And the Snow Continues...

Well, another week goes by here at Waynesburg, and the look of the campus is a constant reminder of the fact that it is indeed January. Just when it appears that the snow is going to finally melt away and we may see a touch of grass again - more snow appears seemingly from nowhere overnight. Still quite a pretty sight out the window to see everything white from the buildings to the trees to the ground, but when you don't have waterproof shoes on it tends to be a bit of a nuisance.

Solution to the solveable part of this problem? Looks like I'm off to purchase some waterproof, warm boots this weekend. I may not be able to change the weather, but I can at least change the small problem that I can fix!



I did have my first big exam this week - yesterday, to be exact - in International Relations. I have found that for most of my politics classes, or really any classes, I can study a lot better if I do it with a friend or two. Alone, I have a hard time concentrating on my work, and there is no one to hold me accountable to getting things done and making sure I am actually answering questions rather than surfing the internet or playing video games or something else that usually seems to take up a larger part of my day than it probably should. Most people may assume at first that studying with a friend is actually MORE of a distraction - but I know at least for me, the thought of someone else's grade besides my own hanging in the balance certainly motivates me a lot more than just worrying about myself.

Anyway, I actually feel pretty confident about how the exam went, though I did realize I need to begin my studying perhaps a few days earlier for the next one than I did for this one, because I know in the back of my mind that a few of my essays could have been a bit better. However, at least my two 'study buddies' that I worked with to answer questions beforehand seemed to feel confident about their results as well, and that makes me certainly feel a lot better myself.

One nice thing about Waynesburg is the fact that every Tuesday at 11:00, nothing on campus is scheduled as far as classes, meetings, or sports practices. The culprit? No, it's not just a nice break for everyone to grab a nap in - rather, there is a chapel service every week held in Miller Hall. Although it is not required attend, I rarely miss a week. Chapel is a nice time in the middle of the week to keep my faith on-target, and a reminder that church does not only exist on Sunday mornings.

My favourite thing about chapel is that there is a guest speaker every week - usually one that has travelled from somewhere off-campus, and they are always unique, so there is something for everyone to look forward to. This week's chapel hosted Mother Magdalena, an Orthodox nun. I had never heard a message from an Orthodox *anything* before, let alone a nun, so I was excited to hear what she had to say.

And what she had to say was certainly intriguing. She taught a very simple way to live a life of prayer rather than just having a short morning prayer when we wake up and one before we go to bed as so many seem to fall into the habit of doing. Mother Magdalena suggested that we try just one of her three ideas to help us live a more prayerful life.

1. Ask God's blessing on everything you do before you do it, whether its studying for an exam, talking to a friend, cleaning your room...anything.
2. Thank God for everything no matter what it is - good grades on exams and broken ribs both are suitable for thanksgiving.
3. Be a bee and not a fly - a fly goes into a room of flowers and finds the small pile of dirt, while a bee flies into a room of dirt and finds the single flower.

As for myself, I am trying the first one for the following year, and hope that it is something I am able to stick to. If you think about it, its really not that big of a thing to just ask for a short blessing on everything before you do it, but for someone like me that is so easily distracted and forgetful, I know it will be a struggle. However, I intend to see it through - nothing is really worth it in the end unless you had to fight for it, after all.

The rest of my classes seem to be going pretty good as well. I suppose posting a list of my classes might be in order - I should have done this last week, but I have already admitted to having a scatterbrained mind, and things tend to slip in and out of it quite a bit. However, I think that a list of reference might be in good order so that I can refer to classes in the future without you, loyal reader, becoming overly confused and wondering where these classes are coming from.

On that note, my classes this semester are:
-Western Civilization from 1500
-Art from the Early Renaissance
-The Ministry and Literature of Paul
-Minority Relations
-International Relations
-International Economics

Quite a nice spread, isn't it? A bit of history, a bit of the present, and even a bit of the future. It certainly makes for a week that never fails to intrigue me at least once a day if not more, and I am quite in love with my schedule. My suggestion when it comes to making your own schedule? Try to balance out how many classes you have on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with how many you have on Tuesday and Thursday. Sometimes this is impossible to do, but as for me - at the moment I have three on MWF and three on TTH, which is very comfortable. I have time to do work AND to take advantage of all my amazing friends here on campus as well as the campus events.

Speaking of amazing friends - did I mention that I am actually a commuter? I don't think so...yet another thing that probably slipped my mind previously. Anyway, yes, I am a commuter. I know, the instant stereotype is this kid that comes to campus, goes to a few classes, and then goes home and does not come back until the next day. No friends, no clubs, no on-campus involvement. Lies, I tell you...those are all lies.

As a commuter, I also happen to stay on campus every night until at least 9:00, at least when the weather is decent, because I do have a lot of friends contrary to the popular stereotype. My suggestion for making sure this happens to you if you are a commuter as well? Get involved on campus! Just because you're a commuter does not mean that you can't join clubs or organizations. That is how I met some of my best friends, and it gives me the opportunity to have a campus lifestyle with everything but living in the dormitories.

Speaking of clubs - I told you, scatterbrained, excuse me if I jump around a lot - I am Vice-President of the WORLD International Student Organization here at Waynesburg. WORLD actually stands for 'We Organize Relations and Learn through Diversity' - that's a little known fact on campus, so you can take that one to the bank! Anyway, back on track with why I brought up the club and trying to relate it back to my previous paragraph so I don't appear completely insane - it gives me a lot of opportunities to take part in campus activities. For instance, the WORLD club is going on Sunday to an Indian restaurant, which is something I probably would not have done had I not been in the club - and the best part? I get to spend the afternoon with all of my amazing friends that I met in the organization.

The point I am trying to make? Commuters - get involved and make friends, and you'll find that there are not really any disadvantages to being a commuter. You can have just as much of a campus lifestyle as the person next to you - only you get to have your own bed every night, and everyone knows how nice that feels.

Don't forget that this coming week I am making my trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to Calvin College for the Faith and International Development conference (Hint, hint! Getting involved on campus and taking trips, just like a resident student!) so next week I will be able to tell you not only about the Indian restaurant and my life at Waynesburg, but also about my weekend spent at another Christian college. Where there will probably be even more snow than there is here.

Good thing I'm getting boots this weekend, that's all I have to say. Pack boots when coming to Waynesburg. You'll appreciate it if you do.

Though the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Well, its the end of the second week of the spring semester here at Waynesburg - only thirteen or so more weeks to go! Haha, no, I'm actually not very anxious for the semester to be over. So far, I really cannot even complain about any of the classes I have, and spring semester being over sadly equals summer holiday, and summer holiday equals time not spent at Waynesburg, which is usually not a good time.

One thing I suppose I am ready for, however, is spring weather! We have had almost two solid weeks of snow, and though I will admit that it does make the campus quite a pretty sight out the window during class or walking around, it is quite cold to be outside in. However, that has not stopped most of the students from having a good time despite the cold weather. Every morning when I walk between my classes, I see new trails in the snow from where people have been sled riding the night before, and deer tracks all over the place from their midnight wanders.



Even 'Lake Wahneita,' our local pond on campus, was completely frozen over to the point that you could stand on it.

Oh! I just realized I have already been rambling about summer and snow and all manner of other things that somehow seem unconnected now that I look back at them, and I have not even introduced myself considering this is my first blog. My name is Brandi, and I'm a sophomore - well, a junior on paper I suppose, but this is my second year here, so I consider myself a sophomore. I'm an International Studies in Culture and Biblical and Ministry Studies in International Missions major, with a Political Science minor - a long title, I know, but its been a great experience so far. I guess you can really tell whether or not you are in the right major depending on how much you like going to class, or like reading your textbooks, and I must say that I actually like mine. I would have never imagined that in high school, but its become the reality here at Waynesburg - finally, I am enjoying what I am learning about, and actually find it interesting! It definitely helps with the college experience, I am certain.

Besides that - and perhaps, actually along those same lines - my biggest pressure at the moment aside from getting assignments and papers in on time is that I am waiting to hear back about whether or not I have been accepted to study abroad next year. You see, I applied last semester to the Irish American Scholars to hopefully spend next year in Northern Ireland. However, I have to wait until March to find out, and being the impatient person that I am....well, you can probably imagine what that is like. Anyway, I have high hopes for getting into the program - Waynesburg has an absolute plethora of study abroad programs, by the way, and I am sure I will ramble on about those more in the future - and will hopefully continue to blog from Northern Ireland next year as well, so at least we (loyal reader and myself) have that to look forward to.

Okay, enough about me and back to the campus! I suppose the other big thing on campus right now, or at least for those of us with a creative side, is the Muse and Stone deadline. The Muse and Stone is Waynesburg's literary magazine, where anyone on campus - and even outside submissions from around the country - can send in fictional short stories, creative non-fiction stories, poems, and even artwork. The submissions are then viewed by blind judging by the Muse and Stone club on campus, and those that are selected are published in the journal, which is given out for free to anyone that wants one. My short story 'From Valhalla with Love' was published in last year's edition, so I have high hopes for this year as well.

Of course, being the 'on top of things' person that I am - you may find this to be a slight exaggeration of my personality over the coming months - I sent my submission last night. The deadline was today. The way I look at it, the point is that I definitely made it in before the deadline, and that is the most important thing. Now, I cannot say on here the title of my work at the moment, considering that would throw off the blind judging part, but if it is accepted I will be sure to make note of that in the future. Wish me - or rather, my story - luck!

Speaking of last minute deadlines, I also signed up yesterday to attend the Faith and International Development Conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan (the deadline for that also being today). It is a trip sponsored by Waynesburg for students in majors like myself, or just anyone interested in sustainable development and human rights, to spend three days at Calvin College attending workshops and meeting like-minded people. I went on the trip last year, and it was a great experience, so I am looking forward to going again this year. The trip is exactly two weeks from yesterday, so I conveniently don't even have to wait long.

Well, next week seems like the week the semester is *really* going to start. I start having all of my first big exams, and deadlines for papers begin to show up. I have written one large paper already, however, for my Ministry and Literature of Paul class. The BMS (Biblical and Ministry Studies) classes here at Waynesburg really force me to work hard, write a lot of papers, and do some serious thinking. However, I know they have also helped me grow a lot in my faith, and I have learned things about the Bible that I probably never would have realized otherwise. It has been very rewarding thus far, and I think it will continue to be that way. Though I may not like the work at the times that I am doing it, I know now in my fourth semester studying the subject that in the end, I will be satisfied looking back at what I have done and how far I have come since the beginning of the semester.

Seems like that is a pretty good place to bring this first entry to a stop - after all, the sun is finally shining outside and the snow is melting (more snow forecast tonight for those of you who do like the winter weather, so do not fret!) and I have probably rambled long enough. Closing statements? I am really looking forward to keeping this weekly blog, and hope that whoever is out there reading it is going to enjoy it as much as I know that I will.

Oh! PS, one last closing thought - the subject line? That is actually not a Christmas song, in case that is what you were thinking. It is just a winter song, and thus, totally appropriate for the month of January. Just in case there were any questions. Glad we cleared that up, and thanks for reading!