting around it. You can call it good weird, bad weird, or in between, but no matter how you slice it, you’re still dealing with establishing yourself socially. This is even weirder considering where you last were: a high school senior. I was pretty grounded in my group of friends by that point. I wasn’t going out and looking for other people to get to know, though if those people came along that was fine as well. College, however, is going back to the beginning. I haven’t been back to the beginning, at least to this extent, since 2nd grade, when I moved to Pennsylvania from Virginia. Since then, I’ve been able to carry elementary school friends into middle school, then middle school ones into high school. I’ve always had someone—and while those high school connections haven’t left me, I still, in some ways, came to Susquehanna with a blank slate (excluding my wonderful roommate who I had met at a summer writing workshop).
During orientation weekend, panic set in. At least for me. I needed friends. I was starting all over. I couldn’t do this. Could I?
The next step in social evolution for me was making friends with the girls in my hall. We live together, after all, so it’s pretty natural for us to join together, especially in the face of friendless-ness. Once we bonded, especially over the first non-orientation weekend, it was such a relief. I didn’t expect to have a group of people to hang out with so quickly!
However, another step eventually comes, and it seemed to hit a lot of my friends at the same time as it hit me: realizing a need for relationships outside of the hallway. Friendships with the people you live with are great, but I think everybody feels that need for a change of pace. After all, you see a lot of those friends from your floor. You do live with them, after all.
I think I’m at the point in my social evolution where I’m hoping to branch out and am getting to know other people. Right now there are a lot of acquaintances, people I say “Hi” and “How are you?” to if I see them as I cross campus, people who fall into this category of potential friends. The next step, if I take some action, should be translating acquaintanceship to friendship.
This step seems to require a bigger leap than the others, but I think it’s probably one of those things that happens naturally with time. As a freshmen, I would guess friendships evolve, expand, shift, and include new people.
Of course, sometimes my patience isn’t all it could be in this regard. It’s easy to want those closest of close friendships right away. A friendship like you have with your best friend back home. A dynamic like your group had in high school. These things don’t happen overnight, however. They require cultivation. Evolution. Not spontaneous generation.
But that’s alright. Spontaneous can be shallow, and right now, I’m not seeking friendships that will be blown away come next semester. Like most freshmen, I think, I’m looking for friendships with roots.
During orientation weekend, panic set in. At least for me. I needed friends. I was starting all over. I couldn’t do this. Could I?
The next step in social evolution for me was making friends with the girls in my hall. We live together, after all, so it’s pretty natural for us to join together, especially in the face of friendless-ness. Once we bonded, especially over the first non-orientation weekend, it was such a relief. I didn’t expect to have a group of people to hang out with so quickly!
However, another step eventually comes, and it seemed to hit a lot of my friends at the same time as it hit me: realizing a need for relationships outside of the hallway. Friendships with the people you live with are great, but I think everybody feels that need for a change of pace. After all, you see a lot of those friends from your floor. You do live with them, after all.
I think I’m at the point in my social evolution where I’m hoping to branch out and am getting to know other people. Right now there are a lot of acquaintances, people I say “Hi” and “How are you?” to if I see them as I cross campus, people who fall into this category of potential friends. The next step, if I take some action, should be translating acquaintanceship to friendship.
This step seems to require a bigger leap than the others, but I think it’s probably one of those things that happens naturally with time. As a freshmen, I would guess friendships evolve, expand, shift, and include new people.
Of course, sometimes my patience isn’t all it could be in this regard. It’s easy to want those closest of close friendships right away. A friendship like you have with your best friend back home. A dynamic like your group had in high school. These things don’t happen overnight, however. They require cultivation. Evolution. Not spontaneous generation.
But that’s alright. Spontaneous can be shallow, and right now, I’m not seeking friendships that will be blown away come next semester. Like most freshmen, I think, I’m looking for friendships with roots.
Things I've Learned From College #2
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Catching Up: The Hodgepodge Post
Excuse this post for being a hodgepodge of things, but I wanted to catch this blog up on what’s been happening lately for me at SU.
One of the major things for me and the rest of my freshmen friends right now is registration (which happens to end today). This was our first time picking our own classes at college and then navigating the registration process online. I’ll admit to being pretty excited, especially about seeing which classes would be offered next semester. The classes came out online and in a newspaper supplement students received in their mailboxes. My degree audit in tow (a degree audit shows you what requirements you still have left for your degree, including requirements for your major and Central Curriculum requirements), I began picking out classes. After some contemplation about how many courses I should take, whether I wanted to take any courses for the Editing & Publishing minor I’m thinking of declaring, how I felt about night classes, etc., I came up with the following courses: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction, Applied Biblical Ethics, Principles of Sociology, and Thought & Civilization. Two would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the other two on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Whether I’ll get into those classes will not be discovered until a later date, however.
I also didn’t get to share what my first Halloween at Susquehanna was like. I had meant to be Wendy, to match a friend dressed as Peter Pan, but I had procrastinated getting a costume. My friend Lindsey and I walked into town on the Saturday of Halloween weekend, hoping I could buy and piece together something from a thrift store. Alas, we had slept in too late and the store was closed. In the end, I simply went as a hippie, wearing a tye-dye T-shirt my parents had bought for me, my somewhat tattered, bell bottom-y jeans, and a scarf from Lindsey as a headband. That Saturday we went to the TRAX Halloween party and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, actual Halloween, which fell on a Sunday, was spent doing schoolwork.
This past weekend I went on the InterVarsity Fall Conference, which was at Refreshing Mountain Camp near Lancaster. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is one of the religious life organizations on campus that I’m really happy to have gotten involved in early during my college career. Though I love SU, getting off campus for a short period is always great. I got to spend time with two friends on my floor in Hass and got to know other people from IV a bit better. Of course, I also got to experience plenty of prayer and worship.
When we got back on Sunday, I hosted an overnight student who’s interested in Creative Writing and Journalism. I tried to give her the inside scoop on Susquehanna life. I’m hoping she had a good experience here and that I conveyed all SU has to offer.
As far as academics go, I recently had a workshop in Intro to Fiction that went really well. I just had my conference with Dr. Bailey today to discuss my story (which is probably going to be one of the longest stories of the bunch for the second time; my inner novelist just isn’t allowing anything under 10 pages). Soon enough, my dorm room will be turning into Rewrite Central. In my Thought class, which I take for the Honors Program, I’ll be leading my class in discussion on a section of The Persepolis next Monday, a fascinating memoir told in graphic novel form. Of course, I’ve also endured exams since last writing, but that’s not nearly as exciting.
All in all, things at Susquehanna are going well, chugging down that track to Thanksgiving break.
One of the major things for me and the rest of my freshmen friends right now is registration (which happens to end today). This was our first time picking our own classes at college and then navigating the registration process online. I’ll admit to being pretty excited, especially about seeing which classes would be offered next semester. The classes came out online and in a newspaper supplement students received in their mailboxes. My degree audit in tow (a degree audit shows you what requirements you still have left for your degree, including requirements for your major and Central Curriculum requirements), I began picking out classes. After some contemplation about how many courses I should take, whether I wanted to take any courses for the Editing & Publishing minor I’m thinking of declaring, how I felt about night classes, etc., I came up with the following courses: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction, Applied Biblical Ethics, Principles of Sociology, and Thought & Civilization. Two would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the other two on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Whether I’ll get into those classes will not be discovered until a later date, however.
I also didn’t get to share what my first Halloween at Susquehanna was like. I had meant to be Wendy, to match a friend dressed as Peter Pan, but I had procrastinated getting a costume. My friend Lindsey and I walked into town on the Saturday of Halloween weekend, hoping I could buy and piece together something from a thrift store. Alas, we had slept in too late and the store was closed. In the end, I simply went as a hippie, wearing a tye-dye T-shirt my parents had bought for me, my somewhat tattered, bell bottom-y jeans, and a scarf from Lindsey as a headband. That Saturday we went to the TRAX Halloween party and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, actual Halloween, which fell on a Sunday, was spent doing schoolwork. This past weekend I went on the InterVarsity Fall Conference, which was at Refreshing Mountain Camp near Lancaster. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is one of the religious life organizations on campus that I’m really happy to have gotten involved in early during my college career. Though I love SU, getting off campus for a short period is always great. I got to spend time with two friends on my floor in Hass and got to know other people from IV a bit better. Of course, I also got to experience plenty of prayer and worship.
When we got back on Sunday, I hosted an overnight student who’s interested in Creative Writing and Journalism. I tried to give her the inside scoop on Susquehanna life. I’m hoping she had a good experience here and that I conveyed all SU has to offer.
As far as academics go, I recently had a workshop in Intro to Fiction that went really well. I just had my conference with Dr. Bailey today to discuss my story (which is probably going to be one of the longest stories of the bunch for the second time; my inner novelist just isn’t allowing anything under 10 pages). Soon enough, my dorm room will be turning into Rewrite Central. In my Thought class, which I take for the Honors Program, I’ll be leading my class in discussion on a section of The Persepolis next Monday, a fascinating memoir told in graphic novel form. Of course, I’ve also endured exams since last writing, but that’s not nearly as exciting.
All in all, things at Susquehanna are going well, chugging down that track to Thanksgiving break.
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