And We're Back!

I am ecstatic to be back on SU's campus for the latter half of my sophomore year. All I seem to do on this blog is marvel at the passage of time, but it really is so hard for me to believe that it's my fourth semester here. Winter break, about a month long, gave me plenty of time to miss school and my friends here--especially since I spent most of it working.

This semester I am looking forward to continuing activities with coed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. For Alpha Phi Omega this semester, I will be having a "Little," which is a pledge who you mentor through the pledging process. I have no idea who my "Little" will be, but I am excited to have one! I'll also be getting to work on my Scholar's House project--a novel and a blog. The blog, about faith and writing, can now be found here, if you're interested. I really need to buckle down, in terms of the novel draft, and get things done.

I'm  rather optimistic about my classes this semester, as well. I'll be taking Intro to Asian Religions, Aesthetics & Interpretation, Luther: Life & Thought, and Intro to Poetry. I am most excited for Intro to Poetry since I've been in somewhat of a poetry phase lately. So far, I've already had Intro to Asian Religions and Aesthetics & Interpretation. Both of the classes left great impressions.

All in all, I'm excited for what this semester has in store. Hopefully, I'll keep a great record of it here!

Evaluating My Goals

For what may be my last post of the year, I wanted to take a look at some of the goals I set for myself this semester. After all the last day of a college class usually includes an evaluation of the course and the professor. This will just be a self-evaluation.

Here are those original goals.

1. Keep up with my New Year's resolution.
2.  Write more often, and not just for my Intro to Nonfiction class
3.  Read more often, and again, not just for class.

4.  Enlarge my social circle at Susquehanna.  Meet new people!  Make new friendships!
5.  Get involved in new activities, like Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity, or a reading board for a literary magazine.
6.  Procrastinate less.
7.  Study more.
8.  Cut down on my addition--fries!  

It’s kind of frightening to see how poorly I’ve executed these.   My New Year’s resolution was to follow a read-the-Bible in the year plan, but then I got behind and behind and more behind and now I’m super behind, so I’m deeming that a failure. I will try to catch up this summer. I’ve written in little spurts things unrelated to class, but not anything substantial.  I haven’t devoted enough time to reading for pleasure as I should have.  In fact, I’ve devoted, basically, no time. 

The social goal is one where I’ve made a bit more progress.  I’m not exactly overwhelmed with new friends, but I think I know more people now and know some people from first semester a bit better than I had.  I’m happy to say that number five has been completely achieved. I pledged Alpha Phi Omega—much of that experience came up in previous entries—and was on a reading board for RiverCraft.

My level of procrastination is probably quite similar to first semester, and I may actually have studied less.  Fries—well, I certainly don’t think I’ve increased my fry intake. Then again, I can barely think of that as a possibility!

Perhaps the top goal for next year should be to achieve more of my goals!

Spring Break

In the world of television and movies, Spring Break equals hitting the beach with friends and going to wild parties and getting up to all sorts of college-aged shenanigans. In my world (and it seems like the world of most I’ve spoken to), Spring Break means getting to go home! It means relaxation and much watching of the television. It means getting together with friends. It means doing laundry because a massive amount of dirty clothing has accumulated in my dorm room closet. It means getting in a few volunteer hours towards my total for Alpha Phi Omega by going to the library where I volunteered all four years of high school. It means hopefully getting to go see my high school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. It means working on my literary journalism piece for Intro to Creative Nonfiction. It means sending in my application for housing next year. Two friends and I are both aiming for the Scholar’s House.

It also means I am halfway through my second semester of my freshman year of college, which I talked about in my previous post. It just sounds so kooky to me! I can’t believe I only have a quarter of the year left.

Even if I’m a bit freaked out by the quickness of this year, I have to admit how excited I am to go home. I’m very fortunate in that, unlike a lot of my friends, I can leave Thursday instead of Friday. My classes end at 4:05 Thursday, and both of my classes are cancelled the next day. It will also be awesome because my older brother will be picking me up and this is the first time he will get to see my dorm room in person. Also, I will be making him take me to Red Robin after he picks me up, which I’m currently craving as I type.

More so, I think this is a point in the semester where a lot of people, at least among my friends, are ready to escape from campus life for a bit. With midterms coming up, the task of figuring out rooming arrangements for next year, and a bunch of activities in full swing, the past few weeks have gotten a little rough. And though I love SU and am not and will never be the go-home-every-weekend kind of kid, I’m definitely ready, and definitely in need of, a stretch of time at home.

I only have to get through two more days, write a 6 to 8 page essay on 19th century romances (I have about 2 pages...procrastination!), and take a midterm in Applied Biblical Ethics tomorrow.  Not so bad in comparison to the schedules of many.  I'm almost free!

Applied Biblical Ethics: My First Action Assignment

This semester I am taking my first Religion course at SU, Applied Biblical Ethics with Dr. Karla Bohmbach.  I am very excited to see how this class goes because I am seriously considering adding a religion minor.  One aspect of this class, Action Assignments, has proved very interesting thus far.  These assignments take the ethics we discuss in class out of the theoretical realm and make the "applied" in the course title relevant. 

So far we’ve only done one Action Assignment, and it was this: for a 24-hour period, follow the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” as closely as you can.  We then had to turn in reflections about our experience.

This is harder than it might seem.  First off, we were left to interpret what exactly it means to love someone in this context.  What does that entail?  Good feelings, friendliness, charity?  A way of thought?  A manner of acting?  And who is our neighbor?  Every person we encounter?  Simply every person? 

I hadn’t really taken time to consider what “as yourself” meant, so when it became a subject of class discussion, it greatly interested me.  Someone found that it was a bigger commitment to love when she focused less on "as yourself" and more on as God loves us.  Others questioned whether “as yourself” was even sound; one might not want to be loved in the way that another person loves their own self.  Dr. Bohmbach brought up that some scholars view loving your neighbor as yourself in this way: we love ourselves though there are things we don’t like about ourselves, and we must extend that love to others, though there may be aspects of them we don’t like. 

Beyond all this interpretation and definition is the matter of actually following through with the commandment.

And that’s hard. 

It’s hard not to slip into gossip or speaking poorly of someone behind their back.  It’s even harder when not doing harm, not hurting someone isn’t a big enough goal, but actively loving others is, even if those others are people you haven’t gotten along with in the past.  It’s even harder when love means stepping out of your comfort zone.   I believe in this commandment and Jesus and love, but I was not a success that day, except for in one respect.  I’ve always found humanity flawed, but I realized, then, the extent of that flaw within me. 

I hope that this course will continue to inspire serious reflection and assist me in enacting biblical ethics in my own life.  No matter one's views, this seems like a class that will challenge one's worldview and ethical guidelines.   

Spring in Swing

At least in regards to the Spring Semester--the weather can get here anytime! 

On Monday was my first class of 201, Introduction to Creative Nonfiction with Dr. Retief.  This happens to be in the same classroom as my fiction class last semester, as well as at the same time, 1:45 to 2:50.  It’ll be interesting to see how I end up feeling about nonfiction as a genre.  Though I love writing generally, I’m head over heels for fiction, and I don’t suspect that will change. 

However, I have been thinking a lot in terms of Hmm, that might be something to write about in nonfiction, especially after we did a free write on the topic, “I want to write about…”  The first thing I must decide on is a topic for the subgenre literary journalism, sometimes known as immersive journalism.  Rather than looking back at our experiences, this assignment calls us to go out and experience something so we can write about it.  I am leaning towards asking one of my best friends if I can attend her Unitarian church with her for a Sunday.  It would be interesting because Unitarianism is something I’ve never quite understood so I believe I would learn a lot.  Also, faith and religion are topics I’m very interested in and for which I have a lot of passion, so I’m excited that this might be a way to incorporate those in my writing.

My next class was Thought & Civilization, a course for the Honors Program that will focus on Romantic Novels.   Dr. Hubbell seems very keen to have us not only participate but direct discussion, which I’ve always appreciated in literature courses.  I also feel like this will be great motivation to finish books I might otherwise not have the stamina to complete.  For example, I read a lot of Emma by Jane Austen this summer but let other quicker reads stop me from finishing.  Now I’ll have to, seeing as it’s our first novel to read!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I also have two classes.  At 10 a.m. I have Applied Biblical Ethics.  Our professor actually wasn’t there for that first class, since she had to be out of town, but I’m interested in the subject matter so I’m still feeling pretty good about that course.  Then I have a bit of a gap in my schedule (which I should use for homework, though I find it so hard to focus on it in the middle of the day) until Principles of Sociology at 2:25.  I took a semester of Sociology my senior year of high school.  It was a fairly shallow overview, but I enjoyed it, so I’m excited to see what I think of it at the college level.  Also, the professor, adjunct faculty member Anne Hauser, made it seem like the class is going to be fun; that’s always a positive. 

Even more so than actually going to class, homework makes me feel like I’ve been back longer than a few days.  Already I was up late doing reading, though this can probably be attributed to having a homework party in the lounge that, while fun and possibly my idea, distracted me to no end. 

And of course, making this semester seem even more in swing is that my friends and I are back to our normal selves and our normal silliness.  That apparently means me having very poor volume control as I laugh and talk excitedly at Benny’s.   I suppose some things just don’t change with a new semester.    

Spring Semester

Today is the first day of the Spring Semester, and in some ways, it is surreal being back.  Winter Break was relaxing, but as I had feared, boring after a while.  Post-Christmas and especially Post-New Years, I was itching to return to Susquehanna.  I couldn't wait until I was back in Hassinger Hall again, with friends and fun available just a few doors down the hall.  Admittedly, I'm not as excited to start classes.  The feeling is more anxious than anything else, with a mix of surprise.  My thoughts are something along the lines of: What, I'm actually back, what, I have classes tomorrow, wait, what, now I have classes today, I have class in less than an hour and a half, what, when did this occur?!  All in all, I am glad to be back, but it's strange adjusting to a new routine, when I was so well-adjusted to my old one.  Speaking of adjusting, I also need to fix my sleep patterns--break was spent staying up and waking up late.  To my surprise, I handled waking up for work today fairly well. 

Whether I'm ready or not, the semester is here, and these are some of the things I'm hoping to accomplish the second half of the year:

1)  Keep up with my New Year's resolution.
2)  Write more often, and not just for my Intro to Nonfiction class.
3)  Read more often, and again, not just for class.
4)  Enlarge my social circle at Susquehanna.  Meet new people!  Make new friendships!
5)  Get involved in new activities, like Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity, or a reading board for a literary magazine.
6)  Procrastinate less.
7)  Study more.
8)  Cut down on my addition--fries!  

The last three seem especially difficult so we'll have to see how they go.  Hopefully not the way of my resolution at the beginning of the year to eat breakfast everyday (it's been such a rare event that one of the few times I had breakfast at Benny's, I felt compelled to take a picture with my cell phone).

Other things I'm looking forward to this semester are experiencing a schedule that was completely picked out by myself and having people visit me.  I live a bit over an hour away so two of my friends from high school will be visiting me next month.  My brother, who is twenty-five, will also be visiting me in February.  I can't wait to give them a peak at my life here at SU!

Back at SU: Already Looking To Next Semester

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.

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.