The Neccesity of Breaks--And Some Fun Before Them!

It’s funny how my attitude towards breaks shifts over time. Many times last year, I felt conflicted about breaks. Wrapped up in my freshman collegiate experience and all of my new friendships, the thought of leaving school for whatever length of time was somewhat saddening. At the same time, there’s an itch to return home. This year, more used to the college life, I’ve, perhaps ironically, been looking forward to breaks more and more.

Thanksgiving Break is very quickly approaching, and that is truly something that fills me with thanks. The more stressful the time leading up to the break, the sweeter having that break is! This week I’ve been dealing with two group projects, one a scientific study and one for my Hebrew Bible class. Perhaps it’s my introverted side or an independent streak (or maybe even a controlling one), but I get drained by group projects quite easily. I also had an 8-page rough draft of my grammar essay due.

However, the break doesn’t necessarily mean an end of work.

I’ve gotten behind on my Scholar’s House project—completing a draft of a Christian YA novel and blogging about the intersection of faith and fiction—so I’d like to get a lot accomplished over break. This shouldn’t be that difficult, though. After all, a lot of college students I know are participating in NaNoWriMo, where you draft a novel in the month of November; I have a lot more time than that.

Fortunately, even if my break means a bit of creative work, it also means relaxation, time with family and friends, and really great Thanksgiving food.

I did get a prequel to that Thanksgiving meal, though, when I attended one of SU's biggest traditions for the first time--Thanksgiving Dinner! I went to the 4:30 p.m. seating with a group from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The cafeteria was packed with people excited for Thanksgiving food. The dinner definitely did not dissapoint. The stuffing was especially good. I wish we could have that dinner more often--though, I suppose, its rarity is what keeps it special. Another facet of this dinner is that faculty serve the students. President Lemons cut turkey for our table himself. Many groups got a picture with him after dinner, including ours. He really is so accessible and friendly. It makes me sad that, if I am abroad next fall, I'll only have one more Thanksgiving Dinner left at SU!

Tonight Alpha Phi Omega is having its formal at a nearby country club. There will be dancing as well as a banquet where I think there might be awards, as well as the results of recent elections. After a bit of stress this week, this formal will be a great relief. I am very excited about the dress I bought and for a friend to straighten my hair. I'm also looking forward to wearing my mask since it's a masquerade.

I'm glad that I haven't only been pining for break but have had--and will have tonight--some fun times before I get there!

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.

Winter Nearing, Fall Semester Disappearing!

The Fall Semester is wrapping up here at SU.  Meanwhile, December has arrived!  All of a sudden the weather has gone from manageably cold to numbingly so.  Last night, as friends and I left West Village, we were greeted by snowflakes!  Though not Winter yet, the various campus buildings sporting impressive Christmas trees have definitely given me that feel. I'm consistently struck by the immensity of the tree in the Blough-Weis Library.  My roommate Sarah brought a tiny, adorable fake tree for our room and a few Christmas decorations.  Likewise, many of my hallmates have also embraced the Christmas spirit when it comes to dorm decor.

As a freshman, I've heard about many Susquehanna traditions that I have not yet experienced for myself.  One such tradition I'm anticipating is the upcoming Annual Christmas Candlelight Service.  Chapel service this Sunday will be a dress-down day, and afterwords people will stay to help decorate for the service (and eat pizza-yay!).  I definitely want to attend this decorating as well as the candlelight service itself. Usually on Sundays, everyone who attends chapel is right there on the stage.  It'll be awesome to see Weber entirely full!  Another Christmas festivity I'm looking forward to is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Christmas Party.  Hopefully I'll also be attending Lutheran Student Movement's last meeting of the semester, which includes a gift exchange and caroling!

Though I'm so looking forward to break--I practically require it--I am going to miss my friends here a lot, so it's nice that I will be getting a little bit of Christmas here at SU, with them, before my Christmas at home.

The only thing dampering my holiday spirit is end of the semester work.

I have two final tests, Intermediate German and Colonial Latin America.  In Thought class, I have to edit my final paper, which must be at least 8 pages.  Mine is about social media in Iran.  So far I feel pretty good about my first draft.  It focuses on The Twitter Revolution and speaks a lot to the use of social media--like blogging, for instance!--in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election.  My Perspectives course wrapped up today, with a final class where we were treated to breakfast, but I still have to turn in a self-reflection about a group project we worked on. This, too, must be 8 pages, a seemingly magic number among college professors. 

The most important final project to me personally is my portfolio for Intro to Fiction.  Regrettably, I haven't been working on my two stories all that much since they've been workshopped, but I really hope to knock these revisions out of the park.  The rewrites are pretty extensive for both stories.  At the very least, I am starting and ending each story in a different place, even if I'm not quite sure where those ends are yet.  My first person story has evolved from a scene with a cheesy romance ending to a story that will be more real and messy and heartfelt.  My third person story received a much better reception, but it will change so as not to rely on a structural quirk.  Instead it will allow the reader to stay with the story and go forward.  It will begin right where the tension does, rather than taking the reader through background before letting them enter the conflict.  Perhaps this weekend I can lock myself away in my room and rewrite!

Frankly, just as I expressed in my previous blog entry, I still cannot believe this semester is almost complete.  I arrived here in August.  And now it's December!  The older I get, the more amazed and startled I seem to be by the passage of time.