FINALS!!!! They're over!!!!!! whoop whooop!
I've started referring to myself (in my mind) as a junior so I can get used to it and I won't be shocked when I come back next year and people use it on me...
Yesterday was my Spanish final. I have never studied so hard in my life. It was to the point, in the end, I couldn't even look at my notes. I couldn't bring myself to do it. My professor pulled me over the last class before the final and said I had to kick it into high gear. Boy, did I.
I think I did well. It was still a hard test and there was a TON of material I had to review, but I was definitely very well prepared. The whole thing went well despite the tummy grumbling noises of Angela and myself (we were both uber nervous and had consumed copious volumes of coffee), cheating girls in my class (ahem... We know who you are!!), and cell phone ringing.
I'm so glad to be done with classes. I was up till 6 am this morning and 5 yesterday morning... I'm looking forward to just sleeping in.
I feel like I should be working on something right now, but I have nothing to do.
(Expect watch HP 6, finish the 4th Twilight, and maneater!!!) (and the second season of Gossip Girl...
Omg, what am I going to do with myself over this loooong break of mine?
p.s. today is also the day Catie gave me the list of things to do in Spain.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thanksgiving Break and Being a Chicken
So Thanksgiving Break was not that long ago, but I can still remember how horrible I felt. I was worried about my Spanish grade. We have to have a B average to be allowed to go to Spain. Luckily, after avoiding the topic all break and feeling a knot in my stomach the topic crossed my mind, we got our grades up to that point on this Tuesday. I was very happy to see I had a perfectly fine grade. I've not done well on any of our tests but on every other assignment and worksheet I've done great. It must have been just enough to get me the grade I needed. I thought I was going to be the first girl in SMC history to have to stay back because her grades were too low. I'm Free!! <3
Also, it'll be exactly days 60 till I'm in Spain! I also just realized I have to start saying goodbye to my friends... :(
Also, it'll be exactly days 60 till I'm in Spain! I also just realized I have to start saying goodbye to my friends... :(
Monday, November 23, 2009
Visa Vexations
I wrote this a while ago and never posted it. For a little idea as to when it was written, keep in mind that my visa appt. was on Nov. 19th. So here it is:
This Wednesday many of the girls visiting Spain met for out first of only TWO meetings before we leave. We talked about the traveling plans and the safest, most efficient ways to go about it. Then, we got onto more interesting topics: dress, home life, and unusual customs of Spain.
Professor Zachman told us to watch the ways the Spanish girls our age act and to emulate them. They don't leave their houses unless completely dolled up, travel in small packs, ignore cat calls, don't eat peanut butter, and never drink to get drunk. We are to do the same.
We should never wear sneakers (unless actually running), athletic clothing, polar fleeces, or clothes that make it obvious we're foreign, and stay with others. It's supposedly very American to go out in a big group of girls. Spanish women are usually accompanied with one or two more girls, and no more than that. Zachman warned us about cat calls because so many of us are blond (or as close to it as our stylists will let us be). I'm a little nervous about that because I typically mock the irritating men who employ this tactic. Did I mention they don't have peanut butter?! I go through a jar a week! Nutella will not suffice. I don't even LIKE hazelnuts that much. I'm planning on bringing some to my host family (who I still do not know) and I will probably eat it all! The last thing we are supposed to do to blend more is not drink to get drunk. No problem... For ME. We'll see how the other girls do ;)
On Thursday of this last week I ventured to Chicago with my dear friend Joanne. I love the city of Chicago (it's my kind of town, not just Frank's). I, of course, slept most of the train ride there while Jo studied. When we arrived, we had little trouble finding the building and suite. The woman behind the desk was, to be sure, the least enjoyable part of the whole process. She was short with me and rude, to say the least. But the trip definitely took a turn in the right direction when Jo and I tried a cafe we'd spotted on the way to the consulate. The sandwiches, rain-proof ceiling, delectable lemon bars, and our makeshift game of counting business men running (dressed fully in suits) outside the window kept us entertained until the next train came.
Joanne and I discussed something later that day that made me think. We agreed that while both of us were glad to be finished with the visa application process, neither of us felt as though we'd accomplished something by completing our pilgrimage to Chicago. It's strange, but the truth. We'd put hours into preparing the paperwork, schedule, and procedure for the day, yet now that it was over neither of us felt its weight lifted from our shoulders. Whatever. My biggest concern for now should be getting that B in Spanish.
However, one other small annoyance remains. The paperwork, planning, meetings, and stress that lay ahead of me regarding the pre-departure checklist for my trip are nothing. The thing that bothers me most is the movie we were forced to watch at a meeting for all of the study abroad girls on Thursday night. (Yes, the same day as my trip to Chicago. It was about sexual harassment... LOVELY!
It was loaded with advice: don't walk alone, be aware of your surroundings, etc... Terrific. We were all pretty terrified. I recall my friend Angela grabbing my leg when one of the girls in the film said, "And that's when he kissed my crotch." Doubly lovely. There was even a man in the film who had been harassed. Freaky!! Luckily, none of them were from Spain. In fact, Zachman went out of her way to make it clear that the thing that we should be the most worried about its simple pick pocketing. YAY! I never thought that would relax me!
This Wednesday many of the girls visiting Spain met for out first of only TWO meetings before we leave. We talked about the traveling plans and the safest, most efficient ways to go about it. Then, we got onto more interesting topics: dress, home life, and unusual customs of Spain.
Professor Zachman told us to watch the ways the Spanish girls our age act and to emulate them. They don't leave their houses unless completely dolled up, travel in small packs, ignore cat calls, don't eat peanut butter, and never drink to get drunk. We are to do the same.
We should never wear sneakers (unless actually running), athletic clothing, polar fleeces, or clothes that make it obvious we're foreign, and stay with others. It's supposedly very American to go out in a big group of girls. Spanish women are usually accompanied with one or two more girls, and no more than that. Zachman warned us about cat calls because so many of us are blond (or as close to it as our stylists will let us be). I'm a little nervous about that because I typically mock the irritating men who employ this tactic. Did I mention they don't have peanut butter?! I go through a jar a week! Nutella will not suffice. I don't even LIKE hazelnuts that much. I'm planning on bringing some to my host family (who I still do not know) and I will probably eat it all! The last thing we are supposed to do to blend more is not drink to get drunk. No problem... For ME. We'll see how the other girls do ;)
On Thursday of this last week I ventured to Chicago with my dear friend Joanne. I love the city of Chicago (it's my kind of town, not just Frank's). I, of course, slept most of the train ride there while Jo studied. When we arrived, we had little trouble finding the building and suite. The woman behind the desk was, to be sure, the least enjoyable part of the whole process. She was short with me and rude, to say the least. But the trip definitely took a turn in the right direction when Jo and I tried a cafe we'd spotted on the way to the consulate. The sandwiches, rain-proof ceiling, delectable lemon bars, and our makeshift game of counting business men running (dressed fully in suits) outside the window kept us entertained until the next train came.
Joanne and I discussed something later that day that made me think. We agreed that while both of us were glad to be finished with the visa application process, neither of us felt as though we'd accomplished something by completing our pilgrimage to Chicago. It's strange, but the truth. We'd put hours into preparing the paperwork, schedule, and procedure for the day, yet now that it was over neither of us felt its weight lifted from our shoulders. Whatever. My biggest concern for now should be getting that B in Spanish.
However, one other small annoyance remains. The paperwork, planning, meetings, and stress that lay ahead of me regarding the pre-departure checklist for my trip are nothing. The thing that bothers me most is the movie we were forced to watch at a meeting for all of the study abroad girls on Thursday night. (Yes, the same day as my trip to Chicago. It was about sexual harassment... LOVELY!
It was loaded with advice: don't walk alone, be aware of your surroundings, etc... Terrific. We were all pretty terrified. I recall my friend Angela grabbing my leg when one of the girls in the film said, "And that's when he kissed my crotch." Doubly lovely. There was even a man in the film who had been harassed. Freaky!! Luckily, none of them were from Spain. In fact, Zachman went out of her way to make it clear that the thing that we should be the most worried about its simple pick pocketing. YAY! I never thought that would relax me!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Things I'll Miss About School (Friends)
Last night was the dance with the Navy boys and it was SUCH a fun night. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my roommates (minus a certain Kim Jordan *AHEM*) and teammates. It made me remember how much I really love them and will miss them terribly!
Things I'll miss most about my friends:
1) Subway trips after meets with the team
2) Movie marathons with the roomies
3) Shenanigans with the roomies
4) Groups of us getting ready for a night out together
5) Dancing with my girls
6) Breakfasts after a fun night out (to remind others what they did the night before...)
7) Cuddling with Stephanie! (Especially when she's in her onesie!)
8) Lauren's dance skills... Best Dance-offer ever!
9) Anne's clever little ideas
10) Catie's laugh
11) The process of convincing Joanne to come out with us
12) Natalie's texting at inappropriate times
13) Kim's family dinners
14) Alexis's hair and Princess calendar
15) Cheese time
16) Glee and The Office viewings (these are the reasons I get thru the week!)
17) Having half my team in a class (Fiction rocks!)
18) Staying up late doing homework, then going to practice at 5:30
19) Natalie's irrational fear of processed cheese
20) Living with (or within close distance) of my best friends in the whole world!
21) Talking about boys
22) Leaving ours seats in South for a third time to go get more food
23) People watching in SDH... Or North (which may be better due to the balcony...)
24) Co-exing in general
25) Giving the boys we like nicknames (more like code names!)
26) ROTC boys and the drama they create
27) Listening to the clicking of heels on the concrete outside my window at 3 a.m.
28) Complaining about hallmates
29) Praying with my team before a race
30) Jefe and his workouts and Nich with his ultrasound machine
31) Kim's alarm clock's ring tone
32) Omega (my fish)and his cloudy, rapidly evaporating water
33) Hearing the latest band gossip
34) Getting pink hair and then ripping it out myself
35) Facebook chatting my roomies
36) Michael Barnard ;)
37) Crying hysterically to sappy movies with my roomies
38) Late nights in LaFun, Starbucks and Sbarro's
39) Hearing Alexis ask (why, I don't know) to play with my hair
40) Listening to Alexis, Kim or Natalie talk in their sleep
41) Natalie's unexpectedly and exceptionally loud snoring
42) Checking the C-store 5 times a week till the new Glamour comes out
43) Doing stupid tings with Kim, and then watching Alexis and Natalie roll their eyes while laughing
44) Using peer pressure as a (rather effective) tactic for convincing Natalie to go out, run, etc...
45) Taking two hours to eat dinner in the DH because we have SOOoo much to talk about
This better be a fun trip! I'm gonna miss so much!
Things I'll miss most about my friends:
1) Subway trips after meets with the team
2) Movie marathons with the roomies
3) Shenanigans with the roomies
4) Groups of us getting ready for a night out together
5) Dancing with my girls
6) Breakfasts after a fun night out (to remind others what they did the night before...)
7) Cuddling with Stephanie! (Especially when she's in her onesie!)
8) Lauren's dance skills... Best Dance-offer ever!
9) Anne's clever little ideas
10) Catie's laugh
11) The process of convincing Joanne to come out with us
12) Natalie's texting at inappropriate times
13) Kim's family dinners
14) Alexis's hair and Princess calendar
15) Cheese time
16) Glee and The Office viewings (these are the reasons I get thru the week!)
17) Having half my team in a class (Fiction rocks!)
18) Staying up late doing homework, then going to practice at 5:30
19) Natalie's irrational fear of processed cheese
20) Living with (or within close distance) of my best friends in the whole world!
21) Talking about boys
22) Leaving ours seats in South for a third time to go get more food
23) People watching in SDH... Or North (which may be better due to the balcony...)
24) Co-exing in general
25) Giving the boys we like nicknames (more like code names!)
26) ROTC boys and the drama they create
27) Listening to the clicking of heels on the concrete outside my window at 3 a.m.
28) Complaining about hallmates
29) Praying with my team before a race
30) Jefe and his workouts and Nich with his ultrasound machine
31) Kim's alarm clock's ring tone
32) Omega (my fish)and his cloudy, rapidly evaporating water
33) Hearing the latest band gossip
34) Getting pink hair and then ripping it out myself
35) Facebook chatting my roomies
36) Michael Barnard ;)
37) Crying hysterically to sappy movies with my roomies
38) Late nights in LaFun, Starbucks and Sbarro's
39) Hearing Alexis ask (why, I don't know) to play with my hair
40) Listening to Alexis, Kim or Natalie talk in their sleep
41) Natalie's unexpectedly and exceptionally loud snoring
42) Checking the C-store 5 times a week till the new Glamour comes out
43) Doing stupid tings with Kim, and then watching Alexis and Natalie roll their eyes while laughing
44) Using peer pressure as a (rather effective) tactic for convincing Natalie to go out, run, etc...
45) Taking two hours to eat dinner in the DH because we have SOOoo much to talk about
This better be a fun trip! I'm gonna miss so much!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Seville (courtesy of CCCS)
Sevilla por la noche:
Paisaje de Andalucia:
Voy a aprender el Flamenco:
Una Jardin de Seville
Una calle tipical (pequena!!)
Una fruteria
La catedral de Sevilla
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400830915862656210" />
Paisaje de Andalucia:
Voy a aprender el Flamenco:
Una Jardin de Seville
Una calle tipical (pequena!!)
Una fruteria
La catedral de Sevilla
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400830915862656210" />
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Acceptance
Last week may have been the longest one of all my short life.
For years, I've assumed I'd be headed to Spain sometime this year. But, the lack of a formal letter of acceptance made me doubt this thing which I had always figured I was guaranteed. On Friday of last week, I sent an e-mail to the acceptance committee regarding my application (and anything I might not have turned in) to make sure it was complete. I was worried there was some huge mistake and I'd be rejected. These feelings of doubt and fear snowballed into a deep depression, which luckily, lasted a mere ten minutes because as I hit Refresh for a 20th time since I'd sent my e-mail, the letter I'd been waiting for appeared in my Inbox. All of the gratitude my body could hold streamed out of me in the form of huge, wet tears. I felt silly, but I was so grateful. God had created this moment of unimaginable joy by making me suffer for what, now, was a seemingly short and insignificant week.
It's only been a few days since then, but I already have a different perspective on my trip. It's not something I will take for granted. It's something I know I will appreciate and savor. I can't wait.
For years, I've assumed I'd be headed to Spain sometime this year. But, the lack of a formal letter of acceptance made me doubt this thing which I had always figured I was guaranteed. On Friday of last week, I sent an e-mail to the acceptance committee regarding my application (and anything I might not have turned in) to make sure it was complete. I was worried there was some huge mistake and I'd be rejected. These feelings of doubt and fear snowballed into a deep depression, which luckily, lasted a mere ten minutes because as I hit Refresh for a 20th time since I'd sent my e-mail, the letter I'd been waiting for appeared in my Inbox. All of the gratitude my body could hold streamed out of me in the form of huge, wet tears. I felt silly, but I was so grateful. God had created this moment of unimaginable joy by making me suffer for what, now, was a seemingly short and insignificant week.
It's only been a few days since then, but I already have a different perspective on my trip. It's not something I will take for granted. It's something I know I will appreciate and savor. I can't wait.
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