Another Semester Down...

So… it has been entirely too long since the last time that I have blogged. I have (up until this point) been entirely consumed by this annoying nag that they call College. So I am going to insert as much randomness as I am allowed in one blog to update everyone as to the awesomeness that is the amazing life of me, here goes…

(1) Finals: There is no greater moment in a college student’s life than the dreaded finals week. Last semester, in an attempt to never graduate college ever, I added a second major and a minor. At the time it sounded like a really good idea, I had an amazing professor that convinced me that my calling was to follow in her footsteps. Needless to say, I fell for it. So this was my first (and last) semester being a Biology/Philosophy double major, Women’s Studies minor. The transition between biology and philosophy was not the easiest for me… while the transition between learning information I despise and things that interest me was hard, the most challenging thing for me has been writing papers. I have said every semester since I came to college, that I would much rather write papers than take tests, I just knew that it would be so much easier for me, turns out… I was completely wrong. My finals for this semester consisted of one small test (non-cumulative, just me and the cadavers) and 50 pages worth of papers. Before this year I had never written a paper longer than three pages, this semester I wrote two 15 page papers and a 20 page research paper. If you have never written a 20 page paper, I suggest you give it a try, its worse than I ever could have imagined. This week’s evenings have consisted of the following: write a paragraph while fighting off the pains of ADD and sleep, Tasha and I giggling over things that aren’t funny, write a paragraph, 40 minutes of me distracting her, write a paragraph, 30 minutes of her distracting me, write a paragraph, me staring out the window for 30 minutes, eat a home-baked good, and repeat. Turns out a 20 page paper, at that pace, takes 14 years to write. Next semester’s goal: START EARLY.

(2) Summer Internship: So I have stumbled upon my dream job (despite the lack of pay) I am working this summer for an amazing non-profit organization called The Heart Connection. The Heart Connection provides services that enhance the quality of life for children with cancer by providing programs for recreation, education and family support. The organization sponsors two week-long summer camps for children with cancer and their siblings, with the goal of helping them briefly escape cancer’s effects. They also have support groups for both the children and families, outings to events, hospital-based programs and weekend retreats for children and their families. I am so excited to get started and jump right in, the office houses 5 full time employees, 2 part time employees and me, it is a small office, and I will be able to experience every aspect of the organization. I will be starting on May 19th and am looking forward to all the experiences that I will have this summer.

(3) Going on an adventure: So it is officially less than one week until I am leaving the country. Next week at this time I will be exploring the amazing country of Namibia. Namibia is on the southwest coast of Africa, and I will be there for 2 and ½ weeks. I am going for a may term class on the global impact of AIDS. It is a really interesting class because our primary goal is to experience the people of Namibia. I will spend most of my time listening to stories that the people of Namibia have to share with me. While there, we will experience AIDS clinics, orphanages and speaking with medical personnel. We will also be staying with Namibian families in order to submerse ourselves in their culture. The best part about the trip is that we will be learning things that I could never experience in a classroom on campus. I can’t wait to go, but I definitely need to start packing. I have no idea what I need to bring, so if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know. Also, I will most likely have very little communication with home, so we’ll see if I can finally break that darn facebook addiction.

(4) Bienvenido a estados unidos: So my entire reason for starting a blog was to keep my friends who are studying internationally in the know about my life. I haven’t been very good at keeping up to date with my blog, but I am full of stories to tell them when they return. Four months without your other half is a long time, and I am so excited to have them back. I wish that I could be at the airport to pick you up, but I will be out of the country also. Can’t wait to see you, I’ve missed you bunches.