Right now I’m in the midst of participating in the 30 Hour Famine. During the 30 Hour Famine, people fast for 30 hours (though they drink plenty of juice to keep safe) to raise awareness, as well as money, for world hunger. I have about 4 hours and 10 minutes until I can break the fast. This is my second year doing the 30 Hour Famine, and it’s seemed a lot easier this year than last! I think it must help this year to know I am capable of doing this.
Because of the 30 Hour Famine, I couldn’t go to lunch today—or I could’ve gone to lunch to chat and been tortured by the sight of others eating, not a great plan. I also had my class right before lunch cancelled. This gave me a free block of time between my first class, Intro to Asian religions, and my work in University Communications that I don’t normally have.
I decided to spend that time in the library. Honestly, although I love libraries and am seriously considering a future working in them, I don’t go to my school’s library all that often. I don’t know why I didn’t take advantage of my location last year—my dorm was right next to the library! I ended up mostly doing work in my dorm room, though, probably a bit afraid that I might miss something fantastically fun. I have to admit, I usually enjoy distractions from work. This year I’m on the other side of campus, so it’s not as convenient for me to hang out and do work there, especially since that would mean having to trek all the way across campus after a late-night work session.
But when I do get to spend time in the library, I really enjoy it. Two of my classes have final papers, and I decided to use today to get a start on my research. For Aesthetics and Interpretation, I’m hoping to write about theories of comedy, in line with and inspired by Aristotle, as they apply to sitcoms. I was able to get some good articles from the library databases and two books. I then moved onto my paper for my religion class on Martin Luther. I decided to just start by checking out some books.
For me, there’s something very satisfying—and maybe even soothing—about the process of finding research materials. Or at least, there’s satisfaction in the culmination of it, in finding that article that is exactly what you need or is a great springboard, in finding a book that covers just what your research interests were.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Seasons Ahead--Making Plans
Plans are coming together--both for this summer and next fall.
Over my Spring Break, I visited a possible internship site--the Historical Society of Dauphin County. I have an interest in a career in academic libraries or archives, and I really wanted to have an internship this summer that would help explore that interest. While there, I received a tour of the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, a historical mansion in Harrisburg, and was able to look at the archives part of the society's office. I found out that I would be able to work with unprocessed manuscripts and scanning and writing descriptions for photos. I was definitely interested!
After coming back to school, I found out that this internship will be able to count towards the internship requirement for my Creative Writing major. Not only do I get to do something that's really interesting to me, but that's one less thing to worry about completing during the school year. I still have to fill out a form, though, and turn it into the Registrar, so I need to work on that.
Though I have been approved for study abroad by Susquehanna, I've also received my official acceptance to the University of Ulster-Coleraine campus in Northern Ireland for next fall. I have been able to get some things decided, like my course (module, as they say in the U.K.) and housing preferences. Over break, I also was able to apply for my passport. There's still a lot left to do to prepare for study abroad, though. Studying abroad seems to come with a never-ending supply of forms--just a warning to other students out there! For instance, I still need to get together my scholarship application for study abroad.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to both of these things a lot. Though it's always a little bit stressful to get things planned, I feel confident that things are working out pretty well so far!
Over my Spring Break, I visited a possible internship site--the Historical Society of Dauphin County. I have an interest in a career in academic libraries or archives, and I really wanted to have an internship this summer that would help explore that interest. While there, I received a tour of the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion, a historical mansion in Harrisburg, and was able to look at the archives part of the society's office. I found out that I would be able to work with unprocessed manuscripts and scanning and writing descriptions for photos. I was definitely interested!
After coming back to school, I found out that this internship will be able to count towards the internship requirement for my Creative Writing major. Not only do I get to do something that's really interesting to me, but that's one less thing to worry about completing during the school year. I still have to fill out a form, though, and turn it into the Registrar, so I need to work on that.
Though I have been approved for study abroad by Susquehanna, I've also received my official acceptance to the University of Ulster-Coleraine campus in Northern Ireland for next fall. I have been able to get some things decided, like my course (module, as they say in the U.K.) and housing preferences. Over break, I also was able to apply for my passport. There's still a lot left to do to prepare for study abroad, though. Studying abroad seems to come with a never-ending supply of forms--just a warning to other students out there! For instance, I still need to get together my scholarship application for study abroad.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to both of these things a lot. Though it's always a little bit stressful to get things planned, I feel confident that things are working out pretty well so far!
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