Farewell

My last blog post. So I am transferring to the University of Memphis. I can't wait to go back home. At the same time, I am really going to miss all the moments I had here. I have meet some amazing people. Sometimes I wish I could have started this semester over because I know that I could have done better. I learned a lot though. I couldn't ask for more. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go here, even if everything didn't work out the best. I'm going to take this experience and run with it. I wonder what else is in store for me......whatever it is, I'm excited.

Step off the ledge

I looked over the ledge and saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. How did this come to being? When I jumped, would there be a solution to my problems? No. Obviously running from it didn't solve anything. Why would jumping be any different? So, I took one step backwards to face the fact. I messed up and it was all my fault. Now, how do I fix the problem? Picking up the pieces and construct the best I can.

This semester does not look to good. Total fail. I missed too many classes and assignments. All I can do now is work on what I can. I have a final tomorrow and Thursday. My last week. Feels good saying that. Man, this school is challenging. I thought no problem. Just like high school, but I didn't want it to be just like high school. I wanted what all college students want- freedom (but the wrong kind). Yeah, it doesn't work like that. Responsibilities are the new parents. But before things get too out of reach, let someone know. That was my mistake. Also, don't run away. Okay that's it... took only one month for a hot mess to occur. More to come...

Just Breathe

There are only a couple weeks left of the semester. I have exams, tests, and papers all crammed next week. Fun stuff. I realized that I haven't really talked much about the Maryville lifestyle as much so this blog is dedicated to academics.

When I initially began my search for the perfect college, I though that I had myself figured out. I wanted to go to a small private school as far away from Memphis but still within Tennessee (for the Hope scholarship). I was determined to be a pharmacist. I don't know why I wanted to become one because I was never the smart one in my family nor did I enjoy science. I began to think about it and I realized that the job security was the only factor as to why I considered it. I choose Maryville because I needed to focus. Also I wanted to go to a liberal arts school. I am a fairly well-rounded person so I knew that I needed a education that would allow me to express my different talents. Well, I definitely reached for the stars. I wanted to major in biochemistry. It's not that I can't do it because I know that I have the ability to do it; it's the lack of motivation that I realized why I have been slacking in attendance and grades. Maryville college is challenging. No matter what the major is. I hear my roommate typing away at 2 in the morning for her Bible studies class. But if there is not desire in the classes then the chances of passing is slim. I noticed a change in myself. I have always been the student that sat in the front, knew all the answers, and turned in every assignment on time. My grades ranged from average to above average. Not to mention that I went to a prestigious private school with strict policies, meaning I never missed school. However, I have slacked off the grid. I don't put as much hours in studying as I used to or prepare myself for class. I knew something was wrong.

The classes I am taking now do not meet my needs. I am an artsy person. I need to be creative. The problem with art are the lack of fields associated with art. I needed security. Architecture has always been an interest of mine. Although pharmacy seems more promising, I need to choose a pathway that I will enjoy. Parents and teachers say it all the time- do what you love. Sometimes money can get in the way of what we love. I just want to be successful. I just going about it the wrong way. Okay, so basically what I am saying is that it is better to be undecided than to major in a subject because of societal success. Anyways, enough with that.

Let me talk about the residence buildings at Maryville. So, I live in Davis, which is the all girl freshman dorm. People call it the "virgin vault". I find that pretty funny. Davis is a great residence building. It's clean and organized. The RAs are always on top of things. They are open and friendly. A lot of the girls seem pleased with the atmosphere because its a "girly" place. I'll be honest, I hate it. It just doesn't appeal to me. I love my roommate to death and I don't have problems with any of the girls, but I feel like it is just not the place for me. Being a freshman has its disadvantages because we really don't get the choice to live in any other buildings. I understand since we are fresh out of home and we need a leash on us to get us a taste of the real world. But it's okay. It doesn't appeal to everyone.

So today my freshman class and other freshman classes had to do a fitness test today. The challenge was to be completed in teams. I was in a group of three. We had to run 2 miles, do 65 sit ups, 70 push-ups, and climb the tower. It was pure torture, especially since it was on a Wednesday. Wednesdays are my worst days. I have four classes on that day and I only get a 45 minute break to eat lunch. Since the fitness challenge ran over on time, I was stressed because I still had to eat, change, and get my stuff ready for chemistry and chemistry lab. I was miserable. I was sweaty and gross for my classes. For me that is the worst feeling because I like to be presentable. Well, that was about it for today. Now I have to finish my research paper that is due tomorrow. GREAT.

Kidnap the Sandy Claws

HALLOWEEN! AH, my favorite. Okay so I don't know exactly what went on the past week academically. I was so excited for the weekend. I might have missed more classes than I should have. EH. The weather has been so beautiful with the leaves changing and everything. When I went to Memphis that last time, I grabbed my dad's camera. His camera is an old-school photography camera. I love it. I took advantage of the weather and camera. So, on Friday I was supposed to go to a party near campus but I started to get "krunk" to early. I felt to sick to go and socialize. Yeah- total bummer. Saturday was when most of the activities occurred. On Saturday I went with Matt (senior), Jessica (senior), and Mathieu (junior) trick or treating. In order to prepare for our adventure we listened to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. I came into conclusion that "Kidnap Sandy Claws" is my favorite song. It is so catchy. Anyways, so I was a kitty cat for trick or treating. It was funny because we went to a street next to campus, and we felt a need to explain to every house why college students were trick or treating. It is actually quite sad how you can't enjoy those little things anymore. It never occurred to me that there was a age limit to having fun. Makes me miss being a kid again. Well, I could probably still pass off as a little girl but the point is that it sucks growing up. Mathieu is from France and they don't really celebrate Halloween the same way we do here. He was fascinated by the spirit involved. The first house really got into the decorations. They tried so hard to scare us. We kept talking with all the candy-givers. Usually as a kid it takes seconds to get through a street of houses but it took us 30 min to hit 4 houses. Anyways, so then later that night I changed outfits to go to a cabin party in the smokies. I became Little Red Riding Hood. There were a lot of soccer players and random people there. Costumes consisted of Bruno, Mario and Luigi, Police officer, Vampire, Spice Girls, and etc. Mathieu said that in France the people there try to look as scary as possible. He found it bizarre that people choose whatever they want here especially the girls take that opportunity to dress in a provocative manner without any judgements. Well, that party turned out to be a lot of fun. The next day was sad because that means Sunday- business time. Gotta get prepared for the week. Esh. Not fun.

Impulsive

Wow, time flies by. I did not realize how long it has been since I have blogged. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures to post up. Last week definitely flew by since I had a Chemistry exam and papers to turn in. By the way, Chemistry is kicking my butt. I must admit that I haven't put as much studying time as I should. Anyways, once again my boyfriend came to visit me for the week. His school closed down for a week randomly, which is probably why my week flew by. Also, I have been a little sick with possibly a cold. The weather has been so crazy. One day it was freezing and the next it is warm like spring. The one day it was cold, the school decided to change its conditioner system to all heat. So now we have no air conditioning. I need to buy a fan because I hate sleeping when it's warm. Now that it is warm outside, I am miserable because I feel like everywhere I go is hot. But hey I should be grateful to even have heat. So, Andrew stayed all week to distract me (basically). I loved it and everything but that made it more difficult to do my work. Since Halloween is this weekend, I received a Halloween care package from my family. I recommend parents to sign up for the care packages. I love receiving snacks and candy. My favorite part is the letter my family fills out with the packages. They just say goofy things that makes me miss them. I have been craving candy so bad, making it a great surprise. Oh and random splurge on college food: the quality is not the best and the fact that every college basically has buffet as the main dining service makes it worse. I have the worst acne and immune system right now. I may be from the poor quality of food and the amount I am eating. I should exercise but my time is crunched. I remember the first week of college, I exercised everyday. HAHA. How unrealistic I was to think that I could keep that up....yeah. But I should. Anyways, back to my week. So, on Friday Mary, my roommate, received a stuffed kitten from an admirer. My boyfriend thought she got a real kitten and was asking to pet it, which was funny. Then, Andrew and I both wanted to pet a kitten so bad. It has been so long since we have seen our pets. We decided to drive to his college because there are so many cats/kittens around his campus. The drive was about 4 hours. We were just being impulsive. Since Memphis is only an hour from his college, we decided to visit our homes on Saturday. I slept for hours in my bed on Saturday. On Sunday we left to come back to Maryville. He left that night for his college. Andrew drives a lot. Since I'm still a little sick and the drive did not help, I was so exhausted the next day......I might have overslept. At least I made it to my Chemistry class. Now, I need to catch up again. GEEEEZZ.

Happy Birthday...?

Something interesting happened at dinner today-

So I was eating lunch with my roommate and a friend. It was around 7:20, and Pearsons, the main dining cafeteria, was crowded with athletes, since most of them just finished practice. I had just finished eating when I heard people, mostly guys, singing "Happy Birthday." From the corner of my eye I saw fairly stalky guys, probably football players, walking around the back of the room. Once of the guys had a plate filled with ice cream and cookies. I noticed they were getting closer to my table. I was curious to see whose birthday it was at this point. Right when I turned my head, the Birthday plate made its way in front of me. They crowded around my table singing "Happy Birthday" and clapping. I knew it wasn't my birthday so I was puzzled. After they were done, they were laughing and went back to their table. A girl in the table in front of mine asked if it was my birthday and I replied that it wasn't. So she insisted that they thought I was cute so they picked me as the victim. Whether or not that's true, I was still flattered and enjoyed the fun from the game. I returned their present and explained that it wasn't my birthday, which they knew. But it was all fun and games. I found it adorable that the students are comfortable enough to do little things like that.

HOEDOWN

I have been slammed this weekend with craziness. It was homecoming weekend so that should explain how busy I was this past weekend. Last Friday there was a party at a house out in the boondocks of Maryville. It was really nice though because it was out in the countryside. A band played at the bottom of a hill. They were soooooooo good. They played the best music such as Radiohead and Sublime. The band members go to Maryville College which is nice because I see them around now. I really like that about the small campus. I think Maryville is growing on me. Just about half the campus were at the party. So I met a good variety of people. It got super cold this weekend. Having a campfire at the party made it somewhat more bearable. Since it is homecoming weekend, a lot of alumni were there. Oh and I lost my favorite blue raincoat there. I set it down with a group of people's stuff (bad idea), and it just disappeared. I was really sad about that. Anyways, it was a great reunion for a many and a fun way to get to know people. There were a bit of freshman which is great because that means that the upperclassman don't completely exclude freshmen (YAY).

On saturday was the biggest day for homecoming. I woke up late so I missed the parade. Since I had a big load of school work, I also had to miss the football game. I had been looking forward to the dance all day. The theme was Hoedown, which is like a southern theme. Not that many people seemed pumped about the theme. A lot of girls wore jeans, cowboy boots, plaid shirt, with pigtails. I ended up wearing high heel boots with a dress that had a southern print to it. I'll have to find a picture that someone took. So I may not download it on here for a little while. Well, there didn't seem to be a big turnout at the dance but there was a lot of freshman support and a bit of upperclassman. The music was mainly rap and 80s music haha. The majority of people dressed up for the theme of the dance. The food was good and once again I had fun seeing familiar faces. I left fairly early since I was just really tired from the whole weekend. Before I went back to my room I stopped by to see a friend in Beeson, which is the upperclassman suite building. The suites are really nice. They get their own kitchen, which makes me jealous! Anyways, she had people over- mainly alumni. They were hanging out, playing games and such. Then, I hit the hay.

Sunday mainly consisted of getting ready for the week. I have an exam tomorrow in Chemistry and a couple papers due. The highlight was the fact that my sister came into town for a little bit. She and two friends go to school in Memphis. They are all juniors. They were making their way up to Asheville, NC to visit my brother. We all ate at a restaurant in downtown Maryville called the Tomato Head. The best pizza place ever. My boyfriend and I ate there first, and I feel in love. They use all organic products and their main speciality is pizza- sooooo good. My sister brought me a bag filled with things I need that my mom packed, which will save my life. In the bag were snacks, medicine, winter boots, and candy! All the necessities of life...okay not really. Alright back to studying a writing papers. Eww. I'm looking forward to this coming up week after my exams and such. My boyfriend is coming to visit me, which is exciting. Always nice to look forward to seeing him, especially since he reminds me of home. Okay, till next time.

Road Trippin

This past Friday there weren't any classes for our fall break. I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with some Maryville students. Jen, a junior, is from Chicago so she was so pumped to go. She is one of the funniest people I have ever met. The driver Matt, a senior and class president, came along. He is one of the most unique people I have ever meet. He had a theory just about everything and anything. Claire, an artsy sophmore, joined our Chicago adventure. Last but not least Mathieu also went. We had a diverse group. The trip takes about 9 hours from Maryville to Chicago. The ride wasn't too bad going there since we were all anxious and excited about the city. The only down side was the fact that the back window was rolled all the way down and stuck that way. Not only was it windy and cold but it also started to rain. We had to stop at Walmart a quarter of the way to get a tarp and duct tape to cover up the window. Other than that we blasted music the whole way up.

We stayed in a really nice neighborhood in the Northern part of Chicago near Lake Michigan. The apartment we stayed in was a friend's of Mathieu. Well, the next day we went to explore the city. The weather was freezing and raining. The wind did not help either. I'm so used to the warmer weather of the south that I was definitely not prepared for the chilly weather of Chicago. Chicago is so unbelievably beautiful. I was captivated by the mix of modern and antique structure of the buildings. The skyline ranged widely and felt spread out. My favorite part was walking in the park because there were the coolest art designs that dominated between parts of the park. Although Chicago looked beautiful, the expense of the city made it difficult to enjoy especially for a college student.

Once we all made our way around the city, we went back to the apartment and hung out with people from Chicago. It was a blast. They introduced us to a fun new game that kept us occupied for the meantime. Oh we also made an attempt to visit Obama's home but there was security everywhere shooing us away. Leaving Chicago was difficult. Not only because we got lost but because the city was absolutely gorgeous and diverse. The trip back was long and exhausting. We got back really late, and I had yet to do all my homework. I really got attached to my road buddies. We surprisingly didn't want to kill each other after spending 3 days together. It was really nice just getting off campus for a little bit and spending time in a new area with new people. I felt for the first time like I was in college even though I wasn't on campus. I think that is because it was the first time I got to try out the independence coined in college advertisements.

Right when I got out of the car in front of my residence hall building, I had a lovely surprise. My boyfriend was outside with a present for me. How cute is that? He bought me season 5 of The Office, my favorite television show. He started fall break this week, so I get to spend some time with him. It was really hard for him to let me go on that trip to Chicago. But he wasn't the only one worrying. My parents called me nonstop throughout the trip haha. I didn't have much time to talk though. The hard part for my parents was letting me go. I really had a great time. Now, it's time to catch up on the school work. The fact that homecoming is this weekend is not going to be of much help. I'll keep this week posted!

Home Sweet Home

This past weekend was Family Weekend on the Maryville campus. Both my parents work and look after my other two younger siblings so I knew the chances of them coming were slim. However, my boyfriend did come for the weekend. We have had some problems. Long-distance relationships are extremely difficult because it's hard not seeing each other. Since he and I are so busy with school and he plays soccer, we haven't had the time to talk much. Getting to see him this past weekend made it better. We reunited and caught up with each other. He took me home back to Memphis to see my family since they couldn't come here. The drive is 6 hours but it never feels that bad. I didn't realize how exhausted I had been from school until I went into my room and passed out on my bed. I woke up to a home-cooked meal. Ahh. I miss that. Sometimes the food in Pearsons can get dull. My family and dogs were so happy to see me. I have the two sexiest dogs ever. Okay, I know they aren't sexy but they love it when I call them that. My visit was short. I left Sunday in the afternoon. Andrew, my boyfriend, took me back to Maryville. Once I got back to campus I hit the books. Since next weekend is a "long" weekend (meaning one day off), I may take that time to stay on campus and catch up in life. This blog is a little short but I promise to make up for it next time.

All Caught Up

The past blogs have been catching up for today. So, only pay attention to the date from today and so on. This past weekend I went on a multicultural retreat. The retreat was in the Smokey Mountains. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but I had fun. A good group of people came. We stayed Friday and Saturday night. Supposedly I missed a couple of fun nights in Maryville, but oh well. During the retreat, we had amazing speakers. My favorite was the speaker who teaches acting classes at UT. She taught us how to zumba, which is a Brazilian dance. We participated in some activities to get to know one another. Then, we had time to chill. We had so many snacks and movies to watch. I watched The Haunting in Connecticut, and I was freaking out that night. I'm a wimp when it comes to scary m
ovies. We came back Sunday in the afternoon. Sunday night I went to Asheville, NC with my roommate, her friend, and Mathieu. We went to visit my brother and see my favorite band: The Sounds. That was a super fun night. Asheville, NC is like 2 and a half hours away. We got home at like 2 am. I accidentally slept through my first class. I forgot to turn my phone off vibrate haha. So, yeah.

Yesterday Mathieu and I studied outside on campus. The schoolwork this week isn't as stressful

as last week. The weather feels more like autumn, and the trees are starting to change color. It is so beautiful. Then, later that night we took the time off to watch the stars since the sky was clear of clouds for the first time(usually it's foggy).

Oh lala

Recently, I went with my roommate and some friends to see a band play at a small music venue in the old city of Knoxville. It is so beautiful there, like vintage. I really enjoyed the band. It was the first time I had gone out on a "school" night haha. I must say that I was really tired the next day for classes. I think I am getting used to not napping anymore.

So, I met this international student named Mathieu. He is from France. I had to do a chemistry project about elements on the periodic table. One of the elements was lanthanum, which is only present in the lens of a special kind of camera. Mathieu happened to have that kind of camera so I sent him an e-mail. From there on we became really good friends. He has even been teaching me French. I love talking about the cultural differences between the United States and France. He has taught me a lot about French culture, from music to politics. It is nice having someone to talk to and eat lunch with. The people he eats with are all international students, and they are all interesting people. I enjoy their company.

As Weeks Pass

I went to UT Knox to visit my best friend. I got really sick there. So, I went back to Memphis for a weekend because I was sick. Swine flu has been going around so I thought I would take the safe route and get checked by my doctor. Since coming back I have been way behind in my classes since I had to miss a couple of days. That's the only downside of missing classes. Making up the work is the worst. Heads up for future students: communicate with your professors if you are going to miss class, and go ahead and do the work that is due that day and the days missed. Okay, so I never realized how home sick I was until I had to leave again to go back to school. I always thought that I would be the one who would never get home sick. Especially those first weeks because everything is going so well and busy. Once I stopped my busy schedule to visit my family, I realized how much I miss my home. Once I attended classes, my schedule filled in quickly. Especially once all the clubs were available for sign ups. I joined about three clubs- all relating to international concerns and peace efforts. There are so many clubs to join for all types of people. So no worries for those that are worried about finding a club to join. Oh I meant to mention that I joined in playing a game called human pacman. On campus there are many pathways, so we would only be able to walk/run on the pathways, trying not to get tagged. That game was a lot of fun, and I met a couple people that way. So, participating in small activities like that is beneficial, especially since I'm not from the area. Although there is a diverse group of students, I noticed the majority is from Maryville or Knoxville. I take advantages of the small opportunities to meet people.

fast pace

Just to give a basic background of myself and how my first couple weeks started off:

I am the middle child of a fairly big family. I have an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister. I'm a young lady from Memphis. My parents are Guatemalan but I was raised in the United States. I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend of one year. The picture on the top one of me and him last winter. He is also from Memphis. I am planning on majoring in engineering mainly because I want to do architecture. I have always had a passion for art and history. Architecture combines both aspects. But I have not always known that I wanted to do architecture. Coming into Maryville I wanted to major in biochemistry because I wanted to get into pharmacy. Mainly because pharmacy is a fairly secure field to become involved in. However, I am not the best a science so that was definitely not going to work. I think that my heart craves traveling. I love learning about cultures and meeting new people with new ideas. More than anything, I love a challenge.

Now that there is a little bit about me, let me describe the transition from being in high school to attending Maryville College. So, Maryville is a small school but I like it so much more because it's a more comfortable environment and atmosphere. Move in day made me excited and anxious. I am lucky enough to have a roommate that I can get along with. The trick is that living with another person involves compromise. For instance, we had to set out rules about people visiting and sleeping hours. Since, my roommate and I are both respectable and private people, we have not had any problems...thankfully. Before classes started we had an orientation class to meet with so that we can get the feel of the campus and have a couple of familiar faces so that we won't feel totally alone. I really enjoy my orientation class. We participated in Mountain challenge activities so that we can be more comfortable with one another. One of the challenges was climbing the tower. The picture taken is photographed by Eddie Lovin and shows me in my gear with my partner/peer mentor. I am horribly frightened of heights but I wanted a challenge so I went on one of the hardest ones. I made it farther than I thought(75 percent). Anyways, so it felt like summer camp to begin with. It was really nice meeting people and participating in fun activities. I really enjoyed it. Once classes started, it was time for business. I am taking Principles to Chemistry and Lab, Pre-calculus, English Comp, and Perspectives on the Individual. I must say that it has not been an easy transition into my classes. The beginning was extremely difficult. I am getting used to all the papers now. It isn't that bad once you get the hang of the way all the classes work. I had trouble meeting people because I was busy. I got involved in volleyball intramural, which is a lot of fun. Overall, the start of college in Maryville has been interesting. Since Maryville College is a liberal arts school, the environment is cultural. I think it's great that this is a liberal arts school because it will shape me into a well-rounded educated person. I'm looking forward to that.