Flying Through the Day of a Red Hawk

Senior Year begins!

2009-09-15T09:55:00.003-05:00

Hello! Hola!

It's hard to believe I'm a senior already, the past four years have just flown! I spent last semester abroad in Madrid, Spain and had the time of my life. I believe studying abroad is one of the best--if not the best--thing you can do as an undergraduate student! I learned so much about my self and about this beautiful world we live in, my Spanish improved tremendously, and I met a lot of great people along the way.

My time abroad made me even more excited to come back to Ripon this year and see all of my friends. I'm living in the Senior Apartments this year (the newest building on campus...with A/C!) with three friends who were all abroad last semester too! It's so much fun to cook things we ate while abroad in Spain and Itlay and try new, exotic recipes!

Besides eating well, I also play on the Red Hawk Volleyball team, work as a Spanish Language Lab Assistant, intern in the Admission Office, and participate in the Student Volunteers for the Blue Mountain Project. I also go to class :) This semester I'm taking 16 very interesting credits: Advanced Clinical and Counseling Psychology, Women in Spanish Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Sexualities, and my Psychology Senior Research Seminar.

It's going to be a great year!

Roommates: Jess, Me, Theresa, and Lindsey

Paella de Despedida

2009-05-16T19:32:00.000-05:00

This afternoon Patricia had us all over to her house for a Paella de Despedida. Her husband Jose made a giant paella and Patricia made a smaller one for people with allergies to seafood! It was so much food, but so delicious, and a great way to say goodbye to Madrid! But I am already thinking of how I can come back! There is a program through the Spanish Consulate where you can apply to be a Language and Cultural Assistant, so I might be looking into doing that next year after graduation... :)

Fiestas de San Isidro

2009-05-15T18:42:00.000-05:00

Today is the Fiesta of San Isidro el Labrador, the patron saint of Madrid. All the madrileños were dressed in the traditional chulapo and chulapa costumes--even the little kids! So adorable! There was a carnival-type fair with lots of rides and attractions, dancing in parks and gardens around the city, joke-telling in the streets, theatrical performances, music and so much more! I just went to the carnival, which was incredible in itself! It is held in San Isidro Park, yes, there is an entire park devoted to this day! The park was filled with people picnicing, botelloning and just enjoying the beautiful day. It was so neat to see the traditional dress and I even got to take a picture with a chulapo couple!

The Despedidas begin... :(

2009-05-13T05:21:00.000-05:00

Today was my last day of finals, so now I am officially done "studying" abroad, now I can just have fun abroad! I am sooooo happy to be done! These last few days have been pretty stressful, trying to balance spending time with friends that I might not see again for a long time and studying...and sacrificing sleep! So it is such a weight off my shoulders to be done! Today, between my two finals, we had a Despedida Copa with all the students from the Course of Hispanic Studies and the professors. It was so nice to have a chance to talk to the professors and thank them for a wonderful semester (and of course the food and wine was great too!) Then, after my last exam Riccardo was waiting for me with a flower to celebrate the end of my exams! How sweet! Then we went together to the inaguration of the San Isidro festivities: a parade of Gigantes y cabezudos (giants and large-headed figures), it was short, but really cool! Then we headed to 100 Montiditos for euro drinks and mini-sandwiches! What a perfect day! :)

Kara, Sara and I with Mónica, our Lengua professor

Me and Fátima, my professor of Español Coloquial

San Isidro!

Carrera de la Mujer! A 6K run for cancer!

2009-05-11T08:23:00.000-05:00

Today I ran the Carrera de la mujer, a 6 kilometer run to fight women's cancers. We were a little late registering for the run, so we didn't get a shirt, a backpack, or any of the goodies, but Gema gave me her shirt from last year, so at least I have something to remember it by! So I ran with Gema, my younger sister, Beatrice and her friend, and 15,000 other women! There were even men dressed up as women, with dresses and wigs! It was such a fun environment and all for a great cause! The princess of Spain was even there to start the race off! After 50 minutes of running, there was an aerobics festival where we did aerobics, latin dancing, and kickboxing! It was fun, but a little crowded with 15,000 of us! But it was a great experience, one of my best in Madrid!

¡Feliz cumpleaños Sara!

2009-05-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

Today was Sara's 21st birthday, so her host mom invited all of us over to her house for a little dinner party! It was so nice! Normally we can't go over to eachother's houses because they are really small and it's one of the rules of the program that you're not supposed to, so it was so nice for her to host a party at her house! She made all kinds of great food and we had 3 desserts: a cake, arroz con leche, and brownies! It was so fun, but now I'm stuffed...and I have a paper to finish for tomorrow!

Día de la Madre

2009-05-03T05:32:00.000-05:00

Today is Mother's Day here in Spain, so I after the Rastro this morning I bought a boquet of red daisies for Gema and I gave her a little card. When she was reading the card, she started tearing up a little bit, which made me start tearing up...all I know is that when I leave in a few weeks, it will be more than tearing up! I am going to cry so much! I love my family here, I really feel like Gema is a second mother to me and it's going to be hard to say goodbye. But at least I know that if (and when) I come back to Madrid, I have family here :)

Puente de Mayo en Salamanca!

2009-05-02T04:25:00.000-05:00

Yesderday was Labor Day here in Spain, so it's a three day weekend, the famous puente de mayo! I didn't want to take a big trip because EVERYONE in Madrid is traveling this weekend, so I thought a daytrip somewhere close to Madrid would be nice. Hannah, Sondee and I took a train to Salmanca, the great university city, in the comunidad autónoma of Castilla & León. Our train left at 11 am, so we got to Salamanca around 2pm...it was a lot farther than I was expecting!

Once we got there we headed for the Plaza Mayor, one of Spain's largest and grandest! All around the Plaza are arches with faces of kings, authors, and other famous people, and the Royal Pavillion on the east side is decorated with a bust of Felipe V, who built the square. We found the head of Cervantes! I really liked the Plaza Mayor because it really was a central meeting poing and the heart of Salamanca. There were tons of people sitting on the ground, eating lunch, talking, sun bathing, kids playing, it was so alive!

After Plaza Mayor, we were getting hungry, so we walked and found a little restaurant with tables on the sidewalk. Sondee and I ordered the plato tipico de Salamanca, huevos con farinato (two fried eggs, spicy beans and a breaded meat). It was pretty good, but so much food! After lunch, we headed to the Catedral Vieja and the Catedral Nueva. During a restoration of the catedral in 1993, one of the "creative" workers decided to put an astronaut along with a few other interesting characters on the side of the puerta principal. At the time, a lot of the citizens of Salamanca were not happy, but now it's funny.

After the Catedrals, we walked past the Casa de las Conchas, "House of Shells", a mansion of the knight Rodrigo Arias Maldonado. The golden stone scallop shells that cover the walls are a symbol of the Order of Santiago.

After the Casa de las Conchas, we took a tour of the Universidad Pontificia, the private university that we thought was the University of Salamanca...so 4 euros and thirty minutes later, we left and found the real University, which was "en obras" and closed! But we saw the elaborate facade and the . This university was founded by Alfonso XI, of León in 1218, making it the oldest in Spain. Miguel de Unamuno studied there as well as Miguel de Cervantes, so it was really neat to see it, even if it was only the door! The building's façade is decorated with numerous figures, one of them being the famous ¨frog on a skull¨, which isn't easy to find as there are numerous small figures, but according to local tradition academic success is guaranteed if found, so I guess I will have luck for my finals in a few weeks! :)

After the University, as we were walking down to the Puente Romano, the Roman bridge across the Rio Tormes, built in the 1st century AD, we saw a wedding! It was absolutely gorgeous! I took a few pictures sneakily and decided that I want to have a wedding like this! :)

After the Puente Romano, we had to get back to catch the train! It was a short time, but I'm glad we went! We finally got to see the famous University and the Plaza Mayor!

Córdoba y Sevilla

2009-04-28T16:19:00.006-05:00

This past weekend I went to Córdoba y Sevilla in Andalucía with my AYA program. Saturday morning we took the AVE from Madrid to Córdoba, where we saw the Mezquita, a great Mosque dating back to the 12th centuries. However, during the 16th century, during the Reconquista, a cathedral was built in the heart of the reconsecrated mosque, part of which was destroyed. Now the Mezquita is a beautiful "mezcla" of Muslim and Christian architecture. After a few hours in Córdoba, we caught the Andalucía Express Train to Sevilla.

When we arrived in Sevilla, we checked into our hostel, Hostal Picasso, which was beautiful inside! Then Patricia gave us a brief tour because Sevilla was where she spent a year studying abroad! We saw the Alfonso XIII Hotel, the University, Plaza de España, the Torre de Oro, the Plaza de Toros, and even the street that she walked down everyday and where she lived. Sevilla is gorgeous! We did some souvenier shopping, then went tapa-hopping for dinner.

On Sunday we began with the Real Alcázar, the royal palace in Sevilla. It was absolutely beautiful, modeled after the Ahlambra in Granada, and full of beautiful Arabic architecture and charm. The gardens were my favorite part, though! Full of terraces, fountains, and pavillions...I could have spent all day in the gardens! But it was kind of rainy and cold, so afterwards we went to a little cafe for some Cola-Cao (hot cocoa)! By time we were finished with our drinks it was done raining so we headed to the Tourist office to get some maps, then we went to the Turno to get some cookies from the Convent! We ate lunch at a really neat Italian restaurant, then went to the Sevilla Cathedral and La Giralda. Sevilla's Cathedral stands on the site of a great mosque built in the late 12th century. La Giralda, its bell tower, and the patio de los Naranjos (Oranges) are the only legacy left of the Moorish structure. However, the Cathedral is the third largest in Europe, behind St. Peter's in Rome and another in Milan. We saw the supposed tomb of Christopher Columbus and climbed La Giralda. Something interesting is that the tower has ramps instead of steps because the horses used to have to climb it! But the view from the top was impressive! After the catedral, we had a few hours to finish up our souvenier shopping and then we had to catch our train back to Madrid. On the train, they showed the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I really liked! It was so neat to see all of the sights I visited when I was in Barcelona! :) It was a great end to a wonderful weekend!

Real Madrid Game!

2009-04-22T03:50:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Real Madrid fútbol game against Getafe at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, it was probably one of the best games I have ever been to! I'm generally not a big fan of fútbol (soccer), but it's such a big part of the culture here, so we wanted to experience a game en directo (live)! The stadium was full and our seats were in the "vomiteros" section...I think that is equivalent to the English "nosebleeds" section, because we were literally one row away from being in the highest up! But it was a great experience for only 20 euros! It was a great way to practice my coloquial Spanish, learn more about the culture and the game of fútbol, and even learn a little of the fight song! An interesting thing is that during "half-time" everyone eats their bocadillo that they brought for dinner. So you see everyone with their baguette sandwich in tinfoil, eating dinner. And everyone wears scarves of their team, so of course we had to get some Real Madrid "bufandas" to show our support for the team! It was an exciting game too; lots of scoring! The score was tied, but Madrid came back to score the winning goal in the last minutes of the game and ended up beating Getafe 3-2. The stadium is also very close to my house, which is so nice! I walked there in about 15-20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2009-04-19T04:48:00.000-05:00

Today Patricia invited us over to her house for lunch and some cookie baking! It was so much fun! We made two different types of cookies: the normal chocolate chip cookies and then reverse, chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips...so delicious! In Spain, they don't have chocolate chips, so we had to cut bars of chocolate! I had never done that before, so it was interesting. We made tons of cookies, but I think we ate even more! For lunch we had spaghetti or pasta with pesto, bread, and salad...then we had a few bites of cookie dough here and there...and then of course we had to sample at least one of both types of cookies! What a rough life! :)

El Escorial

2009-04-18T04:29:00.000-05:00

Today I took a bus to go visit El Escorial, Felipe II's palace, in the foothills fo the Sierra de Guadarrama to the northwest of Madrid. It was built between 1563 and 1584 as a final resting place for Felipe II's father, Carlos I of Spain. I took a tour through the gigantic building and got to see the architecture museum, the gallery of paintings, the royal apartments, the royal panthenon, the chapter rooms, the library and the gardens, but the basilica was being renovated, so I wasn't able to see it. But the palace was beautiful! I got to see Felipe's bedroom where he died in September 1598 and the views he enjoyed out his windows. It was a great little daytrip!

I couldn't take pictures inside, but here are some photos of the outside:

Semana Santa en Málaga (y Florencia...)

2009-04-15T14:21:00.008-05:00

This past week was Semana Santa, so I headed to the beach for a few days with some friends! We stayed at a resort about an hour and a half outside of Málaga, on the Coasta del Sol, it was absolutely beautiful and a great way to relax! I took a bus (7 hours) down to Málaga on Sunday, April 5, and stayed until Thursday. On Monday, Hannah and I went into Málaga to see some of the processions. Each day, there were between six and eight different processions. We went to the Crucifixion procession. It was so incredible to see the processions so close! We've been hearing about these famous processions for so long, it was a great experience to actually see them up close! There were tons of people who came to watch these processions of people in tall, pointed hats and hundreds of men carrying a large "paso" (float). It was a great way to spend the day! Then Tuesday, we went to the beach--one of the best beaches on the Coasta del Sol! Our resort has a little mini-bus and so they came and picked us up and drove us to the beach. All of the resort staff were so nice to us because we could actually speak Spanish! Málaga is very touristy and almost everything was in English, so I'm sure they appreciated us speaking in Spanish. The wind was terrible that day, so we were covering up with our towels instead of laying on them! But we found a little spot a little more sheltered and were able to finally soak in some sunshine. Wednesday we visited Mijas, a little pueblo near our resort. Mijas is a very typical Andalucian town, with white buildings, small streets, and donkeys for taxis! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our little excursion! Thursday I left Málaga for Madrid...and 7 hours later I arrived!

I spent Thursday night and Friday morning in Madrid, then I was off to Rome! I met up with some friends, then Sunday and Monday I was in Florence! Florence was beautiful! I saw the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, The Galleria dell'Accademia (where we saw Michelangelo's David), Piazza de Michelangelo, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza Vecchio...

But now, it's back to classes! It's hard to get back to studying after such a wonderful break and when all of my friends who studied abroad this semester are now home! I am the last! But I am going to enjoy every last minute of my time abroad! :)

Tomorrow!

2009-03-26T17:45:00.002-05:00

I am so excited because tomorrow my mom and my sister will be coming to Madrid for my sister's spring break! 8 whole days! I can't wait! :) And tomorrow is Brittany's birthday, so I can take her out on the town! What fun!

A weekend in beautiful Barcelona!

2009-03-23T08:07:00.007-05:00

This past weekend was a holiday in Spain, so we had a four-day weekend and what better way to spend it than to go to Barcelona?! We went in the AVE (alta velocidad española) train, which was SO nice! It was just like a plane, but bigger and I didn't have to bring travel-size shampoo!

The train travels at speeds up to 300 km/hour (186 mph), so it was a nice three and a half hour trip from Madrid to Barcelona. We got there Thursday afternoon around 5:30. We checked into our hostel (the RamCat) and then walked around a bit by the mediterranean and saw the big shopping center, then went for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was an early night because we were all tired and we knew we had a big weekend ahead of us!

Friday we started the day out at the Catedral de Barcelona, which was beautiful with each of the 28 chapels was ornately decorated. After the Catedral, we went to the Museo de Picasso, which was huge and very impressive. I never realized what a range he had, and I have such a greater appreciation for his work now. The next stop was the Chocolate Museum (Xocolate Museo in Catalan)...it had sculptures made of chocolate, history of chocolate, and of course included a free bar of chocolate! It was very interesting and very tasty! Then we took the metro up to Montjuic, "Jewish Mountain", to take in a great view of the city. The gondola was closed by time we got there, but we did see the Magic Fountain of Montjuic, a display of color, light, music, motion, and water acrobatics. It was really neat!

Saturday we began our day early, at the Sagrada Familia, one of the most recognized symbols of Barcelona. It was designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, who devoted his last forty years of his life to the project. Construction began in 1882 and is still going on today...scheduled completion date: 2020! So that tells you just how elaborate it is! Gaudí was inspired tremendously by nature and you can see that in the design of the cathedral. It was beautiful and I cannot wait to return and see the completed project! After the Sagrada Familia, we went to the Park Güell, another of Gaudí's masterpieces. At the entrance to the park are two buildings that look like something out of the boardgame "Candyland." It was very whimsical and there were mosaics everywhere...there was a large salamander and a large wavy bench with mosiac designs, so beautiful! After the Park, we went to another work by Gaudí, Casa Mila, an apartment building built in 1912. So basically, I am now a big fan of Gaudí and if you haven't heard of him you should definitely check him out!

Rollin' with the Romans

2009-03-18T06:37:00.003-05:00

This weekend Sondee and I went to Rome to visit our friend Riccardo, who we met at Carlos III. He was in Rome for a week because he had to take an exam, so we flew in for the weekend and stayed with him. It was wonderful! He picked us up from the airport (but there was a slight mix-up and Sondee and I flew into different airports, so we got a tour of all the airports in the Rome area!) and then we met a few of his friends for dinner. I had four cheese pizza--delicious! Pizza is a little different here...everyone orders their own pizza because the crust is thinner you can eat it all. It's not as heavy as pizza in the US. After dinner Riccardo and his friend Diego tried to take us to the city center, where all the night-life is, but the traffic was so bad we decided to call it a night.

Saturday was our big sight-seeing day! We started off with some Italian capuccino and a pastry at a bar near the apartment, then we went to another bar for some more pastries, then it was finally time to begin! We started off at the Basilica of Saint Paul, then the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Venencian Plaza, the Panthenon, the Plaza de Espana, and the Trevi fountain! It was a long day, but so much fun! We met up with a few of Riccardo's friends for dinner and then went out on the town!

Sunday was football day. Rome was playing another team, so we went to Riccardo's dad's house to watch the game with a few friends of his. His dad cooked us some amazing food and we watched the football game! After the game we headed to the Plaza de San Pietro, which was beautiful! The Vatican was closed, so we couldn't go inside, but it was still beautiful from the outside! I guess we'll just have to go back...

Ciao!

Tomorrow I leave for Barcelona... :)

Family time :)

2009-03-13T06:32:00.005-05:00

Today I made a torte with my señora and my little sister! It was so simple, but delicious! And a good way to spend time together! The dough was made of melted butter, two eggs, baking powder, and flour, and then we spread nutella on top and put little shapes of dough on the nutella. It took fifteen minutes total, I think. It was muy rapida y muy rica también! :) I can't wait to bring home all my new recipes and cook! Here are a few photos from our baking session!

This weekend: Rome!

Besos!

11-M

2009-03-11T15:21:00.004-05:00

Today is the 5-year anniversary of 11-M, the terrorist attacks in the Madrid Train Station, Atocha. 11-M consisted of a series of coordinated bombings in Atocha, the center station of the Cercanías (commuter train) system of Madrid on the morning of 11 March 2004 (three days before Spain's general elections), killing 191 people and wounding 1,400. The official investigations determined that the attacks were directed by an al-Quaeda-inspired terrorist cell, but with no direct connections to al-Quaeda.

I remember hearing about the bombings five years ago, back in the United States, but I was a junior in high school and had not even started studying Spanish, so I never dreamed I would be studying abroad in Madrid, or even Spain. And now, here I am! It was very humbling though, as I use the Cercanías every day to commute to the my university, which is in a southern suburb of Madrid. My station is one stop north of Atocha, and I go through Atocha everyday. The victims of attack are now very close to my heart.

On a lighter note...today I bought my Ave (bullet train) ticket for Barcelona next weekend! The 19th of March is a holiday, so we have a four-day weekend!

And this weekend I'm headed to Roma!

Reina Sophía, Valle de Los Caídos...y la Cocina Española!

2009-03-08T15:41:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I visited the Reina Sophía museum with my Estudios Culturales class. The Reina Sophía is the home of Picasso's Guernica, the most famous single work of the 20th century. It was created as a Civil War protest and commissioned by the Spanish Republican government in 1937. I have seen this painting in so many textbooks, it was incredible to see it in real life. I was amazed at its size, I didn't realize how big it actually is--349 cm × 776 cm (137.4 in × 305.5 in)! Our focus was on art during the Spanish Civil War, so we also saw works by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Horacio Ferrer, and Robert Capa. But there was so much more to see! So I'm definitely returning! :)

After the Reina Sophía, we took a bus to the Valle de Los Caídos (The Valley of the Fallen), the tomb of dictator Francisco Franco. The monument is a huge cross on the mountainside 50 stories tall (100 if you include the base!). You can see it from kilometers away! It was neat to see, but a little strange too. I don't know how to describe it, but it just had an eery feeling to it...

Today, Patricia, the directora of our program, had us all over to her house for a Spanish cooking class! And boy did we cook! For 2 hours! Tortilla española (omelet with potato--very popular here!), a spinich dish, Arroz con leche (translation: rice with milk, a dessert), and of course, sangria. It was so delicious, but so filling! I can't wait to make some of these Spanish foods when I go home!

--Christy

(SNOW) Me gusta Segovia!

2009-03-06T16:17:00.008-06:00

Today I went on an excursion for my Environment and Society class to Segovia, a small town in the mountains northwest of Madrid. It was absolutely beautiful, but I think we had the worst weather possible! The pass that we would normally use to get to the mountains was closed because of the snow that had fallen this week. So there was snow on the ground AND it was raining. The first "parada" (stop) that we made was at the Presa de Navacerrada, near the large reservoir, which if needed could supply Madrid with water for a year and a half if there were to be a drought. Navacerrada is also known for supplying Madrid with firewood and cattle, things that cannot be grown or raised in Madrid. It was very cold here, the wind was whipping off the water and the rain was falling...The next stop was a small cafeteria to drink a cup of coffee, then to the Bosque, a forest of Scotch Pines. Here, we ate lunch and then attempted to do a 5K hike, but with the snow on the ground and the rain, it was slippery and incredibly cold! I was wearing boots, but my feet were still cold and soaking wet by the end. It was such a shame because the bosque was absolutely gorgeous! I really want to go back when it gets warmer and go hiking! Here, in this region, the altitude is greater, so the type of rock is only granite. That's why the stream was so shallow; because the water is not able to erode the granite as easily as limestone. We got back on the bus and headed to La Granja de San Ildefonso, a community created just for the royal family and their servants. The city was carefully planned and is set-up like a grid (much easier than the medieval cities, such as Toledo and Segovia to navigate!). Here we walked (in the rain) through beautiful gardens, covered in snow. Again, I would love to return during the summer when the fountains are actually on so I can see the true splendor of the gardens! The last stop was Segovia. Finally. By this time we were all exhausted, wet, cold, and ready to go home. But we found some energy! We went first to see the Roman Aqueduct--simply incredible. It was huge! And until 20 years ago, cars would drive under it, through the arches because it was a major road! But now, it's closed off to cars and only open to foot traffic. It's hard to believe they ever let cars that close to this ancient aqueduct! The aqueduct was constructed by the Romans, out of granite, which they brought down from the mountains. You can see little dimples in the stones where they used the cranes to haul the pieces into place--all without concrete. The granite stones are simply stacked one upon the other. Incredible. In Segovia, we also saw the Alcazar Castle, which started off as an Arab fort, but at the end of the 11th century it was conquered by King Alfonso VI. During the Middle Ages, the Alcazar of Segovia was the favorite residence of Kings of Castile. It was beautiful, but closed, so we could not go inside...another reason to return!

It was a long day, and I'm cold and tired...but now I can say I've been to Segovia! :)

Carnaval in Alicante

2009-02-26T13:39:00.007-06:00

This past weekend was Carnaval in every city across Spain. Carnaval is basically a mix of Mardi Gras and Halloween. It is the weekend before Lent begins, but everyone dresses up in costumes for the entire weekend. Halloween is my favorite holiday so I was excited to have another chance to wear a costume! There was Carnaval in Madrid too, but Hannah, Sondee, and I decided to visit Lindsey and Theresa, two other girls from Ripon, who are studying in Alicante. Alicante is on the eastern coast of Spain, along the Mediterranean, so it was beautiful!

We flew Ryan Air, so we got pretty reasonably-priced tickets, we got in around 11 pm Friday night. Theresa met us at our Hostal (Hostal Milagraso) and gave us a brief tour of the barrio and the main sights of Alicante. It was an early night though, because we were all tired and wanted to rest up before all of the festivities on Saturday. Saturday we met Theresa again and did some more sightseeing. The first thing on the list: find a supermarket! Theresa took us to El Mercado, the HUGE market full of everything from fresh fish to fresh fruit! The floor with the fish and the meats smelled so bad, but once we found the fruit we were in heaven! So many fresh fruits and vegetables! We bought a kilo of strawberries (fresas) and I got three apples (manzanas). Then we continued on our way to a real supermarket to buy bread, cereal, jam, and of course sangria! After our grocery shopping we took our things back to the hostal and then went out for lunch. In Spain, they have what's called a "Menu del Dia", which is a really good deal. You get a two-course meal plus bread, dessert, and a drink all for anywhere from 7-10 euros. I love it! But you definitely cannot do the menu del dia if you are in a hurry. There is so such thing as a fast lunch here. Everything is prepared just for you, when you order it, and eating out is not about the food, but rather about spending time with friends and socializing--which I love. After lunch (which is eaten in the middle of the afternoon, around 3 pm), we went to the Castle of Santa Barbara, which looks out over the entire city. It used to be a fortress for various kings...It was gorgeous, but so windy! After the castle, it was time to head back to the hostal and get ready for Carnaval! We all had elaborate feathered masks that we wore with dresses and Theresa was an Indian. It was so much fun! Live music in the streets, dancing, street vendors, and tons of costumes! I loved it! We stayed out until almost 4 am, but the party was still going strong! The nights don't end until 6, 7, or 8 am here! Sunday morning we checked out of our hostal at noon, then headed out to see a few more of the sights of Alicante. We found Plaza del Toros, the bullfighting ring. Everything was decorated for Carnaval, even the iron bulls and bullfighter sculptures outside, so I had to take a picture with them! The bulls had fake eyelashes, scarves, and there was a thought bubble that said, "Obama, save us!" I thought that was so funny! After that, we met up with Lindsey on the beach and went for lunch, where we met Theresa. After lunch, we still had a lot of time because our flight didn't leave until 11 pm, so she showed us a few more plazas, went to an exposition on Biodiversity (Sondee's a bio major...), and roamed around. A lot of places close on Sundays, so it was pretty quiet. We caught a bus to the airport and were back in Madrid a little after midnight. It was a long weekend, but a lot of fun! I can't wait until Lindsey and Theresa visit Madrid!!

Weekend in Granada!

2009-02-17T15:51:00.008-06:00

This past weekend I went to Granada, a city in Southern Spain, surrounded by mountains. It was beautiful! Last year, the Spanish department had a T.A. from Granada, Elena, so I told her I was in her city, but we weren't able to meet up.

We arrived Friday night and took a walking tour through the city, then later that night we went to a Flamenco Show. The Flamenco was incredible! We were in a room that was shaped like a tunnel and the dancers were less than three feet away, sometimes I had to lean back because I thought I was going to get hit with their skirts! But it was a great experience! We also got to see the Alhambra at night--beautiful. Saturday, we actually went to the Alhambra, once the residence of the Muslim rulers in Granada. The muslim architecture and designs were incredibly beautiful and intricate. It was definitely the highlight of the trip! Then Saturday night, we went to Mae West, a huge discotecta in a mall! It was fun, but very crowded! Then Sunday we had the day free to do some shopping in many of the Gypsy markets and to go for a stroll through the city.

Bienvenida a España!

2009-02-03T14:55:00.001-06:00

Hola! I am now writing from Madrid, Spain, where I will be spending the next four months studying at the Carlos III University. I have been in Madrid since the 24th of January and have been busy getting acquainted with the city and its wonderful metro system. This week is orientation at the university, so Monday I took a written exam and tomorrow I have an oral exam to evaluate my level of Spanish and to place me in the appropriate level of classes. Last week I spent the whole time sight-seeing around Madrid and fell in love with the city! Here are some fotos! :)

The view from La Plaza Mayor

La Plaza Mayor

Palacio Real

El Parque de Retiro

Hasta Pronto,
Christy

First day of classes!

2009-01-20T19:24:00.003-06:00

Today was the first day of classes for second semester, but I was not there. I am headed to Madrid, Spain to spend the semester abroad...I leave on Friday! But I had to come back to Ripon one last time to see everyone! I will hopefully try to keep up on my blog and share my experiences while I am abroad.

Here is a photo of me and some friends taken during my visit yesterday...

--Christy

iHasta Pronto!

A Dickens of a Weekend!

2008-12-09T09:24:00.002-06:00

This past weekend was Dickens of a Christmas in Historic Downtown Ripon! Dickens of a Christmas is a Victorian-themed Christmas festival as a tribute to the stunning Victorian architecture and homes throughout Ripon. It features something for everyone: Living Windows in downtown businesses on Friday evening, carriage rides through Historic Downtown Ripon, a Tour of Homes on Saturday, Dickens of a Quilt Show, Enchanted Forest of trees sponsored by area organizations, an International Gift Market, Breakfast with Santa and much more! It is fun to see all of my friends in the Living Windows and it always puts me in the Holiday Spirit!

This year there Las Posadas was also part of the Dickens tradition. Las Posadasis a Christmas tradition in many Spanish-speaking countries which reenacts the Biblical Mary and Joseph’s search for lodgings in Bethlehem. There was a reenactment, caroling, traditional foods of Spanish-speaking countries, and a Latino DJ! What fun!

The pressure of the end of the semester is building...this is our last week of classes, then next week it's finals week! So much to do!

The weather forecast for today is 3-4" of snow in additon to the 5" we got yesterday! All I have to do is study, so let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

--Christy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T11:52:00.002-06:00

I am heading home today for Thanksgiving Break! We have classes tomorrow, but I have an appointment at the Spanish Consulate in Spain to obtain my Visa for studying abroad next semester! It's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving Break already! When we come back we will have two weeks of classes and then it's finals week! The semester is just flying!

I hope you all have a fun-filled and relaxing Thanksgiving!

Winter Wonderland!

2008-11-24T18:21:00.008-06:00

Last night campus was transformed into a beautiful Winter Wonderland with five inches of snow! I think the campus looks gorgeous with the fresh layer of snow, and it puts us all in the Holiday Spirit! Friday night, Untied, an all-male vocal group made up of six upperclassmen, performed a benefit concert to raise money for the Santa Squad, a non-profit organization started by a junior at Ripon to raise money and purchase toys for children. At the concert Friday night they raised over $600!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! We have classes until Wednesday this week, but I'm heading home tomorrow and then down to Chicago on Wednesday to apply for my Student Visa to study abroad next semester! But the break isn't going to be very relaxing with all the homework I have to do! The last two weeks of class I have two presentations, two papers, a Spanish composicion, and an exam! Then it's finals week. :(

But if the scenery stays like this I think I'll be able to manage! Check out the beautiful sights around campus!

Something for Everyone!

2008-11-20T11:00:00.003-06:00

There are so many activities going on this week around campus! I have to write them all in my planner so I make sure I get to everything I want to do! All week, the Office of Community Engagement has been sponsoring Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week including activities such a food drive, the opportunity for students to build a cardboard shack and sleep in it tomorrow night on the Village Square, an "Empty Mugs" pottery sale at Vox Coffee on Saturday, and also a trip on Saturday to volunteer with a food drive at the Council of Spanish Speaking Milwaukee (which I'm attending! :))!

Tonight, there are a TON of great things happening!

- Open Mic Night in the Terrace

- Ripon College Professors are leading a discussion about the country's current economic state
- The Sociology club will be having its FIRST meeting

- The Residence Life Staff of Tri Dorms, Johnson, and the Senior Apartments are hosting a night of scarf-making in the Johnson main lounge

- The Student Education Assocaition (SEA) is having a meeting tonight

- The Student Volunteers for the Blue Mountain Project is having a meeting tonight

--Christy

America's Next Top Model could be a Ripon College student!

2008-11-19T16:43:00.006-06:00

Tonight, as many of you may know is the season finale of America's Next Top Model! There is a lot of excitement on campus as we root on our fellow classmate, Brittany "McKey" Sullivan! She is a sophomore here at Ripon and in the final three competing for the title of America's Next Top Model! At least for the girls on campus tonight is as exciting as the Super Bowl! :)

Here are a few of McKey's past photos:

The weather outside is frightful...

2008-11-18T09:21:00.003-06:00

Yesterday it was snowing all morning, and when I woke up today I was happy to see the light dusting of snow still on the ground! Hopefully today's sunshine doesn't melt it away!

Yesterday I had two exams and a quiz and I am so thankful they are over! Now I can concentrate on my papers and presentations I have to prepare for several of my classes! It never ends!

Today I only have one class, then I'm selling Autism Awareness t-shirts for Psi Chi during lunch at the commons. This is the second chance to buy t-shirts; during the first sales we raised over $600 for Autism Speaks, a foundation to raise awareness and fund Autism research.

--Christy

And the crown goes to...

2008-11-13T12:56:00.003-06:00

Last night was Ripon College’s second annual fund raiser for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. It was put on by the Communication Department and raised over $3,000! It was full of entertainment with competitors trying to win the title, and prizes, of Mr. Ripon! Contestants showed off their skills--dancing, singing, and telling jokes, but in the end there was only one Mr. Ripon. A senior took home the crown!

Today is a very relaxing day for me...I don't have any classes! I work for a couple hours and then I'm participating in a psychology study, after that the day is mine to work on homework and catch up laundry!

This afternoon Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and The Environmental Group of Ripon are sponsoring a presentation by Ripon Alum, Steve Sandstrom, entitled "Global Climate and the American Consumer: How You Can Make a Difference." It should be very interesting and educational! In addition, tonight the Spirituality Association of Ripon (SARC) and Campus Cristian Fellowhip (CCF) are presenting Sister Lynne Smith of the Benedictine Abbey in Madison (an ordained Presbyterian minister), who will speak on the work of her religious community to restore the environment. She will also explain how she, a Protestant pastor, came to be a Catholic nun.

Peace,

Christy

The ending of another season

2008-11-11T09:44:00.004-06:00

This past weekend was the Conference Tournament at St. Norbert College. At the end of the regular season the top four teams make it to the conference tournament, where they play to see who will move on to the first round of the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Tournament. We were the number three seed and played the number two seed, Beloit College, in a tough match Friday afternoon. We lost in three sets, 15-25, 18-25, 25-27. After staying to watch the Championship match on Saturday, I went with my parents to catch the last quarter of the football game at Lawrence University. The boys won 42-14!

I went home with my parents Saturday night and went to the Packer-Viking game in Minneapolis on Sunday! What a game! It was a tough last-minute loss, but it was a fun game!

Today, in honor of Veterans' Day, Ripon College Republicans and ROTC will be sponsoring a Veterans' Day Celebration at 7 pm in Great Hall.

--Christy

What a day!

2008-11-04T15:47:00.004-06:00

Today is an exciting day around campus! The College Democrats and the College Republicans along with Student Activities Committee are offerinf rides to the polls, but I'm going to walk and enjoy this beautiful weather! It's a balmy 70 degrees! I love it!

Over lunch, I went to a study-abroad luncheon where students that traveled to Spain last semester met with students who are going next semester. It was very informative and has made me even more excited "ir a Madrid"!

I was recently invited to join Psi Chi, the national honor society in Psychology. Psi Chi was founded for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. Receiving an invitation to Psi Chi is a great honor! In order to be eligible you must have had 9 completed semester hours in psychology, have declared a psychology major or minor, have a GPA of at least 3.0 in psychology and a 3.0 overall, and must be ranked within the top 35% of your graduating class! So I am very excited to have been invited to join Psi Chi!

This weekend's Halloween festivities were so fun! Merriman had a Haunted House open to students after donating a canned food item for the Food Shelf. It was a spooky good time and for a great cause as well!

Also this weekend, the Red Hawk Volleyball team beat Lake Forest College and earned the number 3 seed in the Conference tournament coming up next weekend! It was a great match and a great end to the regular season!

--Christy

Where has the time gone?!

2008-10-30T11:42:00.003-05:00

Hello! I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! The time has just run away from me! First, it was midterms week and then I spent Fall Break in Texas on a volleyball trip! It has been a hectic few weeks!

Texas was a BLAST! It was nice to be out in the warm sunshine! We went on an African Safari, ate dinner at a Medieval Times Castle, visited the JFK Museum, did some shopping, and of course, played lots of volleyball!

The volleyball season is coming to a close, sadly. We had our last home game of the season last night, where we lost to St. Norbert's in four sets. Saturday, we play at Lake Forest College in Illinois, and if we win we will be the number three seed heading into the Conference Tournament next weekend! Only the top four teams go, so it would be very exciting!

This weekend is Halloween--my favorite holiday! :) This afternoon I'm going to Goodwill to try and find a last-minute costume! There are plenty of Halloween festivities happening around campus: Theta Sigma Tau is hosting a Halloween Party at the Union tomorrow night and Merriman fraternity is having a Haunted House Saturday night! I am so excited...let the tricks, treats, and hauntings begin! :)

T.G.I. Friday AND Homecoming Weekend!

2008-10-10T14:02:00.002-05:00

I am so the weekend is almost here! Today was a very stressful day: I had two exams, a quiz, and corrections for a composicion due! So...last night I took a study break at midnight to make a Kwik Trip run for caffeine and ice cream treats! I didn't go to bed until 2 AM and I got up at 7 AM to study some more before my first exam at 9! So I am runnign on a solid five hours of sleep! I have one more class today, from 2:30-3:40, then I have to run and lift for volleyball, and then the weekend is all mine!

Tonight I am going out to dinner with some of the girls and then SMAC is showing fireworks over Upper Sadoff at 9:15 PM! I'm so excited! What a great way to kick off the weekend!

Then tomorrow the football game is at 1 PM against Beloit College, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is performing at Storzer at 7:30 PM, and Magdalen Hsu-Li will be performing in the Terrace at 8:30 PM!

So much to do this weekend...including studying for midterms next week... :(

Happy Homecoming! GO RED HAWKS!!

--Christy

Give up my cell phone for a day?!

2008-10-09T09:09:00.004-05:00

In my Intro to Sociology class we are studying deviance. Deviance does not necessarily have to be something bad, just something outside your norms. On the first day of the unit our professor, who normally wears pumps and business attire, was sitting in the front of the class wearing sweatpants and a hoodie with her feet up the the table! That was her form of deviance, but today is a chance for the students to be deviant! For 10 EXTRA credit points, we had to lock up our cell phones in her office for 12 hours. So as of 9:15 this morning I am going on 45 minutes without my cell phone! I think it will be good for me though; I have two exams to study for today, so I won't be distracted by calls or text messages! :)

On the court last night, the volleyball team beat Lawrence University in 4 sets: 16-25, 25-19, 25-15, and 25-23! It was also Senior night, so we, juniors, had to plan the night! Yesterday Sara and I were running all over town, getting balloons and bouquets of flowers for our five wonderful seniors! But everything went very smoothly and the seniors and their parents really appreciated it!

Today from 3-4 pm there is an Alumni Panel on Graduate School, followed by a panel of Alumni Attorneys, who will speak in detail about careers in various legal fields. This is a great opportunity to learn about graduate school admission process, programs, and the GRE.

Also tonight, Ripon College's Ethical Leadership Program is sponsoring a forum to discuss Wisconsin’s Drinking Age and the Amethyst Initiative. The Amethyst Initiative is a statement signed by 129 college presidents, including Ripon College’s President David Joyce, that does not prescribe a particular policy change but states the signatories' belief that the legal drinking age of 21 is not working as well as the public may think, that its unintended consequences are posing increasing risks to young people, and that it is time for a serious debate among our elected representatives about whether current public policies are in line with current realities. The forum is intended to open the discussion about Wisconsin’s legal drinking age as well as encourage student, faculty and community participation to bring forth as many positions, beliefs and questions as possible. It should be a very interesting and well-needed discussion.

--Christy

Homecoming Week!

2008-10-06T16:07:00.005-05:00

This week is Homecoming Week at Wild Wild Ripon and there's a great line-up of events! The week kicked off on Saturday with a brat fry at the soccer game. Yesterday campus organizations grabbed thier paintbrushes and painted the windows of the commons, and today SMAC sponsored Monday Music Madness in the Pub during lunch. On Thursday, comedian Chad Daniels will be at the Terrace. Friday there is a Fireworks show on Upper Sadoff and Couch Potato Playoffs, and Saturday is the Parade and the Big Game! The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is also performing Saturday night at 7:30 in the Rodman Center.

Homecoming week is a fun week to show our school spirit and attend activities around campus! GO RED HAWKS!!!

--Christy

Madrid, Here I Come!

2008-10-06T12:37:00.002-05:00

Today I received my acceptance letter from the Academic Year Abroad - Madrid Program! Now the next step is filling out an academic questionnaire, a health/insurance questionnaire, a housing questionnaire, and signing a contract for payment...

I am so EXCITED!!! :)

Working Hard...or Hardly Working?

2008-10-02T10:31:00.007-05:00

Today is my "day off" so to speak! I don't have any class, so I am going to use my time to walk a few blocks to Ripon Drug and pick up a few things and then cruise over to the Thrift Store and see if I can find any treasures! It's kind of chilly, but definitely worth it! Maybe I'll even stop in at Vox Coffee for a sip of heavenly warmth! :-) After my shopping, I'll probably cook up a little lunch with Nick, and then decide if I want to do some homework or consider taking a little nap! This cold, cloudy weather is not good for my spirit! All I want to do is stay inside and sleep the day away! Especially since Plant Department turned the heat on in all the buildings on campus yesterday!

Even though I'm hardly working today, the construction crew is hard at work, tearing up the streets of Elm and Seward! I think the students are ready for the project to be done...the construction crew starts long before any college student ever wants to be awake! But the project should move quickly; the goal completion date is the first snowfall...which I hope is not coming any time soon! Here are some pictures of the current campus conditions!

--Christy

Peace, Party, and Volleyball

2008-09-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

Today I went to a presentation by Dr. Ann Frisch of the Nonviolent Peaceforce. Dr. Frisch is a retired professor from the University of Oshkosh, who is now a member of the US Fundraising Board and a returned international civilian peacekeeper. She talked a lot about her organization, Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), which is a nonpartisan unarmed peacekeeping force composed of trained civilians from around the world. I am very interested in Peace Studies, after taking a Peace Studies Maymester and traveling to Hagley Gap, Jamaica last spring. I spoke with Dr. Firsch after her presentation about internship opportunities and I hope to be in contact with her in the future.

Tonight for dinner, Student Activities is sponsoring a Block Party to celebrate the closing of the streets! WRPN FM, Ripon's own radio station, will be providing the music, Student Activities will provide chalk for drawing on the roads, and dinner will be served outside too! What a great way to celebrate!

This weekend, the Red Hawk volleyball team went 2-0 against Grinnell and Knox! Putting us at 3-1 in conference and 7-9 overall. This week we are getting ready for our conference match against Beloit on Saturday...

--Christy

A Greener Campus!

2008-09-25T11:10:00.002-05:00

Today work is set to begin on removing two streets that run through campus: Seward and Elm Streets. The removal of these two streets will make camus greener and more pedestrian and bike friendly. This is such an exciting time to be a student at Ripon College! In the two short years I have been on campus, I have seen so many positive changes: the remodeling of the Pub, the building of the Senior Apartments, rennovation of Todd Wehr building, addition of field turf on the football field, rennovation of the Pickard Commons to create more space for students and student organizations...and now this! I can't wait to see how the new, "green" campus will look!

This weekend we have two home volleyball games, against Knox and Grinnell. Going into the second week of conference play, we are 1-1, and ready to mark up two more wins! Also happening this weekend: Mentalist Wayne Hoffman will be on campus tomorrow night, Capture the Flag tournamnet sponsored by Kappa Delta sorority and showing of "Get Smart" on Saturday.

This weekend is also Family Weekend, so tomorrow's classes are open to parents! There are informational sessions about the History of RC, Updates about what's happening on campus, Off-Campus programs, and Seed Collecting with Professor Skip Wittler! It's sure to be a great autumn weekend!

Enjoy it!

--Christy

Weekend Roadtrip!

2008-09-23T09:06:00.004-05:00

This weekend marked the start of conference play for the Red Hawk volleyball team! And what better way to start off the season than with a 7 hour road trip to Illinois College and Monmouth College, two schools in the Southern part of the Midwest Conference. We left Thursday night and arrived at our hotel in Jacksonville, Ill. at 2:30 AM! It might have been a long trip, but it was very comfortable! We watched movies, listened to music, slept, and of course, did homework!

We opened Friday night with an awesome win against IC, then lost to Monmouth on Saturday. My mom drove down from Minnesota to watch the games, which I loved! I rode back with her Saturday after the game and was abel to spend some time at home and see my family.

Today, my Spanish professor, Dr. Fuerch, is holding a meeting for all students interested in studying abroad in Spain next semester! I have already sent in my application and am excited to learn more about study abroad! The program I am going through is called Academic Year Abroad. It's program is located in Madrid, but there are also programs in Toledo, Sevilla, and Alicante.

Not to mention all of the other study abroad programs Ripon offers:

-Botswana
-Budapest
-Costa Rica
-Argentina
-Florence, Italy
-Montpellier, France
-Paris, France
-Bonn, Germany
-Turkey
-India
-Japan
-London and Florence
-China
-Russia
-Semester at Sea
-Tanzania
-Ripon, Yorkshire, England
-Bangor

If you want to learn more about these great opportunities, check out the Ripon Website, http://www.ripon.edu/Academics/special_programs/off-campus/index.html! Happy surfing!

--Christy

Mondays aren't so bad after all!

2008-09-16T11:14:00.003-05:00

Most Mondays are usually my least favorite day of the week, but yesterday there were a lot of great things happening around campus! During lunch, SMAC sponsored "Monday Music Madness," a free concert in the Pub. Ari Herstand, a native of Minnespolis, MN :), performed. He sounds like a mix of Dave Matthews meets Ben Folds...check him out on iTunes!

Last night was also the kick off of Sigma Chi's Derby Days, a week-long series of events, raising money for the Children's Miracle Network. Last night the guys sponsored a bon fire behind Storzer Athletic Center. What fun!

Tonight we have a home match against Marian College at 7 pm...I'm excited! I love home games! The students really come out to support one another and it's a fun time for everyone! I'll let you know how we do!

Have a great Tuesday!

--Christy

Updates!

2008-09-11T11:28:00.002-05:00

A lot has happened since my last post! We've played three volleyball games, against Edgewood College, Alverno College, and Wisocnsin Lutheran College. Our overall record is now 2-5. We are off to a slow start, but we haven't started conference play yet, so we are looking to work out all the kinks before our first conference match of the season, which will be against Illinois College a week from tomorrow.

In other news...
-I am studying abroad in Madrid, Spain next semester, so I have been working on my application for the Academic Year Abroad program. I'm so excited! :-)

- I am volunteering through the Spanish department to help teach English to the Hispanic population of Ripon and assist with homework, documents, and other paperwork.

- One of our Politics and Government professors, Dr. Colucci, is making a presentation today about his new book, Crusading Realism, which examines the shift in American foreigh policy after the 9-11. He's also doing a book signing following the presentation...I'm thinking Christmas present???! :-)

- A new photography exhibit, "Small Arms," is opening tomorrow night as a part of the Caestecker Fine Arts Series. Artist Michael Kientz descirbes the exhibit as "a collection of children dealing with the impact of social and economic conditions dictated by adults and their politics." After taking a photography class last summer, I have a deep appreciation for photography. This exhibit sounds so interesting and I can't wait to check it out!

- This weekend, Theta Chi fraternity is holding their annual Frisbee Golf tournament! The course leads golfers all around campus and proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

- On Saturday there's also an Intramural Kickball tournament, but I don't think I'll be able to play because we have a volleyball tournament this weekend too!

Hopefully between volleyball and homework I can check out some of the wonderful things happening on campus in the next few days! Have a great weekend! Go Red Hawks!

~Christy

It's that time of the year again...

2008-09-02T09:17:00.004-05:00

Welcome Back! And welcome to the inside scoop of what's happeing at Ripon College!

This week is actually our second week of classes; we had our first day last Wednesday, but I've been back since the 16th of August for volleyball! It's great to be back and see everyone again, but, as always, it is hard to get back to the grind of homework!

For those of you who don't know me, I'll quickly tell you a little about myself. I am a junior at Ripon this year, and I am originally from Rochester, Minnesota. As I mentioned earlier, I am an outside hitter on the Ripon Volleyball team. When I'm not playing volleyball, I am in the classroom with a full schedule this semester! I am a Psychology and Spanish double major with a minor in Sociology, so I am definitely keeping busy! I work in the Admission Office and am also on the Marketing Advisory Committee on campus.

I am here to give you a student's perspective on life at Ripon College, so if you ever have any questions or would like to know more about events on campus feel free to email me at LookerC@Ripon.edu!

--Christy

Jamaica Me Crazy!

2008-05-15T15:34:00.003-05:00

This week I have been on campus for my Maymester class, Peace Studies. We are studying peace and ways to create peace in societies, specifically in Hagley Gap, Jamaica. Tomorrow we head down to Chicago to prepare for our flight early Saturday morning to Jamaica! We will spend two weeks in Hagley Gap doing service work and helping to improve the community. One thing that really struck me was that the children only go to Primary School. If they want to go to high school they must walk two hours to the nearest school, and they must pay too, since it is private. Going to a university is even harder. But as a part of our work down there we are helping to bring education to the people of Hagley Gap through laptops and educational software. Each of the 16 students going are bringing an entire suitcase of donations for the people of Hagley Gap. It is going to be a great experience and I can't wait to get there!

Hagley Gap, Jamaica

If you want to learn more, check out the Blue Mountain Project website at http://www.bluemountainproject.org/!

~Christy

Finals Week!

2008-04-28T14:11:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe, but it's finals week already. Today is my last day of classes for the semester! Wednesday is reading day, and then Thursday is the first day of final exams! I have my Spanish final on Friday, Stats and Sociology on Monday, and Chemistry on Tuesday. I will head home on Wednesday for the rest of the week and then come back to campus Sunday to start my Maymester! We are in Ripon for the week, then we fly out to Jamaica for two weeks!

It's hard to believe that I'm almost done with my sophomore year of college! The time has just flown! I ran into some alums over the weekend and they said to stay in college as long as possible! :) So I'm glad that I'm making the most of the opportunities Ripon has to offer!

~Christy

Springfest!

2008-04-25T16:51:00.002-05:00

This weekend is one of the biggest weekends on campus! It's like the "last hurrah" before finals and the end of the semester. It begins at noon with t-shirt tye-dyeing and a Rugby game...the activities start at 12:30 including inflatable boxing & jousting, bungee run, inflatable obstacle course, and mechanical bull...at 1:30 Mark Little will be playing on the Union Patio...RSee3 (a Ripon-based group) is performing at 2:45...the Dance team is performing their Guy/Girl routine at 3:30...Kyle Man Combo is playing on the Union Patio at 5pm...then the Main Stage starts up with Danger Is My Middle Name at 8pm, Treaty of Paris at 8:45pm, and the headliner, QUIETDRIVE at 9:30pm! It is going to be a great day!

Tonight is the drive-in movie. The Student Assistant Hall Directors and Residence Life are showing "Transformers" in the West Storzer parking lot tonight at 8pm! I don't have a car, so I'm just bringing down a blanket and a radio! I am so excited!! Also happening tonight is a Pool Party in Storzer. WRPN FM is going to be broadcasting live from the pool! So we might have to go for a dip after the movie! :)

Then Sunday the volleyball team is playing in a tournament at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee! So it's going to be a busy week! I also need to find time to start studying for my finals (which begin in a week)...

~Christy

Busy Busy Busy!

2008-04-23T14:03:00.003-05:00

Today I have SO many things to do! Tonight there's an EarthWeek BBQ, De Novo Dahl in Concert at 6:30, then they're showing Blood Diamond in the Pub at 8! I have to sell Springfest t-shirts for SMAC, so I will get to eat dinner and enjoy a concert at the same time! :) YES! Before that though, the volleyball team is practicing, since we have an off-season tournament on Sunday! I might have to miss the Student Appreciation dinner put on my the Admission and Financial Aid Offices for their student workers, but I definietly need to have some of the dessert! Toni makes the best desserts!

The end is growing near...and so are deadlines! I have so many projects and papers due! But hopefully I can get them done before this weekend, so I can enjoy Springfest!

Ciao!

Christy

Red Hawks are thinking Green!

2008-04-21T21:12:00.006-05:00

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL! And we definitely took advantage of it! Saturday, Merriman hosted their annual Ultimate Frisbee Tournament to raise money for a local girl with leukemia. It was a great cause, good exercise, and a nice way to get a tan (or burn!) too! Then Sunday, Phi Delta Theta had their annual Firefighter's Run to raise money for the Ripon Fire Department. The guys put on the firefighter gear and run laps around the quads and they also grill brats and hamburgers. It was a lot of fun! I played sand volleyball, which was a blast!!!

This week on campus is a week-long celebration of Earth Day! Let me give you a run-down of the events!

Tuesday
- Earth Day Golden Hour: The Urgency of Incorporating Sustainability in Higher Education--An Ethical Perspective; Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran with an introduction by ELP Green Certification Students
- Earth Day Presentation: Earth Charter Ethics--Supporting Young People on the Journey to Sustainable Societies; Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran
- EGOR & SMAC Present the Earth Day film, the 11th Hour

Wednesday
- Sodexho & EGOR “Zero Waste” Earth Week BBQ
- Environmental Group of Ripon, SMAC, College Dems, & College Republicans present De Novo Dahl in Concert

Thursday
- Dedication of trees to Ripon community
- Nature Photo Art Show and Contest co-sponsored with Photogenesis
- Organic T-shirt Tie-Dying co-sponsored by SMAC & Bonner Program

Christy

Thinking Pink...

2008-04-17T13:09:00.003-05:00

Last night my Living Group, Think Pink, did our activity for the semester. We made pink ribbon pins and sold them around campus. We made over $150 for Relay for Life! Relay for Life is tomorrow night at Ripon High School, so we're going to head down there to volunteer and donate our pin money!

The weather yesterday was beautiful! There were intramural softball games, sand volleyball matches, kites being flown, and frisbees being tossed around campus. The campus really comes alive with the warm weather! :)

Today i'm headed to the JV baseball game to see some of my friends play! Then it's time to hit the books! Tomorrow I'm making up a Chemistry test I missed on Monday when I was sick, so I need to review some more for that!

~Christy

What a Week!

2008-04-11T16:51:00.003-05:00

This week has been crazy. And crazy seems to be the forecast for the rest of the semester.

I have two exams next week, then projects and papers due the following weeks. This month is going to be busy and stressful! But at least there are awesome activities going on around campus to offer a break and some fun during this stressful time! Last night Ripon Afterdark sponsored a comedian, Multicultural Club sponsored an Open-mic night, and SMAC had a speaker talking about sex. Tonight SMAC is showing Hairspray and it's also Spring Fling, a Sadie's Hawkins Dance with the theme "Rollin' through the Decades." The one-act student-directed plays are also this weekend (I'm going tomorrow night!).

It should be a fun weekend!

~Christy

Ripon on YOUR Resume

2008-04-09T16:56:00.003-05:00

Last night Jess and I went to the Resume-Building Workshop hosted by Professor Judy Roy, Professor Brian Smith, and Professor Diane Mockridge. What a great opportunity it was! We learned what grad schools and scholarship committees are looking for and how Ripon will help us along the way. Grad Schools and scholarship teams are looking for well-rounded individuals... at Ripon you are involved not only in your education, but in your community and extracurriculars...they are also looking for community service...Ripon has an Office of Community Engagement dedicated to making students aware of volunteer opportunities and professors who make opportunities aware to you as well because they know what you're interested in. Grad Schools and scholarship teams also look for great recommendation letters, which you are sure to get at Ripon. Your professsors know you personally and are able to really speak about your accomplishments and character. No matter what your goal is, the professors are willing to help you get there, and that's what makes Ripon so special.

While I want to figure out my future plans soon, tonight I am finishing a paper for Friday and doing my laundry! :)

~Christy

Happenings around campus...

2008-04-08T17:59:00.002-05:00

If you've ever thought there's nothing to do on a small campus in the middle of Wisconsin, think again! Let me give you a run-down of all the things happening around campus:
-Saturday was the Bags Tournament hosted by Sigma Chi to raise money for the Jamaican Maymester
-Sunday was the Mud Run sponsored by the Pre-Med Society
-Last night there were IM floor hockey games
-Today Besty Nadler, an athletic trainer at the Olympic Training Center spoke about her work as a trainer at the Center, as well as her involvement as a Medical Director in Winter Olympic Games and the Paralympics. (Betsy was actually my sociology professor's undergraduate roommate!)
-Tonight the National Scholarship Team is offering a resume-building workshop
-SMAC and the Cultural Diversity Committee are showing "Last King of Scotland"

There are even more activities coming up this week, but I will tell you more about them as they come...I have to write a paper! And go to the resume-building workshop, a SMAC meeting, and an intramural volleyball game! :)

~Christy

GORGEOUS.

2008-04-04T16:47:00.002-05:00

One word to describe today's weather: gorgeous. It is 52° and sunny! And tomorrow's supposed to be even warmer! :D

That's great because tomorrow Sigma Chi is hosting their annual Bean Bag Tournament! The profits go to help the Jamaican Maymester in Hagley Gap (which I'm going on this year!). It's a great cause and who doesn't love bean bags?! Then, tomorrow night, Sigma Chi is having their annual Graffiti Party...t-shirt + Sharpies = Graffiti!

But tonight, I am helping Jess with a lock-in at the UCC Church just off campus. I am so excited for it! I haven't been to a lock in since high school! But it's kind of sad that I am so tired all I want to do is sleep! But hopefully we'll get some sleep tonight! :)

The Ethics in Health Care Conference continues tomorrow with a presentation from the Honorable Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services: “The Covered and the Uncovered: The Ethics of Failing to Ensure Health Coverage for all Americans.” I'm not sure if I'll be back in time to see his presentation, but it would be really neat to. We just finished watching Super Size Me in Sociology this week, and Tommy Thompson was featured in the film!

Also going on this weekend is the Mud Run, sponsored by the Pre-Med Society. It's a 5K run through the Prairie to raise money for the Palestinian Children's Fund, which helps Middle Eastern children with medical needs. Very cool!

Have a great weekend!

~Christy

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2008-04-03T13:16:00.003-05:00

Today there are so many things happening on campus! I just finished eating a brat from the brat fry sponsored by the Office of Community Engagement--Yum! Also, over the noon-hour, E.G.O.R. (The Environmental Group of Ripon) sponsored guest speakers Paul Linzmeyer and Steve Dunn, who discussed "The ‘Grean’ Journey to Business Success in the 21st Century." The first home baseball game is also today, at 1 p.m. I would really like to go to the game, but I have a Sociology exam and a Stats quiz tomorrow...so I'll probably be inside studying. But if I open my window I can hear the announcing! :)

Tonight, as a part of the Ethics in Health Care Conference, the movie "Sicko" will be shown in Bear Auditorium followed by a faculty panel. It's at 7:30, so I hope to have all my studying done before that! I'll miss my intramural volleyball game, but I am confident the team will go on to victory even in my abscence. Go Vicious and Delicious! :)

~Christy

30 days!

2008-04-02T09:40:00.002-05:00

As of yesterday we officially have ONE MONTH left of classes! I can hardly believe it! But things are definitely getting busier, and as they do my room gets messier and messier! I just don't have time to keep it as tidy as I would like!

Friday and Monday were Accepted Student Days, so Jess and I hosted overnights Thursday and Sunday. The girls that stayed with us were great and I hope they both decide to come to Ripon! :) Accepted Student Days went really well overall (except for the rain Monday), and it was great to meet the people that I have been sending letters to all year!

Yesterday I got to sleep in! I had Chemistry lab from 1-4, then I practiced with the volleyball team, went to dinner, worked on homework, went to a SMAC meeting, went to an Intramural Volleyball Game (GO VICIOUS AND DELICIOUS!), and finished up the night with some more homework and HGTV! :)

Today is absolutely GORGEOUS outside, so hopefully the sun will help keep me awake and give me energy! I have a full day of classes, but nothing going on tonight but homework. So hopefully that means getting to bed early...we'll see how that goes! Ha!

~Christy

Busy times on Campus

2008-03-27T14:12:00.004-05:00

There is so much going on around campus these days! Let me give you a brief run-down: Next weekend (April 4th-5th) is the Ethics in Health Care Conference, but there have been events and speakers this week too. On Tuesday, Edmund Pellegrino, M.D., the Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, gave his speech, "Bioethics and Politics: Mixed Marriage or Shotgun Wedding?" Then, today the Advanced Public Speaking Class presented a forun on "Ethics, Health Care and Today's Student." Then next Thursday there will be a film screening of Michael Moore's "Sicko" followed by a faculty panel. Friday will open the Conference and Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States, will be speaking on "Differential Health Care in African-American Communities." All day there will be other various panels and presentations. On Saturday, Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, “The Covered and the Uncovered: The Ethics of Failing to Ensure Health Coverage for all Americans.” He will also serve on a panel, discussing End-of-Life Issues.

I am really excited about this conference. Right now in my Social Problems class we are learning about Health Care and the problems associated with our health care program in the U.S.

Also happening on Campus: Mary Strange is speaking about Women and Hunting tonight in East Hall Little Theatre...tomorrow is the Friends of Lane Library Used Book Sale (books are $0.50-1.00!!)...Fiction writer Justin Cronin will be in Lane Library and also do a book signing...and there is also the Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting this weekend! So there will be a lot of people on campus! But, as they say: the more, the merrier!

Christy

Over the hump!

2008-03-26T16:48:00.003-05:00

I am so happy today is Wednesday! I had a Chemistry test this morning that I spent ALL of last night studying for, so I'm glad that's over. The rest of the week should be downhill from here...I have a take home portion of my Stats test due Friday so that's the only "long-term" project I have to plan for! Then Friday and Monday are ACCEPTED STUDENT DAYS!! Jess and I are hosting girls for both nights, so that should be a lot of fun!

Tonight, the Pre-Med Society is selling hot dogs in the Quads for $1! It should be a beautiful night to be outside and I could definitely go for a hot dog or two! :)

Christy

Mini Spring Break!

2008-03-24T09:46:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I returned from a whirlwind weekend in Milwaukee! It was a perfect little get-away! I wanted to go home for Easter, but it's a long drive for my parents to pick me up from Ripon and then drive me back home and then bring me back and drive back home, so I went home with Nick for the weekend and then my parents came over and met us in Milwaukee! We went to a show on Saturday night called "Hula Hoop Sha Boop" and then went out to dinner and walked around downtown Milwaukee. It was a little chilly, but it's always fun to be in a big city!

Reality set in though when I got back to campus. I have an exam today and another one on Wednesday, so I will be busy studying for the next few days! It was worth it though! I had a great mini-vacation of a weekend!

Christy

Happy SPRING!!!

2008-03-20T15:23:00.002-05:00

I am so happy that it is finally and officially Spring! And boy are we glad! The view around campus is cheerful as we start seeing less snowbanks and more shorts! I can only hope this sunny weather continues!

Today I had two classes: a chemistry discussion at 8 a.m. and then a lab for Research Design and Statistics from 10:10-12, but I got done early! Now I am spending this beautiful afternoon inside doing homework! :( But hopefully that means I can go to bed early tonight!!

Tonight SMAC is sponsoring "Funny Money," which includes a speaker and fun activities to help learn about budgeting our money. There are also going to be CASH prizes, so I might have to check that out!

Happy Spring!

Christy

Back in the Swing of Things!

2008-03-19T09:39:00.001-05:00

I'm back! Spring Break was great; I was able to relax and rest up! But it is always good to come back and see everyone again! The Commons is probably the best place to see people after break, so of course I had to go there for dinner Monday night!

It's hard to believe, but this week is registration for next semester! On Monday I picked up my registration packet and a course listing, now I have appointments to meet with my advisors to plan my schedule. I am also going to officially declare my Psychology and Spanish majors and my Sociology minor! Exciting!!

It's pretty busy around here, as usual. Today I am giving a presentation in Spanish, I need to talk to the Chair of the Art Department to see if a course I want to take this summer will transfer, I need to meet with my THREE advisors, and do homework! ...I also want to get some sleep! We've only been back three days and I am already exhausted! :)

~Christy

Goodbye Midterms, Hello Spring Break!

2008-03-07T15:49:00.003-06:00

I just finished my last midterm! What a relief! Now the time is mine to relax and enjoy! I am staying on campus tonight, then tomorrow I have to ref a Junior Olympic volleyball tournament on campus, then it's home to Minnesota! My dad is coming to get me tomorrow, so I have to get packed up! ...I'll do that after I go to a fish fry tonight with some of the baseball guys! :)

See you in a week!

~Christy

So close I can almost taste it...

2008-03-06T14:19:00.002-06:00

Spring Break is 48 hours away! This morning Jess, Lindsey, and Theresa left for their Alternative Spring Break Service trip to Panama, so it's going to be a quiet night on 3rd East! :( I'm not doing any service trips or going out of the country...I'm just going back to Minnesota. I haven't seen my family in over two months now, so it'll be great to catch up and spend time with them.

Today I turned in the introduction to my Psychology research project, so all I have left this week is a Spanish exam tomorrow! It's the first of the two exams all semester, so I'm a little nervous! But I'll spend the afternoon studying, so I should be good to go! Then hopefully I can get to bed early and enjoy breakfast in the Commons tomorrow morning! I love the omelets! :) mmm!

Ciao!

Christy

I love my roommate!

2008-03-05T09:38:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning both Jess and I didn't have class until 1 p.m. so we had a little getting ready party! We played music--everything from Disney to Dispatch to Hanson--and we danced around the room as the sun poured in the windows! It was so fun. We decided that sunny days and music make all the difference in the morning!

My day was off to a great start! Then I had lab from 1-4, followed by dinner, a little studying, and a S.M.A.C. meeting. In S.M.A.C. we're planning for our biggest event of the year: SPRINGFEST! It is a day-long celebration held in the end of April featuring live music, activities, and great food. This year Quietdrive is headlining, along with Treaty of Paris...and others! It is going to be a lot of fun!

This afternoon Joe and I are recording in the WRPN FM recording studio! I am really excited! After we get the passage recorded we will be set to start running our study after Spring Break!

Then tonight Jess, Lauren, and I might go shopping! Jess is going on an Alternative Spring Break Trip to Panama through the college and needs to pick up a few more things. And I, of course, am never opposed to shopping! So I think we might go to Oshkosh or Fon du Lac sometime this evening!

So much to do!

~Christy

In like a lion...

2008-03-03T16:24:00.004-06:00

March is definitely roaring in like a lion! Last night as I was watching HGTV with Lauren and Jess we all oohed and ahhed as the lightening bolts flashed outside the window--it was beautiful! We wanted to go on a walk but we knew the rain would be coming soon. And it did. Followed by snow during the night. That combination made for very slippery sidewalks this morning!

But I have exciting news! I'm headed to Spain in a year! I just met with Professor Fuerch on Friday and we talked about studying abroad...for an hour! I was so excited to learn about all the opportunities Spain has to offer; it truly is incredible. I also found out that it's possible for me to major in Spanish! I didn't think it was an option for me. I had taken three years of Latin in high school, so I had started my Spanish career at Ripon in Elementary Spanish 111. I stopped taking Latin after two years, but I have continued with Spanish. It will tough, but extremely rewarding in the end!

Tonight I'm going to Pastimes for all you can eat wings! I can't wait! :) mmm mmm

~Christy

The Countdown begins...

2008-02-28T14:20:00.003-06:00

Seven days until Spring Break!!!

Not that I have any exciting plans or anything...I'm just going home to Minnesota to spend the week relaxing at home with my family and my dog!

But I am definitely in need of a break! I have been so busy lately with everything, it's crazy! I can't wait to have a week to catch up and relax!

Last night I went to the play, Arcadia, with Jess and Lindsey...it took up my entire evening because it was 3 hours long!!! Good thing I didn't have any homework for today! Today I have homework to do and I have to start reading some journal articles and doing research for my Psychology project...AND the volleyball team is going to play tonight! I miss playing and I'm ready to get out of the weightroom and finally spend some time in the gym now that the basketball season is over!

~Christy

Hello!

2008-02-27T09:36:00.002-06:00

Hello! Yes, I'm still alive! Last week was crazy, but things are back under control now! Saturday night my roommate Jess and I hosted a slumber party--complete with fort-building, junk food, and Drop Dead Gorgeous! It was great! Sunday was spent studying. ALL day. I had two exams Monday.

Monday was then spent catching up on the homework I didn't do Sunday while I was studying...it's a vicious cycle! :)

Yesterday was relaxing for the most part. I got to sleep in and then spend three hours in a chemistry lab!

I am going to study abroad in Spain next year so I am currently trying to get all of my business lined up for that! I talked to a few current students who have studied in Spain to hear thier perspective and later this week I am going to meet with the Spanish Professor who is in charge of the program! I am so excited!

Tonight the Spring play, Arcadia, opens! I can't wait to see it!

Ciao,
Christy

SO MUCH SNOW!

2008-02-18T09:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the snow just kept falling and falling! I think we got something like 10 inches of snow! I didn't want to walk down to Storzer to workout, so I just went to the Fitness Center in Bovay, which is in the Quads. It was a shorter walk, so I was able to use that time to work out instead! Emily and I worked out for two hours!! It was good, but now I'm sore!

Today I am hosting an overnight visit. At Ripon, if you are an accepted student, you are able to do an overnight stay on campus in the Residence halls with a student. So tonight I'm hosting a girl from Minnesota! :) I'm pretty excited!

~Christy

P.S. I'll get some pictures of the snow around campus, it's incredible!

Freezing on a Friday...

2008-02-15T09:33:00.002-06:00

It is so cold out today! The fire alarm went off during my Chemistry lecture this morning, so we had to go outside! I'm not sure what happened, but we weren't out there for too long. At least it's not snowing today! Yesterday it snowed ALL day! I think we got something like 8 inches of snow! The snowbanks around campus just keep growing and growing and growing!

I am so glad today is Friday though! I just can't catch up on sleep during the week! Last night I had dinner with Nick, then I spent the rest of the night studying for my Social Problems exam today. During my two-hour break after Soc, I have to prepare for my composición in Español! After I write my composición I work for an hour and then it's the weekend!!

I don't have too many plans for the weekend...tomorrow I am helping out with "Mind Your Money," an activity for high school students, who come to campus to learn about money management and financial planning for their future. It's from 1-3 and SIFE is helping with it so it should be a lot of fun! Then the rest of the weekend is free!

~Christy

Love is in the air...along with lots and lots of snow!

2008-02-14T15:02:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have eaten more cookies today than I did over the Holidays! Cookies are just flying at me left and right (along with the ocassional chocolate kiss!)!! My stats professor this morning made cookies, then Jess' mom sent her cookies in the mail, I got two more cookies from girls on my floor, and then one in Admissions!

Today is such a fun day...for lunch the girls did a Valentine's Day Lunch date...Nick has already covered my room with chocolate kisses...and he says he has more suprises in store...

I can't wait to eat chocolate as I study tonight! :) mmm mmm

~Christy

i LOVE MAiL!!

2008-02-13T16:30:00.004-06:00

I think College Students are like kids away at summer camp...we love getting mail! :)

Today I got a package from my Mom and Dad and I was so excited! My mom sent me a new pair of volleyball warm-up pants, some mail and a magazine from home, a volleyball magnet, and a Valentine's Day card! Email is nice and all, but sometimes all I want is some good ol' snail mail! :)

Today there is a TON of stuff going on around campus! FORCE (Future of Ripon College Excellence) is sponsoring Spirit Day all day...if they caught you wearing Ripon Gear around campus you got a prize! I signed up for the raffle in the Commons during lunch and picked up a free Red Hawk tatoo! The spirit continues at the Women's and Men's Basketball games tonight...they will be handing out free pom poms and beads at the games!

Also tonight is "Straight Talk," sponsored by BSU (Black Student Union). "Straight Talk" is a student lead conversation about race relations on campus. They will be discussing issues that are usually not discussed in the classroom.

But that's not all! The French department and the French TA, Coraline, are showing a French film by Michel Gondry.

So there is DEFINITELY no shortage of things to do tonight! And with tomorrow being Valentine's Day I have to study for my exam on Friday tonight! And get a few other things ready... :)

~Christy

Sick! :(

2008-02-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

I think I caught the bug that's been going around campus...

I woke up with a fever of 100.7° ... I went to my 8 a.m. class, but I couldn't sit through any more classes. I spent the entire day in my bed sleeping! Hopefully my fever goes down though and I am able to go to my classes the rest of the week. I have lab tomorrow at 1 p.m. so I get to sleep in, which will be good!

Here are some photos from JJ Jumper's visit to Ripon on Saturday!

~Christy

Love and Basketball :)

2008-02-08T16:51:00.000-06:00

This weekend is going to be a great one! There are men's and women's home basketball games tonight and tomorrow, so the Red Hawk Nation will be out and about...tomorrow the NCAA Mascot, JJ Jumper, will even be at the games, so I am definitely going tomorrow! :)

Tomorrow morning my cousin and his wife are coming to Ripon to take me and Nick out for breakfast! mmmmm! We're going to Kristina's Cafe, a cute little restaurant downtown. It'll be great to see them, since I just found out they are having twins and they finally get to meet Nick! :)

Have a great weekend!

~Christy

All Caught Up!

2008-02-07T14:01:00.000-06:00

Last night was definitely my catch up night! I caught up on laundry, cleaning, sleep, and Family Guy! :) I had about a week and a half of laundry to do, but the nice thing is...it's FREE at Ripon! So I can do as many loads as I want! :) However, the goal is to do laundry once a week...I'll remember that next time!

I didn't have class this morning until 10:10, so it was a nice opportunity to catch a few more zzz's! Too bad the plows were out and about! I just had the one class today, so now I'm working for an hour, then it's a few hours of homework, aerobics at 5 p.m., and lifting after that. Maybe if it's still nice tonight I'll walk to the Save-A-Lot...I need some groceries! :)

I hope this warm, sunny weather keeps up!

~Christy

Another Blizzard!

2008-02-06T09:43:00.000-06:00

Over the course of last night and this morning we got another 3" of snow! BUMMER! I am ready for it to be Spring already! We thought some classes might be cancelled today because of the weather, but that was not the case! Rumor has it that Ripon has only called classes once in the last fifteen or so years, so we can just keep dreaming!

This morning I had a chemistry test so Nick and Iwent to breakfast beforehand. I forget how good John's omelets are! The perfect way to start the morning! :) I have class the rest of the day until 4 p.m., then tonight I need to do laundry! I've been putting it off long enough--I'm running out of socks! But maybe if I get my laundry done and it stops snowing I'll venture down to the Terrace to see Blue Sky Nine, a band sponsored by Campus Christian Fellowship...we'll see!

But if this snow keeps up I am going to be upset with that little groundhog!

~Christy

Downtown Developments

2008-02-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

Today during Golden Hour SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) is bringing the developers for the new downtown renovation plans to campus. They will be here collecting student feedback and learning what students want in a revitalized downtown area. Some ideas for the renovated downtown include pedestrian spaces, changes in types of businesses, and aesthetic improvements. They want to create a Pedestrian walkway leading from campus to the downtown area, offer restaurants serving organic and locally-grown food, changes to the arrangement of City Hall, improving appearance of downtown buildings, adding more parking, and much much more! These changes will be taking place in the next five to ten years, so to be at the start of this program is very exciting!

After I attend the Golden Hour from 11:15-12:25, I have lab from 1-4 p.m., then volleyball and lifting, and then a S.M.A.C. meeting at 8 p.m. It should be a busy but exciting day!

~Christy

Another busy weekend at Ripon!

2008-02-04T09:39:00.000-06:00

This was a pretty busy weekend around campus...Friday night was the Opening of an Art Exhibit; Saturday the Ethical Leadership Program hosted a Leadership Workshop, there were Men's and Women's Basketball games, and also an Intramural Dodge Ball tournament down at Storzer. Yesterday was the Super Bowl and the day of relaxation. Except for brunch, I didn't leave my room! The Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip delivered brats during the game, so I didn't have to miss the game and I helped a good cause! :)

Today during lunch SMAC is sponsoring Monday Music Madness with a live artist in the pub, so I have to be sure and check that out! Then the rest of my day looks like class and studying for my Chemistry exam on Wednesday.

~Christy

F.F.F. (First Friday of February!)

2008-02-01T16:20:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's February already! But I can definitely believe it's Friday, and boy am I glad! :)

This has been a busy week and I am definitely ready for a weekend! Last night the volleyabll team went to Intramural Aerobics and Yoga, and all I have to say is WOW. Yoga is SO much harder than I thought it would be. I now understand why our football and baseball teams do it. It is probably one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done. So I am definitely relaxing this weekend!

Tonight I am going down to Storzer to workout for a while, then it's dinner and a movie with Nick. Tomorrow there are basketball games going on down at Storzer, so I'll probably go to those between doing homework. Then tomorrow night we're having a birthday party for Nick and Mike, so that'll be fun. Then it's Super Bowl Sunday! A day of football and vegging on the couch! (and studying chemistry...our first exam is next Wednesday, so I do have to study for that...) :) But other than that...it looks like it will be a great weekend!

~Christy

Jueves...

2008-01-31T13:22:00.000-06:00

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Yesterday, the birthday celebrations went well...we went to Big Stella's for dinner, where I ate WAY too much pizza and chocolate cake...then Nick opened his presents back at the apartment...then the celebrations were over for me...I had to go back to my room and work on homework. :(

That's what I'm doing today too. More homework. I have to do some probelems for Chemistry, rewrite/revise a Spanish paper, do normal Spanish homework, and study for a Stats quiz tomorrow. Tonight's going to be a busy night too: the volleyball team is going to aerobics from 5-6, then Yoga from 6-7, then doing a little lifting so we can start our off-season lifting program set up. We're using a really neat website called Fitrex; it has sport-specific workouts and exercises, so I'm really excited to get started on that!

I'm also waiting for this weather to warm up!

~Christy

Happy [freezing] Birthday Nick!!!

2008-01-30T09:24:00.000-06:00

Happy 21st Birthday Nick!!

Today is probably one of the coldest if not the coldest day of the year so far. Lots of schools in Wisconsin and around the area have school cancelled for today, but not us! We bundle up and brave the cold...a whopping -11° of cold! But cold mornings call for warm breakfasts! Nick and I went to the Pub after class to get Easy Risers and tater tots :) which hit the spot! Now I have work, two classes, then time to get the last-minute suprises ready for Nick's birthday, then work again, another class, then open gym for volleyball!

Tonight I'm taking Nick to Big Stella's for dinner, then I'm curling up with soome hot cocoa and not outside again until I absolutely have to!!!

Stay warm!!!

Christy

A Balmy 41° in Ripon, WI!

2008-01-28T16:21:00.000-06:00

Today is absolutely gorgeous! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I just flew in on my magic carpet. I'm kidding, but it really is 41°! Fabulous. This weekend was a pretty quiet one...Friday night Nick and I stayed in out of the cold and had a dress-up contest: "Who can be the most embarrassing to the other?" It was really fun! :) Then Saturday was the first Scholarship Day for accepted seniors, so I helped with that in the morning, then in the afternoon I went shopping in Appleton with Lauren and Jess.

Sunday was, of course, brunch and then homework. Nick's family came up to take us out to dinner for his birthday, so we went to the Applebee's in Fon du Lac. It was good to see them again, and the food was great! :) Nick's birthday is Wednesday, so I have a few things to get organized before then, but I have the help of my roommate and possibly a few others, so I'll be able to pull everything off! :)

Tomorrow we begin our off-season team workouts and training for volleyball. I am so excited to play again! I miss seeing the girls everyday too, so this gives us a good chance to hang out, catch up, but also to improve for next year.

~Christy

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

2008-01-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

Today it is a beautiful, sunny day! (But still cold as can be!) The sun always makes it easier to get up...I feel like I'm not the only one getting up early! Today I had Chemistry discussion from 8-8:50, work from 9-10, then Stats lab from 10:10-12:05. A pretty light day! But I need to talk to my advisor and see if I can add an Exercise Science class so I can get my Wellness Requirement taken care of. Because Ripon is a Liberal Arts college, as students we are required to take bredth requirements, which include a fine arts course, a wellness course, a natural sciences course, a behavioral science course, a writing and composition course, and other courses as well. But these requirements lead to well-rounded students and attractive resumes, so bring it on! :)

I'm also excited because tonight is the first class of Intramural Yoga, so I will definitely have to check that out...but other than that I'm staying inside where it's warm!

~Christy

Wednesday already!

2008-01-23T09:26:00.000-06:00

Hi there! This has been a busy week already! Monday was a popular day for prospective students to come visit campus, so I lunch hosted and walked a few people to classes and appointments. Yesterday was my day to sleep in! The only class I had was lab from 1-4 p.m. so I slept in and got some homework done! I am also applying to be a Resident Assistant (RA) next year, so I am working on that application and essay questions in my spare time!

Today is a full day of class, and what makes it even worse is it is so cold outside! I am ready for a heat wave or something! SOON! But I guess there are polenty of things to take my mind off the cold...on campus right now is a week-long celebration of Martin Luther King so we have activities related to that going on everyday: Monday was Celebration Dinner with Soul Food in the Commons over the lunch hour, Yesterday was a Poetry Reading during Golden Hour, today is "Straight Talk," a discussion led by Quay Hanna on this year’s theme, “Race, Gender and Politics,” then tomorrow night in Great Hall is keynote speaker damali ayo, writer/activist, and author of the book How to Rent a Negro, Friday's lunch will feature a Celebration Cake in the Commons, Saturday is a day of Service volunteering with Feed My Starving Children, and the week ends on Sunday with a non-denominational worship service by guest pastor President Joyce.

~Christy

Friday is my Favorite :)

2008-01-18T13:56:00.000-06:00

I am so glad this first week was only a four day-er! It turns out I had a lot more homework than I had anticipated yesterday, so it was not entirely a day of rest... I went to the movie CUT, a documentary about teens and self-injury, sponsored by Residence Life at 7:30 with Nick. I thought it would be interesting from a psychological point of view, but it wasn't what I had expected. Then, after the movie, I raced to the Terrace to see Jason LeVasseur who was AMAZING! He was definitely a true performer. He was up on stage dancing, cracking jokes, making fun of people, and singing tunes from the Lion King, Christina Aguliera, Sir Mix-a-lot, Oasis--you name it! And BONUS: he's on itunes! So maybe I'll use my gift card! :)

Today I've had three classes so far...one to go, then it's time for a well-deserved nap. Then it looks like the Basketball games tonight and perhaps a movie tomorrow night since the HIGH tomorrow is a whopping TWO degrees! BRRRRR! But I came back with two new winter hats, so I can brave the Wisconsin Winters! :)

This weekend is also Bid Weekend for all the fraternities and sororities. At Ripon you can't pledge until second semester, which is really nice. It gives you a chance to meet people and get to know more about the various Greek organizations and decide if it is something you are interested in or not.

Happy Friday,
Christy

My day of rest...well, kind of!

2008-01-17T14:59:00.000-06:00

Today I only had one class! A lab for my Research Design and Statistics class. At 10:10 we met in the computer lab to learn how to use some of the Psychology software we have in the Psychology computer lab. So I spent some time graphing on the computer and even out of lab early! So I got to sleep in AND get out of class early! What a deal. Then I work for an hour this afternoon, then it looks like homework until dinner, dinner, then hopefully hanging out until the Jason LeVasseur concert at 9 p.m. in the Terrace!

I'm really excited for the concert! I checked out his music today and it's really good! He's an acoustic/folk artist with a great voice, and I'm really looking forward to his THIRD visit to Ripon tonight!! :)

Jason LeVasseur

Day 2!

2008-01-16T16:21:00.000-06:00

Today was the second day of classes, but I had all new classes today. Many of the classes run on either a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or a Tuesday-Thursday schedule, so I had all different classes today than I did yesterday. The first day of class is mostly getting familiar with the course, the professor, and the expectations. In Chemistry we went over the class syllabus, my professor, Dr. Katahira, did a demonstration and went over a few basic concepts and terms. I really like him so I don't think 8 a.m. will be that bad! :) Then I worked for an hour between classes. At 10:10 I had Research Design and Statistics, with the newest addition to the psych department, Professor Kovack-Lesh, where we mostly went over the syllabus and did introductions. I had Social Problems after that, where we, again, went over the syllabus! So I am now well-organized for all my classes! :) I had a nice break from noon until 2:30 when I had Spanish until 3:40! My Spanish professor is actually the same one that taught my first semester of Spanish here at Ripon, so that's nice! And that's the way it is as you move further into the departments at a small college like Ripon; you pretty much get to know everyone in the department, which is really nice when it comes to needing letters of recommendation or references in the future.

Well I think last night was my last night of relaxation! :( I have homework to do tonight! It shouldn't be too bad, but I want to work a little ahead so I can go to the Jason Levasseur concert tomorrow night in the Terrace!

Hasta Mañana,
Christy

Second Semester!

2008-01-15T14:38:00.000-06:00

Second semester has begun! It is great to be back "home!" Here is a picture we took of our Reunion! :)

Today was the first day of classes for the new semester! I got back to campus on Saturday night because we had our volleyball banquet. My family brought me back and I was able to unpack and get settled again before everyone came back on Sunday, so that was really nice. Then we went to my banquet where Coach gave out fun awards from the season. I received awards such as the "Good Sense" kitchen bag award for court awareness, the "Rip It" energy drink award for being second in service aces, the "Sweeper" duster award for being second in digs, the flashing whistle award for calling plays and helping the offense, and the frog award for being quick like a frog! The banquet was a lot of fun and a great way to wrap up the season and thank the seniors and the coaches.

Yesterday was registration. All the professors have a table set up in the Tartan area of Storzer and you are able to meet with them and change classes if you need to. I was lucky, I didn't have to make any changes to my schedule, so I just needed my advisor's signature!

This semester I am continuing to work toward my psychology major, and also working toward filling some of the pre-med requirements to keep medical school as an option in the future. I am taking the second semester of Research Design and Statistics (a Psych course), Spanish 222, Sturcture and Reactivity (Chemistry), and also my first Sociology class, Social Problems, which I am really excited about. If I like Sociology a lot I might consider double majoring! But we'll see what the semester brings! I also want to go abroad a year from now, so I need to start talking to my professors about the programs available and which would be best for my interests and goals. There's always something to do!

Tonight I have a SMAC meeting at 8 p.m. and I am going to go workout after work, and then I'll have the rest of the night to relax--no homework! (yet!)

~Christy

Finals Week!

2007-12-10T10:42:00.000-06:00

Finals Week...Ahhhh!

It's hard to believe it's finals week already! I have my Chem final today at 1 p.m., Stats tomorrow at 8 a.m., a Latin test tomorrow at 1 p.m., a paper due for Latin Wednesday at 9 a.m., and then my Spanish final Thursday from 9-11 a.m. So I'm pretty busy all week! But it's easy to study around campus this week. There are extended hours at the library and Great Hall is transformed to an around-the-clock study environment with snacks donated by local churches. And my favorite part about finals week: Late night breakfast! Tomorrow night at 11 p.m. the faculty and staff serve a breakfast for the students in the Commons. It's free and a great study break! Plus, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so there's no way I'm turning down a second breakfast! :)

It's a stressful time, but we are rewarded with a month break...so I think it all evens out!

--Christy

A Dicken's of A Weekend!

2007-12-03T12:48:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful weekend! I am ready to begin the last week of classes refreshed, rejoiceful and full of holiday spirit! :) Friday night my girlfriends and I went to Dicken's of a Christmas; it was my first time and I absolutely loved it! We went to an International Gift Market, looked at all the Living Windows, voted in the Gingerbread house contest, and ate lots of cookies! I can't think of a better way to spend a snowy Friday night! Saturday we got 6 more inches of snow, but I didn't mind! I stayed in all day working on my presentation for my study. Sunday was another relaxing day; I watched a little football game as I worked on homework and big snowflakes fell! I love the snow, even though I almost fell a couple times today! It's just so beautiful!

Lindsey, Jess, and me :)

--Christy

Dicken's of a Christmas!

2007-11-29T13:07:00.000-06:00

Ripon's 17th annual "Dicken's of a Christmas" kicks off tonight in Historic Downtown Ripon! The event began 17 years ago when a handful of community members decided to organize a Victorian-themed festival as a tribute to the stunning Victorian architecture and homes throughout Ripon and to thank the community and businesses for their support throughout the year. Over the years, it has grown and become one of Ripon's premiere festivals held every year the first weekend of December. It runs Thursday-Sunday and features Living Windows in downtown businesses on Friday evening, carriage rides through Historic Downtown Ripon, a Tour of Homes on Saturday (including the new Campus Apartments!), Dickens of a Quilt Show, an Enchanted Forest of trees sponsored and decorated by area organizations, an International Gift Market, Victorian Costume Contest, Breakfast with Santa, Gingerbread House Contest, and Victorian Dickens Photos--just to name a few!

I don't think I'll make it downtown tonight because I have a big Chemistry exam tomorrow, but I am definitely heading down for the Living Windows tomorrow night! I might even have to do a little shopping at the International Gift Market! :) Tonight I do want to try and go to the Yoga Class in Great Hall, which is led by the woman that owns Marigold Yoga, located downtown. I think it would be a relaxing and rejuvinating study break! :)

--Christy

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2007-11-28T14:43:00.000-06:00

Monday night Jess and I went shopping and decorated our toom for Christmas! We have three strings of lights, two trees, lots of Hoho, Pine boughs, window clings, and hanging ornaments! It is very festive and full of holiday cheer! We've already invited over some of the Admission Counselors and have decided that we're hosting the Secret Santa gift exchange for our living group! :)

Our hanging ornaments and my tree!

My side!

Looking ahead...next week is the last week of classes already and what a week it will be! Monday I have a presentation for my research project, Tuesday my final Chemistry lab is due, and Wednesday I have my Spanish oral interview--to start the week out! Then the week after that is finals! I have my Chem final Monday, Statistics on Tuesday morning and Latin in the afternoon, Wednesday I have a discussion to talk about our research papers for Latin, and then my last final, Spanish, is Thursday morning from 9-11, so I'll be out of here Thursday! But there is much to do before then!

--Christy-mas :)

Back so soon?!

2007-11-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

My Thanksgiving break was awesome!! :) Nick and I spent the long weekend at home with my family. He met my dad, my sister, and also my aunt, uncle, little cousins, and some of my friends too. I gave him a little tour of Rochester, we went to the movie "Enchanted" on Friday night with my family, Saturday we worked on homework (sad, I know) and then Saturday night we went up to the cities to the Timberwolves game and then went dancing afterward--it was a blast, but we didn't get home until 3 a.m.! So coming back to Ripon yesterday was a lot harder than usual! I was so exhausted and I had an incredible amount of homework waiting for me. :(

It's hard to believe the semester is winding down! We have two more weeks of classes, then it's finals week! I have two exams this week: a stats exam tomorrow and a chem exam on Friday. Spanish oral finals begin the end of this week as well! I am also finishing up a few long-term projects: my psychology research project, my latin paper, and my final chemistry lab, Identification of an Unknown. When I look at all the things I have to do on paper it's kind of overwhelming, but somehow I always manage to get everything done! Hopefully too much sleep won't be sacrificed in the process...

--Christy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T09:50:00.000-06:00

I am so excited Thanksgiving is finally here! I have class until noon today, then my dad and my sister are coming to pick up me and Nick. It's weird to think that the semester is winding down; after Thanksgiving we only have a few weeks left! I wish I could relax the entire break, but I have two exams next week, a paper to be working on, and also a research project to clean up a little. But this break is just what I need! I haven't been home since October, so this will be my second time home this semester and I can't wait! Also, Nick hasn't met my dad or my sister, so that'll be good that they can finally meet! :) And my sister can finally see my room! My sister is a freshman in high school and she also plays volleyball, so it's hard to find time to see eachother in the fall because we are both busy with our seasons. She hasn't been to Ripon all semester, so I'm excited to show her my room!

Then it's off to Minnesota for a long weekend of friends, family, and food! :) What an excellent combination!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

--Christy

Helloooo!

2007-11-19T09:13:00.000-06:00

Hi there! It's been a while! Things have been so busy around here lately! Let me catch you up on last week: Jay Black was HILARIOUS. I am so glad I went! Totally worth the sleep I lost doing homework after the show. Thursday was the first day of my Psychology Study, "The Effects of Time of Day on Cognitive Performance." I am looking to see if there is a difference in people's concentration in the morning versus the afternoon, so I tested 10 people over the course of Thursday and Friday, and I found that on average, people do better in the afternoon. Friday night was TOTU (Take Over The Union), sponsored by Residence Life. This year it was an Olympics theme, so everyone was dressed in togas, like famous athletes, or in athletic gear, and we played Olympic games like curling, hocky, frisbee, ring toss, and hot lava. I was there serving mocktails for SMAC. We served Steroid Manufactured Athletic Concoctions :), I thought it was cute! Friday night was also the Shack-a-Thon, where students created homes out of cardboard boxes and spent the night outside to raise money and awareness for the homeless. The rest of my weekend was pretty quiet; I worked on a lot of homework, studied for the tests that I have this week, and started research for a Latin paper due at the end of the semester. The only thing I did this weekend was homework, and I still have more to do. This time of the semester is just crazy for everyone, but we just have to get through these next three days then it's Thanksgiving! I can't wait.

--Christy

Late nights

2007-11-14T09:12:00.000-06:00

I love my roommate. Last night we were both exhausted; I was doing homework until midnight, but we stayed up for another hour just talking after we went to bed. Having a roommate is like having a sleepover--every night. I love it. I have never shared a room with anyone before coming to college, and now it's weird to have my own room when Jess is gone or when I go home. I don't like not having anyone to talk to or to send IM's to from six feet away, it's just not the same! :) So even if I do only get five hours of sleep I don't care because that's not what I'm going to remember. In twenty, thirty years I'm going to remember all the late nights, the laughter, and the girl talk. That's what's important. :)So even though I might look like a zombie today there are many things to do (like usual!). I have class until noon, then I work from 1-3...then I think I might go for a run or hit up the Fitness Center for awhile to get rid of some stress, and drop off my jerseys and bag down at Storzer. Tonight SMAC is bringing comedian Jay Black to the Terrace, so I really want to see him! It'll be a tight fit though...he's at 8 p.m. and I meet with my Chemistry tutor from 9-10 p.m., but I'll make it work! I can always make time to laugh! :)

Jay Black

--Christy

Perfect.

2007-11-13T23:25:00.000-06:00

Today was such a great day! The weather was beautiful--53° when I went downtown this afternoon!! I wish the weather would just stay like this for the next three months! Today was a very productive day also! I designed the student planner for next year, along with my co-chair, Arielle, as one of our duties as SMAC Student Representatives. So that is a great thing to have taken care of early! If only I could do everything I need to do this far in advance! I have a few long-term papers that I need to get started on because once Thanksgiving has come and gone the rest of the semester will fly by! I think this weekend I will practically live in the library...at least they have that window seat I like so much! :)

--Christy

Another Monday...

2007-11-12T21:01:00.000-06:00

This was easily the best weekend I could have asked for. I did nothing but relax and watch football! Friday night I went to the swim meet then watched "We are Marshall" with the girls, then Saturday I watched the Badger game while Nick and some of his roommates made breakfast. Saturday night Nick and I went out to dinner at Dos Gringos and stuffed ourselves, then went to Fred Claus, which was playing at the Campus Cinema. It was such a great movie! And it definitely put me in the mood for Christmas! Except I'm still waiting for Thanksgiving... :)

And it's days like this that I can't wait until Thanksgiving! Today was extremely busy: my first class of the day was Orgo from 8-8:50, but I had some things I had to finish up this morning, so I got up at 6:30 to do that. I am doing a psychology study on the Effects of Time of Day on Concentration, so I had to make a sign-up sheet for my participants. I am also applying to participate in the Peace Studies Maymester in Jamaica this May, so I had to write an essay telling why I wanted to be in the class. I finished up both of those things early this morning (with a little help from Nick :)) Then it was off to Orgo, then work, then recruiting Intro Psych students to sign-up for my study, then Spanish from 10-11, then Stats from 11-12, then lunch, followed by Chem lab from 1-4, then a Marketing Advisory Committee meeting from 4-5. I went to dinner at 5, then I had to run a few errands downtown. Now it's laundry and homework. Fun, right?

--Christy

Dos!

2007-11-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

Today is a pretty relaxed day for me: I have classes until noon, then I lunch-host a volleyball recruit, then this afternoon I have to meet with a professor, work on designing the planner for next year, and stop into the Career Development office to discuss possible summer opportunities and internships. After I do all that the weekend is mine.

Tonight there's a home swim meet, the first one in five years or something ridiculous like that, so I think I might try and go to that. Then tomorrow is my two month anniversary with Nick, so we're going to DOS Gringos, a mexican reataurant downtown. I thought Dos would be appropriate for our dos meses! Can you tell I planned that? I love corny stuff like that! :) And I think after dinner we might see what's playing at the Campus Cinema and maybe catch a movie! I think campus will be pretty quiet this weekend; it's the first weekend after all the fall sports are over and a lot of people are going home. But I'm not going to mind at all! I am looking forward to a weekend of quiet and relaxation! And since my homework for Chemistry is not to get sick, I think a weekend like that is just what the doctor ordered! :)

--Christy

Aerobics again :)

2007-11-08T09:24:00.000-06:00

I am so excited for my second EVER aerobics class today. :) I can't believe I never went to these last year! I think it's one of the underappreciated things of Ripon College. In fact, I don't want you to miss out on any of these things while at Ripon College:

*The PRAIRIE
*Sunday morning brunch
*OMELETS
*Breakfast in General
*Sledding on Sadhoff
*Innnertube water polo
*The Mulit-cultural lounge
*Joyce to the World
*Aerobics
*Midnight Breakfast
*Springfest
*Racquetball
*Dirt Cake

That should be a good start. Once you have experienced all those things, you will be loving life at Ripon College. :)

I am loving life today. I have one class. Beautiful. And after that nothing to do. I will probably end up putting my laundry away, doing dishes, cleaning my room, then most likely taking a nap. Then aerobics. Maybe I can even talk Nick into going to aerobics... :)

--Christy