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.  

A Semester Surrounded by Language

Dragon from the Halloween parade I mentioned :)

On a bus trip to a Halloween parade, I was surrounded by French--French singing, French shouting, French chatter. On another bus trip, this one to some well-known sites around the Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland, I heard more Spanish than I ever have in my life.

In my flat, I will sometimes hear my two Belgian flat mates speaking in Dutch and my two flat mates from Hong Kong speaking in Cantonese, though typically they'll speak English when I'm around. From two other friends, I'll sometimes hear German.

They may need to speak in their own tongues to figure out the word for something in English or simply because it's natural and easier when doing something together, like cooking. Other times people will share how to say something in their language, like, "I love you," or will wish me a good meal with a phrase in their own language.

Though I am in Northern Ireland, an English-speaking country, there is no question that I am more exposed here to other languages than I've ever been in my life. For me, a big part of my study abroad experience has been about getting to know other international students, not just getting to know this country. Hearing snippets of conversation in other languages is now a familiar experience, and I wonder if it's something I might be a bit nostalgic for when I'm back in Selinsgrove, surrounded by English spoken in American accents like my own.

I've come to have such respect for my fellow international students who speak English as a second language. My flat mates, for instance, are all great at English and speak it as much as possible while here. One of my German friends, particularly in the beginning, made an effort not to spend much time speaking German with other German students, so as to work on her English. Many of them also speak, or can get by, in other languages, in addition to English and their first language. It does make me feel a bit inadequate in comparison. I have learned a little bit of German from my education, but not enough that I'd feel comfortable conversing with German friends! When it comes to speaking fluently, I really only have this language.

I also admire them for how they have handled this semester abroad so far. It's a tough adjustment, I think, to get used to a different college in a different country. I certainly had my own difficulties, and I've certainly grappled with my own home-and-Susquehanna sickness. That adjustment would be so much harder if I had to be constantly speaking in a language that was not my first language, which I know requires a lot of thought and effort.

While I get to speak English and can basically understand the Northern Irish accents without too much difficulty, this exposure to other languages does have some ramifications for me and my relationship with English while I'm here. I often am thinking more deeply about the English I'm speaking. Friends will ask me when we use certain phrases in English, what the word would be for something, for correction, etc. When I'm speaking, I sometimes more intentionally consider what words I'm using, if it's slang or colloquial, if the concept is something very American that I would have to explain, etc. Though I know our language is complex and confusing, associating with people for whom English is a second language is a great reminder of that.

And this experience leaves a bit of room to poke fun at myself and my English, too.

Recently, some of my international friends and I were gathered in a flat, and one of the students, who is studying translation back in Spain, pointed out that Americans say "like" a lot. Now that this has been pointed out to some of the people I talk to, I have been caught living up to it. Oh well, that's one American stereotype I admittedly embody (as well as enjoying fast food and having a lot of televisions at my house)! We can't subvert them all!

Just have been busy in Northern Ireland, no big deal

I can't believe it's almost November!

Shopping area in Coleraine

I'm currently studying abroad in Coleraine, Northern Ireland at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster. I am very close to the Northern Ireland coast and the famous Giant's Causeway. I've been meaning to blog, but I've been very caught up in this experience. I'm hoping to get some more posts up about studying abroad, though, during this time I have left here (I'm leaving December 15). For now, I'll just catch you up on some of the highlights of my experience so far.

Me at the world famous Giant's Causeway

It was very hard to see so many of my friends starting the semester at Susquehanna while I was still at home. I didn't fly to Northern Ireland until mid-September because the semester here starts much later. I was eager to get the study abroad experience started! Before this semester, I had never left the country and had never been on a plane, so even though I was very excited, I was also kind of terrified. I managed to successfully arrive in Belfast, though, for a short orientation through my study abroad program, IFSA-Butler. After that, I went up to my college in Coleraine.

I'm living on campus in a flat with four other girls. We all have our own rooms. Two of my flat mates are from Hong Kong, and two are from Belgium. They are all really great and sweet! One of the best parts of my study abroad experience so far has been getting to know other international students and talk about our cultures. A big difference here is that I don't have a meal plan, so I've been having to buy my own groceries and prepare my own meals. 

I'm taking three classes here--one about the history of magic and witchcraft in early modern England and Ireland, one on love poetry, and one on twentieth century women writers. My favorite is the class on women writers. We've been looking at some interesting books in it, but the one I liked the most so far was Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I'm in class for a lot less time than at Susquehanna, so it'll be an adjustment going back to a fuller course load.

Me in front of a monument to Sir Walter Scott in Edinbugh

While I'm here, I've also gotten to do some traveling. Just this weekend I went on a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with some friends from Susquehanna who are studying abroad in England. It was such a great trip, and the city is absolutely gorgeous! I also went on a weekend trip to Dublin. I really loved the city of Dublin and hope I get time to go back. In November, I'll be visiting London for a weekend and staying with my friend Lindsey.

In front of a cathedral in Dublin

Overall, I'm having a really good experience so far, though there's definitely a lot I miss about Susquehanna. I miss my friends, of course! But I also miss our campus, having a meal plan, free printing, etc. I definitely miss my family as well.

I'm not here too much longer though, so I hope I make the most out of this next month and a half!

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.

Finals...Dun Dun Dun!

It's the last week of classes, and finals are almost here! This week I need to get a lot of work done on my final papers. Tonight in particular, I need to make progress on one of my papers because I have a conference with my professor about it tomorrow. This paper is for Aesthetics & Interpretation and is about the sitcom Seinfeld and its intersection with Aristotle's thought son comedy. It's been a lot harder to get started than I anticipated. I will also be getting a final exam for this class soon, but it will probably be a take-home, essay type of final.

My other final paper is for Luther: Life & Thought. It's due later than my other final paper so I'll admit it's been on the backburner. I think, once I have really got my thesis tacked down on this, it'll be a lot easier than my Aesthetics paper. I've actually enjoyed doing the research for it and feel as if I have a lot to draw on already, though I do need research in some more areas now that I've made my topic more specific. My paper has a lot to do with pre-Reformation figures--people who came before Luther--and how their thoughts and theologies paved the way for Luther's more revolutionary ideas.

My only "traditonal" exam, having multiple choice, short answer, essays, etc., is in my Asian Religions class, so I'll have to start reviewing for that shortly. I felt like I had a much better understanding and more interest in the first half of the semester, which focused on Hinduism and Buddishm, than this half of the semester, which has focused on Confucianism, Daoism, Zen, Chinese Buddihism, etc.

For Poetry, I need to turn in a final portfolio. I'll be conferencing with my Poetry professor on Thursday and getting feedback on a lot of poems I've turned in this half of the semester. After that, I feel like I'll have a better vision of which poems I want to work on and how much work they'll need.

Overall, I have a good number of things to accomplish before the end of the semester, but I'm not at the point where I'd say it's an overwhelming amount. I am confident in my ability to get all these things done--while still managing to eat meals, not spending all my time in the library, and not going crazy. During mid-terms and finals times, I always feel like I'm generally less stressed than a lot of other people I know. It makes me wonder if I should be more stressed, and it does make me feel a bit guilty. Even so, I'm going to look at it as a fortunate thing!

There's work to get done...and get done, it will!

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. 

Study Abroad, Service, and a Trip to the Opera

I can't believe how little I posted in March! Sorry about that!

I don't think I have much that's particularly exciting to share. I've made substantial progress on the filling-out-study-abroad forms front which is a relief. I've turned in my paperwork about the courses I want to take abroad, and I've also submitted my program contract, deposit, and a scholarship application to the program provider, IFSA-Butler. It's so strange that this semester is almost over and that next semester I won't be here at Susquehanna.

I am being completely honest when I say I love this school. This Saturday was Accepted Students Day, and as part of a service project for Alpha Phi Omega, I got to help out with this day for a little. I was directing foot traffic and pointing people out to specific buildings. A girl approached me looking for the Admissions Office. Before she followed my directions, she introduced herself and told me--beaming--that she was about to hand in her deposit. I was so excited for her.

While I didn't decide to come to SU right on Accepted Students Day, I had left feeling confident that Susquehanna would be a great choice for me. I also reconnected with a girl from the summer Writers' Workshop for high schoolers that day, and she ended up being my roommate freshman year!

I also got to do some other service this weekend. A nearby church has a preschool, and they were putting on an art show this weekend. I went with some of my other brothers to take down the artwork. Sunday, after chapel and brunch, I joined up with Alpha Phi Omega brothers again to pick up trash around Selinsgrove--our attempt to clean up after our fellow SU students. I've discovered that I really enjoy these serviec projects where I feel like I'm physically getting things done. They can get repetitive, but it feels very productive and as if my work is needed.

Another fun part of this weekend was going to see an opera on campus with my friend Karen. The opera was called Die Fleidermaus and was performed by Susquehanna students. I was amazed by the vocal talent on display! It was also fun because I had never seen an opera before so it was great to have that new experience.

Now I only have a four-day week before I can go home for Easter which is definitely exciting. The only not so exciting part is how little of the semester will be left when we come back.