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Whew! Last final is done. That means it is time to kick back and relax for a minute. A time to catch my breath and soak in all of what has happened in the past week—and better yet the past four years. However, the only thing on my mind as of now is the fact that a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I cannot even really decide what I want to do right now to celebrate. With that said, I just decided to take a nap. Sounds silly but let me tell you a nap was amazing after cramming for the exam, today, the night before. Your mind spins in a million different directions. You see, my night started with Starbucks, Salsaritas, Note Cards, Books, Pens, and my trusty MacBook, which lay scattered all over the floor as I tried to make sense of the study guide given to me for the final. Finals week is a whirl wind of no sleep, nausea, stomach aches, and (for me) the munchies. That is not to say that everyone experiences these scenarios during finals week, but I did. While I am always prepared for class, there have...

It's finals week. I have to go take my Fairy Tales final in half an hour, so I'm taking the time to write this blog as a study break. Everyone is studying for finals, writing their last papers, packing up their stuff and getting ready to go home...it's kind of sad, actually, because this year I know a lot of graduating seniors, and it's strange to think that I'll be in their position only a year from now. They're all prepping for grad school or getting ready to start jobs, while I'm just worried about finding summer employment. There's been several culminating events happening lately, too. The last Women's Issues Group and Allies meetings were basically just pizza parties, courtesy of the Office of Student Engagement because both of the clubs raised enough money for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to qualify for that prize incentive On Wednesday, I went to the Volunteerism luncheon that recognized student participants in service learning and community service. The Multicultural Leaders banquet was on Friday, which...

Yesterday was such a nice day that I just couldn't spend it inside studying for finals, so I went with my boyfriend to downtown Westminster, which is a few minutes walk from campus. We actually drove because I have a sinus infection and didn't want to be stuck car-less if I started feeling worse, but once we parked, we wandered around and it was lots of fun.Since it was around 1 PM and neither of us had eaten, we went to Papa Joe's, a local Mexican restaurant that I had somehow never been to before. It was a fitting choice, considering yesterday was cinco de mayo. They had all kinds of specials for the day of things for $5, so it was a rather affordable and tasty meal. I can't believe this is my third year here and I just now have tried it out!Down the street a little bit is Gotham Comics, and we stumbled across people we knew that informed us it was free comic day. I'm still not sure what that means because I don't read comics (I prefer stand-alone narratives or series that are manageable- comic books seem to...

Part of being a senior means the time has come to say my goodbyes, which is not an easy thing to do! For the past four years, I have worked closely with the same people. Ones that have expanded my knowledge, and pushed me in ways that I thought were not possible. At the end of the semester, it is common for seniors to be invited back to the professor’s house for dinner or a get together. Dr. Bradley (Philosophy Department) had the seniors over last night. It was a time to explore our senior thesis papers, reminisce about the times we shared in class, and best of all explore new opportunities.While I will not be back on the Hill for the fall semester, that does not mean that I will not stay in touch with everyone. That is one of the things that I like most about our campus. No matter what stage of life we are in they will always be available to be an adviser, mentor, and a wealth of knowledge. I must say that I am particularly sad to leave the Hill and the reality of it all has not quite sunk in with me. There...

Wow! My very last collegiate paper was turned in today. The weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. All of the hard work has paid off. As the journey is coming to an end, I can look ahead and see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is one good feeling. That is not to say that there will not be challenges left to face. I still have one more presentation and an exam. That means that I will be spending this week studying like never before. There is a reason to push my hardest to end with a bang. However, there are so many other things on my mind this week.Yes, graduation is in 19 days, however, so are many other obligations that have to be attended to immediately. For the past four years, I have had consistency in my schedule for the most part, of course, minus a ‘few’ changes or two. Having a new life, schedule, desires, and interests will be exciting—yet a bit intimidating. I have the tools, now it is time to find the resources and make it happen.As for now and by that I mean 4:10pm today, I am taking...

Tonight, we had our last Free Press staff meeting, and it was bittersweet. I went into it feeling sad that the year was nearly over and that I'd be giving up my editor-in-chiefdom to my fellow E-Ambassador Kaitlyn (she's fully capable- it's just hard to let go after putting so much work into it!), but left feeling energized and excited for next year.Part of the reason why was kittens. The Free Press advisor, Kym Byrnes, brought in her three baby kittens that had just barely opened their eyes, and as soon as I walked into our office and held them, all of my stress dissipated. We were all so captivated by their adorableness that the meeting started almost twenty minutes late.As it was the final meeting of the year, we tried to make it fun by bringing food. The new editors and Kym and I planned surprises for the staff, including special animal shaped flash drives for our graduating seniors. Little did I know, they had a surprise planned for me as well. I left with daisies and a card signed by everyone, and it...

I'll be the first to admit that I can't dance, but I love watching other people do it! So, I went with my friend to Dance Company's recital on Friday night. Our friend was performing, which was another motivating factor, but when the performance began, it was evident that everybody had worked extremely hard this year to put on such a great show, and I found myself being proud of my peers, even the ones I didn't know, because I like seeing my fellow students succeed and be good at what they love.For the first time in a while (possibly ever?), the show featured tap performances. There was also ballet, contemporary, jazz, and other styles I can't identify because I know nothing about dance. All of the pieces were student choreographed, and some were very creative! Others were so full of emotion; in one dance, even the dancers began crying as they were dancing because it was just that sad and real. I couldn't help but tear up. But other performances were just plain fun, and it was evident that the dancers were...

At the end of the semester, I hold a meeting with the guys (In the freshmen dorm) to explain how closing works. While I knew that the end of the year was coming quickly, planning the meeting was a dose of reality. My mind is spinning in a million different directions. Every time I run into someone they ask “so what’s next, any plans,” to which I say yes, though, I am still trying to figure everything out. I believe that it is okay not to have concrete plans for the moment. However, that does not mean that I have not been going to interviews, looking at internships, and/or applying to grad school. Making life changing decisions takes time, thought, and deliberation.That was all of what I reviewed with the freshmen guys. I tried to convey that while college is supposed to be fun and exciting, it is also supposed to be challenging. The more effort that a student puts into their collegiate career the easier things will be in the end. All too often I see peers stumbling around trying to get projects done last minute....

The first part of my Spring Break was spent in Northern Italy! This was my second time in Italy, I went last year for spring break as well, but this time I was visiting some new cities with new friends- and then a trip to see some old, familiar faces. As our plane was landing in Bergamo, Milan the first things I noticed were the mountains. Huge, rolling mountains, covered in green trees with mist swirling around. Mysterious and beautiful. I was excited to be back in Italy.

I went to stay with my roommate Ily in her University town of Padova along with two other Erasmus students in our group: Jafar from Tajikistan and Rovshen from Turkmenistan. One of the very first things we did in Italy? Get a coffee! Granted, this was half because we were in Italy, and half because we had gotten maybe three or four hours of sleep and then spent the whole of the morning travelling and were dragging just a bit! I visited five different cities in Italy: Brescia, Verona, Venice, Padova and Milan again. Each has a very different feel to it and their own sort of appeal.

To see my study-abroad blog with pictures go here: http://inthelandoftintin.blogspot.com/2012/04/misty-mountains-italy-adventures-i.html

The last thing I thought I would be doing on a Monday night was sitting in a study room with friends pumping out work. However, I must say that it was quite the experience and I got so much work done. There is a paper due in one of my philosophy classes. It was neat to bounce ideas off of each other. While we were both writing on different topics, it still helped to ask my peer questions. Sometimes things sound resplendent in my head, though that does not mean that it translates unto paper.Before I knew it, we had been in the study room for over three hours. The only reason we knew that was because I had to resign out the room. The room is something that is signed out because of all that it has to offer! There is a large T.V. that is connecting to a mini Mac. There is also a smart board which connects to the T.V. That makes sharing ideas, papers, resources, and ideas incredibly easy, and might I add fun!I felt extremely productive yesterday, and I hope that is how I am for the rest of the week. There are just...