The International Student's Break

Spring break just ended and I just moved my things back from Miller to Ylvi Residence Hall. Like during the Christmas break, most of the Residence Halls at Luther were closed and people who intended to stay on campus (mostly international students) were required to move their things to the Towers (Miller and Dieseth), Baker Village, or College Apartments, to stay during the break. This is usually the case during long breaks when some maintenance work is to be done around campus.

This provides an opportunity for the international students and the few people staying on the almost empty Luther campus to come together, thus making the break seem less lonely. Also, considering the fact that the cafeteria is closed, people are able to cook together and it makes things more manageable. However, it could get slightly inconvenient. Searching for a room and moving your things from hall to hall could be slightly tedious [everyone eventually finds a room, though]. Nonetheless, after my first break, I kind of got used to how things worked and got a feel of what I needed to do.

Contrary to what people might think, it's possible to have lots of fun remaining on campus during the break; I actually did some really fun things this break. On Tuesday, my host parents and I went to see the Mississippi river. We ate lunch at a Restaurant just at the bank of the river. After that, we went eagle-watching. Tuesday was actually the closest I've ever gotten to an eagle. They're really amazing. We also saw other birds like cranes and pelicans. Then we had some ice cream and I returned to Luther.

Also, the break is a good opportunity to get together with your professors. Yesterday, my Paideia professor invited Kyo Suk [in my Paideia class] and me to have dinner at his house. He came to pick us up around 6:00pm and showed us round his house. It was really cool. We met his wife and talked about so many interesting things; time flew by so fast. The food was also really good.

Overall, I would say I had a good break. I had time to hang out with my friends and do things I would not have had time to do when school was in session. As a nice conclusion to the break, my friends and I went over to have breakfast in a Chinese restaurant. Really good food.

Now that the break is over, I have to start doing the new Paideia reading and getting my room back in order...

Take Care!

My Craziest Week at Luther

Welcome again to my blog. It's finally Spring break. Although I am writing in the peace of mind and euphoria that usually accompany times like this, I have to emphasize the fact that the path to this break was extremely torturous. This week was, in fact, my most stressful week at Luther so far; you'll be surprised how many things happened...

Last Friday, I felt no excitement for going into the weekend because I knew the enormous amount of work that lay before me. Apart from the fact that I was going into the week of Midterms, just so many projects were due that week. I had a Religion paper due on Tuesday, a Paideia Paper due on Wednesday, a Physic exam that same day, and Paideia and Calculus exams on Friday! I frankly wondered if it was humanly possible to carry out every one of those tasks effectively.

I spent my whole weekend working on my Religion and Paideia papers but had almost no time to study Physics. As you can imangine, I worked tirelesely throughout the day with only very little sleep. On Monday, I explained my situation to my Religion professor and asked if I could get an extension to turn in my paper. He said I could get one, but I would lose half a letter grade for late submission. So, if I was supposed to get an 'A,' I would get an 'A-' instead. After considering my options, I decided it was better to just submit the paper with whatever I had. At the brink of time on Wednesday, I was also able to finish my Paideia paper and turn it in at the right time. The only problem was that I had to take my Physics exam without having studied for it [I probably shouldn't tell you how that went].

But that wasn't all my week was about. On Wednesday night, after the first half of that monstrous week, the Ylvi Hall Council organized a "Stress Relief" for all Ylvi Residents. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwich with kool-aid, while watching The Office. It was very well attended. Personally, I was really stressed out and starved of sleep, so the Stress Relief was something I really needed.

On Thursday, the results of our RA application came out. The anxiety about the results of the application must have also added a lot to my stress level. Nevertheless, I got the job! I'm going to be a Resident Assistant in Ylvi next year! Just looking at the letter I got, I stood there beside my SPO [Student Post Office], not know what to do. I was ecstatic. I spent my whole morning thinking about it and trying to take the news in and, as a result, I didn't finish my Religion homework in time for class. I had to turn that one in late and receive the late penalty [crazy week indeed!]

This morning, I had a calculus exam. It wasn't the hardest of exams, but after all the twists and turns of the week, all that was on my mind was to get it over with. It was with this same state of mind that I took my Paideia exam. To me, all that mattered was leaving that class and knowing that it was Spring break. And I think I was right. I just went through my craziest week at Luther so far and all I want to do right now is relax, catch my breath, and have fun...

Enjoy your Spring break!

Could Profs get any more Approachable?

After two days of perfect weather, I was shocked to come out of my room to face the cold angry winds again. I thought the Winter had finally gone and Spring had come to stay. It's actually funny how our minds and bodies work. Back in Nigeria, there were times when it was so hot that I sweated and wished so much that it were colder. But now, I remember those moments with nostalgia. I wish it were so hot that I would have to wear a T-shirt, shorts, and slippers [not a winter coat and boot] to go out...

On Monday, we turned in the drafts of our Paideia research paper. After lots of workshops, searching for sources, and reading books, it was indeed gratifying to finally write that draft and take it to class. But you know how papers are: The first time you write them, you think it's the best piece of writing ever made, but after a couple days, you realize that it is highly flawed. That was exactly what happened to me. Last night, I reread my paper and realized that I had a lot more work to do. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my Paideia professor because I really needed help restructuring my paper.

At 1pm today, my Paideia professor discussed my arguments with me, read through my paper and made important recommendations. He even suggested some sources that would be useful to my topic. Overall, I was in his office for about an hour and a half and I left there with a clearer sense of direction, knowing just what I needed to do to improve the quality of my paper.

Throughout my stay at Luther, it is difficult to imagine how hard my classes would have been if I was unable to get this kind of help from my professors. Often times, you'll be working on your Physics homework in Valders [Physics building] and your professor walks by and actually stops to ask if you're having any problems with your work. He/she is willing to work with you outside the classroom to make sure you understand the concepts and the class isn't more strenuous than it needs to be. These are the things make the academic rigors at Luther so much more bearable and I really appreciate the fact that you have professors eager to make your work easier...

Wish I had 4 more Hours in my Day!

Right now, I can't wait till it's Spring break. I just need an escape from all the things going on around me right now. Of course, some are actually interesting. But some are just nerve recking. It's funny how sometimes all the difficult papers, exams, and projects seem to come together in one week!  

On Friday, I'll have a Calculus exam covering all we've done in the semester so far. It helps that I actually like the class and I don't think I'm lost. Nonetheless, there's still a significant amount of studying to be done. I have to review the homework and practice tests posted on Katie. On that same day, the introductory section (first 2 pages) of my Paideia research paper [on the blues] is due, and I don't feel like I'm ready to write anything at all. I still have a lot of research to do and I still have to look for sources to support my thesis. We have a draft due on Monday, the same day my Religion paper is due [this weekend should be fun!]

It's interesting how I actually haven't been spending any time in my room lately. In the past few days, I've been using my room just for sleeping. The routine is: I go out for classes by 8:00 am, go for work-study, get bogged down doing homework in the library, go for dinner, return to the library, the library closes 12:00 am, and I go to bed! I know this isn't a good habit and I should probably loosen up a bit. But, given the present conditions this is the best option, until I can get about 4 extra hours in my day...

I'm excited for tomorrow, though. I'm going to have my final one-on-one Resident Assistant (RA) interview. I don't really know what questions to expect, but after coming this far in the whole process, I'm just happy to give the final push. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep my nerves down and do a convincing job in spite of all this stress.

That's all for now.

Take Care!