Breakfast with the President

One of the great things about going to a small school like Susquehanna is the accessibility of our professors. We are lucky to have a very accessible president as well. President Lemons is notorious on campus for his friendliness towards students and stunning ability to remember students’ names, as well as his annual Twas the Night Before Christmas reading before winter break. 

Over the course of their senior year, all students are invited by President Lemons to a breakfast or a lunch. In a way, these meals serve as a focus group for students to share their experiences with Susquehanna—good and bad—with someone who has the power to make change. I went to this breakfast with a group of students last Friday. I thought it might be interesting to share some of the reflections that breakfast prompted.

The first question we were asked was how and why we chose Susquehanna. I was initially drawn to Susquehanna by its creative writing program. As a high school student, I attended two of the summer writing workshops held at SU, which helped contribute to my love of the place as well as my confidence that a Creative Writing major, not some English major with a creative writing concentration, was what I wanted. Of course, I could’ve studied Creative Writing somewhere else. Though I may want to say that the particulars of SU’s Creative Writing program is what sold me, that isn’t true. It was the Susquehanna atmosphere. The other school I was considering just didn’t compare in terms of the feeling it gave me. Thankfully, Susquehanna offered me an assistantship scholarship where I would get work experience in the University Communications office that helped make the school the sound choice as well.

Though the Creative Writing program is what drew me here, it’s amazing to think of all the great things I’ve experienced outside the department—things I didn’t even consider when I enrolled! In particular, I think about how enriching my Religious Studies major is and how I might not have ended up adding a second major in the field at another school, where I wouldn’t have encountered the same, wonderful faculty or may not have been encouraged to enroll in a religion class for Central Curriculum credits.

The second question we were asked was our favorite part of Susquehanna. Though it felt very cliché to say so, I had to be honest. My favorite part is the people. I was blessed to meet really great people my freshman year of college in Hassinger Hall. Every year since, I’ve lived with some combination of these people, and still, all my closest friends lived with me on the third floor. Our friendships, however, have blossomed since then, and we have lived so much of our college lives together. The faculty figure into that favorite people answer as well.

During our breakfast, I specifically mentioned how great I’ve found all the Religion faculty members. I’ve enjoyed every one of the professors I’ve had through the department and have gotten into great conversations with many of them. I’ve taken three courses with one of the professors who has really helped shape the way I approach Scripture, particularly in terms of feminist issues. She is currently advising me on my capstone, and I love getting to meet with her to discuss the ideas I’m exploring. She has also been happy to talk to me about careers and graduate school. Another one of the professors has talked with me various times about vocation and my future when he served as our interim chaplain. He also took a friend and I out to lunch to discuss how to give rebuttals to sexist ideas about female leadership in the church. When I had class with Rabbi Palley on Intro to Judaism, she gave a friend and I encouraging words about being progressive women within a faith community.

The third question asked what I would change about Susquehanna. Though Susquehanna isn’t perfect, and I did have an answer ready for that, it felt notable that I wasn’t able to choose from a long string of complaints. Susquehanna is and has been the right school for me; that's something I will be able to say with confidence as I graduate.

I know a lot of people don't have a college experience like this. Their college might be a school, but it never feels like a home. Some people I know don't like their colleges at all and are counting down until they can get out of there. I know other people who don't get the right school on the first try and eventually transfer to some place that makes them happier.

I am quite privileged to have had this warm, positive experience of college life ever since I walked on campus in August 2010.

My Last Homecoming Weekend (As A Student)

This past weekend was Homecoming Weekend at Susquehanna. During Homecoming Weekend, alumni return for the Homecoming football game, dancing, and other activities. This year I have participated in Homecoming events more than I ever have. It was also the most excited I’d been about Homecoming.

Homecoming was a much different experience for me as a senior than it was as an underclassman. As a senior, there are actually alumni I know to be excited about seeing. We had two alumni who stayed at our house this weekend, and of course, we ran into other alumni as well. We even had some alumni who were seniors  when I was a freshman stop over at our house. It’s so strange seeing them and realizing that we’re actually seniors now. When I was a freshman, seniors seemed much older and more put together than I feel I am now.

Another difference was that I actually attended the Homecoming football game. During my freshman year, I attended the first football game of the season, then left out of boredom by half-time (or maybe even before ). I hadn’t been to a game since, so I’ve been determined to go to a full football game this year. I have to admit, I failed at actually seeing the whole thing. I was a little late after grabbing lunch with one of my housemates and two alumni and then left a little early for the Homecoming parade. However, the time I was there was fun—not that I was paying attention to the game particularly well. My strategy is usually just to “Woo!” whenever other people are.

I had also never participated in the Homecoming parade before. During the Homecoming parade, different organizations have floats or walk with banners fitting the theme for the year. This year’s theme was traditions of Susquehanna University. We walk through Selinsgrove while alumni, current students, and interested community members watch. The path this year was a short one, I’m guessing because it was raining!  The rain was unfortunate considering all the hard work people put into floats and banners, but I still had fun walking behind the Religious Life Council banner. The Religious Life Council is the umbrella organization for various campus ministries and religious groups, like InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Pre-Ministry club. Our banner was decorated in the spirit of the Christmas Candlelight service, which is one of Susquehanna’s biggest traditions. Before winter break, there is a huge Christmas service at the chapel with singing and, as the name suggests, candles.  Each of us walking with the banner held a white candle that is used in the service. It was fun walking in the parade, but I wish I had been able to see all the other floats and banners.

The next big event was the Homecoming ball on Saturday night. It’s always fun to have a chance to dress up formally—especially since I did it cheaply as well; I just reused a dress I wore my sophomore year for the Alpha Phi Omega formal. The ball was also a different experience from the TRAX dances that I’m used to because alumni were there, it was in the gym, and it had a live band instead of a DJ. After the ball, TRAX hosted an after party with more dancing and breakfast foods. It was a strange experience to have bacon at TRAX around 1 a.m.—though not a bad one!

Yesterday things felt more routine. I went to church in the morning, then went to brunch with my housemates and one of our alumni friends. After, we went back to our townhouse and hung out for a while before both of the alumni staying with us headed home. The last event I went to this weekend (non-Homecoming related) was an evening Bible study at the home of my two professors.

It’s surreal to think that I’ll be an alumna the next time I attend Homecoming. I’ll be the one staying on the couch in some current student’s suite and reuniting with all my college friends. I really wish I could stay as a student longer—but I know that I’ll be so excited to be back on Susquehanna’s campus the first time I return for Homecoming. I am not sure, though, when that return will be. Next year I could be in Ireland or Scotland or England. I could be in grad school somewhere states away and not able to make it up for the weekend. Or maybe I’ll be an hour away, at home in Pennsylvania. Though I may end up a bit delayed in returning to Susquehanna, I know that I still will return (as soon as I can) —and I hope it still feels like home.

A Weekend in London

In London!

Because I did such a terrible job keeping up with my blog while studying abroad, I’ve decided to include some reflections on my experience among my posts about this new semester.  One experience I think worth sharing is my weekend trip to London.

Though there are tons of cities I would’ve liked to visit in Europe, London was pretty high on my priority-list from the semester, since it was relatively close and my friend Lindsey, a fellow Susquehanna student, was studying for a semester in the city, at Regent’s College. Not having to pay to stay in a hostel—score!

I ended up traveling to London the weekend after Thanksgiving. This meant I spent my Thanksgiving Day traveling by myself. This was a bit sad, but since Thanksgiving Day is not at all celebrated in Northern Ireland, there weren’t  many reminders of what I was missing throughout the day. Still, I’ll always be able to say that I once had Burger King chicken nuggets by myself in an airport for Thanksgiving dinner.

Big Ben

After a short flight, I landed in an airport outside of London, called London-Luton. This airport was much bigger and much more confusing than the airport I had acclimated myself to in Belfast! Somehow this managed to surprise me, though it shouldn’t have, considering how much bigger London is.  With some help from someone who worked there, I managed to find the shuttle that took me to the train station. From there, I got an express train into London. It was sometime past 11 p.m. when I got to the station in central London where Lindsey picked me up.

The next day, we met with two other friends who were studying in England and came up to London for the weekend. While Lindsey was in class that Friday,   they took me to some of the notable tourist destinations. I saw the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I thought Big Ben might be underwhelming, as iconic things often are. Though it may not have been as huge as I imagined, it was actually more architecturally beautiful than I expected. Westminster Abbey was gorgeous from the outside, and I regret not going in.  We also walked around the National Art Gallery. I’m a big lover of museums,especially free ones, so that was very nice.

Westminster Abbey

After Lindsey met up with us, we got lunch and went shopping. I bought a pair of leather gloves at the Primark that came in handy for braving the cold the rest of the semester. Later that evening, there was a stressful miscommunication about where we were supposed to meet up with friends, but thankfully (after much worrying, on both sides, about where the others were) we found each other. We ended up trying to calm down over a McDonald’s dinner together before going out for a fun night of dancing.

The day after, we went to the British Library. This was probably one of the best places I visited all semester. It had  many old documents on display, such as old, illumined Bibles, important literary texts, handwritten lyrics of the Beatles, etc.  Not all of these items were British, either. They had plenty of things from all over the world. I probably could’ve stayed there for hours.

After the British library, we stopped at the nearby King’s Cross train station—yes, the King’s Cross station featured in the Harry Potter series! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so I couldn’t resist taking a picture at Platform 9 and ¾. The station was much more modern than what’s depicted in the Harry Potter movies. The Platform 9 and ¾ tourist attraction—a sign that read “Platform 9 and ¾” slapped on a brick wall, with half of a metal cart attached to it (as if to look like the other half had made it through the barrier)—was certainly not the coolest sight I saw, especially since it wasn’t even among the actual train platforms. However, since it may have been my only London experience ever, I needed to get a photo! My friend and I waited in a long line of other tourists to have our pictures taken  there.

That night, we went out to a pub for dinner. We took a long time wandering around looking for a place to eat that was good and not completely crowded before we found it. It was worth the wait. It was probably the best meal I had all semester! I had glazed chicken, chips (what we’d call fries), and Rekorderlig Wild Berry Cider. Everything was delicious.

We couldn’t stay out too late that night since I had a plane to catch the next morning. Lindsey and I had to get up ridiculously early to get me to the train station that would take me to the London-Luton airport. Unfortunately, because of an inaccurate bus schedule, I ended up at the station later than I had intended. This led to my first experience of running through an airport in fear of missing my flight. This was made all the worse by temporarily losing my boarding pass when I went through security. Thankfully, someone who worked there had it and returned it, I rushed to my gate, and had a few minutes to spare before boarding the plane.

All in all, traveling to London wasn’t entirely stress-free. I think traveling, especially when some of  it is done alone, can be tiresome. I was relieved to return to my flat in Coleraine, a place that may not have been my home but sure gave a homey feeling after a weekend in London. I’m so glad that I had visited London, and it was worth all the stress. Still, something about that massive, bustling English city made me happy to be just where I was—the calm town of Coleraine, Northern Ireland, surrounded by beautiful Irish countryside.

Back to Susquehanna

I had a window seat on my flight from Belfast to America. As we were getting close to the Newark airport, I looked down at the landscape and thought how American it all looked, compared to the Irish landscape I'd grown accustomed to for the past three months. I was excited and ready to go home to spend Christmas break with my family.

And I was ready for another semester at Susquehanna.

Friday my parents and I packed my things into a van and headed to Selinsgrove. It felt, and still very much feels, like the beginning of a new academic year, and it's easy for me to forget that it is, in fact, Spring semester and that mostly everyone else was here in the fall.

I moved into my single room in one of the Sassafrass townhouses. It's definitely the nicest room I've lived in here at Susquehanna! I have so much more space than I've had before, and I even have a walk-in closet. It's nice, after a semester abroad where I could only bring a suitcase, to have a homier room, with my nice bedding, pillows, lamps, chair, etc. Still, I don't have quite enough posters to fill up all the empty wall space.

Yesterday was my first day of classes. In Northern Ireland, I only took three courses, and they were structured so that I only had essays due during mid-terms and at the end of the semester. It will certainly be an adjustment to go back to a schedule that requires more time in class, more classes, and more assignments throughout the semester.

Thankfully, all of my courses seem really interesting this semester and worth the work. I got to experience my Intermediate Poetry, Fiction of C.S. Lewis, and Music in Christian Rituals classes yesterday, and later on today I'll be going to Women in Biblical Tradition, which might be the class I'm most excited to attend. 

The best part of being back on campus, of course, is seeing so many of the friends I missed last semester! I am so grateful I was able to work out a housing arrangement that meant I would be moving into a house with many of my close friends. Now people who I had to Skype last semester are just a flight of stairs away!

Despite how exciting it is to be back at Susquehanna, it's still a bit surreal that my study abroad experience is over. 

Though the experience was great, there were times I felt homesick when studying abroad, and by the time I was flying home, I felt like I was ready to leave. Once I got back, though, it became real that I don't know when I'll next travel out of the country and that I may never go back to Ireland. In the grand scheme of things, it was such a short experience, and I can't believe it's already gone.

It's left its imprint, though. Before last semester, I had never flown on a plane or left the country. Now, obviously, I have done both. I have gained so much more travel experience than I had and feel more capable of doing things like traveling independently. I've traveled by bus, train, taxi, ferry, plane, and subway (during a weekend in London, on the London Underground). I've been to Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and England. I've lived with girls from Hong Kong and Belgium. I've gone to a Northern Irish night club with a friend from Germany. I've heard people sing "God Save the Queen" in a church service. I've watched seals in the wild, shopped at the Belfast Christmas Market, gone to museums in Dublin, stood on the distinctive rocks of the Causeway Coast, and walked to the beach on a frosty day in a coastal town called Portstewart. I've started liking tea, enjoyed cider, ate some delicious "chips," and managed to feed myself for a whole semester by buying groceries at Tesco, a big, British chain of grocery stores. I've stayed in a hostel in Edinburgh with some of my best friends. I've read my poetry aloud at a Poetry Society meeting at the University of Ulster and talked a lot in class discussion of love poetry and twentieth-century women writers. And I had some great conversations with great people. 

Though, over time, last semester will become more distant--just some far-off experience that I had, maybe--that won't change how big of a deal it was for me. I left my comfort zone and went off to a college across the ocean without any classmates from Susquehanna coming with me--without knowing a soul.  While I could analyze what I should've done to make more of the semester or feel regret over not getting to X or Y, I'm pleased looking back on my experience.

I certainly feel as if I made the right choice to go away for a semester and to go where I did--Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Now I just need to enjoy this semester here at Susquehanna University, a school that is one of my other best choices.  

What I've Learned My Sophomore Year

College is supposed to be a time for learning, self discovery, etc. Though it will always sound cliche to talk about what you learned about yourself and life at college, I think there's a lot of truth to that. I tried to reflect on some of the things that I have learned this year. This is by no means an extensive list but is, at least, a little glimpse of what I've been discovering this year.

• Having a single is not the worst thing ever. It’s actually kind of nice. At the beginning of the year, I struggled a lot with not having a roommate, but there really are some advantages to having a single.  You don’t have to worry about keeping someone up, for instance, when you want to stay up late. I’ll be having a single again next year. I’ll be switching single rooms with someone else when I come back from being abroad. I'm hoping to have a roommate senior year, but it may be a bit of an adjustment after living so long by myself!
  

• Academically, I have more interests than just creative writing! Coming into college, I assumed I was going to be an editor when I grew up, that I'd be an editing and publishing minor, that I would be deeply immersed in this department, that I'd be involved in editorial boards all the time, etc. After all, I'd always been the "writing girl" at school, and being well-rounded isn't really my strong suit. While Creative Writing is still very important to me, my involvement is not looking the way I had imagined it would at the beginning of freshman year, and it's not my only pursuit at this school.  My religion minor turned into a religion major this year, and I am so glad it did. I’ve really enjoyed studying Luther and the Reformation this semester, and I am looking forward to continuing my religious studies during the next two years.

• It’s actually true—you don’t have to live with people in order to maintain your friendships! This is something I believed all along, of course, but there was a certain level of nervousness and adjustment that came from living in the same dorm with all of my friends to having some of them live elsewhere. I’m happy to say that I feel like some of those friendships with people in my freshman residence hall  have even strengthened this year, without us living together! And I'm excited that I'll get to be living with them again next year (though that means not living with some other friends I've been with the past two years).

•  I like poetry. Writing it and reading it. I’ve always known that I liked poetry in a vague, I’ll-do-this-sometimes-for-fun-but-not-seriously way, but now I know that I like it in the way that I’d like to dedicate some time to writing it and actually becoming good. As for reading it, I have found that I love the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Sara Teasdale. I also like some poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I have a lot more reading to do on this front, though.

• Reflecting on the past two years, I think this year I've been a lot more comfortable with being outspoken. I’ve been a lot more willing to speak my mind in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship activities for instance, like Bible studies or large group discussions. I’ve also taken risks with talking to people I don’t know, through our spiritual survey questions called Soularium and an activity where we give out free cookies and iced tea or lemonade to people on Friday nights. I’ve also made some new friendships this year or bolstered ones that weren’t so strong last year. 

• To get a bit deeper, I’ve learned that progress does not always come in a straight, upward line. And that’s okay. Progress, in anything, will still involve bouts of struggle, backtracking, etc.

Drawing to a Close

The year really is drawing to a close. I'm excited for summer, but I have to admit, I'm not all too thrilled about this school year ending. Being halfway through my college experience is frankly terrifying. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to study abroad for a semester, but I'm also a little saddened about missing a semester with my friends here at SU (especially sad when I think about the juniors I know who I'll only get to see for one more semester). And this year it will be weirder to see people graduate than freshman year since I've actually had time to get to know some of them!

In spite of all that, some good things do come at the end of the semester.

This week I get to share some of my Scholars' House project at the large group meeting of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. My project, which was originally to complete a draft of a Christian YA novel, changed over the course of the year, as my creative focus, for some inexplicable reason, could not stay on novels and drifted towards poetry. I am now focusing on compiling a collection of writing that has to do with faith, which will include what I have of the novel and various poems.

I already shared some of the novel at the Undergraduate Literature and Creative Writing Conference. I'll be sharing poetry at the large group meeting this week. I'm especially excited that I'll be able to share this very personal writing on faith in the context of a discussion about faith--a very different context from that of the lit conference. The poetry is a large segment, but not the whole of my talk for Thursday. I will be sharing my writing in a talk about doubt, faith, honest expressions of both, and God's approach to human doubt in Scriptures. I'm very passionate about my subject matter and very pumped for this chance to present it!

This past weekend also provided plenty of fun though mostly of the busy variety. Last year I participated in an event called Lutheran Youth Day. I was able to do this again this year. Lutheran Youth Day brings middle and high school students from around the area to the Susquehanna campus for a day of worship and large group sessions and small group sessions looking at the Bible. I was a small group leader which meant I, with some other SU students, got to lead discussion and activities with these students. I had a small group of high schoolers--sophomores through seniors, I believe--who all seemed very mature, and we had some great and deep discussion! During Lutheran Youth Day, I also performed in an original skit with the organization Acts 29 about the batteries that fuel us in our everyday lives. Acts 29 is a ministry group that uses theater, puppets, etc. I've only very recently gotten involved with this group and was excited that my first performance with them went well. That Saturday I also got to play some frisbee in the rain and dance at a fake prom at TRAX!

I am hoping these last weekends will be filled with fun as well, though maybe, ideally, of the less busy variety. 

College Family

College is a home away from home. Any good home away from home requires a family away from family. People to support you emotionally, give you advice, help you grow--sure, the family can and probably should do all these things. But there's also the simple matters of having people to spend time with on the weekend or to go with to meals--the people who are consistent characters in chapters of our life (and we reciprocate in their storybooks as well.) Unlike my immediate family, which hasn't added new members since my birth, college families are more flexible. Dynamics can shift. New people can be taken into the fold. Those farther out on the limbs of the family tree can come closer and closer. The college family is a family that you have to actively pursue in friendship, a family that, often, it looks like you choose, even I think it's a matter of fortuitously falling into these right friendships--a blessing.

If you can't already tell, I feel as if I have family at college. Maybe even multiple families.

The campus organization closest to my heart, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, is an example of one of these families. I will not pretend that I know everybody in the organization super well, but many of my friendships have been found or developed through InterVarsity--including some of my best friends. Plus, there are always people in it to get to know better! I can liken it to an extended family, in some sense. Every week I have some time with this family--whether that's merely hanging out with friends from it, outside any structured activitise, getting together for our weekly large group meeting the Banquet (and then chilling after--usually for way too long, as my homework cries for attention in my room), or going to a small, Life Group where I can talk about the Bible or simply my life with fewer people. Just this weekend, InterVarsity had its annual Lock In, which is basically just a big hang-out session until everyone decides to go to bed. From around 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m, I hung out with InterVarsity friends, playing games, talking, etc. It was so much fun! Thinking about what a great time I had with all of my InterVarsity friends that night has helped inspire these ideas of family.

InterVarsity is definitely not my only family, though. I have great friends, also some of my best friends, outside of it. In particular, I think of two of my friends who I really became close to living in Hassinger last year. We all live in a row this year in the Scholar's House. We do a lot together--eating dinner or lunch, frequently ordering pizza on weekends, chilling and watching movies, etc. Even when I'm getting totally over-emotional, they are completely there for me--even if that involves tears and unintelligible ranting. They're a huge part of my life.

Don't get me wrong--nothing can replace the family I grew up in and love! But when you're away from home, I think having a family of friends is a neccesity. It is also one of the greatest things about college. Sure, the learning can be lovely at times, but learning alone just doesn't result in the same kind of hugs.

A Boardwalk, A Band, And More

This weekend--my first full weekend back at school--was filled with a lot of fun activity with friends. I'll admit that the beginning of my Saturday was quite lazy, but hey, it's nice to sleep in after the first week of classes!

The day picked up when I went to the opening of the art exhibit Up Routed For with two of my friends. First, we heard the artist talk about her work. Then we were able to look at it all in the gallery. I'm far from an art expert, but the exhibit seemed fun and unique to me. It featured video scuplture, a medium that I wasn't very used to seeing. One of my favorite things, at least in terms of experience, was the boardwalk that we were encouraged to walk on. It incorporated a video of the word "foreigner" being written in sand. Another fun video sculpture was called "Jacob's Ladder;" it was a tower of televisions playing video of escalators going up. There was also some really great photography that included houses and bridges made of postcards set against architectural backdrops.

Later that night, I met with those same friends to head over to TRAX, where the band Kingsfoil played a show. They had performed as an opening act at the fall semester's Neon Trees concert which I hadn't been able to attend, so this was my first time seeing them. They were good and super nice when we met them. Overall, it was a lot of fun! After they finished playing, TRAX kept playing music so we stuck around to dance.

Sunday was also a busy day. It started out with a chapel service honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. The music was especially great. Some of his favorite hymns had been chosen for the service. Afterwards, I had a long brunch with friends; Sunday brunch is one of my favorite meals of the week. Later that day, I helped my friend Karen cook dinner for a young adult service we go to at the Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene. I am not much of a cook, but I was happy to help; the meal ended up being delicous. That night, friends and I met in the student center lobby to have a homework party.

Now the school week has started, and I am still feeling really great about my classes! My religion classes, I think, are going to be the most interesting this semester. I feel as if I'm learning a ton in Intro to Asian Religions. Right now we're learning about Hinduism, which I knew a bit about from World History classes; however, this class is totally expanding my understanding. I am also completely interested in my Luther: Life and Thought course.

So far, this semester has been off to a great start, and I'm hoping things continue that way!

Masquerades and Jazz

I spend a lot of time blogging about the weekends, and I’ll admit, I’m going to do it again. Weekends tend to be less monotonous than weekdays.

For example, Friday night was set apart by my Alpha Phi Omega formal, which was very fun. The best part of any formal, I think, is getting dressed up. I was so excited to wear the dress I bought and have my hair straightened. A friend from APO straightened my hair for me. She had an intense, turbo straightener that worked very well—and very quickly! She took about 30 minutes, a lot shorter than expected! I was thrilled that my hair stayed straight throughout the night, rather than puffing up again at the first sign of heat. Hairspray definitely did its trick. Additionally, the formal was masquerade-themed, so I got to have some fun with the mask my brother bought me years ago in Europe. It attracted quite a few compliments.  

Of course, I can’t ignore the formal itself. After gathering on the stairs in Seibert, one of the dorms on campus, for some pictures, our group headed over to the Susquehanna Valley Country Club. We started with dinner. I had chosen the stuffed chicken for my meal—a choice I did not regret. It was so tasty! There were also really good rolls. After some official APO business, like awards, the dancing begun, which was super fun. At the end of the night, our group headed to Denny’s, where I got a strawberry banana smoothie and two sides of fries.

Saturday my friend invited me out to dinner with her parents, and then afterwards, we hung out in the café Charlie’s.  A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was on in the background as we looked through old yearbooks and played games. I also got some great ice cream (I’m sensing a food theme here). Later, after hanging in her dorm for a little, we joined up with other people for card games.

The big event I went to Sunday was Jazz Vespers, part of Susquehanna’s Worship In A New Key Series. Vespers is an evening prayer service. This service was led by the Josh Davis Group who did a fabulous job. I was especially impressed by the singer’s voice! Also, I liked joining in singing the jazzy arrangements. A bit later that night was APO’s initiation. It was, admittedly, less exciting than when I was a pledge, but I was still very happy to see some of my friends become full-fledged brothers. I look forward to next semester since I plan on having a Little—a pledge who I will guide through the pledging proces.

Now that I've gotten past the weekend, I am very close to Thanksgiving break. Some of my friends get to leave today, but I will be here until tomorrow. Time, feel free to fly as quickly as you can!

A Weekend Overview

This weekend was Parents' Weekend at SU, meaning our campus was filled with a bunch of families. I was very happy that my parents came up on Friday evening. They took me to the mall and bought me 2 new pairs of jeans which I love. Then we went to Applebees for a delicious dinner before heading back to campus for an event recognizing University Scholars.

I started out my Saturday with a project for Alpha Phi Omega. Alpha Phi Omega was having a huge clothing drive for Haven Ministries in nearby Sunbury. Previously, APO membrs had distributed flyers around Selinsgrove neighborhoods instructing anybody who wants to donate to leave the bags outside their door that morning. Saturday we went off, mostly in pairs, to drive around different zones and collect bags of clothing. People were really generous! And some of the bags of clothes--really heavy!

When I got back, I grabbed lunch with one of my friends, then spent a lot of the day in her dorm room for a Movie Party. We watched 10 Things I Hate About You and The Lizzie McGuire Movie before I had to grab dinner with another friend and get ready for ushering for SU's current theater production, Funny Girl. This was my first time ushering so I was actually a little nervous! Ushers don't only pass out flyers. They're also responsible for watching the audience to make sure people aren't using cell phones, blocking the aisles, eating, etc., so I couldn't focus all of my attention on the show. I was able to focus enough, though, to get a grasp on how good it was! Afterwards I went back to my friend's dorm where Movie Night was still continuing.

Sunday was less eventful. After chapel and brunch, I spent some time hanging out in my room and then some time in the library, working on my sophomore essay.

Today I need to do more work on my sophomore essay so I can send out a draft to my advisor, though I don't know if the revisions will be as complete as I will have liked. I am also meeting with my group for a project in my Hebrew Bible course, going to an APO project, and attending an InterVarsity-related meeting, if I get the time. I'm hoping the rest of the week stays relatively unbusy!
  

Part of Your World



Bev and I over the summer

My friend Beverly, who goes to the University of Pittsburgh, commented on how Susquehanna is very much a different world from her big, urban university. We concluded that basically every college is its own world, with its own culture, and how her visit was taking her into mine.

When Bev arrived Saturday afternoon, I gave her a campus tour with her other friend she was visiting. It was fun to be able to show her all the places on campus, including my beloved freshman dormitory (though we didn't get the chance to go inside). One place we explored with her was the library. Then we ate lunch with her at my favorite place to eat on campus, Benny's. During this tour, I was able to introduce her to many people, like my roommate from last year Sarah who I called to meet us outside of Smith, where she RAs, my Big from Alpha Phi Omega, and one of my friends from my residence hall last year, Kathleen.

Saturday she went to stay with her other friend, but on Sunday we spent the day together. A cool aspect of the day was that it differed from the norm but I also was able to include her in many of my Sunday routines. We met at chapel, then had Sunday brunch in the cafeteria, one of my favorite SU meals. We decided to spend a lot of our day outside. We walked into downtown Selinsgrove which Bev found adorable; of course I agreed. There wasn't much open in Selinsgrove on a Sunday afternoon so we walked over by the river and found a gazebo where we could chat. I had never actually been to that spot before, but it was nice and I want to go back. Following our outdoors adventure, we returned to my dorm, where we spent time with my friends, and then went to Benny's for dinner. This Sunday happened to be a week when the Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene was having its young adult service. I was able to take her to that, and she got to see many of my friends from InterVarsity who also attend Plugged In. Afterwards, we ordered Domino's at my dorm.

We ended the night chilling in my room and staying up talking way too late.

It's so awesome that she has been here and experienced some parts of my Susquehanna world. Now I can talk to her about my college life and the people in it, and she will have at least some idea about what I'm saying! It makes me want to visit here even more at Pitt--though I know that world will be extremely different from Susquehanna.

Back to What?

Coming back to Susquehanna was very exciting, but I think I need to make it clear, to both my readers and myself, that coming back to Susquehanna is exactly that: coming back to Susquehanna. I didn’t come back to my freshman year, to Hassinger Hall, or to a top bunk. I didn’t come back to pick things up as they left off—not exactly. This year is new.

My room this year--before it got messy!

Not as new as coming into Susquehanna as a nervous freshman wondering what college will entail.

But still new. New enough that I am curious to see where this year takes me. New enough , even though I’m familiar with my friends, this campus, and the routine of work and classes,  that it’s taking a bit of adjustment to get back into the swing of things.

Or more accurately, to start a new swing of things.

Something I have to tackle this year is how to maintain and balance friendships with people who I used to live with but now don’t get to see on that same, day-to-day basis.  Only a certain set of my friends have that same right-down-the-hall status. Also, I’m still acclimating  to living alone. I definitely need to work out a cleaning routine because, without a roommate to consider, I’ve let things get a bit disheveled. Clearly, this isn’t the biggest issue with living alone, but it’s something I should probably work on!   

In another entry, I talked about how being a sophomore was good because I had a comfort zone from which to start. That’s still true. However, that comfort zone has had to shift and budge a little. It’s been altered—it’s been pinched by some discomforts, forces of change. Discomfort isn’t a negative, though.  No year can be the same as the one before. And next year I may, all over again, be contemplating on how to adapt to the changes of a different academic year.

 I’ll admit that, right now, I have a bit of nostalgic longing for my freshman year. I see people enter Hassinger—people that aren’t me—and go a bit gooey on the inside. Facebook shows me status updates from “this day in 2010,” and I relive that fresh, exciting period of time where I was just really discovering and getting to know the friends I have now.

I’m hoping that next year my time as a sophomore will elicit the same feelings.

The Comfort Zone

During my first week back, I discovered that starting freshman year and starting sophomore year are two very different beasts.

One of the main differences is workload. During the beginning of my first semester last year, I remember not having that much work to do; intentional or not, it felt as if I was being eased into the academic experience of college. This gave me a lot of free time in the evenings to spend with friends.  So far I’ve managed to spend a lot of time with my friends, but to do so, at least on week nights, I’m usually putting off homework.

It’s also quite different to come in already involved. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship was a constant of my freshman year. Our first large-group meeting was on Thursday. Last year, I probably had some trepidation as I attended the first meeting of the year—being somewhat socially awkward and nervous about finding my place in that group of people, or more likely, just surviving the night.  As a sophomore I returned to something familiar and was able to catch up with friends.

My attitude in general is very different this year. As a freshman, things are completely new. The start of the year is very much about making friends and meeting new people. In a way, everything is in flux—to be determined. As a sophomore I may have power to change my course, but I also have established friendships. Making new friends is still a goal, but it’s certainly not as desperate of one as it was last year. Therefore, things don’t seem as high stakes, and I’m free from those freshman year jitters.

Another difference: one of my friends has a car this year, and we can finally go off-campus without limiting ourselves to the free shuttle schedule. We’ve already made a few trips. Last Sunday we went to Target, Saturday we went to the mall, and this Sunday we headed to Wal-Mart and Weis.  The chance to get off-campus is always helpful. Last year, campus could feel a bit suffocating after long stretches without leaving. However, chances to get off campus also equal chances to lighten the wallet.

All in all, there’s been some more work and some big changes, but I also have a nice comfort zone. “Comfort zone” usually has a negative connotation. Throughout the year I’ll definitely need to go beyond this zone, breaking its boundaries, but I also think a comfort zone can be a nice haven and a good starting point.

Starting Sophomore Year

After a summer of watching Doctor Who on Netflix, messaging college friends on Skype, and hanging up clothing for minimum wage at my local Salvation Army, I am back in Selinsgrove for my sophomore year.

And believe me, I’m excited about it.

I will definitely miss my family and friends from home, but while at home, I definitely missed Susquehanna.

Today marks my second day of classes. So far I’ve gone to Intermediate Fiction and a little later in the day will have Hebrew Bible. I’m very excited about Intermediate Fiction—so excited that I may have, a bit foolishly, chosen the first date for workshops. I need to have a 6 to 25 page story read to send out to my classmates by September 2^nd! Thankfully, I have a lot of ideas for it, and I have some things already written that I could use.

Yesterday I attended English Grammar and the Writing Process, Thought & The Natural Sciences, and Sophomore Essay. My sophomore essay is going to be something about the portrayal of faith and religion in YA novels. Over the summer I read about six books to give me some background on it. I think I am going to focus my idea by specifically examining how YA novels represent religious doubt and its consequences and analyzing the accuracy or the helpfulness of such representations. This essay needs to be 15-20 pages long, and the first draft is, I believe, due in October. I definitely need to get to work on it. 

Probably one of the biggest differences so far is living in a different dorm. My dorm this year is smaller and a bit quieter. I have a single, a room to myself, instead of sharing a double. It’s nice to have my own space, but it’s also a bit strange since, so far, I’ve associated college with having a roommate. Some of my friends from my freshman dorm, Hassinger, are living with me in this new dorm, the Scholar’s House, so that definitely helps with the transition.

I am excited about what this year has in store! I hope to grow as a person and a writer, form new friendships, and just have a lot of fun along the way. It’s strange no longer being a freshman and seeing all these new faces on campus that are—gasp—actually younger than me, but it’s also nice to return to a familiar place.

Even if I have to get used to walking everywhere from a whole different side of campus.  

Yet Another Eventful Weekend

This weekend has, again, been action-packed, so to speak. Friday I went right from class to a service project with my Alpha Phi Omega pledge class. We hosted a prom at Graysonview, a nearby senior assisted living community. A group of us had to go a bit late since we didn’t get out of class yet. I didn’t get to help that much with dinner, but I did get to make a fool of myself dancing. Some of the residents who weren’t dancing said they just enjoyed watching, so I hope my poor moves entertained them.

Saturday my pledge class had our second group service project at the Campus Gardens, located at Susquehanna University’s Center for Environmental and Educational Research. The group of us met at the back of Degenstein, the student center, and walked to the gardens together. We spent about four hours de-weeding the garden beds so things can later be planted there. I focused on pulling out grass. It’s quite tricky to get grass out, including the root, so it was quite a triumph every time I succeeded. I was actually pretty into the gardening and would totally consider going back to volunteer when it’s a bit warmer.

Later that day my friends and I met up with Madison, the prospective student my roommate and I hosted overnight in the beginning of the year. She’s attending next year and was on campus for Accepted Students Day. We, then, headed over to the dance showcase, which featured dances by the SU Dance Corps and by different dance classes. One of my friends from my dorm, Hass, was in it, and it was great to get be there and see her perform. It was a very good show and made me wish I knew how to dance.

Sunday Weber Chapel hosted a Taizé service. Taizé is a style of worship involving meditative singing and centering prayer. There are many short, simple songs that are repeated, and there are many times of silence within the service. This type of service is based off the Taizé community in France, where thousands, mostly young people, make pilgrimages. During communion, we went up to kneelers, which is not normal procedure. There were also candles on the altar that could be lit as a prayer, an act of commitment, in remembrance, etc. I absolutely loved this service. It was very refreshing and unique. I would love to visit the original Taizé community one day—maybe when I’m studying abroad!

Immediately after chapel, I met with my parents and my brother for lunch. They came to visit for my induction to Alpha Lambda Delta, the freshman honor society. We had brunch at the cafeteria, and then we went to the ceremony. Afterwards my family and I went shopping, then had dinner at Red Robin. When I got back to campus, I headed to a biweekly bible study with two of the religion professors, then crashed in my room for the night with TLC and The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, a book for my Romantic Novels course.

Next weekend will also be busy because my entire Saturday is going to be taken up by volunteering at Lutheran Youth Day. I think the weekend after that is the Relay for Life. Hopefully I will able to find some time this week and the next for some ample relaxing!

Professor Accessibility...It's True!

Something cool about Susquehanna University is the accessibility of professors.  This is something I heard a lot about as a prospective student and perhaps something I have taken for granted thus far (especially when, at some schools, most of your interaction is with TAs!), but it really hit me yesterday. 

For the first time, I attended a Bible study hosted by two of Susquehanna’s religion professors, one of whom teaches my Applied Biblical Ethics class.  This Bible study happens every other Sunday and is currently exploring questions about God and human suffering.

A few friends and I met up with fellow students behind the Degenstein Campus Center, where we divvied ourselves into two cars.  We then drove over to the house of these professors which is located pretty close to campus.  The group, which I sensed was larger than their usual crowd, sat in their living room to discuss some of the book of Job.  There were also cookies and juice, a pet cat, and an enthusiastic dog they were pet-sitting. 

I really enjoyed the Bible study—even if my introverted self barely talked—and am definitely planning on attending again.  It was one of those instances when I thought to myself that what they say about Susquehanna, those things you suspect might be just to sell you on the school, are really true.    

Even the president himself seems more accessible than presidents normally are considered to be, whether that’s in reading ‘Twas a Night Before Christmas to a group of students in pajamas before Winter Break or whether that’s in shaking his hand during a chapel service earlier that Sunday.