Category: Uncategorized

Well, I wish I could write this entry with a happy tone. However, my beloved Patriots decided to let me down during the last minute of the Super Bowl. My spirits are quite dampened.

Right now, Carrie and I are playing Boston-related songs to revive our spirits. Someone is blasting “New York, New York,” and we’re trying to keep the spirits of the hall up.

Okay, enough for the melodramatic sports affairs. This week went quite well, despite the past four hours. I spent this weekend with my aunt and uncle in Plainville, and then I went down to see my grandmother in New Bedford. It was great to see some family for a little while.

I’m quite sorry about how pithy this entry is. Hopefully I’ll have a more energetic one for tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pictures from our Super Bowl party tonight.

Hey everyone!

After returning to campus from New York, things have really started in full swing again. In FYP, we sailed through Purgatorio, and we’ll start Walden fairly shortly. On Tuesday in my International Relations class, Professor Thomas made us play a game to better understand the basics of international politics, and why some things just don’t work out. Each group was given $1,000. Either all ten times could invest in a bond that would yield 20%, or only three groups could buy a home run ball that would yield 30%. Even after a couple of tries, none of us were getting any yield because all the groups insisted on going after the home run ball. Professor Thomas just sighed and said, “Welcome to International Politics.” It made the class laugh. On Tuesday, I also had my first US Intelligence Community class. We only meet once a week, so it’s quite a long class. However, it is truly worth it. Professor Bunke is extremely well versed in the subject matter, and  it is an extremely interesting class. Needless to say, I love all of my classes this semester.

On Wednesday, I went to the men’s basketball game against Navy. Unfortunately, we lost, but it was such an energetic game! The entire gymnasium was bedecked in purple, and the crowd’s spirit was insane! Carrie and a couple of the other girls in my hall are in the pep band, and it was fun to see them play. This Wednesday, the team is going against Colgate, my sister’s school. Unfortunately, it’s in Hamilton, so I can’t exactly see it.

Yesterday, my RA, LC, planned a “Battle of the Building.” My side of the hall competed against the other side of the hall in events such as “How well do you know your roommate?” and the Lyrics game. Carrie was in Boston for the weekend, so I paired up with one of my friends from my hall, Mia. And, of course, my side won. It was a lot of fun, especially since it was snowing outside and none of us wanted to venture out.

Well, that’s it for now!

Firstly, Happy 2008!

Well, Winter Break has come to an end. It was great to spend time with my family, but I am quite eager to get back to campus! I thoroughly enjoyed all of my classes last semester, but I am quite excited for this semester. I’ll be taking Intermediate Latin (it’s a full year course), Freedom and History (the second part of my FYP course), Introduction to International Relations, and US Intelligence Community.

Unfortunately, due to the impending weather, I’m still in Georgia. I was supposed to leave tomorrow, but my flight has been cancelled. I won’t be able to get into Logan until Tuesday, it seems. Honestly, if I could, I would walk back to Holy Cross.

Over the break, I went up to the North Georgia mountains with some of my friends. While we were there, it “snowed.” By “snowing,” I mean that less than a centimeter fell. The picture really just makes me laugh because I’ll be returning to a campus covered in 6-10 inches of snow!

I really never thought that my blog was read so far across the country. At Mass on Saturday, my dad was setting up (he’s a sacristan), and a couple that he knows came up to him. They asked him if his daughter was, indeed, the “blogger” for Holy Cross. When he told them yes, they said that their daughter is interested in Holy Cross and is a junior at St. Pius (kind of a rival of my high school, but that’s all right.). They told him that they had been reading the blog since I started writing. It was great to see that people even down in Georgia are reading it. I mean, in my interview for this position, I did say that I hoped to attract kids that weren’t from the New England area. I guess I accomplished that goal!

Also, I’ve received some friend requests on Facebook from members of the Class of 2012. (I really don’t want to think about them coming in only because I’ll be a sophomore by then. That’s a scary thought.) This is just a Christmas present in itself! I would request every 2012 member that I could as a friend, but that might come across as either overzealous or just plain weird.

Aside from internet connections, I’ve really enjoyed being home. Holy Cross is absolutely wonderful, but it is nice to stay up on a Monday and not worry about work that would be due for either Professor Ireland’s or Professor Kee’s class tomorrow. Oh yes – I’ve enjoyed waking up to my bird instead of an alarm clock. It’s a nice change.

Tomorrow, I’m heading off to visit my high school just to say hello to some of my favorite teachers. I’ll be heading back there on January 10th to give a presentation about Holy Cross. Am I a freshman or what? If you couldn’t tell from my involvement, I really like it here!

Well, my first semester of college is over. I took my last two exams yesterday. It really is a strange feeling. Ashley, Haley, and I were talking about it tonight, and it really doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. I still vividly remember my first day on campus, and the first time that I ever met Haley. We were both somewhat scared, but we had met each other through Facebook over the summer. Right when we met in person, we really clicked. I still remember the first time that I met Ashley. I was trying to study Latin, and she just came up and started talking to me. We’ve been best friends ever since. I just never thought that this semester would ever end.

The weather has been quite entertaining for the entire campus. Yesterday, during lunch, there were flurries. The flurries quickly developed into a strong snow while I walked over to Stein for my Latin final. As I was taking my Latin final, I looked outside and saw that the entire campus was covered in at least six inches of snow. It didn’t stop until around midnight, so that can only mean one thing on a college campus: sledding.

It was a great way to celebrate the end of my first semester at college. As Haley, Ashley, and I all went down Freshman Field hill (and subsequently wiped out quite a bit), I realized that there’s no other college on earth at which I’d rather be. As cliché as it may sound, Holy Cross has provided me the best possible first semester in college. I wholeheartedly enjoyed all of my classes this semester, and I am looking forward to my classes next semester. I’ve made amazing friendships, and I feel right at home here. Well, not right at home. I really do miss my bird.

Let’s recap the semester in a few sentences: I took some amazing classes this semester. Professor Ireland scared the living daylights out of me on the first day, but it all turned out for the best. I met so many different people, and I’ve been able to truly broaden my horizons. And, most importantly, I am a professional Chinese take-out guru.  All in all, this semester has been fantastic, and I’m looking forward to all of my future semesters here on the hill.

Right now, Carrie and I are packing up the room. It’s weird. My side of the room is actually clean. This is quite a phenomenon! It is kind of weird that I won’t wake up every morning and hear Carrie speak in German, or have her look at me as if I’ve gone insane when I start pacing around the room with a book in my hand.

In other news, Early Decision letters are going out, apparently. To all the newly accepted members of the Class of 2012 (that sounds just plain weird), congratulations!

Well, I probably should head off to bed right now. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I’ll see (virtually, I suppose) you all in the New Year!

The smells of Raemen noodles, Dominoes Pizza, and coffee all linger in the air. Surely, exams have started.

I turned in my last CRAW paper yesterday, and I’m currently taking a break from studying for my Middle East exam that is taking place tomorrow. I’m honestly quite nervous about my first college exam, but I think I’ve prepared myself well. At least, I hope I have prepared myself well!

Today after Mass, we were alerted that it had been sleeting all during Mass. The groundskeepers had been spreading salt on the walkways, but it wasn’t enough. Haley, Ashley, and I were planning to go to Cool Beans to pick up some caffeine for the night, but Haley and I thought that the sleet was daunting. We decided to go anyway. Ashley led the pack, and she really was a true Ohioan. Meanwhile, Haley, who’s from Texas, and I were lagging behind and holding onto the railings for dear life. I am seriously not excited at all for January or February! On the way back to Hanselman, Ashley was proud of how I walked without the railings. I felt like a toddler being applauded for walking on my own for the first time! By the time that I get the hang of this ice thing, it’ll be spring and I won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Well, I’m off to study some more. My final isn’t until 2:30 tomorrow, but I’d rather be over prepared than under prepared!

Hi Everyone! It has been absolutely crazy on the hill. Between the snow, exams, and final assignments, everyone around here is either in their room or in the library (or, if you love food, like me, in Kimball!). I just got back from a meeting for the CCD teachers at the various parishes in Worcester, and I’m just taking a quick break before I delve back into my work. My last FYP paper is due tomorrow, and my last CRAW paper is due on Saturday. I can’t believe that I’m almost finished with CRAW. My first move as an English major is almost complete!

As much as I love it on the hill, I can’t wait to go back home and just rest for an entire month!

P.S. Last night, Haley decided to make sweet tea with me in Kimball. My ways are spreading…

There is one part of Southern culture without which I cannot function properly: sweet iced tea. Now, up North, sweet iced tea is about as foreign as ancient Hittite. One time, when I was visiting my family up here, I ordered sweet iced tea in a restaurant. The waitress looked at me as if I had ordered in fluent mandarin Chinese.

Well, when I went back to Georgia for Thanksgiving break, my mom bought me a half gallon of liquid gold – no, not oil, but freshly brewed sweet iced tea. Within the five days that I was home, I drank every last drop of dulcet goodness that came from that jug of gold. Since then, I’ve been in withdrawal because Kimball only serves that nasty Nestea stuff. I’ve been exhibiting common symptoms. You know, headaches, fevers, cold sweats, waking up in the middle of the night screaming “SWEET TEA!”

Tonight at Kimball, I came up with an ingenious plan to satiate my sweet tea cravings. I procured two plastic cups. I filled one with hot water the other I filled with ice. I brewed one teabag in the cup with hot water, and added one or two packets of sugar (well, more like six or seven). I then put the mixture in the cup of ice, and I bated my breath as I took a sip. Could this be a panacea to my sweet tea cravings? Would this be a relevant substitute? Was a henchman from Dining Services going to come after me for cracking plastic cups because I filled them with hot water?

And lo, dear reader, the drink was like liquid gold. The sugary goodness sufficed.     So, to any prospective Southern students, if the thought of no sweet tea fills you with qualms about coming to Holy Cross, put them aside, and I shall show you the magic of my ways.

Back to the real college world, this week has been going quite well. I accidently forgot my cell phone charger at home, so I’ve been living in the Stone Age without my cell phone (really – how did human civilization function before them?!). Other than that, classes are beginning to wind down, but my workload is increasing daily. I seriously cannot believe that this semester is nearly over. As Professor Kee said in class today, “You are one-eighth finished with your career at Holy Cross.” Now that was a more frightening thought than a world without sweet tea.

Well, I’m back on the hill after a very relaxing break. I spent Wednesday and Friday catching up with my friends and shopping. I don’t think I got out of my pajamas all day on Thursday. It was beautiful. Saturday was my Mom’s birthday, and my sister and I just hung out for the entire day. Unfortunately, I had to get up at 5:15 this morning to fly back here. I crashed right when I walked back into my room at 1:00, and I woke up at 5:00 to go have dinner with my friends. Ah, college life!

I can’t believe that there are only three more weeks left in my first semester of college. It really has flown. I don’t feel like I’ve been here all that long, but I feel extremely acclimated. I have four more Latin classes, three more CRAW and FYP classes, and two more Middle East classes. I have two papers and three exams until I go home for a month. That’s it!

On one hand, I’m excited to go home again, but I also don’t want this semester to be over!

SNOW!

Yes, that’s right. On the day that I’m leaving, it is snowing. The campus is absolutely gorgeous, and I’ll put up some photos when I download them.

Today ended the longest stretch of time in my college career. I turned in my last paper today. With all of the papers, assignments, and quizzes that I’ve had over the past week and a half, I’m quite excited to spend five days at home just relaxing with my family and friends.

I’m all packed right now. In a seven hours, I’ll be back home in Georgia (where it’s 70 degrees, by the way). It’s going to be strange not going to Kimball for all of my meals or constantly seeing my friends, but I am excited to spend some time back home and eat my mom’s food.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.