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I just found out that one of my good friend’s dad passed away a couple of days ago. None of us even knew that her father was sick; his passing was expected, but still sudden. I can’t even imagine losing any family member, let alone a parent, right at the beginning of the school year. On top of that, she’s entering her senior year, which is already laden with enough stress as it is.

I’m writing about this not to be depressing or to match the dismal weather in Worcester at the moment. In fact, the entire experience has been somewhat uplifting. After we all found out about her dad, groups of us began to plan trips to her house and the funeral home. I’ve never met some of these students before, but we’re all banding together to support a good friend encumbered by a terrible event. Most importantly, this entire experience has brought me closer to my other friends. None of us even knew that her father was sick, and my friends and I have spent the last couple of nights just talking about experiences in our lives that we hadn’t previously discussed with one another. 

Friendships in college are an entirely different type of relationship than any other forged at any other point in life, I believe. While I’m still very good friends with a majority of my high school friends, the bonds that I share with them aren’t the same as those that I share with my college friends. High school was a time of maturing, so my friends and I did indeed mature with one another. In college, however, friends become so much more. They’re a surrogate family, almost. You live with them; eat with them; play sports or participate in extra-curriculars with them; you take classes with them; you learn both with and from them; you support them; you’re always with them; you experience a taste of real life with them. It’s an event like this that makes me realize just how lucky I am to have such incredible friends, even as cliché as that may sound.

I can’t believe it, but the first week of classes has already come to an end. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have Jesus and His Contemporaries (lovingly called Jesus and Friends by Ashley and Katie), Readings in Medieval Literature, and Medieval Philosophy. Jesus and His Contemporaries is an anthropological and sociological study of the Palestine society and Jewish tradition in which Jesus lived. Basically, the class will examine Jesus’ Jewishness. I am so excited for this class. I’ve been attending Catholic school since kindergarten, but my theology classes never really addressed this aspect of Jesus’ life. In Medieval Literature, we’re beginning with Beowulf, but the course will take us through seven different Medieval cultures. How exciting is that?! We’re reading The Saga of The Volsungs, The Romance of the Rose, Yvain, The Inferno, The Canterbury Tales, and other Medieval lays and poems. I am so very excited for this course. This is one area of literature that simply fascinates me, and I think that I’m going to make my own concentration in Classical and Medieval Literature. But now I’m digressing. Medieval Philosophy will cover the following four major philosophers of that era: Augustine, Aquinas, Eckert, and Nicholas of Cusa. I thought it’d be a good idea to take Medieval Philosophy to gain an insight into the major mindsets of the time. On Tuesdays, I have Dante’s Classical Sources. I have always loved The Divine Comedy, and this course will highlight some of Dante’s many influences. Primarily, we’ll be studying The Aeneid (thank you Fr. Vodoklys for having us translate this last semester), The Metamorphoses, and some biblical literature, and analyzing the impact of the Classical world upon Dante. So, all in all, I am quite excited for my four classes this semester. And, guess what the best news is? I only have two exams! Two of my classes require a final paper, and not an exam. Anyways…

In addition to classes beginning, life in general has just started up back here at Holy Cross. My first Kimball captain shift was on Thursday, and all the head liturgical ministers had a retreat from Friday to Saturday. The retreat went really well, and was a fantastic opportunity for us to reflect upon our respective ministries for the upcoming school year. Friday night, we were all playing a game of Charades that somehow turned into a Battle of The Sexes. Some of the words we had to act out were Constantinople, Intergalactic Lord Zorn, Hammurabi’s Code, and Bamberg’s Fifth Concerto. Needless to say, both teams were a tad ridiculous. I just returned from my first weekend Kimball shift (and, I must say, it was the busiest I have ever seen Kimball. I don’t think it’s been that busy even on a chicken parm. night), and I’m lecturing for the first time this school year at the ten o’clock Mass tonight. This upcoming week is going to be extremely packed with meetings as everything else begins to start back up again.

On a completely random note, yesterday was Homecoming, so I was able to see some of my friends who graduated last year. Loyola stopped by the room to say hello and catch up with Ashley, Katie, and me.

All right, I’m off to the library to get a head start on some of my work for this week. Until next time!

Is it really already Tuesday? I’ve really been back on campus for a week now? Classes are already beginning tomorrow? That’s kind of scary. Anyway, Kimball week was a success. I learned how to correctly operate the pulper, so there won’t be any explosions or anything.

Most importantly, welcome Class of 2012! Saturday was an absolute blur. Both Ashley and I were up at 6:45 a.m. that day. I worked at Kimball in the morning, and made sure that the lunch shift was ready for the surge of freshmen and their families. Ashley had last minute room inspections and began to prepare for the freshmen moving in. Then, at 9:00 a.m., the campus exploded with overstuffed cars and excited freshmen. Of course, seeing everyone move in really made me remember where I was a year ago.

While Ashley was helping her residents settle into Wheeler throughout the afternoon, I was at the Hart center preparing for the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Usually, the mass is held outside, but rain was in the forecast this year. And, even though it didn’t rain at all, the mass was still beautiful inside, and occurred without a single problem. There was a twist to the “good-bye” moment this year. Instead of the students leaving the parents like last year, the parents had to leave the students.

Since then, the campus has simply exploded with people. There are Orientation posters and signs everywhere, and the bookstore is always packed now. I’m honestly quite glad to be living on a Freshman floor again. I’ve never known anything else, and it really is fun to somewhat “re-live” freshman year again. Of course, this time, I’m seeing the other side. Ashley has been a great RA so far, and she’s been so enthusiastic about this entire process.

In addition to the new students, the campus also has many new faculty members on campus. I was one of the four tour guides on the Dean’s Tour this year (Elizabeth Heston, a fellow blogger, was another one), and teaching doctorate holders was definitely a new experience! It’s just kind of funny to me how I came to Holy Cross a year ago not knowing where Stein Hall was, and now I’m giving tours. See, there is hope, new students!

Classes officially start tomorrow. I have Jesus and His Contemporaries, Medieval Literature, and Medieval Philosophy all tomorrow. I am extremely excited for all of my classes this semester, and I cannot wait for them to begin. I’m sure that I’m going to wish that I had never said that about halfway through the semester. But, anyway, I’ve got to finish some reading for tomorrow. Yes, I’ve already been assigned work, and classes haven’t even begun!

Well, I am back on the hill! I flew back from London on Sunday, and I was able to spend some time with my family at my uncle’s house. I moved in on Monday, and began Kimball training on Tuesday. I’m pretty much all moved into my room; I still have some organization to do and all that jazz. Ashley is an RA in Wheeler this year, so our room is extremely large. That’s great, but it’s also bad because it’s just an invitation for me to be messy!

Kimball week has been going well. We’ve only had a couple of hours of meetings a day. I’ve missed the smell of the pulper…well, that’s a lie. I have missed the people with whom I work, and it’s been great to see them again. We’re all getting ready for the incoming freshmen. Our first meeting with them is on Sunday, and they’ll begin working soon after that.

Everything is really beginning to get started in the following days. My duties as a Liturgical Coordinator begin on Saturday at the Mass of the Holy Spirit. It’ll be great to be on the other side of the Mass this year. My first tour is on Monday, and it’s for some of the new faculty members. Ballroom practices start back up on Thursday, and we have our first competition in less than a month. It’s kind of scary how quickly things are starting back up.

I’m excited about this semester and everything that’s going to come with it. I’m excited about my housing situation, my amazing classes, my activities, and being back at Holy Cross in general. But, I’m also kind of hesitant about this semester as well. This semester is when I have to apply for Study Abroad, the Washington DC semester, and several internships. It’s going to be a hectic and chaotic year, but I know that it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

I’m so sorry that I haven’t been able to update as much as I wanted to during this trip. Between trying to see everything, the class, and just living in England in general, I have barely had any time to update this blog. Unfortunately, my time here at Oxford is coming to quick end. My last paper was due on Wednesday, and my last seminar was Thursday. I honestly cannot believe how quickly my time has flown. It feels like just yesterday my duffle was trudging behind me as I tried to figure out how to get to High Street to Catte Street to Holywell to Mansfield Road. It feels like I just learned how to call up books from the Bodleian stacks, or how to wrestle with the on-line databases as I searched and searched for some elusive articles. I just can’t believe that my time here is nearly over. I am quite sad to leave Oxford, honestly. This trip has really piqued my interest, and I think that I’ll be working harder than ever this semester so that I can hopefully come back here for junior year.

The actual class that I took was extremely engaging. Because of US Intelligence Communities, I knew about how the US was tackling terrorism, but this class really broadened my horizons because it was from the British perspective. I’m glad that I experienced this entire tutorial system because now I feel that I’m a stronger writer. The entire British system was quite different at first, but I’m kind of going to miss tutorials. I guess that’s why we have office hours at Holy Cross!

Speaking of Holy Cross, I’m returning this Monday to start Kimball week. It’s going to be a hectic move in day for me, but it’ll be good to get back to The Hill. I have missed my Holy Cross friends and Holy Cross itself, so I’m actually kind of glad that school is starting once again. The classes that I’m taking this semester are extremely interesting. This semester is also when I’ll apply for Study Abroad. All in all, I am quite excited for this semester and everything that it holds.

Well, I’ve got to get back to packing because my flight leaves extremely early in the morning. Until next time, when I’ll be posting from Massachusetts!

Well, another fantastic week at Oxford has come and passed. This past week our seminar covered the history of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and we went into particular detail about the insurgency in both countries. My readings for this week bore a striking resemblance to my Modern Middle East class back in first semester, so that was definitely nice! I just returned from this week’s tutorial. The essay topic was the following: ‘What is the origin of the Iraqi insurgency?’ I took it from a historical approach, and studied the Shi’a/Sunni divide since the Ottoman Empire. It went really well, and I really enjoyed writing the paper (yes, I am aware how nerdy that last statement sounds).

This past week, I also went into London to see my cousin, Camille, who is studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts for the summer. It was kind of weird that we were in England at the same time; we usually see each other only at Christmastime. As we were walking around Westminster, the heavens just opened up and began to pour. Running through London in the rain isn’t exactly fun, but it sure makes a great story.

I can’t believe that I have a little more than a week left here. There’s still so much more to see! Today, between my seminar and tutorial, I went to Magdalen College, and walked around the grounds there. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. It’s centered around a water marsh in which some deer live, and the Cherwell river runs right through the campus. Tonight, a couple of us are planning to take advantage of this beautiful weather and go punting on the river. Hopefully we won’t tip, but that might be a very real possibility!

Tomorrow, we’re headed over to Salisbury, Stonehendge, and the Vale of the White Horse. I’m so excited to see the Old Sarum section of Britain, simply because I find ancient history so fascinating. I’ll definitely have some pictures to post from that! On Sunday, I’m planning to walk down to Iffley, where there’s one of the oldest and best preserved medieval churches in all of Europe. If it rains or I don’t feel up to walking six miles both ways, Cathleen and I are planning to go see C.S. Lewis’ grave and parish church. I really can’t believe that I have to plan out my final week in Oxford. As cliché as it sounds, it feels like I just arrived. I’m excited to return to Holy Cross, but I’m also quite sad to leave this amazing city!

Every morning, breakfast is served at 8:00. I’ve become so used to waking up at that hour that my body has just adjusted to it, I suppose. This morning, I was in the middle of a deep sleep, and I woke up at 7:58 quite unexpectedly. So, huzzah for having an internal alarm clock!

This morning, it was sunny and quite refreshing outside. When I left breakfast, it was overcast and cloudy. When I was walking to the Radcliffe Camera, it began to rain. This weather change occurred within a span of thirty minutes. Welcome to England!

I had reserved a book that I need to read by Monday, and I had it delivered to the Lower Reading Room of the Radcliffe Camera. This is how the Bodleian works. You look up the book that you need; you’re lucky if it’s already on the shelves. If not, you have to request it from the stacks. The librarians find it in the stacks, send it on a cart, and deliver it to whatever reading room you so desire. I haven’t studied in the Camera yet, so I thought it’d be great to do that. I walked over to the Camera this morning, and my heart sunk. The gate was closed. Usually, the Camera is open on Saturdays, but apparently not this one. I was lucky enough to find another copy in the Social Science Library. The only problem was that I have never been in there before, so I had no idea where anything was. I eventually did find my book (it analyzes all the rhetoric and language that Saddam Hussein used to promote his Ba’thist regime. It’s really quite an interesting book; it’s kind of like linguistics meets political science.). I missed lunch at the college, so I went to the Covered Market to find some food. There’s a place (Brown’s Cafe) that has takeaway fish & chips for £4.95. When my meal was ready, the cashier/server/person asked me if I needed ketchup. I told him no, but malt vinegar and salt would be fantastic. He was really confused after that! My accent wasn’t meeting the stereotypical taste buds! My mom’s voice popped into my head, and I decided that I probably should get some fruit. At the local grocery store, apricots were on sale. So, I picked up a box and had a delectable meal of fish & chips and apricots! Afterwards, my roommate, Cathleen, and I went out for high tea again. I love the British – they give you a random and unjustified excuse to have cake in the middle of the day!

After dinner, I guess Mom’s voice wasn’t popping into my head, and I thought it’d be a great idea to go take pictures of Oxford in the rain. I might be soaking wet right now, but at least I have some amazing pictures of Oxford! Because of the rain, there’s not that much to do right now. Cathleen was an English major at Holy Cross, and she’s doing a summer tutorial on Virginia Woolf. We did a book swap – she’s reading The End of the Affair, and I’m reading Mrs. Dalloway right now. It’s really just a nice, relaxing night in this amazing city.

Hey everyone! I can’t believe it, but I’ve been in Oxford for a week now. This city is spectacular. The entire city is a medieval city trapped in modern time. Some of these buildings have been around since the 1400’s. It’s just incredible to take a walk anywhere.

Oh yes, the real reason why I’m here. The class that I’m taking is going well. There are nine of us in the class, so every day, we each have to present an article and voice our agreements and/or disagreements about it. Our seminar is very similar to a debate. Every Thursday, w

e have a “tutorial.” We bring our papers to our tutor, and he basically rips them apart in front of us. We have to debate with him and support our arguments. It’s very similar to office hours, I guess. The entire experience is just amazing, and I think that the entire tutorial process has molded me into a stronger student.

One of the most amazing experiences so far was being inducted into the Bodleian library. The Bodleian is one of the largest libraries in the world, and receives 3,000 to 5,000 books per week. The library collection is so large that one building cannot contain it. Instead, the Bodleian collection is dispersed throughout the campus. Some books are even kept in a salt mine in North Oxford because there simply  is not enough room! Studying in there for me is more of a distraction than anything else, quite honestly! Just looking up and being able to see such a vast wealth of literature is just awe-inspiring, to say the least. Before we were allowed in as “readers,” we had to swear that we would not a) bring in any food or water, b) damage the books in anyway, c) take the books out of the library (the library is reference only), and d) set fire to any of the books or the building itself. There have been threats against the library in years past, and one was nearly carried out. After we all took the oath, we were inducted into the library.

So, Oxford is going really well. I’m going to try to put up daily updates from now on to give you all a better idea of what daily life is like during Study Abroad. Until next time!

 

Colleen

Hey everyone! I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last entry, but this summer has been extremely busy for me. Between working as a waitress, catching up with all of my friends, and preparing for my trip to England, I feel like I have no time whatsoever.

My job as a waitress at a local Irish pub went really well this summer. My sister was also hired there, so it was great to work with her this summer. One of my customers was actually related to the director of Athletics for Holy Cross – rather small world, I guess! 

My friends and I weren’t able to hang out as much as we had anticipated at the beginning of the summer, but we still had fun together. For Fourth of July weekend, my friends and I went up to my friend’s, Tara, lake house. We spent the weekend jet-skiing, white water rafting, and kayaking. We also hung out last night and had a picnic in a local park. It was great to meet up with all of them, and I’m quite lucky to have friends like them.

As for other things that I’ve done this summer, I went to see Flannery O’Connor’s, who is my favorite author, home in Milledgeville, GA. It was great to see the actual place where she wrote her short stories. My family and I have also attended a couple of Braves games. Ted Turner put up a new addition at the ballpark – a Chick-Fil-A cow that does the tomahawk chop whenever a Braves scores a home run. It’s not exactly like watching my beloved Red Sox at Fenway, but the cow certainly adds a whole new level of entertainment! Aside from that, there’s really not that much to do in Georgia during the summertime. It’s honestly too hot to do anything but be indoors.

It’s really weird to think that I won’t be back home until it’s cold. This summer has been brutal down here. The high has usually been anywhere from 90 to 100 degrees. It’s also really weird to think that I won’t see any of my friends until Christmas.

Tonight, I’m flying to London. My class at Oxford begins on Sunday. I can’t believe that it’s finally here! When I returned home in May, July 25th seemed so far away. I’m both nervous and excited for the class that I’m taking – British Empire and the Rise of Terrorism. I’ll probably be updating daily when I adjust to the time difference over there. When I return to the States, I’m spending a day with my family in Boston, and then I’m moving into Wheeler Hall at Holy Cross for Kimball Week.

Well, I have to double check to make sure that I have everything packed up. Until my next post, which will be from Oxford!

Well, I am happy to report that this update was typed on my laptop. I brought my laptop into the Apple Store by my house, and they were able to replace the hard drive. I’ve been transferring my files from my external hard drive to the laptop and restoring all of my applications, but I’m just so relieved to have a functioning computer again.

I’ve been home for a week exactly, and I just can’t seem to grasp the idea that I’ll be here for more than a couple of weeks. It’s weird coming back for such an extended time, but I’m enjoying eating my mother’s cooking and sleeping in my own bed. I’ve hung out with some of my friends, and we’ve exchanged stories about our first year at college. It’s great to have such a variety of stories – just to give you a taste, one of my friends is a Physics major at Cornell, another is a nursing and track star at Creighton, and another is a pre-med student at UVA. We’re planning some outings to Six Flags, one of my friend’s lake house (there’s actually a lake this summer), and a huge Disney Princess story (it’s a long story).

This summer, I’m working with my sister at an Irish pub. We’ve both been Irish step dancing since we were five and six, respectively, so we’ll also have a couple of performances throughout the summer there. I am so excited to work there!

Below are some pictures from the last week or so of college. On Thursday night, which was most of my hall’s last night at college, Carrie decided to explore the upper cabinets in our room. Well, it kind of turned into a weird experiment of sorts to see who we could scare the most. Hopefully the pictures will explain what I can’t.

I hope that you all are having a great summer!