8/27/07
Extended Summer
I can't believe that summer is over. My last year at Wesleyan is just beginning (that seems really weird to say). Time really does fly by, and before you know it, you're walking through the arches for graduation.
Even though I only have one more year left, I couldn't start things off better than by having a two-week longer summer vacation. That's because I am studying abroad in Valencia, Spain for fall semester, so I actually have a couple more weeks left before I leave Sept. 10.
My summer has been filled with activities in preparation for Spain. I interned at the Arbor Day Foundation and worked at Zesto to pay for my never ending bills. I also went to Chicago with my friend Mikaela Caudill to pick up our visas. We made a little trip out of it and stayed there for a few days and went shopping, took a three hour bike tour and walked around. However, one thing that I learned to hate this summer was flying. The cancellations and delays at airports never stop. I really hope that we don't have any delays departing the U.S.!
I am surprisingly not nervous about studying abroad. In reality, I wish I could leave tomorrow. Maybe it's because I studied in Mexico last summer or it could be that I love traveling.
Now that I am a senior, I am getting more nervous about graduating next spring, even though it is a whole school year away. I thought that by now I would know what my future has in store for me, but it's hard to settle down and think about that stuff while doing homework, hanging out, partying and living the college lifestyle. My plan is figure out what I want to do with my life while studying abroad, at least that is what I told my parents.
So now that school is starting, everyone should start getting back into the swing of things, as I continue to have a wonderful summer vacation.
8/31/2007
10 Days and Counting:
Spain Here I Come
With the first week of a new semester is finally over, time to relax and get settled in. Many people find the first week of school to be a mixture of excitement and boredom. On the one hand, you are meeting new people, new professors, and new material, but on the other hand, classes can be a bit boring since there is really no huge homework/quiz/test to study for. This usually means more time to sleep and party, or if you want to go Greek, attending one of the many fun activities at the different houses on campus.
I am continuing to work at The Arbor Day Foundation and Zesto, desperately trying to earn some money for my study abroad expenses. I truly feel that every student should study abroad sometime in their college career. This will be my second experience, as I studied in Mexico for six weeks during the summer. At Wesleyan, there are tons of opportunities to go abroad. We have programs that can run three, four, and six weeks, for those not interested in studying for a semester or longer. These programs can be found in all the different departments, but to make sure you don't miss out talk to Inger Bull, the International Education Coordinator.
I am getting a little bit more nervous as the days I have left stateside approaches zero, but at the same time, I am getting more and more excited. I know that this experience will not be one to forget, and I hope to not only learn about Spanish culture and the language, but about myself too. 10 more days!!!
9/21/2007
Prince Harry at Your Service:
A Recap of the First Weeks in Spain
This diary is actually two diaries packed into one because I was without internet for a while. First off, the first week was exactly what I expected, a lot to do and see and not a lot of time. By the end of each day, I was so tired. We all did manage to go to a nightclub in Toledo, which was absolutely what I expected from a discoteca in Spain. It was in a converted church and the music was great. A group of ladies actually thought I was Prince Harry and asked for my autograph!!! I think they knew I wasn’t but they thought I looked a lot like him, it was so funny.
The next thing I have to say is that I love Valencia!!! I know that I picked the right city to study abroad in. I have been to the beach four times since I have been here because it is only a 5-10 minute walk from my apartment. School is about a 25 minute walk, which goes by faster if I listen to my ipod. My host mom and sister are great; they are both nice and excited to have us in their home. There are actually three other students living in the apartment, two Germans and a girl from Texas. My roommate, Matt, is very easy going and we get along better than I thought. We went out with the Germans and two of their friends to a couple of local bars and had talked. They, and we, need to practice Spanish, but trying to understand them was difficult because of their German accents.
I just finished my first week of school and it went better than I expected. I am taking four classes, art/culture, Latin American literature, Grammar, and Mediterranean society-history and present. They are all in Spanish, which makes me have to pay attention in order to comprehend what the professor is saying. For the Mediterranean class, we going on a weekend excursion to the Albufera, which is like a swamp area and we learn about the environment and changes in due to living next to the sea.
I have eaten a lot of different things, and I haven’t gotten sick yet!!! I had a really good smoked salmon and brie bocadillo (a small sandwich), a leak and prawn crepe, and much more. The other day, I went on a little walk to the Centro and had a delicious chocolate ice cream dessert dish from a chocolate café. It was sooo good and the scenery was just as nice.
All of us students are frantically trying to plan excursions abroad. Mikaela Caudill and I are going to go to Switzerland for 6 days to visit Maude, a exchange student last year at Wesleyan that was also on the tennis team, and travel around. I also bought a ticket to Italy for the end of the program. Three other students and I will travel to Rome, Venice, and Florence for six days or so before we all have to come back to the States.
This weekend we all plan on going to eat at a place that specializes in mussels, then possibly going out to one of the biggest discotecas in Spain called Bananas. They offer a free shuttle/train ride to and from the metro station every Saturday night because the club is located on the outskirts of town.
9/28/2007
With a Map at Hand:
Conquering Spanish Transportation
Coming from Lincoln, where there is little to no public transportation, to living in a city with almost 850,000 people with a great public bus system, along with a metro and an above ground metro called the “tranvia”, getting around the city is easier than I imagined.
When I studied in Mexico the bus system was a little hard to understand, but here, with my trusty map of the city with bus lines and stops, it is easy to locate which bus and bus stop you need to get somewhere. The normal price for a ride on the bus is 1.15 euro, but I bought a 10 pass ticket, which I can use on the bus and the metro, which costs 1.25 euro per ride, for only 6.70 euro.
The metro is basically the subway system for the city. It is relatively new to Valencia, but they have worked tirelessly to build as many lines and connections as possible. Once you enter the metro station it is easy to find which direction and metro you need to take to get you to your desired destination. One evening when I was at the mall, I thought I could navigate the metro system by myself, but lets just say that I let three trains pass before I got on a train that transferred lines right before the exit I wanted. Needless to say, I was a little flustered, but all I had to do was pull out my handy dandy map and ask a couple people where to go and I was home just as dinner was being served.
The “tranvia” is an above ground metro, it’s a little hard to describe. It is free, but it only travels along one path, to the beach and back. So I have used it a couple of times to get to the beach from school for free. There are also a ton of taxis in Valencia. They are easy to spot because of their green light on the roof and relatively cheap, except for Thursday and Saturday nights, which are the two busiest nights to go out.
All the transportation options are very clean, easy, and safe to use. I have never once felt “in danger” while using one of these options. Some of the taxis even have GPS machines and DVD screens behind the headrests, so passengers can pass the time watching a movie, news or advertisements. Once the weather turns a little colder, I will most likely be taking the bus to school as opposed to walking 25 min because my feet already have blisters.
Chao
10/5/2007
Churches, Cheese, and Chocolate in Switzerland
With no school next week because of a local and a national holiday, Mikaela and I traveled to Switzerland to visit our friend Maude, who was an international student at Wesleyan last year. It was my first traveling experience and everything so far is way more than I ever imagined.
We flew out of Valencia early Thursday morning and landed in Geneva, Switzerland. We spent the day in the city because Maude had school and work and couldn’t pick us up until 8 p.m. We stored our bags and took the train to the city center, where we walked around, saw a couple of old churches, ate lunch, and of course took pictures. While Maude reassured us that almost everyone spoke English, it was a little weird being somewhere where you don’t know the language. The primary language in Geneva is French, and knowing not much besides how to say hello, goodbye, and yes, I was a bit nervous, but everything turned out to be okay.
After Maude picked us up at the airport, we drove to her house in St. Saphorin, which is about a 45 minute drive from the airport. We met her parents, who were extremely nice, and her dog, Twist, who was one of the biggest yellow labs I had ever seen. The next day we ventured off to an old castle and went to a cheese and chocolate museum. All three were very interesting but I have to say, if you are ever in Switzerland, you must visit the chocolate museum!!! There was no admission fee and you got to eat all the chocolate that you wanted. It was lined up table after table, all the different kinds that they make. So that day, I had chocolate for lunch, no kidding. I then went to the gift shop to buy about $30 worth of delicious goodness. We are back at Maude’s place getting ready to go to Zermatt, a smaller touristy mountain town right next to the Matterhorn, which is a really tall mountain. If the rest of this trip is like the first two days, this will be the best 6 days of my life. Until next time…
1/25/2008
First Week Back Blues
So after a relaxing, boring, and long winter break, its time to finish the year, which begins with the dreaded sounds of students (and teachers) having to get up too early. I have an 8:30 a.m. class, which means that I am getting up before the sun, which is totally not fair. Even though it is a little sad to be back, it is always fun to see all your friends again and start making more crazy stories that will be laughed at for years to come.
Last semester was a whirlwind of excitement, fun, and everything in between. It was nice coming back home after a week of traveling Italy, but once that initial feeling of comfort wears off and you see that literally nothing has changed, you begin to wonder if you should have stayed longer. I really wish I could have, but I have one semester more before I graduate, so I had to return.
I made a lot of really great friends like Tanya Varma, who is from London, and I will visit her some day in the near future, along with loads of other international students and fellow Americans. Being back is very bittersweet because it is so nice to be home and see all your friends, but you miss all the new friends you have and traveling. If anyone has the opportunity to study abroad while in college, it is totally worth it. You will never regret it one bit.
But enough about that, I have to focus and study hard to finish my semester with as much enthusiasm as I had when I started freshman year, even though I know that will be a little difficult. With school, tennis, studying for graduate tests, and clubs, when will I ever have time for myself? Oh, the typical college life…
2/8/2008
Definitely Back to School
So after the first and second weeks of school, homework/projects/meetings/sports really start piling up and that initial excitement of being back at school wears off. I am spending more and more time in the library and find myself not having time for myself, which is a little sad.
This past weekend the men’s tennis team had its first match of the season against Coe College and Augustana of Illinois in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Both teams had a lot of great players, so we lost both matches. However, the team played really well and I ended up being sore for the next two days. This weekend we play William Jewell and College of the Southwest, who is from New Mexico.
I finally turned in my Spanish thesis paper proposal, which took a lot longer to finish than I previously thought. Now I just wait and hope that it is approved and then I can get started writing the 15-page paper that it accompanies.
The only solace that I can find right now is that fact that Spring Break is coming up in a few short weeks…YEAH!! The tennis teams spends the break in Hilton Head, South Carolina playing in a tournament. The weather is usually great and we rent a huge house close to the beach, which is always nice especially after a frigid winter season.
Until then, I will have to brave the cold, the long nights in the library, and endure the never-ending onslaught of papers and projects.
2/15/2008
Resume, Cover Letter, Real World
This past week I spent a lot of time and energy fixing, editing, re-wording, and everything in-between my resume, cover letter, references, and writing samples. As my semester comes to a close, I have to start looking for jobs and/or internships in the so called “real world.”
Last week I found a great internship at a huge magazine publishing company in New York City, yes the big apple. It was for their summer intern program and I spent this past week worrying about my application. I am sure that thousands of other people submitted applications, however, I truly feel that I have some great qualifications that could land me the position, or at least a phone interview. If selected, I could work either in the editorial, advertising, marketing, or public relations departments.
I definitely utilized the career center and my communication advisor in constructing the best resume and cover letter materials. They are a great help and students really do need to go there, if they have any questions whatsoever, to get help and answers. It is always a good idea to get a second opinion and look over grammar. Usually, if there is even one slight mistake, your application could be thrown in the trash.
Now I just wait until a person in the human resource department contacts me further. I really want this internship because it would be a great start in a field/career that I love. Let’s just hope and pray that someone contacts me!!! Until then, I will continue looking for post-graduation employment opportunities.
3/7/2008
Thesis, Tennis, no Time... Oh My!
Where do I begin??? These past weeks have been busy!! My body and mind are ready for some Spring break relaxation on the beach. One more week, that is all I can think about.
I have been trying really hard to work on my Spanish thesis paper, which looks at the state of the film industry and movies that portray the culture during and after Francisco Franco’s political autocracy. Sounds deep, doesn’t it??? I went to Love library at UNL a couple of times and it seems my used to be down time, is now spent watching old Spanish movies and reading books. Shouldn’t a senior be having more fun in his last semester at Wesleyan???
This past week Wesleyan had their career fair and panels, which was very fun and interesting. I applied to Talent Plus in Lincoln just a couple of days ago and I have a phone interview on Monday…needless to say, I am a little nervous.
The internship in New York City hasn’t yielded any results, but at the same time, the publication company was looking for a person who could receive college credit. I am however, applying for another position in New York at Ransom House, which is a book publishing company. I would work in various positions in the company for a year, sort of like testing the waters; to see which area I enjoy the most.
Then there is tennis. We have been playing every weekend and, not to toot my own horn, or anything, but I have been playing pretty well. Two weekends ago I went 4-0, and I was featured in the student newspaper. This Sunday we go to Kearny to play UNK, which will be fun, but they have 4 terrible courts (a converted barn, which smells and is freezing) for both teams, which means the match could go on for about 6 hours.
There is always time for my reality shows like American Idol and Project Runway. I make sure to pencil these times in my weekly schedule, don’t you worry. I think both shows are doing great and agree with all the winners/losers that have been chosen.
Hope everyone’s weekend is going to be fun and exciting. Talk to you soon.
3/29/2008
Sun, Fun, and Back to School
With the sweet memories of Spring Break becoming distant thoughts only to be remembered by pictures and stories told, real life once again becomes reality. Spring Break was such a blast.
The tennis team went to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week of tennis, sun, beach, and relaxation. The way there went down without a hitch and I played pretty well throughout the week only losing 2 out of 5 singles matches and 1 out of 5 doubles matches. The team only lost one match too, which was great to see everyone performing at such high levels. We rent out houses to stay in for the week, which is a lot cheaper than hotel rooms, and they had a hot tub, pool, and tons of bikes to ride around. The beach was only about a 7 min. bike ride, which meant I was there almost every day!!
Now, once again, school is in full swing. The first week back from break is always the hardest and I am so glad no teachers assigned tests or big papers because I was not in the mood to study. Next week, however, I have a test and two huge papers due, so this weekend I will be getting jump start on those.
On the job front, I recently had a phone interview with Talent Plus and an interview with Sandhills Publishing. I am still looking for jobs on the coasts and I will be applying for a position at Random House Publishers in New York City.
Also March 26th was my birthday, so now I am officially 22 years old and as many of my friends call me, old man. Really though, after turning 21 and that being such an important milestone, 22 just seems to float on by. If any of you want to send my some presents just let me know. Have a great weekend!!!
4/3/2008
Business as Usual
Nothing really excited happened this week, except for the usual array of papers and tests. It seems that teachers know not to assign any big projects the week after Spring Break, but the following week is then plump full of misc. projects. I turned in a research paper for my senior communication seminar and my small group picked me to present to the whole class on Tuesday, which is both flattering and a little nerve-racking because now I have to present and lead discussion for 25 min or something. The good part is that it isn’t graded and I get a gift certificate to a local coffee house.
This weekend will not be any more exciting. The men’s tennis team does not have any meets, which means rest and relaxation, right? Nope, I will be working on my Spanish thesis paper that is long over due and I think has a little dust on the top sheet after not touching it for a while. It is a lot harder than I thought to find the time to write it with everything else going on like regular school work, tennis, meetings, job interviews, etc…
That reminds me that these past few weeks I have been going on a couple interviews at Sandhills Publishing and Talent Plus here in Lincoln. I have been fortunate enough to have, what I consider, good interviews so far. Some of the questions flew me for a loop, but I managed to answer them with poise and confidence. We’ll see what happens next, but worrying about school and life after NWU is at times too much to handle.
I hope everyone’s week went fine and as my communication professor, Dr. Rachel Pokora, says, “Have a safe and fun weekend, but in that order.”
5/4/2008
Looking Ahead
WOW!!! I can’t believe this year is almost over. Since I haven’t talked for a while now, let me brush all of you up on the happenings in my life.
As I continue the job search for after college, there have been some road blocks as well as some successes. I have been turned down by two companies here in Lincoln, which wasn’t the greatest for my confidence, however, throughout the interviewing process, I learned a lot about myself and how to better respond to certain questions.
I have another interview on May 5 with another organization here in Lincoln and I hope it goes well. I also have an interview with a Chicago-based media communications company later in the month. For both I had a phone interview and was asked to come in for a personal interview, which is rewarding because they see the potential that I believe I have.
This past weekend, we had our Conference/Regional tennis tournament and while the women’s team won and will go to nationals in Mobile, AL, the men’s team lost to the University of Sioux Falls in a hard-fought battle. We played them last week and lost, but we all stepped up our game and every match was so close. I am still sore from running around everywhere.
It is truly strange to think that my time here at Wesleyan is over. No doubt I will be back to brush up with professors and after I make my second million dollars, visit them when I donate to a new wing or something. It truly has been an awesome four years. I have met the most interesting and awesome friends and will cherish every last minute I have left. Wesleyan has given me the opportunity to explore the world both literally studying abroad and intellectually. I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person that I know I will succeed in any endeavor. There is nothing that I take back or regret.
Wish all of us luck this and next week as we have finals, which is always a stressful but also rewarding time, knowing that school is almost done. Have a great summer and I hope all of you come to Wesleyan in the near future.
