So it's the back to school time of the year and I am getting settled in and back to my routine of Penn State life. It always amazes me how strong my affinity for this campus is- I never truly realize it until I've been gone for a long amount of time and then I come back.
There's a lot of adjustments for me this semester, however -- I've made a complete circle and after living in an apartment for two years, I am now living in a freshman dorm as a senior. Yes, I know. It seems completely bizarre. Trust me, if I had a penny for how many puzzled looks I get when I tell people where I am living and that no, I'm not an RA, I'd be millionaire.
But the way it works on Penn State's campus is that there are no sorority houses, so some sororities have suites located in the dorms (which consist of a small living area, kitchen, and bathroom) and in order to keep these suites, they must have a certain percentage of their members residing in the dorm on the sorority floor. So, as president of my chapter this year, here I am, back in a dorm room. It's actually not so bad -- I love being around my sorority sisters and being back on campus -- really, it's just the whole community showers thing. Taking a shower in the dark shadows while wearing shower shoes and trying not to touch the walls isn't exactly my favorite way to get clean.
But being in a freshman dorm as a senior has its interesting moments that allow me to observe, reflect, and yes, laugh. Tonight I saw all of these nervous girls, putting on the most low-cut shirt that they own and giggling with their friends as they head out for their first night as a college student. And, of course, coming back a few hours later teetering on their 4-inch heels with their hair in lopsided buns and makeup running down their faces. Pure comedy.
But I can remember what it felt like to be them, to want to fit in and find yourself and live the famed crazy college life. It's crazy how fast time flies. Just yesterday I was a freshman and now, it's time to start applying for jobs and heading into the real world. Which reminds me, I should pause from blogging -- I have a few applications to finish filling out...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Friendly Island
Upon my return from a week-long family trip to the island of Saint Maarten, I felt refreshed and renewed. But, (as I always do- my habit of constant reflection is a gift and a curse, more of a curse in this case) I found myself reflecting on the irony of the experience.
The island is gorgeous, with sparkling Caribbean waters and handsome sunsets. Colorful houses elevated on lush green hills and our sprawling resorts made me feel nothing less than blissful upon arrival. But the irony to me was in the fact that the island seems to only be paradise for the visitor, not the resident.
After speaking with various locals, the steadily decreasing economy -- much like here in the US -- has taken a considerable toll on St. Maarten residents. With gas at around $5.80 a gallon and numerous homeless islanders roaming the streets alongside homeless animals, it doesn't take much to notice the poverty level of the island -- but, of course, the visitor is conveniently distracted by the tropical breeze.
After first pondering the irony of my "vacation" I tried superficially inject the question into my mind of how can anybody be miserable in such a beautiful place? But the reality is that the majority of destinations that serve as utopian getaways for the middle and upper class of another land are drowning in issues of poverty, crime, and misfortune.
Don't get me wrong -- I thoroughly enjoyed my trip where I spent my 21st birthday. A trip parasailing showed me the true depth of the physical beauty of the island that left me in awe. But for the remainder of my trip, despite my best efforts to just relax and enjoy myself, inevitable guilt continued to creep into my physque as I laid sipping pina coladas and enjoying the high life in what should be somebody's else's paradise.
Perhaps I'm crazy and should just accept that this is the way of the world. Or, as I can hope, maybe there's somebody out there from another country with a similar secret overly active social conscience who feels tinges of guilt as they walk past homeless men on their way to a Broadway Show in New York City. Someone's arcadia is always someone else's abyss.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A Media Love Affair
This video gave me a good laugh this morning. Americans can't stop talking about Obama and his...gray hair??
It goes to show how much scrutiny is involved in this campaign. The fact that on his 47th birthday people are actually speculating whether he is dying his hair gray on purpose to make himself look older and wiser was pretty hilarious to me. What do people expect- after months upon months of fighting in one of the most grueling democratic candidacy races in recent history, and now on to the race for presidency- that's enough to age anybody.
Even when your competitor is a 71-year-old man. John McCain sure has been making an attempt to give Obama a few more grays recently, with his campaign taking a negative turn- although his camp has stated that they do not see the recent ads as negative but rather "entertaining." But I mean, really, comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? Personally, I'm not entertained in the least.
McCain's recent statements about the amount of media attention that's been given to Obama honestly sounds like whining. McCain wrote in an e-mail message to campaign supporters: "It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair." Um, sound like a 2-year-old jealousy tantrum to anyone else? I guess somebody's upset about the fact that people are paying more attention to Obama's gray hairs and not his.
Perhaps I'm a bit less sensitive to McCain's feelings about media attention on Obama because in the midst of all this hoopla, he declined invitations to appear at the UNITY Journalism Conference twice because of "scheduling conflicts." An event featured at a conference full of minority journalists that was broadcast live on CNN, a highly respected media outlet. In other words, the perfect opportunity to be in some of the so-called media spotlight he feels he is never granted and only his competitor is receiving, but he couldn't find the time in his schedule between working on the media-loves-Obama-ads to appear. Hmmm.
Beyond my personal political views or who I plan to vote for, this turn in the campaign worries me because it reflects the quality of one of the presidential candidates as a person. I sincerely hope that McCain's campaign doesn't continue down this route because inevitably it will become sleazy- and during a time when this country desperately needs change, a sleazy presidential race is the last thing any American wants to witness.
It goes to show how much scrutiny is involved in this campaign. The fact that on his 47th birthday people are actually speculating whether he is dying his hair gray on purpose to make himself look older and wiser was pretty hilarious to me. What do people expect- after months upon months of fighting in one of the most grueling democratic candidacy races in recent history, and now on to the race for presidency- that's enough to age anybody.
Even when your competitor is a 71-year-old man. John McCain sure has been making an attempt to give Obama a few more grays recently, with his campaign taking a negative turn- although his camp has stated that they do not see the recent ads as negative but rather "entertaining." But I mean, really, comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? Personally, I'm not entertained in the least.
McCain's recent statements about the amount of media attention that's been given to Obama honestly sounds like whining. McCain wrote in an e-mail message to campaign supporters: "It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair." Um, sound like a 2-year-old jealousy tantrum to anyone else? I guess somebody's upset about the fact that people are paying more attention to Obama's gray hairs and not his.
Perhaps I'm a bit less sensitive to McCain's feelings about media attention on Obama because in the midst of all this hoopla, he declined invitations to appear at the UNITY Journalism Conference twice because of "scheduling conflicts." An event featured at a conference full of minority journalists that was broadcast live on CNN, a highly respected media outlet. In other words, the perfect opportunity to be in some of the so-called media spotlight he feels he is never granted and only his competitor is receiving, but he couldn't find the time in his schedule between working on the media-loves-Obama-ads to appear. Hmmm.
Beyond my personal political views or who I plan to vote for, this turn in the campaign worries me because it reflects the quality of one of the presidential candidates as a person. I sincerely hope that McCain's campaign doesn't continue down this route because inevitably it will become sleazy- and during a time when this country desperately needs change, a sleazy presidential race is the last thing any American wants to witness.
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