Sunday, January 31, 2010

Technical Dificulties

Hello all,

I know it's been a while, but I've been without my trusty computer for just about a week now, and I was definitely hoping to have it back by this point. I'm super busy here on campus and not having my computer adds quite a bit of stress to my life. I've got a little time for a quick re-cap now, and hopefully I'll be back up and running before I leave for a long weekend of swimming.

There were two swim meets this week. Tuesday was our last home meet, and so it was the senior meet. We swam against Norwich and both the men's and women's teams won. Before the meet started, the juniors got to the pool early to decorate with posters, streamers, balloons, and other fun stuff. Then later, after warm-up, coach said a little something about each senior and they came up to get hugs and flowers from us (and the girls all got fish too!). We've got another really great present for them, but it hasn't come in yet so I've got to keep quiet still, but I know they're going to love it and the women's team worked really hard on it.

Yesterday we had another meet in Potsdam, so we were gone pretty much all day. Both men and women lost this time around, but everyone had great swims and a lot of people made the qualifying times they needed to compete in champs. I can't believe it's only 3 weeks away. Time is going to much faster to me, especially since I only have half the usual time to spend here. This weekend coming up is the 3 day NE-10 meet down in CT, so I'm hoping to get a bunch of work done before hand so I don't have too much to bring with me.

With 17 credits this semester (more than I've ever taken before) I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I've got a lot of work and not as much time to do it as I'd like, but I'm trying to manage. Needless to say, the issues with my computer aren't helping much. And, surprise surprise, I'm sick too. But I'm taking antibiotics so hopefully I'm on my way back to full health.

I know this seemed a little complain-y and boring, but I truly haven't done much in the past few weeks. Hopefully my next entry will be uplifting and fun, ringing with the spirit of a returned computer and a healthy immune system. Until then, stay warm!

-Christine

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The Last Photos and Videos

Hey all!

I'm sitting here trying to decide how long I can go without doing my homework today but I figured I'd at least give you something fun to do if you're procrastinating too. So, heres the rest of the photos and videos I have. They're from my last two or three days in Florence an include full documentation of the snowstorm that caused us so many problems. Enjoy and happy Sunday!





Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Looking back, pushing forward

Heyyyy everyone!

I'm sorry I've been off the map for longer than I planned. With getting my luggage (on Christmas), having my dad's family over to my house after Christmas, traveling down to Puerto Rico with the team for a week of training, and returning to school last week before everyone else to train some more, my life has been pretty crazy.

Puerto Rico was a ton of fun. We worked hard, the other study abroad girls and I got back into shape and met the new swimmers and divers, and we spent a lot of time lounging on the beach too. We even took a hike in the rain forest to a waterfall we got to swim in. Since then we've already had a meet. We lost, but I think everyone worked their hardest and swam amazingly, considering how tired we were. We've got another one coming up on Saturday so wish us luck. Overall, it's great being back with the team again.

Classes are back as well, of course. I enjoy them for the most part, though I'm still so tired at the end of the day. I'm taking Personality Theories, A Study Abroad Re-Entry journalism class, Philosophy of Human Being, Conversation Italian, and Sports Psychology. So far, so good, even with a lot of credits.

I've also taken up the blogging coordinator position for the semester and that's getting up and running too. Lots of Founder's Society meetings planned so far but I know it'll be good. Soon I'll start back up with my normal SMC posts, so if you've got anything you want to know about, leave a comment and I'll be all over it! (Same, I'm sure, goes for the rest of the bloggers).

Before I encountered my hectic return home, I said I would do some reflecting on my time abroad. I've done a lot of personal reflecting and talking to friends, but I thought that here I would post some of the amazing, once-in-a-lifetime things I got to do, which will serve as a reminder to me and help persuade all of you to come to SMC and go abroad with us. Of everything I learned and experienced, I think the most important thing is that the world is bigger than me and my small life, and I haven't even made a dent in it, but I want to. So, here's "the list":

A real Irish breakfast and a Guinness at the Brew House; seeing the Sagrada Familia mid-construction and partying with the real Barcelona crowd; eating at the world's oldest restaurant and standing on the center of Spain in Madrid; Seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Van Gogh artwork, along with mass at Notre Dame on a Holy Day in Paris; riding one of the oldest Ferris Wheels and seeing Swan Lake in the gorgeous opera house in Vienna; Meeting new friends, going to the Christmas markets, and drinking beer at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich; Going on the Sound of Music Tour, riding Austria's oldest funicular railway, and drinking some of the world's best water in Salzburg; Attending a festival dedicated to chocolate; Seeing the David, Pieta, and Sistine Chapel Ceiling; Visiting the ruins at Pompeii; Having the best pizza and pastries in the world, and the freshest food; Visiting a sinking city and the hometown of Romeo and Juliet; Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea with the Alps in the background; having the best wines, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil; Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa and the Harvard of Italy; Eating Bolognese sauce in Bologna; Running a marathon through the historic streets of Florence; completing 5 paintings and having them called "artwork"; and drinking some of the world's best coffee.

Obviously my experience abroad can't be limited to only words...or to pictures or video for that matter. So, you're just going to have to explore for yourself. I'm hoping to get my life up and running smoothly soon and get more pictures up here/some new blog topics, so keep checking back, sending suggestions, and asking questions.

I'm happy to be back, I hope you're ready for a great semester!

-Christine