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Episode V — Contemplating, Creativity, and Crossroads

Hi all!

I know the week isn’t over yet, but it’s been pretty jam-packed with activities for me — let’s talk about it!

This Monday, I went on a field trip to the Joyce Contemplative Center with my Montserrat class. It’s a beautiful property about twenty minutes from campus: here’s the super cozy interior:

A modern living room, complete with warm lighting, a cozy fireplace, and wide windows showcasing the beautiful nature outside.
How welcoming is this! The minimalistic designs encourage reflection and relaxation.

Upon arrival, the chaplains instructed us to leave our phones in our jacket pockets so that we could connect with each other and our surroundings better.  We completed a quick reflection packet, which encouraged us to think about our first semester of college and all the work we did to get to this point. After that, we engaged in an Ignatian examen and a yoga session, all leading up to a delicious dinner prepared by the chefs at the JCC.

It was a really great experience, but I did have a bit of trouble acclimating to the environment initially. I didn’t realize how heavily I rely on technology in my day-to-day life — it’s a constant source of entertainment, socialization, and information, so much so that it felt a bit foreign to be in an environment where you’re completely separated from that. I mean, I’m typing on a computer now, you’re reading this on the internet, and I spent the vast majority of my high school experience online, whether it was my classes on Zoom, remote AP exams, or even FaceTiming with my friends.

Nonetheless, my visit to the JCC was most refreshing. I feel like it really got my creative juices flowing — I had my first Creative Writing Club meeting of the semester the day after, and I had so much fun with all the activities the club leaders had planned for us. I’m ashamed to admit that as last semester went on, I made less and less time for the Creative Writing Club until I really wasn’t going at all anymore. Rediscovering personal passions is always thrilling, especially when you know you have a community of people with whom you can discuss and share that passion.

Speaking of rediscovering passions, I forgot how much I enjoyed the chicken caesar salads at Crossroads. They are divine, especially when you get them with crispy chicken instead of grilled chicken. As much as I love to set up shop in Kimball and have multiple-course meals over Montserrat readings or Netflix shows, there’s nothing like grabbing something healthy and tasty when you’re in a rush.

That’s all for now! Thanks for tuning in. I’ll see you shortly!
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Episode IV — Guess Who’s Back!

Hi everyone! Gosh, I haven’t seen you guys for like, a year or something!

Sorry. I couldn’t not make one of those clichéd jokes.

In any case, I hope you all enjoyed your holiday breaks! I certainly did—I know I spent my last post bemoaning my finals, but as it turns out, they weren’t too bad. Given that they were pretty much just final papers, I was able to do them from the comfort of my childhood bedroom, which was a nice dose of nostalgia. Nothing like the good old days of senior year, when I couldn’t be bothered to sit at a table and do my work—heaven forbid—my bed is the way to go!

I spent my break mostly working, which was honestly pretty nice. I’m a person driven by routine, so I found it really helpful to have something to do to occupy my days. Granted, I did take a break for about a week, just so I could have some time to decompress from one lifestyle before jumping into another—and it was atrociously boring. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for a day or two, but when both your parents are heading off to work and you’re crafting yourself a delectable breakfast of Froot Loops and apple juice at 3pm (totally not based off of a real experience…), you get kind of lonely.

That made seeing friends (new and old) over break even more special. I loved checking in with my hometown friends, and adored the times I had with my friends here at Holy Cross, even if it was spent getting lost in small Massachusetts towns or repeatedly losing at GamePigeon 8 Ball—I’ll win someday!

That’s all for now. I hope you’ll forgive the delay in my posting, but as I said before, (re)settling into routines can be tricky. Be gentle with yourself! I’ll see you all in the next edition.
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Episode I — The Beginning of the Blogs

Hello, Holy Cross community! I’m elated to introduce myself as a new blogger in Holy Cross’s blogging program. I’m Allison, a freshman here at the College and having a wonderful experience thus far.

A girl wearing a black zip-up hoodie and green flowery skirt pretends she's holding up the stones at Stonehenge, with a huge dorky grin on her face.
Here I am at Stonehenge, helping to ensure one of the great wonders of the world stays upright!

A little bit about me: academically, I’m planning to study English, thinking about adding Spanish as a second major, and looking forward to taking an Environmental Studies class next semester. I’m currently on a huge Grey’s Anatomy kick right now, and Taylor Swift has been gracing my Apple Music as of late—but, in all honesty, when is she not? Hailing from my hometown of Westwood, Massachusetts, I’m finding Holy Cross to be the perfect distance: a nice change of scenery, yet I’m able to go home for a weekend if the homesickness really sets in.

I’m excited to share my thoughts and experiences with you all! The tentative plan is to post once a week, but my workload is increasing as the semester wraps up. In any case, you can expect to hear from me at least once every two weeks.

That’s all from me for now! Just wanted to hop on here and quickly introduce myself. I’ll see you soon!