English 101

English has always been a pretty easy class for me. In high school I never had below a B. We did a good mix of analytical papers and creative works. I loved that I got to write stories and poems in high school, so coming into a college English course was quite a change. I feel like I have learned a lot throughout English 101. Many of these skills will go with me to other classes and to after school when I become a teacher.
The first two papers I found to be pretty easy to write. I enjoyed the first paper because I got to write about past experiences and I got to add a little creative touch to it. Although I didn't get the grade I thought I deserved, it was still fun to write.
The second paper was also fun because we got to pick an ad to analyze. Of course I chose a Target ad because it is my favorite store and the ads are always fun and upbeat. Although it was more analytical than the last paper, it was fun to write. I loved describing the different scenes with all the colors and music. It just made me so happy to write about something so joyful.
The third paper was definitely a lot harder than the first two. We had to choose a speech and analyze it. I wanted to choose a different speech, everyone was focusing on Obama, so I chose a speech by Nelson Mandela. The speech was truly inspirational and I learned a lot from writing it. Sadly, I didn't get a good grade after trying really hard. I don't really know what happened. But at least I got to study a great speech.

Normal

The name “Normal” denotes a very ordinary town that doesn’t really have much to offer. But people who visit Normal are often pleasantly surprised. One of my friend’s came to visit in March and right when she got off the train she said, “I like it here”. She absolutely loved the cute uptown area with all the quaint shops. It’s not often you see an American town that has a small downtown area like Normal has, it’s so refreshing. While Uptown, I would recommend going to the Coffee Hound which is personally one of my favorite spots in Normal. They serve some great hot chocolate. Unfortunately, one of my favorite places uptown closed. The Jazzy Buddha Hookah Lounge was a great place to chill with friend and smoke some hookah. I was very sad to see it close its doors. Of course while in Normal you can’t miss the Illinois State Campus. The quad is incredibly beautiful during all the seasons of the year but especially in the summer and fall. The buildings mirror an east coast campus. My favorite building is Fell Hall, it is so majestic and is the building you imagine when you picture a college campus. Another interesting building on the quad is Cook Hall which houses the music department. Cook Hall is designed to look like a castle in Germany. Needless to say it is quite the building to look at. Even the interior makes it feel like you are in a castle. The building has many winding halls. I just love it! Normal is definitely the place to be.

Summer Plans

This year has completely flown by. I can hardly believe that we have thirty something days left of school. I have had an amazing first year of college but I am definitely ready for summer. If everything goes well at my interview this Friday, I will be working as a camp counselor for a kids camp at my town’s park district. If I get the job, I will be extremely excited because as an elementary ed major, I need as much experience with children as I can get. The camp will take place Monday through Friday from 9 to 3, so it will be a lot of money. I also have to take summer school but luckily, it’s an online course so I can do all my work at home. As for any big plans, my family is going to England to see all my relatives who live there. I love going to England not only to see all my family, but to explore the amazing country. I love to visit the ancient castles and explore the cute, old towns. It is so different from America. Everything feels so ancient, it literally feels like living in another time period. We will spend two weeks there and then we will move onto Paris, France and spend four days there. I have never been to Paris so I am extremely excited to see all the incredible sites that the city has to offer. I want to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Moulin Rouge and more. But the place I want to see the most is the Lourve. If you haven’t heard of it, it is the art museum that holds all the world’s great paintings, including the Mona Lisa and other Leonardo da Vinci works. I am an art fanatic so I am very thrilled to see the Lourve. This summer will be truly one of my greatest.

Elie Wiesel's Visit to ISU

I have attended quite a few on-campus activities this semester but my favorite by far was when Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel came to speak. I read his heart-wrenching book, Night which described his experiences in a concentration camp. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would he share his brutal experiences or would he talk about other things? What he did talk about totally inspired me.
When I first saw Elie Wiesel, all I saw was a small elderly man but from the minute he started talking, he transformed from a little old man to a remarkable story teller. Wiesel told stories of people he had met throughout his life and how they had touched him. All of his words were enforced with extreme optimism. He only mentioned his time in the concentration camp briefly but if he hadn't, one would never have known about his experiences. He expressed how one should not dwell on things from the past but focus on things in the present and the future. After Wiesel said this, it truly inspired me. This man has been through so much in his lifetime, more than I could even dream of. I should not dwell on something like a bad grade on a test or a missed out opportunity. I just need to forget and move on. Elie Wiesel truly opened my eyes about how I should live my life.

Spring Break 2009

I’m am very sad that spring break is over to say the least. I had a fantastic week. I spent the first half of the week in Los Angeles. My friend goes to school at USC, so I went to visit him there. He picked me up from the airport and we went straight to the beach. We went to Santa Monica, which has a great downtown for shopping and an awesome pier with a mini amusement park. Matt and I started by walking up the pier looking at the various street vendors and then ventured over to the little roller coaster that is on the pier. We ended up riding the “Pacific Coaster” twice in a row. It was kind of little kid-ish but it was so much fun! We then moved onto the beach and relaxed in the sand.
The following day we went to the surfing capital of the country, Huntington Beach. We spent the afternoon surfing, or attempting to surf. I think I got up once. The highlight of the day was seeing dolphins when we were on the Huntington Beach pier. After surfing, we eased our hungry stomachs with amazing diner food. We spent the rest of the day driving around West Hollywood and Beverley Hills, looking at all the incredibly huge houses. My last day in California was spent chilling around USC. I attended a journalism class with Matt and getting delicious fish tacos for lunch. I then had to leave warm, sunny California to spend the rest of the week back home in Illinois.

If I Had $80,000 and Didn't Go to College

If I couldn’t get a college education, I would definitely spend my money and time wisely. As I have stated in an earlier entry, I am absolutely addicted to traveling. I think I would go on a year long trip to discover all places of the world that I have never been to. In every place I would want to go to a historical or educational site and would want to help with some type of service organization. I think I would try to visit every continent and with the $80,000 that I would have that was supposed to go to my education, I could definitely achieve that.
First off, I would love to go to Africa. Pretty much anywhere in the continent but Kenya particularly interests me. I think the minute I got there I would want to go on a safari. I have been an animal lover since birth so I would love to see and explore the serenghetti. I would take one of those really intense cameras with me and snap some great shots of the animals and maybe even try and sell them to National Geographic. After my big safari adventure, I would volunteer in a hospital full of AIDS victims. I would help nurses administer drugs or play with the children who are waiting for their parents while they are being treated. I would also want to volunteer at a school or an orphanage. I love children and doing all this volunteer work would be so rewarding. Visiting Africa is definitely something I couldn’t do at ISU.
Next on my adventure, I would want to visit the incredible historic site of Machu Picchu in Peru. This site is the very beginnings of Civilization and it would be so informative to see the many secrets that it has to hide. I love nature so I would definitely go hiking and camping around the area. I learned Spanish in high school so it would definitely come in hand when I’m navigating around the small, local villages. No history class could educate me as much as just visiting the wonderful Machu Picchu.
I would continue to discover countries all over the world and take part in service projects and just enjoy the surroundings. After all the rewarding but hard work, I would want to treat myself. I would probably go to some beautiful beach resort in Fiji and just relax and do a little exploring on the side. I have never stayed at a big luxury hotel like the Four Seasons so I would probably stay there and just have the most relaxing, beautiful vacation of my life.

A Little Advice...

I honestly can’t believe that my first year of college is almost over, I mean there are only two and a half months left of school and that is including spring break. So I guess since I have almost completed my first year of college, it is my turn to be writing ISU survival rules. Though ISU has been pretty manageable so far there are some words of wisdom that I would direct toward future freshman.

First I would tell them that going to class is the most important thing, I mean it’s the whole reason you are here, right? In a world of endless parties and drunken nights, it is hard to stay on track. Going to class is so important because it is there that you take notes and learn the material that you will be tested on. If you miss class, you will have no idea what is going on when you eventually return. I know the glamorous lifestyle of partying every single night of the week is attractive but in the long run going to class will effect if you get that dream career you want.

I’m sure you have all heard of the freshman fifteen and believe me, it is not a myth. It’s so hard to pass up that greasy piece of pizza for something healthier like a salad. But college is where you start building your lifestyles that will be with you for the remainder of your life and it’s important to start being healthy at this age. It’s perfectly fine to indulge yourself once in a while or even once a day just make sure that you work off all those pesky calories. Luckily there are plenty of ways to keep fit at ISU. There are workout centers in almost every residence hall, there is a swimming pool, a track, a gym and plenty of sidewalk to run on. So don’t be a victim of the freshman fifteen.

Lastly, I would advise just to go out there and not be afraid to meet people. I came to ISU not knowing anyone and by being outgoing and friendly I met tons of people and have made great friends. So don’t be afraid to invite someone to lunch or to watch a movie in your room, it will be worth it.