Opeoluwa's Thanksgiving

Hello, everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was indeed spectacular here at Luther. First of all, my break started with good news - something I have been hoping for for quite some time. Then, on Thanksgiving day, I had a wonderful time at my host parents' house. I was able to talk with many of my friends from Nigeria [and that was really special]. Also, we international students had plenty of fun together. It was these things that made my break so exciting.

About two weeks ago, I sent an online application to work with the technology help desk for my work-study. So, on Monday, I was invited to have an interview with the manager and two other interviewers. The four of us went into a room at two o'clock and I was asked quite a wide range of questions, even including my extra-curricular activities. Toward the end of the interview, they began to tell me more about what the help desk does and how much I would learn by working there. So, I was a bit encouraged that the interview must have gone well. Then, on Wednesday, I was sent an e-mail saying I got the job! I was so excited because, beyond my longing to work with the help desk and learn more about computers, it was my first interview at Luther and it was productive.

On Thursday, my host parents picked me up at 12:30pm to celebrate thanksgiving with their family. There were about fifteen of us there in the house, including family friends, children, and even grand nephews and nieces of my host parents. It was a pretty diverse crowd too. There was a Congolese church member who said the prayer in his native language [he had to say 'Amen' like twice before we knew he was done]. There was also a freshman there from Iowa State University majoring in Aerospace Engineering. He told me about how some of his classes have close to 200 students! It's why I now appreciate our small class sizes here at Luther more than ever. Overall, I had a really good time there [plenty of good food and turkey to eat, too].

Speaking of food, the cafeteria was closed during this break. But they were kind enough to give us vouchers to buy food downtown. So, on Friday evening, we international students contributed our vouchers and bought food ingredients downtown to prepare in the kitchen of Miller Hall. We were going to have a small social with a sound set and good music. The best part, however, was the food; it was indeed amazing. There were also drinks and snacks. I was having such a nice time there but I had to leave the place before 8:00pm because I had signed up to be an acting RA in Ylvi Hall during the break and I was on duty that night [I feel one step closer to becoming an RA next year!]

The bad part, though, with all these activities, is that I actually didn't do any schoolwork with my time until 10:00pm on Saturday. I spent most of my free time playing my guitar [I'm actually getting better], watching tv, and facebooking. And facebook actually proved to be a productive tool during this break [contrary to the detrimental role it plays in the life of a college student]. I was able to get in touch with my friends from Nigeria whom I hadn't spoken to in ages. And, for the first time, my new pictures attracted more positive comments than negative ones! However, with the amount of fun I've had during this break, it would be interesting how I reajust to going to classes and doing homework. And, with the final exams coming up in just a couple weeks, there is no doubt that I have to get back on track as quickly as possible...

Have a good day!

So far, so good

Wow! It's so cold outside! When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, the ground outside was covered in snow. Now, it's almost noon, the snow is still outside, and it's as cold as ever. It's times like this that you just want to be in your bed with your comforter wrapped around you. I really wish I could do that but, although I'm still a bit sleepy, I have a six-page Paideia Paper to write. 

Last week was registration week, and it was quite interesting. I was scheduled to register at 8:00pm on Tuesday for J-term and Spring Semester. After setting up my preferred sections, I monitored the classes I wanted to take anxiously, hoping a spot would be left for me. Fortunately, my registration was relatively early and there was a good chance that I would get into the classes that I wanted. However, registering for a class wasn't the problem, especially for Spring Semester; the problem was choosing my J-term class. With over 30 interesting courses of different disciplines to be taken and a constantly dwindling number of available spots, I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted. 

After a lot of contemplation, in order to reserve a spot for myself, I decided to register tentatively for Chem 185: Molecules that Changed the World, until I was able to make up my mind. At 7:50, I had set up my preferred sections and I was ready to hit the register button. A new season of Heroes was out and so I watched it to pass time [actually getting more and more exciting]. At exactly 8:00pm, I hit submit and I was able to register for my all my sections, including Chem 185. But my registration didn't end there. I've changed my J-term course up to 5 times since my registration time, switching from Intro to Programing to Energy Problems to Atomic Weapons, etc. But I've finally made up my mind. With encouragement from my Paideia Professor, I've chosen to take Philosophy 185: Big Ideas; I'm convinced that I'll find it interesting.

Concerning current schoolwork, I still can't believe we have a Paideia Paper to write after turning one in just recently. This one seems a lot more straightforward than the last one but six pages seems like a lot. It's why I can't wait to go for Thanksgiving break to be free from schoolwork [at least momentarily]. My host parents invited me to their family dinner on Thanksgiving and I'm really looking forward to it. Also, the diversity center is taking us out [I think to Rochester] on a shopping trip; I can tell it's going to be lots of fun! But that's not until four days' time. Anyway, I still have Gospel Choir, Hall Council, and a movie to watch with my friends this weekend [Osuofia in London]; hopefully, they should keep me going...

It's almost Over...

With all the registration and sign-ups for work hours going on, I am constantly reminded that the semester will be over very soon. Many activities on campus are directed towards preparation for J-term and Spring semester. Priority of registration for courses is based on the number of credits one has acquired and so I'm getting a bit anxious at the rate at which the J-term courses are filling up. I'm really hoping I get to take the course I intend to take. For work-study, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get a decent number of work hours. I'm already turning in my applications; hopefully, I'll get a good job.

On Thursday, during the cold rain, the multicultural students met in the CFL to have soup and bread. Besides the fact that the soup was amazing, the meal seemed to have been perfectly timed for the cold. Surprisingly, though, I don't find the cold that scary anymore. Despite the fact that I am forced to reduce the amount of time I spend outdoors, I think it's very beautiful when it snows; and the nights are actually more pleasant. The bad part, though, is that it gets more and more difficult to get off your bed in the mornings, especially when you have those 8:00am classes. For people still yet to register, I'd advice that you avoid them as much as possible. There's always that lingering possibility of sleeping through your alarm, especially after sleeping at 2:30am. Besides, you don't want to be feeling drowsy in class.

Perhaps due to the general increase in the amount of schoolwork, I don't think there was any major party this weekend. However, I still did some fun stuff. This evening, I went for Gospel Choir practice and it went quite well. It was an opportunity to talk to many of my friends whom I hadn't spoken with in a long time. And the songs were actually interesting. The practice went on for about two hours and we learned 3 songs, in parts. Afterwards, the whole group went to eat dinner together. It became one of those 'social' dinners in which you laugh a lot and make a bit of noise. 

I expect next week to be a bit busy. I have to register for classes on Tuesday, and I think I might have a work-study interview and other work study sign-ups due. In addition to those, I have physics and calculus tests [hopefully, those will go well]. Anyway, I still have the weekend to enjoy. I have a hall council executive meeting on Sunday and I have a movie to watch in the evening. At least, that should spice things up a bit...

Peace!

The Marathon (II)

Last week wasn't very exciting for me. I found myself behind in almost everything. I've come to realize that college life is very 'sensitive.' Every moment counts. You can be up in your game in one moment and be way behind in the next, depending on what you do with your time. So, that was my experience last week. A particularly challenging day was Wednesday. To no avail, I stayed up late trying to think of something reasonable to write on my Paideia paper due that day. I finally gave up and went to bed, making a mental note to wake up and do it in the morning [It's this kind of procrastination that keeps haunting us].

I was woken up by my alarm at 6:30 on Thursday morning - the time I had set to work on my paper. But it was at that moment that I realized how much I loved my bed; I just couldn't leave it's warmth and comfort. Besides, I was still very tired and I had had only a few hours of sleep. So, I decided to stay in bed until 7:15, after which I would go for my work shift and return at 9:00 to work on my paper. After doing the best I could and submitting my paper, I went for my other work shifts and ate lunch. When I got back around 2:00, I decided I needed to take a 'short' nap. But this nap lasted more than 3 hours.

I wasn't able to get any work done until 7:30pm, after dinner. It was then I realized I had about 12 calculus problems, 10 physics problems and 40 pages of Paideia reading due the next day! Then, anxiety set in. I knew it would be impossible to finish all my homework for the next day. And, indeed, at 10 o'clock, I was done with only Calculus. So, I started my physics problems, went about half way and decided I would do the rest and my Paideia reading the next day, Friday.

What's sad is that I wasn't able to do a good job on my physics homework because I rushed through it and I couldn't even do up to one quarter of my Paideia reading. Friday left me with feelings of regret and disappointment. Nevertheless, what's good about experiences like this is they hard-wire in you lessons you'll probably never forget [well, not in a long time]. Now I've learned to check all my homework immediately when it's issued to find out how much work is involved. I've learned that weekends are a very important time in college; they give one the opportunity to prepare well for the week, which helps a lot. Above all, I've learned that one of the best things I can do for myself is to avoid procrastination at all cost and take advantage of the time I have to do some work...

Cheers!

Spookes Day in Ylvi

This week, the hall council finalized the plans for the Halloween party in Ylvi. After holding an extensive meeting on Sunday to decide what games to do, fundraisers and items to buy, and delegating responsibilities over the various activities, I realized that we had a substantial amount of work in our hands. On Tuesday, we went knocking on doors in Ylvi to register people to participate in the games and to also raise funds for the hall council. On Thursday, we went to Wal*Mart to pick up the remaining supplies for the party, including drinks, popcorn, candy and decorations. So, by Friday, all that was left was to set up the games and decorations and put up the signs.

The kids started coming around 5:00pm on Friday. In the study lounge downstairs, we had games like Fishing Pole, Spin the Wheel, Quarter Toss, and Nintendo Wii. On fourth floor, we had Face Painting and Sucker Pull. So, Ylvi was actually bubbling yesterday. We had kids trooping around, playing the games and 'trick or treating' on the floors. An interesting thing also was the spread of Halloween costumes around Ylvi; people's costumes ranged from The Grim Reaper to Iron Man.

My RA, Bryan, was dressed up as a pumpkin and my roommate and friends on my wing were 'Joe dirt.' Mine was a slight variation of 'Joe dirt.' I wore the 'Joe dirt' wig, but I stuffed a balloon under my shirt so I was a pregnant woman instead. It was really funny. There was also plenty of candy of different kinds literarily flying around (A parent actually confessed that Ylvi had the best candy among all the halls). After the kids were gone, around 8:00pm, we cleared all the games and decorations and set up the lounge downstairs for a movie. There were drinks, chocolate and, of course, candy. I slept slightly exhausted but fulfilled yesterday; I think the hall council did a great job organizing the halloween party and social.

Last week, I tried to make sure I slept before 12:00 midnight each day. That enabled me to get an average of 7 hours of sleep. It was really amazing how much more work I could do and how much better I felt with myself. It got really cold early last week, though. It even snowed [mildly] and rained on Sunday. I remember feeling very shocked as I came out of the dorm to face the unexpected rain, snow and cold. It took two jackets and multiple layers to keep me warm. The weather is more tolerable now, anyway.

Right now, we have our most challenging Paideia paper so far. We're supposed to develop a thesis on our own and write a paper involving two books. It sounds a bit scary so it's something I have to start thinking about. Apart from that, classes seem to be going well so far. I took a Calculus exam on Friday and it went okay. Nevertheless, with all this talk about registration for J-term and spring semester, I'm beginning to realize that I will actually miss taking classes with my current professors. Although I would like to have them next semester, due to the classes I'll be taking, I'm likely to be able to keep only one professor - Storm Bailey - my Paideia professor [and he's awesome]. Well, on the brighter side, I'll be able to meet more professors, and I think that's a good thing...

Cheers!