Productive Day!

Today has been one of the more productive days that I've had for a while.  Not that I have been slacking, it just feels good to get stuff taken care of and off my shoulders. The things I accomplished today have been:

- Emailing the Registrar about getting Gen Ed credits transfered back to GAC

- Emailing the Philosophy Chair about getting Philosophy credits transfered for my major

 -Emailing my advisor about what English credits I still need

- Figuring out what classes I need to take next semester since my original plan had classes at the same time and thus wouldn't work

- Emailing a different person at the Registrar to get my classes registered for next Fall

- Emailing Three Rivers about coming back to work for the summer (they invited me back! Yay for having a job!)

- Filling out my Three Rivers application again to email back to Cory, the new supervisor

- Getting my confirmation paper for the Greens House downloaded even though my computer didn't like it because it was a .docx file (Thanks Ross!) and sent back in to GAC

- Investigating more into study abroad stuff, as they have more choices up

- GoogleMap'ed a bunch of things for funsies

So mostly emails and researching on the internet, but I feel a lot better now that I don' thave to worry about things. I just have to wait until they respond to do more I guess.

But as I said before I "registered" for classes today. Which actually means just emailing the Registrar with which courses I want and they will register me (and all other study abroad students) before everyone else. I was hoping to take advantage of this system and get into the Pilates and/or yoga classes that ALWAYS fill up before I can get to them, but unfortunately they interfered with the other classes that I needed to take. And believe me, I spent a good deal of time looking to see if I could fit them in if I switched some classes, but it still didn't work. But guess what classes I am taking instead?!?! Tai Chi and Camping! Not like together, two separate classes, though that sounds kinda fun.  I am also taking: Ancient Philosophy, Ethical Theory, Writing Poetry, and Meteorology w/ Lab.  Sounds like it will be an stimulating and rigorous schedule, but I am excited for it.  Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will be long with class from 9am - 2:20pm (besides Chapel break and 11:20-12:30 for lunch), but then I am done. Tuesdays and Thursdays I just have Tai Chi and Writing Poetry. I much prefer waking up early and getting done with classes in the early afternoon as opposed to having late classes. THat way can get some homework done before dinner and then go to all my lovely activities. Which I also wrote out today as to keep a list of all the things I want to do, including:

-Greens (of course)

-Philharmonic Orchestra

-Lucia Singers or another choir (need to audition...)

-Admissions Phoning (i.e. work)

- My secret project (music related)

- Radio show (Maybe. Anna might be studying abroad in the Fall and I don't know if I want to do it alone!)

-Firethorne Literary Magazine

-Womyn's Awareness Center/ Heterodoxy Literary Mag (not too sure how to get into this...)

- Pound Pals (if I get accepted and they have enough animals)

- Some social justice group (ASAP, Democracy Matters, Net Impact, depends what's there)

- Some service group (Study Buddies, Amigos, etc.)

- The Band (I want to start a band with Rebecca and Liz, to play in the Courtyard Cafe and other places, more info TBA)

-The Gustavus Garden! We have one now! I want to help take care of it and grow cool things like herbs and flowers and veggies

-Earth Council (Environmental meeting of St. Peter, I need to start going!)

- I am sure I will find other things...

All the while maintaining a wonderful social life including frolicking in the Arb, late night walks around campus, exercising with friends, exploring nearby parks, themed party nights (I REALLY want to do a Mexican Night with tacos, homemade salsa, Spanish music, etc), oh the possibilities are endless! 

But now that I have settled all that mess I can focus on what's ahead of me: My final essays and exams.  I feel more comfortable going to to them now that I have figured out summer and Fall. It's like once you have your two secured points of reference (past and future) it is easy to work in the middle (present). (I wish I could draw a picture or use hand gestures here.)  Tomorrow might be a library day since it's supposed to be raining, but then definitely next week I will be there a lot, trying to get stuff done before Budapest. Because after that the parents arrive (Woop!) and then Exams start up and then possibly more travels to Europe (I still need to decide if I indeed want to go...all signs thus far point to yes...). Then DONE! AGH! Not going to think about that...

Oh! Ross (American boy from choir) and I made baked mac-n-cheese last night utilizing ingredients on hand: Two boxes of Kraft blue box, milk, garlic, Dubliner cheese, butter.  ANd oh my goodness it was wonderful.  All you need to do is make the mac as directed, add garlic and like a 4x4 inch block of the Dubline cheese (grated of course), more milk, then split it into two pans that can go in the oven, put more cheese on top, then bake it until it gets crusty on top.  It was so fatty and so delicious.   I say we did pretty well for ourselves.  

Well I should probably get back to working. I need to choose an essay topic for a 3000 word essay since we meet individually with the prof on Wednesday to talk about it and I don't want to make a fool of myself.  

I don't know if I mentioned this: Classes are over. GAC just got done with Spring Break. Wow.

Have a wonderful day!

Stuck in Boole Basement

Hello All! I am currently barricaded in the Boole Basement, the computer floor of the library on campus, as it is raining outside. I was supposed to have choir from 7-9pm, but after walking the 20 minutes there they say rehearsal isn't until 9 because there is some match on. It then starts to rain, and I refuse to walk home only to walk back again in little over an hour.

Only in Ireland does choir rehearsal get postponed due to a sports game.

AND I didn't bring anything to do, i.e. my journal that I desperately need to update, even though for a brief second before I left I thought "Hey, maybe I should bring something to do if I get there early?...Nah..."

So I am just doing some internet searching, checking emails, looking up study abroad stuff for next year, etc etc.

Oh! I got into the Greens House! Yay!

But I looked over the J-Term study abroad options again for next year, and I think I found one I like, or will at least look more into/think about. It's called "Education, Poverty, and Healthcare in Peru: A Service Learning Experience." Here is the description from the GAC website:

"This course provides students the opportunity to learn about the impact of poverty on a country and how education and healthcare support can alleviate some of these adverse conditions. Students will live in dorms and provide service to this poverty-stricken area by teaching English in the school program or by helping in the medical center. A cultural exploration to Machu Picchu will expand student understanding of the culture and history of Peru. Students will complete daily journals and participate in evening discussions based on readings about the country as well as issues of poverty. Final paper will be required."

Basically this is what I have always wanted to do (I remember talking to my parents about this): Teach English to little Hispanic children. Now I need to figure out how much Spanish I truly remember after not taking it for nearly 2 years (after taking it for 10). Pienso que recuerdo mucho, pero a veces no puedo hablar lo que yo quiero. Ah! Todo me regresa ahora! Me encanta hablar espanol (AY! No tilde mark available! That's the squiggly line over the "n").

I had an in-class exam today, at 9am EW!, but I think it went very well. I wasn't all that inspired by the prompts, but found one that I was at least able to ramble on about: If medieval Irish poetry idealizes the monastic experience. Sounds interesting right?! Then I had my two hour seminar where we talked about lesbian poetry of the Renaissance (I think?!) and jeez it was the longest class EVER. My tummy was making wierd noises the entire time.

I just realized I only have three more classes here at UCC. One tomorrow and two Thursday. Woah! *Tear* What the frick am I going to do with myself?! AH I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!

Well, I'm off to go waste 40 more minutes of my time. If it's not raining maybe I'll go to this kebab place on the corner of campus and get some chips (french fries for those who still haven't caught on!) I wonder if rehearsal will indeed go until 11 now....I get to walk some by myself...It may be raining again....yay for me......

Gustavus and More Mood Swings

Recently I have been questioning if I am really happy at Gustavus. Well, I shouldn't say "recently" because I thought about it Fall semester too.  And though I think it is natural for students to question their college at some point or another, I just don't know the extent to which I should allow my questioning to continue, or if I should do something about it.  ANd I am not talking about transferring to UCC, I don't know if I completely like their system here either.  Sometimes I wish I had put more thought into my college choice, but I can only say that in hindsight because at the time I was looking for colleges I didn't know what I wanted, where I wanted it, anything, so I really just applied to some schools and picked GAC. I can't say why I chose GAC other than I thought it had "everything I wanted" whatever that meant.  But I have changed so much since then that I don't know if GAC really fits my life anymore.  I hear people both in Minnesota and here at UCC talk about their home universities, and I wish I could hold Gustavus in the same light as they did theirs.

I know I shouldn't rush into things, but I also don't want to spend the next two years unhappy. And I also feel like why should I "make do" with GAC, or just "live with it," when both my parents and myself are investing so much money in my education, money that at times I question is worth that I am getting for it.  

I think I have a chronic aversion to staying in any one place too long that isn't my physical home in Tonka Bay.  I get too used to things. I see myself able to be happy anywhere (for a certain period of time I guess, before I get my next desire to move...) but if that's the case, why do I feel "unhappy" at GAC? or at least question my happiness?

Perhaps I am just worried that once I go back to campus I will feel that no one understands me anymore, that no one has experienced what I just experienced, and it's true: They won't have.  

I probably won't do anything about this. Maybe I am just tired.  I think too much when I am tired. Get emotional.  Plus, even if I DID want to transfer, I wouldn't be able to do so until next Spring, as deadlines have passed I think. Well, for some schools. And I don't even know where I'd transfer to. 

I guess I will just try to make the best of what I have: Get my money's worth, so to speak. And I actually have some big plans for next year too, even if they aren't in the "ideal" setting I was hoping for.  EPIPHANY!: Maybe it's just that GAC is in such a small town. I first enjoyed this, but after experiencing more of the Cities in the SUmmer/Fall (explorations with Brittany) and living in Cork, I realized I need a certain level of stimuli to keep me interested.  St. Peter is not the most stimulating town in Minnesota...But I don't want to be going home every weekend! 

Sigh....Looks like I will have to get more creative with things to do back at school.  And go through with my big plans.  I would write them here but I fear someone will take my ideas first. I will keep busy and that will take my mind off of missing Ireland and people.  

Jeez I am going to be a MESS when I get home...Watch out family! This is how I picture my first week upon returning to go: Me remaining in my pajamas the entire time and not showering, pinning my greasy hair back with more and more bobbypins since it can no longer fit into a ponytail nicely; gorging myself on any and all food cravings I have, even if that means paying a family member to run to the grocery store to get said food items; trying desperately to stay clear from the movie "PS: I Love You" but filing miserably, watching it on repeat whilst balling my eyes out, surrounded by Kleenex and all the random objects I brought back from Ireland; sleeping during the day and staying up all night; hugging Bobber for hours on end and having him give me the "What the frick is going on?" look; all the while using the entirety of emotional and physical strength I can muster up to NOT call/text/chat/think about the people I have met here and I much I miss them.  Yes, parents, I will be wonderful to deal with. You can look forward to that pretty picture.  

I read over all of what I just wrote and realize I sound like a complete nut-job. I am really not this emotional.  But sometimes Life gets at me in certain ways.

Off to dinner-making in my dirty-a** kitchen. Gah I am so sick of it.  Seriously.  Pisses me off that I have to live with it while other people have nice kitchens and clean dishes.  Mood swing!

Dinner should be good though: Chicken stir-fry.  Maybe I'll feel more positive once I eat. 

Sometimes I have difficulty spelling the word "difficult" when I am writing. Ironic? 

What a Wonderful World

Currently Listening To: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwole 

I am still debating whether or not I am going to purchase a ukulele when I get back home. Prior to leaving I was quite set on it.  Now I have to think about the likelihood of me needing to buy a new cello bow (not using it for a while causes it to go bad) and/or buying a bodhran while I am here. Honestly though, as much as I love the bodhran, I don't see many outlets for me to play, at least while I am at school. I am sure there are sessions in the Cities, but I can't be going home every weekend to then drive further to the Cities, so summers/breaks will the only time to play with other people. I am leaning to buying a new cello bow first, spending some long-awaited time with Homer, and then see about the ukulele thing.  

The organization of this blog post will proceed as follows:

- St. Patrick's Day festivities

- My funky Thursday

- My awful Friday

- Reflection on Friendships 

- Weekend plans

Let's begin!

St. Patrick's Day was wonderful! Then again, anything would have topped last year where I am pretty sure the only festive thing I did was get a shamrock Frost-your-own from the Caf (In case you don't know what a Frost-your-own is, it is a GAC tradition so to speak: For major events/holidays the have sugar cookies in the shapes applicable to the event/holiday and giant tubs of colored frosting. You frost your own. So simple. Yet so incredibly wonderful and we all get really into it.  If you're the first one of your friends to go to the Caf and you see them, you make sure to spread the word (haha spread...frosting...lame I know)  But I digress...).  So I met Ross and Andrew and some other friends in town off of Grand Parade (a street) where the parade was to be held around noonish.  The weather was quite possibly the nicest since I have been here. No wind, completely clear skies, warm but not hot, absolutely lovely.  We really lucked out, as the last few days have been foggy and cold.  We wandered around to the various food stands, I got a giant cookie, then tried to find a spot to watch the proceedings.  The parade was pretty tame by American parade standards, but there were some cute kids and funny float things so I enjoyed myself.  After that we went to a pub/beer garden called the Franciscan Well or something like that, I could be way off, and I had a pint of Blarney Blonde, a beer they brew on location there.  I liked it.  Morgan and Amelia met up with us there too. After THAT (it was a long day with much movement...), we went to a girl Laura's house who is in the choir, after stopping by an off license (liquor store) of course.  At her house we drank and played Rock Band (like Guitar Hero but with other instruments too). The drums where difficult, I did pretty decent on the guitar, but I didn't dare sing.  At some point around 10 or 11pm I think, someone came to the door and threatened to call the police because we where being "too noisy."  Rather than cause more trouble we left to go into town, picked up some donuts YUM!, and then went to a club.  At this point, I am not going to lie, I had had a significant amount to drink, but people (aka Ross- thanks dude!) took care of me, made sure I got home okay, etc etc. I had a GREAT time though. Picture time! 

Noting much happened Wednesday. I was tired. I slept a lot. Had choir rehearsal at night. We leave for Budapest in two weeks! Woop!

Thursday was another extremely long and tiring day. I had of course my three classes. But on top of that I just had additional pressures and foci that wore me out: 1) My bodhran exam is next Thursday. Colm had forgotten to mention to me that I could either use the accompanist provided by the Department to play along with, or bring in someone I know. He recommended the latter because it would allow me to know exactly what's going on in terms of switching tunes, tempo, etc.  SO I was freaking out trying to think of someone to play with. Luck for me, I saw Amelia in the building and told her about it. She plays flute and offered to play with me/I asked her, so we practiced for a but after my lesson. 2) I spilt yogurt in my backpack.  In the rush of getting out of the tiny food shop I shoved the tinfoil-covered container in my backpack, only to discover something had punctured it on the way to the ORB to eat, thus leaving portions of my books, folders, and notebooks covered in its grossness. All I wanted to do before the incident was eat- I was sooo hungry.  But then this happened and I had to try to clean it all up. It was Apple and Blackberry too, though not as pleasant sounding after you've seen it in the bottom of your bag. 3) I realize I have an in-class written exam on Tuesday for one of my classes. Kinda nervous since I only go to one of the classes per week because it's at 9am and I can't get up that early. 4) I was feeling really weird throughout the day, like someone had drugged me.  I was just in a haze.  Perhaps all the stimuli and active thinking was getting to me. 5) I studied for easily 5 hours for my Irish oral exam that was at 8:30 the next morning.  I was fairly confident, and then...

Friday morning comes and I completely suck at the oral exam.  I don't even want to write about it here, it was that bad.  THe only way I can get over it, since I am very self-critical, is to pretend it never happened. So I have erased it from my memory as of now.  I also only got 3 hours of sleep Thursday night because I drank a chai latte at 6pm while studying. I will never to that again, even though they are so good.  So I napped a lot during the day. I went to a club with Ross and friends at night, uber fun as always.  Slept like a rock for once, but only for 6 hours and then I couldn't get back to sleep.  I am SO looking forward to my bed at home with its down mattress cover thing, the heavy blankets, more pillows. I miss my pretty curtains too.  So Friday wasn't THAT awful, just the morning part...Ew.

So I have been doing a lot of thinking revolving around the friendships I have formed here.  I will do my best to put into words, but I find it very hard.  I just feel like with a few people here that I have known them for longer than I really have: That in almost being forced to make friends with people due to the fact that I am in a new place with out any pillar or stable grasp to anyone or anything, no previous connections,  that I kinda skip over the "getting to know" some one part and just "know" them. It's like I do the reverse of typing friendship/bond making- I find someone and I just know them.  Perhaps it is the pressure of time where we all know after Ireland is done we might not see each other (I personally don't believe this, but it is always a possibility...you know?) so we throw ourselves into our friendships because that is really all we have, our only source of NOT being completely lost in this new place that is becoming more and more like "home."  But the pressure of time doesn't make the bonds any less significant, if anything it is a freedom to be who we really are from the beginning, from as soon as we meet someone, and skip over all of the stuff we do to please others, to make them like us, to weed through the masses of potential friendships. And by being this way our bonds begin on a higher level that "ordinary" friendships because we already have a shared sense of need and self-awareness.  I could write more about this, and I will in my journal, but I am just very pleased with the friends I have made here. It amazes me how wonderful people can be.  

I need to go to the library today to do work.  I really don't want to, but I know if I stay here in my room I will not get ANYTHING done, despite telling myself I will.  I will feel a ton better about everything once I just get stuff done.  So my weekend will most likely be homeworking.  Yay..........not.  

Hope you all had a lovely St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy Spring Break all my GAC friends! 

PS- I love comments! Tell a joke, tell me about the weather, how your day was, something interesting you did or saw. I am not picky!

Dreams

So I had a weird dream last night (aren't they all, really?!) but this one for some reason really interested me.  I couldn't remember all of it until a couple hours ago, but it consisted of me finding Apple Cinnamon Cheerios in a freezer someplace here in Ireland, and being excited that I finally found some (since they don't have them here but I love them). Then I must have woke up for a bit, because in the next section of the dream I was in a hair salon just about to get my hair cut, but I never actually got it cut.  

I was interested in figuring out what this meant. So, using a dream dictionary online (which we all know is 100% correct!), I found out the following:

-A dream about cereal "denotes the start of a new project or new stage in your life. It may also indicate your need to restore yourself in some basic way. Alternatively, your mind may already be thinking ahead to breakfast. It is not uncommon for your fleeting thoughts to be incorporated into your dream."

- A dream about "cutting your hair, suggests that you are experiencing a loss in strength. You may feel that someone is trying to censor you. Alternatively, you may be reshaping your thinking or ambitions and eliminating unwanted thoughts/habits."

- A dream that someone is "giving you a haircut, suggests that you are experiencing a decreased sense of power. You may feel you were criticized unfairly. "

- A dream about a freezer "refers to cold feelings. You are being too frigid. Alternatively, it suggests that you are preserving your ideas and energy so that you can access them later."

But I never actually cut my hair, so I don't know how that affects things.  And I never actually ate the cereal, just found a box in a freezer.  Either way, I think this is interesting.  I have been freaking out lately because I only have two more weeks left of class, and I am very afraid of being alone again after that, as friends are going on their own adventures to Europe and whatnot.  I am also going on my own adventure, that I still have yet to really sort out despite telling myself I really need to get on that.  

Oh, dreams. Sometimes fun, sometimes helpful, sometimes just plain odd.

I will go distract myself with other tasks. Happy St. Patrick's Day if I don't post before then! It's an official national holiday here so college shuts down- no classes! I am excited but also a little scared...not sure what I am doing yet. I'll be safe though, don't worry!