Some Things I'm Going to Miss at ODU

As we all know, I love ODU a lot, so there are more than a few things I'm going to miss now that I've graduated.  This, I'm sure, will not be the only blog post I spend discussing things I miss.  Every day, I come up with more and more things I miss at ODU, so those of you who are fortunate enough to still be students at ODU, enjoy every moment and don't take any of this wonderful school for granted.

This list is in no particular order as I cannot begin to try and compare the many beautiful aspects of Ohio Dominican University I will miss, but I will begin with the part of ODU I know for sure I will miss the most, the very heart of ODU- Christ the King Chapel.  I have been so distraught since graduation.  I've been crying myself to sleep and trying to figure out what to do with my life.  My favorite place to go to cry, think, pray, sit, write, and make decisions over the past four years has been the Chapel.  Now that I have left and am entering this new chapter of my life, I find myself needing to be there in that chapel more than ever.  The last thing I did before I got into the car to leave ODU was say goodbye the chapel.  There were tears.  I didn't want to leave.  Now, I have nowhere to go in the middle of the night when I need to feel very close to Jesus, when I need to feel comforted by the smell of incense and holy water, when I need to cry by myself, when I need a place to focus my thoughts and prayers, when I need silence to listen to God so that I can handle big life changes and making decisions.  I feel so lost now especially in my prayer life.  I regret not going to that chapel every free moment I had.  I didn't realize until just before graduation what a luxury it is to have a 24/7 chapel right downstairs from my bedroom.  I knew I'd miss it a lot, but I didn't know how much until the week before graduation.  So to those of you who are still there with the chapel, I advise you to go there as often as possible.  Soak it in.  Go to Mass as often as you can.  Take time to just sit in there and listen.  Cry and let Jesus hold you there.  Read in there.  Reflect in there.  Love in there as much as possible and enjoy it while you can.

Of course, I'm also going to miss all my friends at ODU: those who are still there and those who have graduated with and before me.  I have met some of the best people I ever known there.  Because of these friends, I have grown in faith, love, knowledge, understanding, and so many other areas of my life.  My friends at Ohio Dominican make me laugh, cry, smile, think, and love life so much!  It's going to be so hard not being able to walk down the hall or across the parking lot to go visit my best friends any time of day when I need a hug, homework help, food, or just someone to talk to.  My ODU friends are seriously the best.  I know I will keep in touch with most of them, but it's certainly not going to be the same.  Living in the residence halls at ODU is like living in a giant house with all of your best friends.  We would go eat meals together on a more regular basis than I do with my actual family.  We would have homework parties to try to keep each other focused (though we usually just distracted each other further).  We would invite each other to go out to places like the grocery store or the mall so we wouldn't have to shop alone.  We would borrow each other's dish soap and laundry detergent when one of us ran out.  We would sit together at Mass.  We would support each other by attending one another's programs and events on campus.  We would go on runs together and motivate each other in the fitness center.  I am losing a huge support system leaving ODU.  I am not only leaving friends, but people I think of as family, because ODU was home for the last 4 and a half years.  Moving away from your family and your home is always tough.

Thanksgiving in Hamilton Hall

Every year, about a week before Thanksgiving break, Ohio Dominican University hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for students, faculty, and staff in Hamilton Hall.  The staff dims the lights and puts table cloths and centerpieces on all of the tables.  They serve turkey and pumpkin pie and other holiday-themed foods.  This year, I was very impressed by the salad that was served.  It was so good I ended up eating four servings of it!  This salad was made with spinach leaves, strawberries, mandarin oranges, candied pecans, and a poppy-seed dressing.  Honestly, it was quite possibly the most delicious meal I've ever eaten in my life.  I plan to attempt to re-create it for my own family's Thanksgiving this week.  I let one of the workers know how much I enjoyed the salad and he was very pleased.  The Sodexo staff has been trying to get student feedback to help them improve our dining experiences and I have to say that they have been doing a very good job.  I am very impressed and I have heard many other students saying they have been pleased with the improvements they have seen especially in the meals offered in Hamilton.  Hopefully, we will be seeing even more positive changes in the dining hall.  Maybe I'll get lucky and get to consume another delicious salad in Hamilton Hall before I graduate in December!  :-)

Beginning of a New Year

It is the official first day of classes for most full time students at ODU.  My roommate and I are taking a Saturday class this year though which started a few days ago, so we had class before many of our fellow peers.  This is the first weekend class I have taken, so it's a very new experience for me especially going from class only 4 days a week to 6.  The class is about 4 hours long and meets every Saturday for the first 8 or 9 weeks of the semester, so it's a long class, but it is a fast way to get four of the credits I need for my major.  In the long run, I think it'll be a smart decision on my part.  In the short run, I am going to regret this decision every Saturday I have to wake up at 6am.
To be honest, I am not as excited about this semester as I would like to be.  On top of taking classes 6 days a week, I also work 3 days a week and I am applying for a second job as well since the blogger job has been eliminated, and I might even consider a third job depending on how the beginning of the semester goes.  I really want to be more involved and improve on my work ethic and time management though and I think that I can handle a lot on my plate right now.  I don't want to waste my time at ODU.  I really want to let this time prepare me for life after college in every way.  Ohio Dominican is all about guiding and helping students in every aspect of their lives (spiritually, mentally, physically, socially, academically, etc.) and I have slowly come to the realization that I need to take full advantage of all this school has to offer!
So this semester is definitely going to be tough, but if I can make it through and accomplish all the goals, I know I will come out a better person for it and that will be worth it!  I just pray that I have the motivation to stick with it and give this semester my all!
Some pseudo-goals I have for this semester are:
to get my temps and eventually my driver's license and a car
to get at least 2 As and nothing lower than a B in my classes
to blog, journal, or write down my thoughts in some way shape or form at least once a week
to go to the school chapel for quiet prayer and reflection time at least once a week
to get confirmed
to have my siblings attend Little Sibs weekend
to be ambassador of the month at least once
to start working out on a regular basis (I haven't decided how often it's going to be and how it will fit in my schedule)
I am sure there are more goals to come which I may add later.  For now though, those will be my main focus for the semester to help me in all aspects of my life at ODU.
Hopefully, this will be a good semester! :)
For those of you who have not read my blog before, or would simply like to read more about me and ODU from my old school blog, the link is here.  I don't know how long those blogs will be up though before the website is completely re-vamped, so I will probably post those on here later just for some background and to help you all get to know me and the school better.
I hope everyone is enjoying the New Year so far and let's all pray 2011 is a good year for everyone!