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.
Showing posts with label ohio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ohio. Show all posts
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thanksgiving in Hamilton Hall
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Warped Tour 2012
Well, I went to my second Warped Tour ever! A group of my ODU friends invited me to go to the Cincinnati Warped Tour yesterday. It was really fun! A few of them had gone to the Cleveland one a week or two earlier and decided to go again so that my friend Eric and I could go. It was very different than the Cleveland Warped Tour I attended in high school. But it's been about 6 years, so I guess I should've expected change. It was still a lot of fun though. We left a night earlier so that we didn't have to drive 2 hours early in the morning and one of my friends lives in Cincinnati, so her family was kind enough to let us stay with them and we stayed up late playing board games and fooseball and just talking and enjoying each others' company. It was a blast. It was just like taking a small piece of ODU to Cincinnati since that's exactly what it's like hanging out at school too. I really like our positive energy. So many people at ODU are just friends with everyone! It's fantastic! I am not even very good friends with half the people we went with, but they all still included me in conversations and looked out for me during our two days together and we all hugged each other goodbye. Heck, one of the guys I went with pretty much saved my life several times while we were in the pit watching Yellowcard (a fantastic set and performance by the way!).
It's amazing how open and friendly people can be! I've met so many people like this at ODU and they've really inspired me to try to be more friendly and to make more sincere efforts to get to know as many people as possible. I am actually a little overwhelmed when I think about how many people at ODU I have come to consider my good friends! I have more friends now than I think I've had combined in the first 17 years of my life. Basically, ODU is awesome and everyone can be friends with you if you put yourself out there and give people the chance to get to know you and vice versa :)
It's amazing how open and friendly people can be! I've met so many people like this at ODU and they've really inspired me to try to be more friendly and to make more sincere efforts to get to know as many people as possible. I am actually a little overwhelmed when I think about how many people at ODU I have come to consider my good friends! I have more friends now than I think I've had combined in the first 17 years of my life. Basically, ODU is awesome and everyone can be friends with you if you put yourself out there and give people the chance to get to know you and vice versa :)
Saturday, July 21, 2012
52 Things to do at ODU
So my friend Rufio recently received an ODU deck of playing cards of which I a extremely jealous, because I have been searching for these cards for forever. Some upperclassmen had decks of the ODU playing cards back when I was a freshman here, but I guess they stopped producing them sadly. This is something I would love to see ODU bring back though. They were really cool (in my own humble opinion at least). These cards were a regular deck of playing cards,but they had a panther on them (our mascot) and each card had a different thing to do at ODU for a total of 52 things to do at ODU. Basically, they are super awesome and Rufio better appreciate the rare treasure he has just been gifted.
Many of the things listed on these cards can't be done anymore based on changes in the university, so I would like to make my very own list here for all who are interested :).
1. Visit every building on campus (even Guzman, Las Casas, and the Public Safety house)
2. Visit the sisters at Saint Mary of the Springs
3. Go on a walk near the baseball fields
4. Ride the elevator in Wehrle
5. Try on costumes in the theater
6. Take a Sister Fatula class
7. Read a book from the library for leisure
8. Buy yourself an item of clothing from the Bookstore
9. Go to Mass in Christ the King Chapel
10. Play a game of pool in the Student Center
11. Play sand volleyball
12. Take a picture with Saint Dominick
13. Jump around on the cushioned stairs in Panther Plaza
14. Go on a retreat with Campus Ministry
15. Have a dance party in the Dance and Fitness Room
16. Play the arcade video games in the Griff
17. Run up the baseball stairs as fast as you can without taking a break
18. Make sweet videos to show people how awesome ODU is :)
19. Have lunch or coffee with a staff or faculty member
20. Go to sporting events on campus
21. Lay on the oval and look at the clouds with a friend
22. Do your homework outside
23. Have breakfast in Hamilton Hall
24. Have lunch at Zest
25. Shower in one of the community showers (Sansbury or Fitzpatrick)
26. Watch a movie on a projection screen in the Student Center
27. Play basketball (outdoor court or in the gym)
28. Have a game night (there are board games in most of the residence halls and the student center)
29. Pull an all-nighter with a good friend
30. Go on a moonlit walk around campus with a friend and have a deep conversation
31. Go to a free fitness class
32. Travel with ODU (mission trip, study abroad, sports trips, etc.)
33. Join a club
34. Join a sports team
35. Dress Up on Wednesdays!
36. Start your own ODU tradition
37. Workout in the fitness center
38. Try out for a play or musical
39. Get an on-campus job
40. If you are 21 or older, buy an alcoholic beverage from the Panther Grill
41. Help out at Panther Pride Pitch-In (and clean up the campus whenever else you can as well)
42. Attend ODU Day
43. Go to Homecoming events (pep rally, football game, parade, dance, tail gating)
44. Submit something to Gesture (essays, poems, stories, pictures, etc.)
45. Enjoy the unlimited yogurt and granola in Hamilton Hall.. yum :)
46. Have a coffee date in the student center (the fireside lounge is a fantastic place for this!)
47. Bring your little siblings to Little Sibs Weekend
48. Make a sincere effort to get to know as many people as possible
49. Walk to Dairy Queen for 15% off a cold treat :)
50. Take the shuttle to Easton (go grab food, shop, go ice skating, see a movie, wander around, etc.!)
51. Start your own club
52. Attend ODU events and programs on campus (there's usually free food and ODU stuff and new people to meet)
Mkay, coming up with 52 things was a little harder than I imagined it would be. Kudos to the people who made those playing cards! I realize some of these are kind of lame, but it's hard to think up 52 things on the spot! I will add/remove things if I come up with some better ideas. Basically, ODU is really awesome though and has a lot to offer, so check out MyODU and find events and programs that interest you. Make your four years here really count. They can be really amazing if you let them be :)
Many of the things listed on these cards can't be done anymore based on changes in the university, so I would like to make my very own list here for all who are interested :).
1. Visit every building on campus (even Guzman, Las Casas, and the Public Safety house)
2. Visit the sisters at Saint Mary of the Springs
3. Go on a walk near the baseball fields
4. Ride the elevator in Wehrle
5. Try on costumes in the theater
6. Take a Sister Fatula class
7. Read a book from the library for leisure
8. Buy yourself an item of clothing from the Bookstore
9. Go to Mass in Christ the King Chapel
10. Play a game of pool in the Student Center
11. Play sand volleyball
12. Take a picture with Saint Dominick
13. Jump around on the cushioned stairs in Panther Plaza
14. Go on a retreat with Campus Ministry
15. Have a dance party in the Dance and Fitness Room
16. Play the arcade video games in the Griff
17. Run up the baseball stairs as fast as you can without taking a break
18. Make sweet videos to show people how awesome ODU is :)
19. Have lunch or coffee with a staff or faculty member
20. Go to sporting events on campus
21. Lay on the oval and look at the clouds with a friend
22. Do your homework outside
23. Have breakfast in Hamilton Hall
24. Have lunch at Zest
25. Shower in one of the community showers (Sansbury or Fitzpatrick)
26. Watch a movie on a projection screen in the Student Center
27. Play basketball (outdoor court or in the gym)
28. Have a game night (there are board games in most of the residence halls and the student center)
29. Pull an all-nighter with a good friend
30. Go on a moonlit walk around campus with a friend and have a deep conversation
31. Go to a free fitness class
32. Travel with ODU (mission trip, study abroad, sports trips, etc.)
33. Join a club
34. Join a sports team
35. Dress Up on Wednesdays!
36. Start your own ODU tradition
37. Workout in the fitness center
38. Try out for a play or musical
39. Get an on-campus job
40. If you are 21 or older, buy an alcoholic beverage from the Panther Grill
41. Help out at Panther Pride Pitch-In (and clean up the campus whenever else you can as well)
42. Attend ODU Day
43. Go to Homecoming events (pep rally, football game, parade, dance, tail gating)
44. Submit something to Gesture (essays, poems, stories, pictures, etc.)
45. Enjoy the unlimited yogurt and granola in Hamilton Hall.. yum :)
46. Have a coffee date in the student center (the fireside lounge is a fantastic place for this!)
47. Bring your little siblings to Little Sibs Weekend
48. Make a sincere effort to get to know as many people as possible
49. Walk to Dairy Queen for 15% off a cold treat :)
50. Take the shuttle to Easton (go grab food, shop, go ice skating, see a movie, wander around, etc.!)
51. Start your own club
52. Attend ODU events and programs on campus (there's usually free food and ODU stuff and new people to meet)
Mkay, coming up with 52 things was a little harder than I imagined it would be. Kudos to the people who made those playing cards! I realize some of these are kind of lame, but it's hard to think up 52 things on the spot! I will add/remove things if I come up with some better ideas. Basically, ODU is really awesome though and has a lot to offer, so check out MyODU and find events and programs that interest you. Make your four years here really count. They can be really amazing if you let them be :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
It's Summertime at ODU
I feel so bad for being so neglectful with this blog. I just have so many blogs and journals right now that it's hard to keep on task with all of them. Darn me and my need for creative writing outlets haha.
It is summer break for ODU students now except for the few who have opted to take summer courses of course. I contemplated taking a summer course myself, but decided I'd rather focus on work and friends this summer. I am already limited in my free time as it is.
So I decided not to graduate in May. I still needed 2 classes to graduate, but I already had 5 first semester which was exhausting on top of Track and Student Senate and ResLife duties not to mention having a good relationship with family and friends and an active social life. One of the classes I needed to graduate is being offered in the Fall with one of my favorite professors, Sister Fatula, so I decided to just stay the extra semester and take it with her rather than go through the hassle of finding a subsititute class and getting it approved and all.
This has actually turned out to be a very nice blessing in a very obvious disguise since I was not at all ready to leave ODU yet. It's not just that it's my home now and I can't bear to leave it for sentimental reasons though that is true too. I am also just not ready to go out into the real world and be a grown up. This gives me a little time to postpone figuring out whether or not I want to do grad school or travel or work to pay off student loans or beginning a "big girl" career. The extra semester also gives me more time to build lasting friendships and leave the campus with a good lasting impression of myself. And of course, I will increase my knowledge and Dominican thinking skills through the additional classes I will be taking.
If I hadn't decided to stay the extra semester, I would not have lucked out with the awesome job opportunities I have this summer. At the very end of Spring semester, there was an opening for a position with ResLife and Student Development as a summer RA and an Orientation leader with food and housing provided for me on campus. I also got offered a position working as a studen ambassador over the summer, so I am basically getting paid to live on campus and do various tasks around the school which is awesome since my family moved recently so I would have had a hard time getting just for a month or so over the summer. It's also great to spend more time on campus before I graduate in December. There's quite a few of my friends from ODU living nearby and visiting from around Ohio, so I am able to see a lot more people this summer than I got to in the past due to my lack of car and being one of very few Panthers from the Cleveland area.
It has been a lot of work at some points, but for the most part, this summer at ODU has been surprisingly awesome! I feel I made the right decision taking these positions. It's very beneficial for me emotionally, financially, physically, and socially. I miss my family a lot, but I know I'd be bored, poor, and lonely if I had moved back home for the summer. And it would have been very hard for me to motivate myself to find a job and really get on my feet especially if I had graduated in May like I was originally supposed to.
Basically, my point here is that ODU has really given me a lot- jobs, education, amazing friends, faith, and fantastic life experiences. When I do finally graduate, I know I will be leaving here with great stories, awesome relationships, and the skills I need to survive in the real world and be the person I want to be. I am not sure that any other school could have done for me what ODU is doing. I am just so much better now than I was when I first entered Ohio Dominican in May 2008 for my Orientation. I only hope that all of ODU's students can see and appreciate this amazing place and take full advantage of all it has to offer. My biggest regret is not realizing this sooner. My last 4 years could have been even more amazing had I taken the time to really explore and get to know the campus and get involved and build even more and better relationships. So my advice to every college student is make the most of these 4 years, because you aren't going to get them back and they are over before you know it. Every day can be an amazing day if you let it, so let your college years be amazing. There's a lot your school can do for you.
It is summer break for ODU students now except for the few who have opted to take summer courses of course. I contemplated taking a summer course myself, but decided I'd rather focus on work and friends this summer. I am already limited in my free time as it is.
So I decided not to graduate in May. I still needed 2 classes to graduate, but I already had 5 first semester which was exhausting on top of Track and Student Senate and ResLife duties not to mention having a good relationship with family and friends and an active social life. One of the classes I needed to graduate is being offered in the Fall with one of my favorite professors, Sister Fatula, so I decided to just stay the extra semester and take it with her rather than go through the hassle of finding a subsititute class and getting it approved and all.
This has actually turned out to be a very nice blessing in a very obvious disguise since I was not at all ready to leave ODU yet. It's not just that it's my home now and I can't bear to leave it for sentimental reasons though that is true too. I am also just not ready to go out into the real world and be a grown up. This gives me a little time to postpone figuring out whether or not I want to do grad school or travel or work to pay off student loans or beginning a "big girl" career. The extra semester also gives me more time to build lasting friendships and leave the campus with a good lasting impression of myself. And of course, I will increase my knowledge and Dominican thinking skills through the additional classes I will be taking.
If I hadn't decided to stay the extra semester, I would not have lucked out with the awesome job opportunities I have this summer. At the very end of Spring semester, there was an opening for a position with ResLife and Student Development as a summer RA and an Orientation leader with food and housing provided for me on campus. I also got offered a position working as a studen ambassador over the summer, so I am basically getting paid to live on campus and do various tasks around the school which is awesome since my family moved recently so I would have had a hard time getting just for a month or so over the summer. It's also great to spend more time on campus before I graduate in December. There's quite a few of my friends from ODU living nearby and visiting from around Ohio, so I am able to see a lot more people this summer than I got to in the past due to my lack of car and being one of very few Panthers from the Cleveland area.
It has been a lot of work at some points, but for the most part, this summer at ODU has been surprisingly awesome! I feel I made the right decision taking these positions. It's very beneficial for me emotionally, financially, physically, and socially. I miss my family a lot, but I know I'd be bored, poor, and lonely if I had moved back home for the summer. And it would have been very hard for me to motivate myself to find a job and really get on my feet especially if I had graduated in May like I was originally supposed to.
Basically, my point here is that ODU has really given me a lot- jobs, education, amazing friends, faith, and fantastic life experiences. When I do finally graduate, I know I will be leaving here with great stories, awesome relationships, and the skills I need to survive in the real world and be the person I want to be. I am not sure that any other school could have done for me what ODU is doing. I am just so much better now than I was when I first entered Ohio Dominican in May 2008 for my Orientation. I only hope that all of ODU's students can see and appreciate this amazing place and take full advantage of all it has to offer. My biggest regret is not realizing this sooner. My last 4 years could have been even more amazing had I taken the time to really explore and get to know the campus and get involved and build even more and better relationships. So my advice to every college student is make the most of these 4 years, because you aren't going to get them back and they are over before you know it. Every day can be an amazing day if you let it, so let your college years be amazing. There's a lot your school can do for you.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Busy Busy Busy
One of the perks of living on campus at ODU is that there is a variety of jobs for students right here on campus. One can get job placement through financial aid rewards or get a regular job through various departments on campus. I have taken advantage of these opportunities to both my delight and displeasure. For whatever reason, I decided that having two jobs at the same time on top of being a full-time student was a great idea. I slowly learned that though it is great for my bank account, it is not fun at all.
I originally started my freshman year with a seasonal job working 2-4 nights a week for only a few weeks each semester as a Phonathon caller. This was not a difficult job or a time- consuming one at that, so it was a perfect job for my freshman year. Then, my sophomore year, I decided to take on a job that would last the entire school year, so that my paydays would be more frequent and thus, my financial situation more stable. I got a job working at the Information Desk in our Student Center through Financial Aid in the Work Study program. I made a little more than minimum wage and my boss was very laid back. I was only scheduled to work 3 times a week for 2-3 hours at a time. It was a nice and easy job though it did get really boring, but it was nice being able to basically get paid for sitting at a desk and just working on school work while I waited to assist visitors to our Student Center.
At the end of my Sophomore year, the school got rid of the Concierge position in the Student Center and so my boss offered me a job as an ambassador which would still be through the Admissions department and could still qualify as a work-study position and would pay a little more money as a level 3 position. I was hired as soon as I said 'yes' without applying or anything. My boss also encourage me to apply to be a student blogger which I did and so again, I had two jobs, but these two jobs required a lot more of me than the phonathon and information desk. I had to be trained for both and they each required a tight shedule and a lot of committment. It was a good way to start off my Junior year though. It kept me busy so I wasn't bored and helped me prepare for the kinds of jobs I might have when I graduate and go out into the real world.
The blogger position was eliminated after only one semester of me working as a blogger. I was worried that I wouldn't be making as much money as I had gotten used to with two pretty well-paying jobs, so I applied at the library and got that position, but for the first time, I was not working between 2 and 4 days a week varying by week, but rather, I was working every single morning Monday-Friday for the entire semester. It was the shift the library most desperately needed a worker for and I would be getting a decent amount of hours, so I took it in addition to my ambassador position and since they are both level 3 jobs, I am making a really decent amount of money, but I am exhausted from working so often without any large amount of time in between to recooperate. At least my Saturday class is over now and tomorrow is the last Visitation Day of the year, so I will have my Saturdays free to rest now and my Cofirmation class should be over after Sunday, so my Sundays will be freed up pretty soon as well which will be a big help especially when finals roll around in just a month and a half!
I think that having a job and pushing yourself to build a good work ethic and self-motivation is a really big part of growing up and I think college is a great time to begin working on skills like this that will help you in the future especially in your career. ODU definitely makes it easy for students to find their own spot in the workplace right here on campus. I think every student should try to take advantage of the good fortune of ODU and make that transition into the workforce right here on campus if possible, but remember not to overwork yourself or take on more than you can handle.
I originally started my freshman year with a seasonal job working 2-4 nights a week for only a few weeks each semester as a Phonathon caller. This was not a difficult job or a time- consuming one at that, so it was a perfect job for my freshman year. Then, my sophomore year, I decided to take on a job that would last the entire school year, so that my paydays would be more frequent and thus, my financial situation more stable. I got a job working at the Information Desk in our Student Center through Financial Aid in the Work Study program. I made a little more than minimum wage and my boss was very laid back. I was only scheduled to work 3 times a week for 2-3 hours at a time. It was a nice and easy job though it did get really boring, but it was nice being able to basically get paid for sitting at a desk and just working on school work while I waited to assist visitors to our Student Center.
At the end of my Sophomore year, the school got rid of the Concierge position in the Student Center and so my boss offered me a job as an ambassador which would still be through the Admissions department and could still qualify as a work-study position and would pay a little more money as a level 3 position. I was hired as soon as I said 'yes' without applying or anything. My boss also encourage me to apply to be a student blogger which I did and so again, I had two jobs, but these two jobs required a lot more of me than the phonathon and information desk. I had to be trained for both and they each required a tight shedule and a lot of committment. It was a good way to start off my Junior year though. It kept me busy so I wasn't bored and helped me prepare for the kinds of jobs I might have when I graduate and go out into the real world.
The blogger position was eliminated after only one semester of me working as a blogger. I was worried that I wouldn't be making as much money as I had gotten used to with two pretty well-paying jobs, so I applied at the library and got that position, but for the first time, I was not working between 2 and 4 days a week varying by week, but rather, I was working every single morning Monday-Friday for the entire semester. It was the shift the library most desperately needed a worker for and I would be getting a decent amount of hours, so I took it in addition to my ambassador position and since they are both level 3 jobs, I am making a really decent amount of money, but I am exhausted from working so often without any large amount of time in between to recooperate. At least my Saturday class is over now and tomorrow is the last Visitation Day of the year, so I will have my Saturdays free to rest now and my Cofirmation class should be over after Sunday, so my Sundays will be freed up pretty soon as well which will be a big help especially when finals roll around in just a month and a half!
I think that having a job and pushing yourself to build a good work ethic and self-motivation is a really big part of growing up and I think college is a great time to begin working on skills like this that will help you in the future especially in your career. ODU definitely makes it easy for students to find their own spot in the workplace right here on campus. I think every student should try to take advantage of the good fortune of ODU and make that transition into the workforce right here on campus if possible, but remember not to overwork yourself or take on more than you can handle.
Monday, January 31, 2011
March for Life
Last weekend, I went on my second March for Life trip with ODU. It was a lot more relaxing than it was last year, because I've already done it before, so I wasn't as obsessed with making sure I got to see every building in D.C. I am sad that I didn't take as many pictures since I was so cold and tired most of the trip. It was still a really awesome experience though.
We stayed at a high school in Maryland near Washington DC again sleeping on the floors of the teachers' conference rooms. Girls were in one room and boys in the other. It was like a 40person slumber party and it was awesome. I made some really great memories and met some new friends and got to grow closer with my friend Alli as we shared late night pillow talk underneath some tables.
The first night (Saturday) we just stayed at the high school, ate, got ready for bed, hung out, played card games, etc. I played my first game of Go Ninja Go and did not get out on the first round as I had expected!
The second day (Sunday) was dedicated to exploring the Washington DC area. We began our day by attending mass at the National Shrine (Basilica). It is a beautiful church and I strongly encourage anyone who is planning to be in the Washington DC area to try and at least spend a half hour there. It really is an amazing place. After mass, we split up into small groups and took the metro into town. Our group stopped by the Catholic University of America's center for Dominican studies first (being the great little Dominicans we are) and our friend Nicole who spent a year in Nashville with some sisters during her discernment process got to meet up with some of those sisters again at the university! We took some pretty awesome pictures in front of the building with our group which I will add once I am in my room and have access to my pictures, but I am currently writing this from ODU's wonderful library where I spend most of my days :)
My boyfriend, James, and I split from the group and got me some coffee at Union Station (the mall) before site-seeing and spent most of our site-seeing time in museums. The Smithsonian museums are amazing! There is some really neat stuff in those buildings. I actually learned a lot about some pretty random things during our visit! We also finally got to see the Lincoln Memorial which is much bigger in person than I imagined! It reminded me a lot of the scene in Disney's Hercules where Hercules goes to the temple of Zeus. That was the first thing I thought of when we walked up the stairs and then, the Hercules song got stuck in my head.
Once we got back to the high school, we had some more hanging out time and pizza. I also finally got a picture with my friend Amber with whom I had no pictures until that very night. Then, I was asked to walk on multiple backs and heard plenty of cracks and only wished I had had someone there willing to walk on my back :(
The last day was the day of the march (Monday). My day began at 3am as I volunteered for the hour between 3 and 4am for Eucharistic adoration. It was a very peaceful place to be at 3 in the morning after only getting 2 hours of sleep. Being up early did give me an advantage as I was able to beat everyone to the one shower that all of us girls had to share :). We had a quick breakfast and got to the armory around 7am for a concert/rally/mass. It was pretty intense. There were about 10, 000 people (mostly youths) in the room where we were and another 10- 20 thousand in the Verizon Center next to us. We were there for quite some time, but it was really awesome to see so many teenagers and college students as well as seminarians and women religious all in the same room advocating the same cause. I am usually not a huge fan of this sort of gathering, but it was a very moving experience especially the procession of all of the priests, bishops, and archbishops who celebrated the mass.
I am sad to say that I did not participate in the march for very long as it was very cold and we were not allowed to march for some reason for a while. We ended up standing on the sidewalk waiting to march until we met up with my friend Alli and her boyfriend Eric and then, we decided to just walk up the sidewalk and try and find out what was going on and we ended up just walking to the supreme court house which was a very short walk from where we were standing and once we got there, we found out we weren't actually even in the real march and were asked to make room for the marchers. Then, we just went to Union Station again and I got coffee and we all got Chipotle for dinner as we waited for the rest of our group to get there to prepare to depart back to Columbus.
We ended up not getting home until almost 3am and I was amazed to find that almost everyone still got up for their classes the next morning (some for classes at 8am!). We have some pretty awesome people at ODU and I am really lucky to be a part of this community and to have gotten the chance to go on this March for Life trip again this year.
We stayed at a high school in Maryland near Washington DC again sleeping on the floors of the teachers' conference rooms. Girls were in one room and boys in the other. It was like a 40person slumber party and it was awesome. I made some really great memories and met some new friends and got to grow closer with my friend Alli as we shared late night pillow talk underneath some tables.
The first night (Saturday) we just stayed at the high school, ate, got ready for bed, hung out, played card games, etc. I played my first game of Go Ninja Go and did not get out on the first round as I had expected!
The second day (Sunday) was dedicated to exploring the Washington DC area. We began our day by attending mass at the National Shrine (Basilica). It is a beautiful church and I strongly encourage anyone who is planning to be in the Washington DC area to try and at least spend a half hour there. It really is an amazing place. After mass, we split up into small groups and took the metro into town. Our group stopped by the Catholic University of America's center for Dominican studies first (being the great little Dominicans we are) and our friend Nicole who spent a year in Nashville with some sisters during her discernment process got to meet up with some of those sisters again at the university! We took some pretty awesome pictures in front of the building with our group which I will add once I am in my room and have access to my pictures, but I am currently writing this from ODU's wonderful library where I spend most of my days :)
My boyfriend, James, and I split from the group and got me some coffee at Union Station (the mall) before site-seeing and spent most of our site-seeing time in museums. The Smithsonian museums are amazing! There is some really neat stuff in those buildings. I actually learned a lot about some pretty random things during our visit! We also finally got to see the Lincoln Memorial which is much bigger in person than I imagined! It reminded me a lot of the scene in Disney's Hercules where Hercules goes to the temple of Zeus. That was the first thing I thought of when we walked up the stairs and then, the Hercules song got stuck in my head.
Once we got back to the high school, we had some more hanging out time and pizza. I also finally got a picture with my friend Amber with whom I had no pictures until that very night. Then, I was asked to walk on multiple backs and heard plenty of cracks and only wished I had had someone there willing to walk on my back :(
The last day was the day of the march (Monday). My day began at 3am as I volunteered for the hour between 3 and 4am for Eucharistic adoration. It was a very peaceful place to be at 3 in the morning after only getting 2 hours of sleep. Being up early did give me an advantage as I was able to beat everyone to the one shower that all of us girls had to share :). We had a quick breakfast and got to the armory around 7am for a concert/rally/mass. It was pretty intense. There were about 10, 000 people (mostly youths) in the room where we were and another 10- 20 thousand in the Verizon Center next to us. We were there for quite some time, but it was really awesome to see so many teenagers and college students as well as seminarians and women religious all in the same room advocating the same cause. I am usually not a huge fan of this sort of gathering, but it was a very moving experience especially the procession of all of the priests, bishops, and archbishops who celebrated the mass.
I am sad to say that I did not participate in the march for very long as it was very cold and we were not allowed to march for some reason for a while. We ended up standing on the sidewalk waiting to march until we met up with my friend Alli and her boyfriend Eric and then, we decided to just walk up the sidewalk and try and find out what was going on and we ended up just walking to the supreme court house which was a very short walk from where we were standing and once we got there, we found out we weren't actually even in the real march and were asked to make room for the marchers. Then, we just went to Union Station again and I got coffee and we all got Chipotle for dinner as we waited for the rest of our group to get there to prepare to depart back to Columbus.
We ended up not getting home until almost 3am and I was amazed to find that almost everyone still got up for their classes the next morning (some for classes at 8am!). We have some pretty awesome people at ODU and I am really lucky to be a part of this community and to have gotten the chance to go on this March for Life trip again this year.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
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!
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 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!
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