The semester is coming to a close. Teachers are preparing for finals and assigning final projects. I have been thinking what a chore it will be to pack everything up and head home. Clothes, sheets, shoes, coats, towels, not to mention personal items, printers, boxes upon boxes will be filed out of the dorms in a few short weeks. In a way, leaving here is similar to graduating high school. We will be leaving the friends that we made here and travelling to different places. We will have no more classes here at ISU until the fall.
However, this also means no more late night study sessions. No more stress over tests and finals. No more papers. No more blogs. I feel a twinge of nostalgia as I think that this is the last blog. However, I do not think I will miss it that much. This blog was fun while it lasted, but the constant deadlines and regulations were annoying. While it was nice to be able to record all my thoughts and grievances of the week, it was frustrating to have rules.
One other thing that I will not miss is all the commenting. Two comments on everyone’s blog did not seem like that much until I started doing it. No offense to anyone out there, you guys all had great blogs, but I hated going through and finding things to comment on. I would rather have just read them. I would suggest that next year, the comments are not mandatory. If I had to plan it, I would just pick one blog to read on Mondays, then alternate which blogs were read. This would let everyone hear other people’s blogs, but without the mind numbing process of the forty plus comments.
I hope anyone who has read this blog has gotten something out of it, even if it was just a good laugh. I encourage those incoming freshmen to not be discouraged. The second semester is tough, but it only lasts a couple months. Work hard, and blog if you need to express yourself. Don’t go paint the stairwells, though, because it costs everybody a dollar each. Most of all, have fun. You only get one try at your freshman year.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
So, you are coming to Normal?
When I moved to college, I didn’t know there would be so much walking. I do not have my own car, so if I can’t get a ride from someone, I have to walk. There are buses, but if you don’t have time to wait around on their schedule, you might be out of luck. I never realized how big the world was until I came here. When your world is limited to where you can walk to, your world becomes incredibly small.
We have been asked to write a blog on what we would suggest visitors to Normal should do. However, I don’t really get around much in Normal. My roommate and I sometimes take the bus out to Wal-Mart, and sometimes we can con her boyfriend into letting us take his car shopping, but I realized that I don’t really know what there is to do in Normal.
Every once in a while, a friend from back home comes up to visit. Since Decatur is not exactly a booming city, Normal has a lot of things to do that we don’t have available in Decatur. However, I am pretty sure that only people from back home would find them interesting in Normal. For instance, the mall in Normal is probably three times as big as Decatur’s. When my friends come up, often the first thing we do is head to the mall. Plus, did you know the mall has that glow in the dark put putting? How awesome is that?
Also, our movie theaters back home are pretty small. They might be able to hold a hundred people, but those hundred wouldn’t be too comfortable. There is a movie theater here that is huge. I think it is actually in Bloomington, but it is probably the biggest theater I have ever seen (except for the one in Walt Disney World). The armrests go up and down. Genius invention.
Campus events are pretty cool, too, but you have to plan trips around ISU’s scheduling. If you want to be spontaneous, there is a rock wall place called Upper Limits. I haven’t been there yet, but my boyfriend loves it. He swears that it is the place to go for rock climbers in Illinois.
In all honesty, I don’t really know a lot of things to do in Normal that you couldn’t probably do in your own hometown. But my friends and I like it, and at least you will never truly get bored.
We have been asked to write a blog on what we would suggest visitors to Normal should do. However, I don’t really get around much in Normal. My roommate and I sometimes take the bus out to Wal-Mart, and sometimes we can con her boyfriend into letting us take his car shopping, but I realized that I don’t really know what there is to do in Normal.
Every once in a while, a friend from back home comes up to visit. Since Decatur is not exactly a booming city, Normal has a lot of things to do that we don’t have available in Decatur. However, I am pretty sure that only people from back home would find them interesting in Normal. For instance, the mall in Normal is probably three times as big as Decatur’s. When my friends come up, often the first thing we do is head to the mall. Plus, did you know the mall has that glow in the dark put putting? How awesome is that?
Also, our movie theaters back home are pretty small. They might be able to hold a hundred people, but those hundred wouldn’t be too comfortable. There is a movie theater here that is huge. I think it is actually in Bloomington, but it is probably the biggest theater I have ever seen (except for the one in Walt Disney World). The armrests go up and down. Genius invention.
Campus events are pretty cool, too, but you have to plan trips around ISU’s scheduling. If you want to be spontaneous, there is a rock wall place called Upper Limits. I haven’t been there yet, but my boyfriend loves it. He swears that it is the place to go for rock climbers in Illinois.
In all honesty, I don’t really know a lot of things to do in Normal that you couldn’t probably do in your own hometown. But my friends and I like it, and at least you will never truly get bored.
Rockin' the Flu Bug
Lately, I have had the flu. I had full blown body aches, fever, throwing up…the whole deal.
Let me back up. Prior to getting sick this past week, I was pretty healthy. I rarely got sick, and I made sure to take Vitamin C every day in order to keep up my good record. My roommate and I are trying to get in shape, so I eat well, and we exercise each night. We do cardio exercises (running and biking) in addition to yoga and crunches. We had a strict regimen, and it was working for us.
I am one of those people that does their homework ahead of time. I am paranoid about forgetting to do something, so I always write everything down on post-its that I stick on my light above my desk. I try to stay pretty on top of things.
However, getting sick threw a wrench into my well-oiled life. I was too tired to do anything more strenuous than walking down to the dining center. I was constantly sleeping, and when I was awake, I was running fevers of 100 to 102. I was miserable. I kept watching my post-it collection grow, but I never had the energy (or the presence of mind…I was on a lot of medications) to get my work done. It was incredibly frustrating to me to not be able to do everything.
I laid in bed mostly, and I read when I wasn’t sleeping. However, after a few days in bed, I realized that I should not be depressed. Sure, I was sick, but it gave me a chance to rest. Granted, I wasn’t exactly feeling wonderful, but I still got some much needed sleep in. I also had time to think.
I had been scheduling my life down to the minute before, and I needed to learn to allow myself some down time. Our lives can’t be filled with all work and no play. We need to take time to relax and, pardon the cliché, smell the roses. Even if you can’t smell them through all the congestion in your head.
Let me back up. Prior to getting sick this past week, I was pretty healthy. I rarely got sick, and I made sure to take Vitamin C every day in order to keep up my good record. My roommate and I are trying to get in shape, so I eat well, and we exercise each night. We do cardio exercises (running and biking) in addition to yoga and crunches. We had a strict regimen, and it was working for us.
I am one of those people that does their homework ahead of time. I am paranoid about forgetting to do something, so I always write everything down on post-its that I stick on my light above my desk. I try to stay pretty on top of things.
However, getting sick threw a wrench into my well-oiled life. I was too tired to do anything more strenuous than walking down to the dining center. I was constantly sleeping, and when I was awake, I was running fevers of 100 to 102. I was miserable. I kept watching my post-it collection grow, but I never had the energy (or the presence of mind…I was on a lot of medications) to get my work done. It was incredibly frustrating to me to not be able to do everything.
I laid in bed mostly, and I read when I wasn’t sleeping. However, after a few days in bed, I realized that I should not be depressed. Sure, I was sick, but it gave me a chance to rest. Granted, I wasn’t exactly feeling wonderful, but I still got some much needed sleep in. I also had time to think.
I had been scheduling my life down to the minute before, and I needed to learn to allow myself some down time. Our lives can’t be filled with all work and no play. We need to take time to relax and, pardon the cliché, smell the roses. Even if you can’t smell them through all the congestion in your head.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Don't Miss Your Dance
This being my first year at ISU, I attended quite a few conferences and events at the beginning of the year. However, I soon realized that I could spend my time on more entertaining things. When asked to write about one of these events, none really thrilled me to the point of writing about it in a blog. On the other hand, I did go to a swing dance club that provided an interesting experience.
I come from a small high school. We don’t have that many extracurricular activities available to us, so when we were offered a swing dancing class, I was among the many who signed up. I had a blast, and the steps were fun and fast. It stands to follow that, when I saw a swing dance club advertised at ISU, I jumped at the opportunity.
It was sort of a BYOP (bring your own partner) kind of thing. I convinced my roommate to go with me, and together we snatched a couple guys to drag along. We had already missed a few weeks of the class, but the advertisement said that each class was essentially the same and that the basic steps would be taught each class. Perfect. We strolled in a couple minutes late, prepared to be swept off our feet by the rhythm. What we found was that the “basics” had already been reviewed, and the dance was in full swing. (Pardon the pun).
There were probably about thirty people there. Unfortunately, the ratio of guys to girls wasn’t exactly perfect. This meant that a few girls had to either sit out or find another female partner. Each time the whistle blew, we had to switch partners. This meant that even though we had brought partners, those same partners were quickly stolen away.
For those of you who have never been to a swing dance, there is essentially a basic step that is repeated throughout any tricks or swings your partner decides to pull. This makes it difficult for girls to dance together because the steps are completely and utterly backwards.
You can imagine the scenario. Not only were we not familiar with these basic steps, but, every once in a while, we would have to do those same steps backwards. Needless to say, we had a ton of fun while making complete fools of ourselves.
However, I did learn some lessons from the whole experience. First, swing dancing is a blast, even when you are not so sure of what you are doing. Second, bring more than one guy to a swing dance with you. And lastly, don’t be afraid to dance outside your comfort zone. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
I come from a small high school. We don’t have that many extracurricular activities available to us, so when we were offered a swing dancing class, I was among the many who signed up. I had a blast, and the steps were fun and fast. It stands to follow that, when I saw a swing dance club advertised at ISU, I jumped at the opportunity.
It was sort of a BYOP (bring your own partner) kind of thing. I convinced my roommate to go with me, and together we snatched a couple guys to drag along. We had already missed a few weeks of the class, but the advertisement said that each class was essentially the same and that the basic steps would be taught each class. Perfect. We strolled in a couple minutes late, prepared to be swept off our feet by the rhythm. What we found was that the “basics” had already been reviewed, and the dance was in full swing. (Pardon the pun).
There were probably about thirty people there. Unfortunately, the ratio of guys to girls wasn’t exactly perfect. This meant that a few girls had to either sit out or find another female partner. Each time the whistle blew, we had to switch partners. This meant that even though we had brought partners, those same partners were quickly stolen away.
For those of you who have never been to a swing dance, there is essentially a basic step that is repeated throughout any tricks or swings your partner decides to pull. This makes it difficult for girls to dance together because the steps are completely and utterly backwards.
You can imagine the scenario. Not only were we not familiar with these basic steps, but, every once in a while, we would have to do those same steps backwards. Needless to say, we had a ton of fun while making complete fools of ourselves.
However, I did learn some lessons from the whole experience. First, swing dancing is a blast, even when you are not so sure of what you are doing. Second, bring more than one guy to a swing dance with you. And lastly, don’t be afraid to dance outside your comfort zone. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Looking Ahead
Last week during spring break, I went home. I remember thinking that I couldn’t wait to see all my old friends. I planned to go visit my old high school and walk around talking to the people I left behind. I was excited as I thought about all the fun times I had. Still reminiscing, I left a few comments on my friends’ Facebook walls, seeing if they would like to hang out. To my surprise, I found that most of my friends were busy.
I have noticed that graduating is the biggest wedge between friends. There is a gap between those in high school and college students. I ended up going back to my high school last week. A little background explanation is probably needed here. I graduated from a class of twenty. I have been going to the same school since kindergarten. I have had the same friends since kindergarten. Everybody knows everybody at my school. Since coming to college, I have missed that closeness, although I found it stifling while I was there.
However, when I went back, I saw faces I did not recognize, faces I could not name. There were new students, people had left, teachers had left, and some had been hired. My high school seemed different. It was not the same.
This is when I realized how much changes as we go through life. I looked back on all the students with a sort of sadness. They would never know about the crazy times that my friends and I had had in that school. But after I thought about it, I decided that it was probably a good thing.
All those new kids might not know what my friends and I did, but they have a chance to have their own experiences. We all have to live our own lives. Those who went to ISU four years ago probably look back on us and wonder if we know about the things they went through. I have found that I need to live my life to the fullest, now. Ann Landers once said, “Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.”
I plan on looking ahead.
I have noticed that graduating is the biggest wedge between friends. There is a gap between those in high school and college students. I ended up going back to my high school last week. A little background explanation is probably needed here. I graduated from a class of twenty. I have been going to the same school since kindergarten. I have had the same friends since kindergarten. Everybody knows everybody at my school. Since coming to college, I have missed that closeness, although I found it stifling while I was there.
However, when I went back, I saw faces I did not recognize, faces I could not name. There were new students, people had left, teachers had left, and some had been hired. My high school seemed different. It was not the same.
This is when I realized how much changes as we go through life. I looked back on all the students with a sort of sadness. They would never know about the crazy times that my friends and I had had in that school. But after I thought about it, I decided that it was probably a good thing.
All those new kids might not know what my friends and I did, but they have a chance to have their own experiences. We all have to live our own lives. Those who went to ISU four years ago probably look back on us and wonder if we know about the things they went through. I have found that I need to live my life to the fullest, now. Ann Landers once said, “Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.”
I plan on looking ahead.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Future Plans
When I was asked what I would do with close to eighty thousand dollars in cash, I really did not know. My first instinct was to pay off college, but the one condition was that it could not be spent on education. Ok, so cross off option one. Now I was stumped. My whole life had been planned around education. I sat back and started to truly think about what I would do. I realized that there are several factors that influence my decision
Since my freshman year in high school, I have wanted to be a special education teacher. I fell in love with Torey Hayden’s books about her career in special education. My junior year, I meant a guy on a mission trip to Shepherds, a ministry for the mentally disabled in Wisconsin. He had come with my youth group, but I had not known him that well. During the mission trip, we were paired up as prayer partners. We really got to know each other. That fall we started dating, and we have been together now for almost three years. He is planning to be a firefighter.
During this time of figuring out my relationships, my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes). My mom and I have always been very close. I chose to attend Illinois State University not only because it is an amazing school for special education, but because it is only forty-five minutes from home. She has been through several procedures and chemo and has been declared to be in remission. However, lymphoma can never be cured completely, and remission is not always permanent.
So when thinking about how I wanted to spend my money, I realized that I would not want to go far from home. I would miss my mother too much. I also would not want to leave my boyfriend behind. We are very close, and I would not want to be apart from my best friend. I finally decided that if I had all that money, I would want to spend it on responsible things. I would buy my dream truck, and with the extra money, I would put a down payment on a house. This might seem boring, but I am happy with my life. There isn’t much I would want to change, so I am perfectly content to spend my money in this way.
Since my freshman year in high school, I have wanted to be a special education teacher. I fell in love with Torey Hayden’s books about her career in special education. My junior year, I meant a guy on a mission trip to Shepherds, a ministry for the mentally disabled in Wisconsin. He had come with my youth group, but I had not known him that well. During the mission trip, we were paired up as prayer partners. We really got to know each other. That fall we started dating, and we have been together now for almost three years. He is planning to be a firefighter.
During this time of figuring out my relationships, my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes). My mom and I have always been very close. I chose to attend Illinois State University not only because it is an amazing school for special education, but because it is only forty-five minutes from home. She has been through several procedures and chemo and has been declared to be in remission. However, lymphoma can never be cured completely, and remission is not always permanent.
So when thinking about how I wanted to spend my money, I realized that I would not want to go far from home. I would miss my mother too much. I also would not want to leave my boyfriend behind. We are very close, and I would not want to be apart from my best friend. I finally decided that if I had all that money, I would want to spend it on responsible things. I would buy my dream truck, and with the extra money, I would put a down payment on a house. This might seem boring, but I am happy with my life. There isn’t much I would want to change, so I am perfectly content to spend my money in this way.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Surviving Freshman Year at ISU
The big move to college life can be intimidating. However, as a freshman (soon to be sophomore), I have a few tips that can help make the transition smoother.
1. Learn to sleep through anything. This is probably the most valuable talent you will ever develop. No matter how much you and your roommate get along, there will be times when they are up until the break of dawn studying for a test when you have an 8 o’clock the next morning. Also, there is a ton of construction going on around ISU. For those of you who aren’t used to a blue-collar work schedule, construction workers start at 6 in the morning. Being able to sleep through the various noises of life is essential for a good night’s sleep.
2. Go to all those freshmen meetings. No, you will probably not learn anything from them. Yes, they are annoying. All the information they tell you, you will quickly forget and just have to look up on iCampus anyway. Although they seem pointless, they are great opportunities to make friends. Go and socialize.
3. Memorize your UID. ISU asks for it on almost every form you have to fill out. Save yourself the hassle of taking out your ID everywhere and just memorize it.
4. Check your iCampus email at least twice a day. It seems needless, but ISU will send you all sorts of interesting emails. Besides, ISU sends school cancellation notifications through iCampus. And while you are checking iCampus twice a day, start checking Facebook at least four times a day and more on the weekends.
5. Go to class. This is probably the most over-used statement that people will tell you. They will tell you that there is a direct correlation between attendance and grades. (More attendance equals better grades). There is truth there, though. Go to class and take good notes. Often, professors will tell you what will be on the test throughout class, and by taking notes the tests are much easier. On the other hand, just telling yourself to go to class doesn’t necessarily make it easy to go. Try making a rule that you will only skip each class once or twice. This will help put skipping in perspective for you.
6. Carry a stapler in your backpack. Most classes require homework to be stapled prior to class starting. There are always kids who forget to staple (and you might forget a couple times, as well), and there are never staplers in the room. Bring a stapler, and you will be prepared and maybe even make a few friends in the process.
7. Lastly, take advantage of the weight room. Do you have any idea how much a gym membership costs? Are you afraid of gaining those “Freshmen 15”? Never fear. The workout centers are totally free. Don’t be afraid to use them.
1. Learn to sleep through anything. This is probably the most valuable talent you will ever develop. No matter how much you and your roommate get along, there will be times when they are up until the break of dawn studying for a test when you have an 8 o’clock the next morning. Also, there is a ton of construction going on around ISU. For those of you who aren’t used to a blue-collar work schedule, construction workers start at 6 in the morning. Being able to sleep through the various noises of life is essential for a good night’s sleep.
2. Go to all those freshmen meetings. No, you will probably not learn anything from them. Yes, they are annoying. All the information they tell you, you will quickly forget and just have to look up on iCampus anyway. Although they seem pointless, they are great opportunities to make friends. Go and socialize.
3. Memorize your UID. ISU asks for it on almost every form you have to fill out. Save yourself the hassle of taking out your ID everywhere and just memorize it.
4. Check your iCampus email at least twice a day. It seems needless, but ISU will send you all sorts of interesting emails. Besides, ISU sends school cancellation notifications through iCampus. And while you are checking iCampus twice a day, start checking Facebook at least four times a day and more on the weekends.
5. Go to class. This is probably the most over-used statement that people will tell you. They will tell you that there is a direct correlation between attendance and grades. (More attendance equals better grades). There is truth there, though. Go to class and take good notes. Often, professors will tell you what will be on the test throughout class, and by taking notes the tests are much easier. On the other hand, just telling yourself to go to class doesn’t necessarily make it easy to go. Try making a rule that you will only skip each class once or twice. This will help put skipping in perspective for you.
6. Carry a stapler in your backpack. Most classes require homework to be stapled prior to class starting. There are always kids who forget to staple (and you might forget a couple times, as well), and there are never staplers in the room. Bring a stapler, and you will be prepared and maybe even make a few friends in the process.
7. Lastly, take advantage of the weight room. Do you have any idea how much a gym membership costs? Are you afraid of gaining those “Freshmen 15”? Never fear. The workout centers are totally free. Don’t be afraid to use them.
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