Pink, Anyone?

Only three weeks left until Thanksgiving break!!

However, though that does sound extremely appealing right now as more and more days go by without getting to sleep in, and more and more papers become assigned, at the same time I almost dread it. Why, one may ask? Well, that means that I only have three weeks to get a rather large number of assignments out of the way, because after Thanksgiving, we have a surprisingly short amount of the semester left before Christmas break. So it looks like even if I thought these past few weeks were busy, things are only going to get crazier - but crazy tends to be the basic definition of college, so I really should not be surprised.

This past Sunday I managed to work out my schedule at my job so that I could take a bit of a break from the stress and go on another WORLD trip to Pittsburgh to go salsa dancing. This was slightly different from a typical WORLD trip, however, because this one was also open to members outside of the club, so anyone on campus could go for just a bit more money than club members had to pay (and believe me, it was really cheap for a whole night of dancing plus the ride up and back). So basically, I learned to do basic salsa in 30 minutes, then spent the rest of the night dancing with both friends and strangers, and though I do not think I ever got very good at what I was doing, it was definitely a lot of fun, and I felt a lot better when I got home. Nothing like crazy dancing to make the stress go away!

As Halloween began its approach, WU began to definitely reflect the holiday. Monday saw a lot of changing hair colours and styles on campus in preparation (including my own!!) and even the cafe got into the spirit of things by occasionally having Halloween-themed foods, such as blue pudding for desert, and they even had a pumpkin painting contest right during lunch. Also, the levels of free candy randomly in baskets and containers around campus sky-rocketed, which I am definitely not complaining about and took full advantage of.

Come Thursday, and after hearing about it the past two years but never participating in it myself, I decided to head to the Halloween dance held right on campus. I was far from disappointed, because it seemed that everyone really had gone all-out on creative costumes, and the dancing was a lot of fun. And besides, dancing in costume is always more exciting than dancing in regular clothes - not to mention more challenging, especially when you make a decision like mine to wear a rather long cloak accompanied by boots with an impressively high heel.

After the dance itself had ended, my typical group of friends and I decided that ice cream was definitely in order - as well as the stereotypical college 'Wal-Mart run,' which typically involves a group of several students going to Wal-Mart a bit late at night to get something ridiculous. In our case, it was almost 11, and we were searching for a toothbrush. After being successful in our first mission, we headed on to find ice cream, only to discover that the ice cream machine at our first choice was broken, and we were forced to relocate. However, we were able to eventually find success again, and it was a sweet treat to end a pretty great evening.

Oh, and wearing cat ears all around campus all day Friday was definitely fun as well - especially considering they were bright orange, which may have been a bit of a clash with my new hair colour, but it was a clash in the best of ways!

This coming week is the annual fall play, and I most certainly have secured tickets for myself and my friends already. I look forward to the play every year, and have been going since even before I was a WU student myself, because the productions are always open to the outside community as well. This year, the play is The Importance of Being Earnest, and I believe that it is some sort of comedy...but I am really not picky about it. Not to sound biased or anything (though I probably am, to be honest) whatever show the WU theatre department decides to put on, from whatever genre, it always turns out to be really good and into a really fun evening. Thus, I am going no matter what the show is about, and I am definitely looking forward to Thursday now.

Anyway, until next week, have a great Halloween - I know I definitely have been, and I love dragging it out through the entire week instead of it only being for one day!

Greek, Asian, and Middle-Eastern - What a Conglomeration!

Well, it admittedly has been a bit of a long week, and it did drag by a little bit. However, I was still kept pretty busy, but I did pay for that with a general lack of sleep for several nights in a row, which definitely makes the daytime hours go by much slower even if the night time ones fly by at record speed.

Sunday was definitely a great day, though. I attended a Lutheran church for the first time in my life to make my last field observation for Religion in America. Through my eyes, it seemed very similar to the Catholic service that I attended earlier in the semester, but it certainly had its own unique elements as well. What really stuck in my mind was how welcoming the congregation was to three random girls that just showed up on their doorstep on Sunday morning, and we were invited to come back "with friends" more times than I can count. When I go to a new church, being made feel welcome is really important to me, and the Lutherans certainly exceeded at that.

Almost right after the service, I was rushing back to campus to get ready to go out on a trip with the WORLD club to Pittsburgh. Eight of us all piled in one of the school vans and headed to Christos, an amazing Greek restaurant right in the cultural district of the city. WORLD members only had to pay $5, and the rest of the meal was covered by the club's budget, plus the ride was free - it was definitely a great deal. As for the food? It was absolutely amazing. I had never had real Greek food before, and after sharing food with basically everyone at the table, I decided that I certainly had a taste for it. Oh, and the desserts were heavenly - caramels, vanilla, and honey seemed to be in everything, which I was certainly not complaining about. And the waiter? Between his thick Greek accent and his playful antics, he was certainly one of the most enjoyable parts of the experience.

After eating far too much food and still having the van for a few hours, we headed down to the Strip District a short distance away. For anyone that is uncertain just what the Strip District is, it is a stretch of road lined with cultural shops and grocery stores selling food from basically every culture of the world that one can name. Most of the stores were closed, being Sunday afternoon, but two of my friends and I found ourselves a few Asian supermarkets where we admitted loaded our arms full of probably far more food than we needed - but with great prices, and food that we could not find anywhere else, we needed to stock up! Thus, the entire ride back to Waynesburg was filled with students that already had full stomachs munching on various Asian snacks and sweets - definitely acceptable by my standards.

That night I vouched to stay on campus a little while longer with Nicole rather than go home once more, and we lounged around her room (really, the upperclassman dorms are AMAZING) and watched My Neighbour Totoro and had a good time...eating more Asian food, of course. Overall, Sunday really was an amazing day. Joining WORLD my first weekend at Waynesburg Freshman year was the best decision I could have made, and now that I am Vice-President, I am unbelievably glad to be a part of such a great group of kids. And we really do some of the coolest stuff on campus, in my [biased] opinion.

Most of the rest of the week was pretty normal - though there was one rather difficult World Religions exam that I am certainly glad is now behind me - and without too much excitement aside from a few points. Tuesday night Nicole and I attended an update on Invisible Children, an organization that is fighting to end the abduction of children in Uganda to be used as child soldiers. They visited campus in the spring and got a lot of people on fire for the cause (myself included) and we jumped on the chance of seeing an update. Sadly, not much has changed since spring semester, and new plans are being formulated to help end this horror in Africa. I am just hoping that I can be a part of that history and that the entire world will not just watch as something like this goes on and on and on.

Today was certainly another unique day in my history. I travelled with my World Religions class to Morgantown, WV to visit the Islamic Centre there. As a female, I had to wear a headscarf, and though I shied away from the idea at first, it was actually pretty cool to have that experience and see what it was like to wear one for an extended period. We got great opportunities to talk to a lot of the Muslims that attend there, and we also go to go to their afternoon community prayer service, which was half in Arabic and half in English. The call to prayer in Arabic was absolutely beautiful - definitely one of the coolest experiences I have ever had, and it makes me really want to hear it on a larger scale in a city like Cairo or Istanbul someday.

After the service, we girls (who had seperated from the men, because they worship separate from one another in most mosques) were approached by several Muslim girls who welcomed us and answered a lot of questions that we had for them, which was really nice. Instead of feeling out of place, I felt welcome, despite being in the midst of a different religion altogether. When we returned to meet our professor and the rest of our class, we discovered that the Muslims had prepared a meal for us as a surprise - and the food as completely amazing. Chicken, long-grained rice, and some spicy red sauce that I definitely fell in love with. While we ate, we got to talk to the Imam (the Muslim equivalent of a pastor) for about an hour, and he was willing to answer questions about anything. On the van ride back to campus, thinking back on the trip, I realized just how amazing of an experience it truly was.

Looks like this really has been the semester for new experiences - or should I say, the year for them, considering I will be in a different country in the spring? And can I say...I am definitely not complaining at all! Had it not been for WU, I would have never done any of these things, and I am really thankful that God has given me the chance to this year. Looks like its about time I started really counting my blessings.

"It's okay, we're geologists!"

As I stare out my window into the grey sky, watching as some strange mix between rain and snow falls to the ground, I wonder where exactly FALL went. The beginnings of October found me still outside at least a few times a week, with the only thing to worry about being rain but never very cold weather...and now, it's practically snowing, and it is only mid-October. Let me be the first to say that I am far from ready for snow this early in the year (and would personally be happier if it never came) but...at least I have snow boots! And I am excited to wear them, I will admit that.

Other than the weather, compared to last week this one was an absolute dream. I did indeed get to relax a bit after midterms, satisfied that that particular hurdle was behind me, and happy to have some free time again. I also had my second week of working in the university's writing centre, which is a great service that is free for any student to use for any paper in any subject. One just has to bring one's paper down to the centrally located writing centre to have it read by a peer tutor (like myself) and to get some extra insight and help with his or her writing. My personal hours spent in the centre have been slow ones, but they have been very good all the same. The room itself is actually very comfortable and homey, so I do not mind spending my time there at all - plus, we are all allowed to help decorate it, and believe me when I say I am a crazy decorator at heart. I think its my imagination...

After my shift at the writing centre, I definitely had my best evening of the week. I went with a couple of friends to see the theatre team do their improv show, aptly named 'WU's Line is it Anyway?' I went to see the spring production as well, and though it was definitely a great show then, things have only gotten better this year. Four of my really good friends were also involved this year, which made it a lot more fun, considering I knew the people preforming on stage. It only cost $1 to get a show that was a little more than an hour, and it was more than worth every penny. I was laughing the entire time, and reminded just how talented some people can be. Improvisation takes a completely different set of skills than acting from a script, and I always love to watch.

Saturday was my trip to Ohiopyle, PA with my geology group, and it was definitely a successful trip. We did a lot of hiking on trails that, although Melissa claimed the guide listed as easy, were definitely pretty tough walks, climbed a few rocks, and went behind a waterfall (talk about an intense and completely amazing experience, nothing compares to the power of a waterfall). We are in the process of making a short video about our trip, and also working on a PowerPoint for our project about the history of Ohiopyle itself, as well as about how waterfalls are formed. Although sometimes it is admittedly very hard to understand how geology will actually be a part of my life someday, considering I am taking it as a general education course and it is not specified by my major, it has at least caused me to step out of my box and do a lot of things I would have never done otherwise. I do not regret going behind that waterfall, and its an experience I will remember forever.



This coming week I already have a lot of plans, as seems to be the usual, starting with Sunday. After a trip to one last church for Religion in America (the choice of church is still up in the air at the moment), I am going on a trip with the WORLD club to a Greek restaurant in Pittsburgh. With only $5 to include the meal AND the ride, its definitely a great value - WORLD trips always are, so I try to take advantage of them any time they pop up. This coming week is also the week that WU is doing photo shoots for their new brochures, and my time is on Thursday - I'm really excited, actually. I've never been in a real photo shoot before, but I do love being in pictures, so I think it will be a lot of fun. My best friend and I are also going to see an update on Invisible Children held on campus Tuesday night. Invisible Children is an organization that is trying to free child soldiers in Uganda, and when they came to WU last spring, the entire campus seemed to get involved. I figure that the turn-out for this update is going to be widely attended, and I am looking forward to seeing what is going on in Uganda now.

The biggest part of this coming week is probably our next World Religions trip to a mosque in Morgantown. Islam was completely foreign to me before we started learning about it in class, and I am incredibly excited to overcome the dark stereotypes that seem to have developed about them recently, and experience a day worshipping with them first hand. I should be writing this right after I get back from the trip, actually, so I am certain I'll have at least a few things to say with it fresh in my mind.

Anyway, until next week!

WU Takes the Win!

Representing Waynesburg University (and winning!) at KuroKiiro Festival

Let me just begin by saying I did not think it was physically possible to be this exhausted. This past week I have barely had time to breath, and it definitely flew by so quickly I am still trying to sort out everything that actually happened - and what DIDN'T happen (like perhaps getting a full night of sleep). But for the most part? It was worth it...though at the same time, I am definitely breathing a sigh of relief that its all over.

It all started Saturday morning around 7 a.m., which is when I woke up (bit early for a Saturday) and started getting ready for KuroKiiro Festival with my best friend. By 9 a.m. four other students from WU had arrived at my house, and by 10 a.m. we were all enjoying a great breakfast at Cracker Barrel and meeting up with one student from the Art Institute in Pittsburgh. Then, after managing to lose the car that was following me and a few other driving fiascos later, the whole gang of us had managed to find our way to the hotel the convention was being held in.

We didn't even think about leaving until after 11 p.m. It was one insane day full of running around, taking pictures, eating pizza, shopping and a whole lot of dancing. The highlight of the day? On a whim, a group of five of us (all from WU) decided to enter a cosplay competition - and somehow, we actually managed to win in our category! Needless to say, there was a lot of screaming and jumping around and just a general sense of pride amongst our entire group that is STILL burning rather strongly. Let's just say that we are rather proud walking around campus now, and there are no signs of that going away any time soon.

Sunday morning brought about more excitement (though a bit too soon after only about five hours of sleep or so) as a friend from my Religion in America class and I headed towards Carmichaels to attend a Serbian Orthodox service there. It was certainly different from anything that the two of us had experienced before - not to mention in Serbian. I wish I had done a bit more research on the religion before we had attended the service, because I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it, but it was a good experience nonetheless.

As the week rolled in, I found myself completely swamped underneath midterms, and homework and papers still at the same time! It was yet another reminder of 'Welcome to Junior year,' and I will admit that it was a pretty tough week. However, now that everything is behind me, I can look back in hindsight and give a weak smile. I am pretty confident in my exams after I took them, even though I was nervous up to the very moment that I started reading the questions - but it seems like on most exams, I think that I know less than I apparently do, because I can answer questions...and that is usually a good sign. So I am staying positive about everything, and we shall see what next week brings whenever we start getting results back!

Wednesday was also a bit of a unique day, because after my first class my World Religions class all took a trip to a Jewish synagogue about 30 minutes or so away from campus. Though we did not go to an actual service, we did get to see the entire building and talk to the Rabbi there for about an hour and a half or so, and he even showed us the Torah, which was pretty cool to see up close. Our next trip is going to be to a mosque, but its not for another couple of weeks, though we did begin our study on Islam today (its definitely better to know what is going on before visiting the place of worship, which makes me realize even more how much I should have looked into Serbian Orthodoxy before throwing myself into the middle of it).

As for the coming weekend, I may have it off work, but that does not mean that I get to just relax. Tomorrow I am off to Ohiopyle with two friends from my geology class to do a field study of the waterfalls and natural water slides there. Hopefully the weather will hold out nicely (its been pretty rainy all week, tragically) and we can have a good time there. Ohiopyle really is a pretty place, and its only about an hour away from campus, so it makes for a nice Saturday afternoon if one is willing to make the drive. So I will technically be doing school work most of tomorrow there, but it should be fun at the same time.

The rest of next week will hopefully be a bit more laid back that this past one while everyone recovers from midterms - that is the nice thing about midterm week, because the week after is always somewhat of relaxing, and gives everyone a chance to recover. Don't get me wrong - papers still are due and quizzes still occur, but compared to midterms, its just another day at Waynesburg University! Until next week!



Can you tell we were the villains?

Is it that time ALREADY?

I cannot believe this even as I type this - next week is midterms! It is so hard to fathom the fact that I am honestly halfway through my semester already because the time seems to have gone by so quickly, but its even harder to imagine those midterms, considering how many exams I will have next week and how severely I need to start studying soon...

This past week was actually moderately laid back for once, and I definitely appreciated the break. I did have one large paper due in Religion in America, a book review, but with that out of the way I feel like I have a big part of my grade in that class behind me, which is always a good feeling to have. On the same note, though, I have another church observation paper due in that class next week, so this Sunday one of my friends and I are going to attend a Serbian Orthodox church in the nearby town of Carmichaels for another new experience. Just like the Catholic service a few weekends ago, I have never attended anything Orthodox before, so I am excited to see just what it has in store for me.

This coming week is going to be full of new experiences, actually, with that service on Sunday, and then I am going to be attending a Jewish synagogue for World Religions on Wednesday - yet another service that I have never experienced, even in the smallest way. I'm not really certain what to expect, but whatever it is, I am certain it will be eye-opening, and I am really excited to attend.

Last night was Waynesburg Idol right here on campus, a competition that any student can enter where they sing a song based on a certain theme that is set for the night, and then half of them are voted off by the student body for the following week, and from those remaining one more is chosen. For the third year in a row, I managed to miss the first night of the competition, even though I promised myself last year that I would make it this year - but low and behold, when I got to campus this morning everyone was talking about it and I had missed it yet again. I am hoping to go to the second round next week if all goes well, though, because its always a lot of fun - and considering I have absolutely zero talent when it comes to singing, I have a lot of respect for people that actually CAN sing.

The weather around here really has been cracking down hard on us this week, almost punishing us for how nice it had been all semester up to this point. There was nothing better than laying around in one of the many grassy areas on campus between classes, either studying or playing video games or just hanging out with friends. Although the activities hardly changed this week, our general location has sadly been relocated to inside Stover Student Center - I mean, it is a nice place, with sofas and pillows and all that sort of thing (and a heater most importantly) but its not quite the same as sitting outside.

However, I am at least moderately prepared for the cold weather this year, because I bought winter snow boots in June! Last year I had a grand fiasco trying to find them in the dead of winter because apparently they were out of season and all I could find were flip-flops, so I prepared ahead this year, and when it snows...I will be ready for it. The snow cannot vanquish me nor soak my pants through this year!

On the other hand, what I am NOT prepared for is tomorrow. Somehow along the lines of getting ready for the convention in Pittsburgh tomorrow, I became the coordinator, and as absent-minded and disorganized as I am that might not have been the best plan on the part of my friends. Even now, with the events 18 hours or so away, I still do not even know who all is coming with us. I suppose tomorrow will be a pleasant surprise in many ways. Or something to that effect, at least. Either way, my best friend is spending the night with me tonight so we can get ready together in the morning and meet up with whoever else is actually going. We have full intentions on having another really great time in Pittsburgh. Pictures will follow, of course.

On that slightly nerdy tangent, I may not have been studying as hard as I could have been this week simply because a brand-new video game was released on Tuesday that I have been waiting for for over a year and had pre-ordered months ago before it even had a release date - and that has been taking up a lot of my free time, I will admit. However, Nicole and I had a good time going to pick them up, wearing matching t-shirts themed after the game that we bought in Baltimore this summer, and have certainly been enjoying the multi-player mode on these rainy past few days whenever we have been cooped up inside.



You know, I actually think having time like that is just as important a part of the college experience as studying is. I mean, yes, classes should and do always come first, and studying is a huge part of what I do to make it through the year. However, there comes a point whenever one realizes that being with friends and kicking back doing something fun now and again is what keeps one actually sane through the year, and is a great stress reliever - and believe me, I can tell you from personal experience that being completely stressed out does NOT make you do any better on exams, and I appreciate every moment I get the chance to relax. Whoever said college was not going to be fun obviously did not go themselves - or at least, did not go somewhere like WU.

So it looks like the week ahead of me will be quite busy if nothing else! Orthodox churches, synagogues, French essays, midterms, and one crazy anime convention - well, at least things are never dull, and that is what is most important in the end...right? 'till next week!