Hello everyone!
This past week felt so incredibly long. I think it was because it was the first full week of school after fall break, it rained pretty much every day, and I had a midterm.
On Wednesday I found out that the East Africa study abroad program I applied for had been canceled due to not enough applicants. I was definitely really disappointed and my 4-year plan a little shaken due to the program's cancellation. However, I was able to switch my application over to the SE Asia Regional Study program which goes to Thailand. I have my interview later this week for the Thailand program and I think it will be an amazing experience. It is the first year that LC is doing a program to Thailand and the program is based around more experiential learning which is really cool.
On Thursday I had my midterm in my politics of humanitarian intervention class. It was definitely challenging but not impossible. I felt prepared from my studying and did the best that I could, which is what matters most. Later after climbing team practice we all went out to get Thai food for team dinner. It has been really fun to be consistently climbing again.
My Friday was filled with lots of homework and a Campus Activities Board (CAB) retreat where we had a detailed meeting about roles, goals, and plans for the rest of the semester. I am the Director of Community Outreach for CAB so I work on connecting with other organizations/unions, working on collaborating for events, and representing CAB amongst the student body. Our next big event is Fall Ball, the fall semi-formal dance, on November 16.
This weekend I spent my Saturday resting. My brain and body have felt really drained lately due to large amounts of work and stress among other things. I think it’s important to take days to just do nothing. In college, it is easy to forget to take time for yourself. This weekend, Emi, our 4th roommate who wasn't able to come back this year came to stay with us. On Saturday afternoon, my roommates and I went to a pumpkin patch in Happy Valley, OR to get some pumpkins for bread, pie, and decoration. We also stopped at Trader Joe’s and got some much needed food which was great.
Today is my big homework day and I am also doing extra work to try to curb the amount of homework I'll have next weekend. My family is coming for Parents Weekend (they’ll be here starting Thursday) and I want to have as much time as possible to spend with them so I don’t want to have too much homework left. I am so so so excited that my family is coming to visit. I definitely haven't been as homesick this year mostly because I am more comfortable with being at school and also knowing that my family was coming in October and that I'll be going home for Thanksgiving gives me times to look forward to. Last year I hadn't planned to go home until the end of the semester (and my family didn't come out) so it felt like they were really far away sometimes. Since leaving home in August, I've been counting down the weeks and days to this coming Thursday!
Have a wonderful day,
Sarah