Last Day of Classes = A Look Back on This Semester

It's that time of year! Finals are right around the corner! Today was the last day of classes here at Morris and, as one of them only lasted about five minutes and the other one is optional (and seriously, as a college student who is already drained from this semester, why would I go to an optional class time?), I thought I'd take the time when I'd usually be in class to write a bit. I have a few more assignments and a lot of studying to before the end of the semester but I just need a break right now and I figure that blogging is a better use of time than staring at facebook for an hour.

I was thinking today as I was walking back from class that this semester has been awesome. It did kick off with my first break up ever, which was rough; however, my semester just went up from there. The relationship I was in was not healthy and it kept me from being my true self. I have become a much stronger and confidant person since then and I believe that as a result I have really been able to shine as a CA and as an individual. Despite the fact that this has been my hardest semester yet at college, it has also been the best. I have been working out regularly and I feel the best that I have in years; this is also the first time I feel completely accepted here at college. I had a great time freshman year on my floor, but I always felt sort of alienated from the rest of my floor, particularly by the end of the year. Last year, I wasn't in a good place because I spent all of my time with my boyfriend; I had friends that I talked to but I didn't ever really spend an extensive amount of time with them because I was ALWAYS with my boyfriend.When I wasn't with him I felt lost and sad because my social anxiety took over and I was too nervous to go out an meet people; furthermore, even though I always felt that there wasn't something completely right with the relationship, I still felt like I needed him. Looking back, this affected my performance as a CA, and though I didn't have the greatest floor last year, I know that I could have approached the situations much differently if I would have been in a better place mentally and emotionally. Though my relationship taught me a lot of lessons, both good and bad, I am so glad that I am no longer in it and I'm proud of the person I have become without him in my life. That is part of the reason this semester has been so amazing. I have also found a fantastic group of friends who make me feel accepted; I no longer feel like the quiet girl who was only invited because people felt like they had to invite me. I am well-liked and respected by my friends and coworkers and it feels so good. This couldn't have happened without my outlook on life changing, as a result of my break up.

Let me just say, I don't just have a fantastic group of friends but I also work on the best residence hall staff ever. I liked my staff last year, but I didn't know how much I could love my staff until this year came around. We are all so supportive of each other and we all get along so well. We are also just a super fun group! I have developed close friendships with a few of them and I know that we are all here for each other. Seriously, not to brag or anything, but we're pretty much the bee's knees.

This is my staff in a nutshell. Yes, you should be jealous. :)

Furthermore, I absolutely love my floor. It has been a pleasure to watch my residents learn and grow throughout this semester and I can't wait to see what next semester brings. Not only are they a fun group to live with, but they have proven to be wonderful and caring people. At the beginning of the semester, there was a serious incident on my floor and I was astounded at how my residents responded during and after the incident. It was a scary experienc, but they went so far as to help me during the incident - which I was not expecting of them - and they looked after each other in the aftermath. I'm so proud of my residents and I am so happy to be their CA! It definitely isn't the same floor now as it was at the beginning of the year as we've had a couple people move in and a couple people move out, but it is still a fantastic group to be a part of.

This is my floor (well, part of it at least) in a nutshell. We took a holiday
card for a hall contest among the floors and this is the result. Isn't it beauteous?

Though this semester has been wonderful, I am so excited for winter break. I need a break from school and I cannot wait to go home for a few weeks and just relax. I'm also looking forward to next semester as I'm taking some awesome classes!

In the past few months, I've learned that even though life sucks sometimes, attitude and outlook are the most influential factors in the search for happiness in this life. This semester hasn't always been easy; I have definitely had my moments where I just wanted to be done with school and go hide in a hole forever, but with the right attitude and the right friends, I have been able to get through those times to  see just how truly wonderful life is!

I must finish this post for now as I have tons to do before finals week but I'm glad I had a chance to share this with whoever ends up reading it!

~Britta

Just a Quick Thought or Two...

"I have wasted a sad and unfortunate amount of my life putting up walls, disregarding my passions, stifling my spirit, and degrading my self worth.

But the person I am becoming is

beautiful, healthy, true, and best of all: happy."

Thank you to http://robnaqil.tumblr.com/ for sharing these wonderful and inspiring words.

Honestly, I couldn't have described the past couple of months of my life any better.

School is busy, life is hard, and I can hardly catch a break, but I'm happier than I've been in years.

This picture was taken a few months ago with two of my best friends, Lexi and Kunza.
I love this picture because it describes our friendship to a T
and I can't help but smile when I look at it.

Here's to getting through the tough times, embracing the joyful moments, and living life to its fullest. 

To end this post, I thought I'd post a link to a song that tends to brighten my day: "Big When I Was Little" by Eliza Doolittle. If this doesn't make you nostalgic for childhood, I don't know what can. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqGx1lfyb6s

Till next time!

p.s. here is the exact link to the quote that I used at the top. I would hate to deny the original writer the credit she deserves: http://robnaqil.tumblr.com/post/67240760724/i-have-wasted-a-sad-and-unfortunate-amount-of-my

COLLEGE IS HARD!

You'd think I already would have figured that out by now, right? It is my third year as an undergraduate after all. But it just keeps getting harder! I am so thankful it is Friday right now after a week of stressing out about how in the world I'm going to get everything done before the end of the semester; the thought of all the homework that I will inevitably end up working on most of the weekend is making me cringe! As one of my friends told me last Friday when we all took the night off to watch movies, "Don't say the H-word!" It's a good think I took the night off too because the rest of the weekend involved homework and getting as much sleep as possible. That's probably what this weekend will be like too. But, as one of my other friends would say, "this is life!" And it is... it's not always easy but we must make the best of it!

Luckily, I did have a very enjoyable fall break. Getting away from campus and going home was so nice! It's interesting how my view of home has changed since coming to college. Before leaving for my freshman year of college, I just couldn't wait to get out of the house and I left home on move in day without bating an eye. When my floor mates constantly talked about being homesick, I thought they were immature and needy. I definitely wasn't homesick and I remember not even really wanting to go home for the first break, even though I did. Now, I love going home. Not forever of course, but for short breaks. School is my home now in a sense since it's where I live for most of the year, but it's so nice to get away for a short while and just relax. I've also learned to value my family more since coming to college. In high school I thought they were annoying and would much rather hang out with friends all the time than spend a weekend with them. Now I truly enjoy spending time with them, and try to make the best of that time!

So, naturally, over fall break I spent time with my family. I also saw two of my friends who happened to be back from their schools. Lastly, I met up with some of my Morris friends. Three of us met up at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to see The Spoon Bridge and Cherry, the most iconic of all the sculptures at the Garden,  which I had never seen before. However, it was really cold that day so we decided to go the Mall of America where another one of our friends was. It was all in all a good time and I was kind of disappointed that I had to head back to school. I could have used a few more days of break!

In front of the Spoon Bridge and Cherry!

The last few weeks I have been so busy. I've been spending most of my evenings in the library working away. I have five papers that I have to write before the end of the semester - two of which need to be between ten to fifteen pages - and I have to worry about keeping up with all my reading! I have so much else to do too with my CA job and the research I am doing this semester with a professor! Thankfully, the professor understands that I'm super busy so she doesn't expect me to put a whole lot of time into the research. It's busy but everything will get done eventually... it always does!

The other day I did a pumpkin carving program on my floor which was fun. I hadn't done a program in a long time just because I've been so busy so I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to do one. Unfortunately, the grocery store in town was out of pumpkins (which I thought was ridiculous seeing as we went to buy them three days before Halloween!) but luckily, there was a plethora of other types of squash which we decided to experiment with. I also provided some fall-inspired food such as apples and caramel and Halloween-inspired cookies. Everyone who came seemed to enjoy themselves though squash are really hard to carve so it was more of a pounding party than a carving party! I understand now why pumpkins are the gourd of choice for carving!

Earlier today another CA and I went to the women's soccer game to watch our residents play. Our residents asked us to come watch them so we did and it was actually really fun. We arrived during halftime and they had already scored two points. They didn't score anymore while we were there but luckily, the other team didn't score at all either so we won! That was exciting and I discovered that soccer is pretty fun to watch! I'd never been to a college soccer game before and I must say, I did enjoy it. So, I haven't done any homework yet today but hopefully I'll get some done tonight and I'll for sure have to get to work tomorrow!

I should finish up now and actually accomplish something. It was good to write though... I get so tired of writing for school and I find that writing for fun is kind of rejuvenating.

Until next time...

~Britta

This is my "I'm Wasting Time" Post...

So, I'm sitting here in the on call office with my fellow on call CA just trying to avoid homework. I have found that the on call office is a most unproductive place to work so while one might think I could get a lot of work done since I have to sit in here for five hours tonight, not a whole lot is accomplished.

Really, not a whole lot was accomplished today at all after class. I came back to my room and watched "Once Upon a Time" and "The Middle" online, since I missed them both earlier this week. As I said before in a previous post, I usually take time off from homework anyways Friday afternoon and then get to work on Friday evening if I don't have anything more exciting to do... which is most of the time! However, whenever I'm on call I spend the majority of my time on facebook/pinterest/ checking my e-mail multiple times in one hour even though I know there probably wont be anything new.

Despite my complete lack of achievements in the realm of homework today, I do have one thing to be proud of... today I got my flu shot! Woohoo! They have them free at health services and I sure try to avoid getting sick at all costs so of course I chose to go get one. I absolutely despise getting shots and would avoid them at all costs if I didn't actually care about staying healthy. I have my "I got my flu shot today" sticker and a nice band aid with little dogs on it though so I'm pretty happy; it doesn't take much to satisfy me!

Obligatory shot with the "I got my flu shot" sticker.

I really don't have much else to say... like I said, this is just an excuse for me to postpone homework. Good thing fall break is coming up very soon because I certainly need a break! For now though, I guess I should go and get some reading done. It's really not that bad... for my Harlem Renaissance class, I'm reading Infants of the Spring by Wallace Thurman which I'm enjoying so far. I'm also reading This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'm using it as a primary source for my history research project on the the image of the 1920's flapper and I am liking it so far!  It's making me think I should read The Great Gatsby again soon; when I read it in high school, I only thought it was okay. Literary tastes change though as we learn and grow and I'm discovering that I really enjoy modernist literature.  Also, Fitzgerald is a fellow native Minnesotan so that gives me more of an incentive to read more of his works!

Okay, time to go now. It's almost midnight and I'd at least like to get a little something worthwhile done today.

Reminiscing About Ireland - Part II

Well, hello there!

It's Friday again which means I have some time to write more about Ireland! This week has been really stressful - a couple things happened earlier in the week that were emotionally draining and difficult for me to work through. It is so nice to finally relax and think back to my fantastic trip of this last last summer after all the stress and craziness of the past few days. 

I left off in Dublin, and let me say, I didn't really do Dublin justice. It was WAY more than visiting tourist places; it was a completely new way of life for me. Honestly, living in Dublin for that first week and a half was the first time I really felt like I was on my own. Since I live in the residents halls, I don't pay a monthly rent and I go to the dining hall on campus for pretty much every meal. In Dublin though, we lived in apartments and had to fend for ourselves most of the time. A lot of other people in my group went out to eat for almost every meal but I decided to make my own food for at least two meals a day because that is just way cheaper. My roommates and I definitely ate a lot of leftovers during that time since it was difficult to cook a new meal every day! It was a really liberating experience for me and although I really enjoyed going out west for the remainder of the trip, I really missed the feeling of being on my own in the way I was in Dublin. Once we went out west, we didn't stay in any one place long enough to feel like anything but tourists. 

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy myself. Though I do have to say that my favorite part of the experience was living in Dublin, I did have some fantastic experiences on my travels throughout Ireland.

We went to a beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean right below the town of Lahinich in County Clare and spent a good portion of one morning there; we also went to the Cliffs of Moher, though I'm afraid of heights so I didn't enjoy it to the extent that other people did. It is a beautiful area though! We then went to Galway, spent a couple of nights there and we took a ferry from Galway to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.  When we arrived in Inishmore from the ferry after about an hour long ride, the group had a bit of a rough start since it was raining and almost everyone was crabby to some extent. To make matters worse, we decided to bike out to an ancient ruin; as most everyone was super crabby and hungry, the bike ride out there was not very fun.  However, once I got some food in me I felt so much  better and was able to appreciate and take in the beauty of the landscape on the bike ride back. I confess that I did not go up to the ruin since a) we had to walk up a long hill to get to it which I just wasn't feeling and b) it is perched on top of a cliff, and as I already stated, I am TERRIFIED of heights! Also, The Aran Islands are known for their wool products, so I did get a pair of mittens there (more so because it was freezing  to bike out in the rain without anything covering my hands!) and a beautiful purple scarf, which I just so happen to be wearing in most of the pictures posted here!

One of my favorite pictures from our day at the beach!

From Galway, we went to Sligo and toured around there. We we were able to see the grave of William Butler Yeats, the prominent Irish writer and some other interesting spots in the area. We spent one night in Sligo in these adorable Bed and Breakfasts. Outside of our apartments in Dublin, the B & B was definitely my favorite place that we stayed in! That night a few of us went out to find a place to eat for dinner and we ran into another American - she was from Indiana and was in Ireland for work. It was super neat to talk to her and we actually invited her to eat dinner with us since she was alone.

"Cast a cold Eye
on Life, on Death
Horseman pass by"

Having some fun at Dunluce Castle!

 Our next stop was Belfast in Northern Ireland! We stopped at Dunluce Castle and The Giant's Causeway on our way there. If you ever have chance to get to The Giant's Causeway, DO IT! It is an absolutely gorgeous area with some really cool land formations. Dunluce Castle was pretty neat too and it is right down the road from Giant's Causeway so it's pretty easy to see both in the same day... that's what we did!

Enjoying the beauty of The Giant's Causeway!

When we got to Belfast, I was really surprised, though in retrospect I shouldn't have been. Dublin is this really quaint, exciting place and everyone is so friendly. Belfast, though has a very serious feel to it. People have a more stern demeanor there; I felt like I had to be on my guard at all times. I really didn't understand prior to being in Belfast how much the area is still recovering from The Troubles of the mid to late twentieth century. There are still gates between the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods that close at night which I was absolutely astounded by. I definitely did not feel as comfortable in Belfast as I did in Dublin. Prior to being in Ireland, I was super naive regarding the extent of the bad things that had actually happened there and how it is still affecting people today. Northern Ireland, which is made up of the six most north eastern counties on the Island, is still conflicted today because though it is a part of the United Kingdom, many people still very feel very strongly that should it become a part of The Republic of Ireland. 

Nicole and I at my 7th birthday party, 2000

Nicole and I having our first legal drinks together in Belfast, 2013 

Despite my overall dislike for Belfast one of the absolute best parts of my trip happened there! I had the opportunity to meet my best friend since kindergarten, Nicole, in Belfast! She also happened to be on a study abroad trip with a group from her college and we just happened to be staying in the same apartment complex in the Queen's University neighborhood! Crazy, right? Although we were each very busy with our respective group activities, we had the opportunity to meet up the first evening that I was there and we also went out the breakfast together the next day at a cute little restaurant called The Mad Hatter!

While in Belfast, my group also had the opportunity to go the The Titanic Museum, which is only a little over a year old. The Titanic was built in Belfast which is why this museum is located there. It was a really cool place! I loved the layout of the museum and how it was so interactive. As someone who wants to go to graduate school for museum studies and eventually work in a museum, it made me think about what makes a successful museum in the twenty-first century. Lastly, we went to a wonderful play at The Lyric Theater called "Can't Forget About You" by David Ireland that was in its first run ever! It was funny and poignant; a simply brilliant piece of artistic work! The group also got to meet one of the actresses as we were waiting for our taxis after the play. She talked to us, signed our tickets, and was super kind! Turns out, she is one of the top comedians in Scotland... go figure! The next day we headed back to Dublin and three days later we were flying back to the States. 

One of my favorite pictures from the trip at The Titanic Museum in Belfast!

All in all, Ireland was fantastic. I learned so much, had so many wonderful experiences, and made some great friends. I will forever cherish the memories I have from those two and half weeks. However, I need to be somewhere soon so I must sign off for now! Write back sometime soon!

Reminiscing about Ireland - Part I

Hey there!

So, it's Friday afternoon which is when I always make some time to take a break from homework. While I'll definitely get some done later tonight, my Friday afternoons are always my favorite times to relax and possibly get a nap in after a busy week! Unfortunately, I have reached the point in my college career where taking Friday off completely from homework is not a good idea. I've never been much of a partier anyways, so I don't really mind.

What better time than Friday afternoon to reminisce about my study abroad trip to Ireland this summer? I was there for just under three weeks with a group from my school and it was absolutely amazing! I could have spent a whole semester there but at least I have those wonderful memories from the time that I did have there and someday I will go back. It's gonna happen.

While there, we spent a week and a half in Dublin, then we went out west for a few days and got to spend some time in Connemara, Galway, The Aran Islands, and Sligo before heading up to Belfast in Northern Ireland  and then back to Dublin to fly out! Let me just say, I LOVED Dublin which is pretty impressive for me to say because I am usually not a city person. I go to college in the middle of nowhere and there's a reason for that! Dublin was different though; it's a medieval city founded by the Vikings in the ninth century that grew as time went on. You can still see parts of the original city wall in the middle of Dublin. It's relatively easy to get around... once you figure it out. Basically, once you realize that all streets going from north to south eventually will end up at the River Liffy, you'll be fine. The streets are small, there are some really awesome historical buildings (which this history major loved!) and it just feels so quaint and homey there. By the time we had to leave Dublin and move on to other parts of Ireland, I was genuinely sad because the city had started to feel like home to me.

Before moving on to my other Ireland adventures, I'd like to point out some Dublin Highlights:

I got to see THE BOOK OF KELLS! This is one of the most well known medieval manuscripts dating to the ninth century of the common era and it is housed in Trinity College in Dublin (which by the way, is a beautiful campus). After learning about it in my Medieval History class last year, I was so excited to see it. Unfortunately, the tours are timed at the Book of Kells exhibit since there are so many tourists who want to see it that we did not have very much time to enjoy looking at the book and the stunning Long Room that is also a part of the tour. Below is a link to images of The Long Room in case you'd are a book/history geek like myself or if you're just curious.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=long+room+trinity+college&go=Submit&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=long+room+trinity+colleg&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=

Outside The Book of Kells Exhibit at Trinity College

I also went on a tour with one of my friends to the Guinness Storehouse. This was on our last day of the trip and it was a fantastic way to end our time in Ireland. I will not be twenty-one until next year so being in Ireland was fun for me since I could legally drink. Though, as I said before, I'm not much of partier, I am looking forward to the social aspect of drinking when I turn twenty-one and being in Ireland was able to give me a taste of that since the drinking age is eighteen there. Guinness is such an Irish tradition and it is really good... especially if poured right. My friend and I both had the opportunity to learn how to pour our own Guinness at the Storehouse and we then got "Official Guinness Pourer" certificates which was awesome!  For those of you who don't know, Guinness has to be poured a certain way or else it doesn't taste right. For all you fellow Americans who haven't been to Ireland, unless you've had the luck of having a bartender who knows how to pour it right, you probably aren't enjoying it at its full potential!

   Having fun at the Guinness Storehouse

My Goodness My Guinness!

My friends and and I also had the opportunity to go to The Old Jameson Distillery  and that was fun too! Oh, if you ever find yourself in Dublin YOU MUST GO TO BUTLERS CHOCOLATE! Seriously, their chocolate is amazing and they have the best hot chocolate that I've ever tasted! There are shops all around Dublin as well as in a few other Irish cities too. I made sure to bring some home for my family. All in all, Dublin was a wonderful place to stay. From it's thrilling cultural scene to the beauty of the city itself, I fell in love hardcore and can't wait to go back someday... when I'm not a poor college student. 

I should mention that I did also study in Ireland. This was a study abroad trip after all. I went with a Theater class and we studied at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin as well as having lectures by our professors on the road. We saw a lot of really fantastic productions throughout Ireland and I was surprised at how much I could learn about Ireland's culture and history through Irish plays. 

I have so much else to write about Ireland but I have a lot to do tonight and it is not longer afternoon (I took a break from writing and went to dinner so now I must get back to work!) Part two will hopefully come soon! 

Till then! 

At the Old Jameson Distillery! 

In front of 1 Merrien Square,
Oscar Wilde's home in Dublin!

Hanging with my good pal Oscar Wilde at
The National Wax Museum of Ireland in Dublin!

Thoughts on being an RA...

So, at my school we are actually called Community Advisers (CA's) but since RA is the most common title used for my job, I thought I'd headline my post with that.

Let me just say, I love my job; it's a job that you have to love to be in. Serious issues crop up that you have to handle as a CA, from busting residents for alcohol and drugs to taking care of more severe matters like a mental health issue on the floor. They aren't very fun and in some cases can be very scary, but it's vital that we respond to them when we become aware of them.

This is my second year as a CA, and so far this year is going much better for me than last year. Last year I was in a freshman dorm and so I expected my residents to be super excited to be involved on the floor and the greater hall community with programs and bonding experiences. However, they weren't;  they were very independent and didn't really want me to do a whole lot for them which I struggled with at the beginning of the year. I thought I was doing something wrong because I wasn't constantly programming and it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that my floor just wasn't interested in that kind of stuff.

This year my floor is the exact opposite. I am in the same freshman hall on a different floor and it has a completely different feel. While not needy, my resident love when I program for them and they are genuinely interested in getting to know me. One of the first days after move in, I made friendship bracelets with some of them and a little while later, one of them gave me the friendship bracelet she had made. I was completely astonished - that never would have happened last year - and it made me so extremely happy! Last night, I watched The Princess Bride with about five of them and it was just fantastic! To be able to sit down with them comfortably and watch a movie together was so much fun. One of my residents had never seen it before which made it even better since it's such an awesome movie - it's definitely one of my favorites.

I have a good mix of introverts and extroverts on my floor and I have a couple of residents who have already shown that they will be outstanding leaders - one of my residents was elected vice president of our hall council and two of them were elected to the freshman council of my schools campus assembly. I only have eighteen of them - my school is really small and my building has some of the smaller floors on campus - but I love that because it has and will continue to allow me to get to know them better than if I had a really large floor. This is the floor I dreamed of last year; even though my residents weren't bad last year - they were actually fairly well behaved - they just weren't looking for what I wanted to give them.

Long story short, I love living on campus and I love working for res life. I could spend way more time talking about this but alas, homework calls...

~Britta

Just a Little bit About Me...

Hello there!

This is my first post as a blogger; I've never done this blog business before but I thought it would be a fantastic place for me to start as I strive to find myself on this journey called life. I've always loved writing but struggle to find time to do so outside of academic writing for school. By keeping a blog, I hope to make myself write on a regular basis on whatever strikes me as worth putting into words!

Recently, I've been striving for happiness and contentment in life. This desire came to light as I was struggling through a relationship that neither I nor my significant other were happy in. I was trying so hard to keep us together more so because I was terrified of facing life on my own than anything else. As a result, I was extremely unhappy and was constantly worrying about my relationship; this made it difficult for me to enjoy anything else. It took me a long while filled with many tears and tissues for me to realize that my attempts to forage a better relationship would only keep me from the happiness that I so desired. After having a discussion together, we finally decided to end it, as hard as it was for me.

Since then, I have been much happier. The stress and anxiety I suffered from during those last few weeks of the relationship have completely disappeared. Though I'm still kind of sad about it - because break ups are never easy regardless of the situation - I've been trying my best to remain positive and I have been surrounding myself with wonderful, caring people. I've realized that instead of trying so hard to ensure that everything works out, I should step back a little bit and let my world fall into place naturally. This is where the name of my blog comes from and what I'm going to strive for as an individual along with happiness and contentment. As human beings, we have a lot of choices and decisions that we need to make in life, but not everything is in our control. I'm a college student with a whole life ahead of me - my world will figure itself out in time.

Now that school is back in session, I'm focusing on my studies which will keep me super busy. I'm also a Community Advisor at my school, so the wonderful world of res life is another commitment of mine. Though I have a lot going on, I hope to make weekly or bi-weekly posts though we'll see how that goes. I hope that whoever reads this, if anyone does indeed read this, finds something worthwhile in my writing. If not, at least I know that I'm getting something out of it!

So long for now! Until next time...