Exploring the infinte abyss

First week of teaching...

2009-09-18T00:15:00.002-04:00

So let me preface this with i hope there will be pictures to come...

So this week I had my first teaching week! I got to teach a group of ten 11 year olds! It was quite the task! I was nervous going into the week and then to kick it off I had this dream about the children getting to camp early and that one of my students was allergic to rain and I had no way to shelter her! Also, (in the dream) my boss yelled at me for being unprepared! yikes! Needless to say I was less than excited to go to our first meeting monday morning and I was even more scared about the children arriving. Turns out they were over an hour late and we were really rushed to get everything done before dinner monday night!

My team had a rough time getting through their team contract and other pre-dinner chores but they managed to make an awesome LNT (Leave no trace) skit about minimizing camp fires. So I was pretty excited for our week to start because I felt like I was going to have a pretty good group. We hot quite a few speed bumps though. my group of students didn't work so well as a team and actually fought quite a bit!

After day 2- Go with the flow (water systems!) where we built watersheds in the sand and played with macro invertebrates I could tell that I was going to have to work on them working as a team. They fought all day, and hit and pushed each other. The funny thing is- I though that it would be the boys who fought all the time- and it was all the girls! So while I thought the kids had fun, besides all the complaining about being tired and hiking too far, I knew we had to revisit respect.

Day 3 we had an incident before breakfast! I had one girl push another and start crying. To discipline the whole group for their actions we wrote in our journals about how to respect each other and then wrote one nice thing about everyone in the group. We were all going to read the nice things people said about us ( because that will help us work as a team right?!) wrong. One student ended up writing some mean things and we ended up leaving campus at 10:45am instead of 9 am because we had three more students crying. The rest of the day went relatively well, behavior wise, but we totaled 6 students crying on wednesday. Although we did learn some really cool things about ecosystems and played some really awesome games.

Day 4 was inquiry day- where the students make up their own project and we go through the scientific method to solve it all day and make a poster. Once again we had some trouble getting together as a team and deciding one hypothesis or one project or one method. So I think to myself.... "lets do a team builder and see if that helps them work as a team!" so after 30 minutes on MOSSes Lan-skies we had made it a third of our destination and the team failed. One girl fell off and cried also. So back to the drawing board where we had two hypotheses that contradicted each other. After a hike where everyone complained and a day that was rougher than the last two due to a lack of teamwork and an epic battle of two 6th grade girls, we missed 30 minutes of free time but FINALLY worked as a team... sorta. The only redeeming factor of the day were the notes that some of the students wrote me.

You will never believe that while I was ripping my hair out and trying to break up all the fighting these kids 1.)had fun 2.) thought I was fun 3.) enjoyed being here 4.) learned something about science. This was most defiantly not the best first week, but I suppose it can only get better from here and I know that I learned a lot from having this group... and maybe through all the yelling, crying and what-not-ing this little buggers actually grew on me.

- well.... til next time. peace and love from Idaho.

Westward Bound.... to Idaho I go!

2009-08-29T18:40:00.003-04:00

Well Hello....

So i graduated college with a plan to move to small town Idaho and participate in the McCall Outdoor Science School through Americorps. So now here I am, living in a state park and learning how to be a field instructor and how to teach 5th and 6th graders information that is new or refreshed for me!

I suppose I should start with the journey out here and the removal from my past life before I get into the details of my newly formed existence. So here it is, Leaving Boston was one of the scariest and exciting moments of my life. I may have cried harder than I ever have before, and I still have moments when I wish I had never left.... but I love it

here and I think that McCall may be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and I feel so so lucky to be here. That being said, The road trip here was most likely the best experiences of my life.

My sister and I started in Boston and made a 5 day 3500 mile trip through a good chunk of the country. We got to stop and say hi to friends in Waterloo Michigan and Chicago, which was an awesome way to start the trip out! After that we headed north to Wisconsin to raft the Wolf river out of Shot Gun Eddy rental shop.... this was the craziest experience of my life, we were given directions down the river with an inflatable raft and four 4x6 pictures, all while getting distracted my five week old kittens. Anyway, from there we headed to Utah by way of minnesota, south dakota ( and yes we stopped at Wall Drug, sadly), and Wyoming! Oh yeah, we took a pit stop at Mount R

ushmore also! After utah it was Idaho here we come!

So I got dropped off in McCall and was surprised at just how beautiful it is, we are amidst the Rocky Mountains and right on this beautiful lake that we have 24 hour access to and I can't describe how lucky I feel to live here. Most of us got here early to get out wilderness first aid training and we all hit it off right from the start. Now we are three weeks into training and I feel as though I have known some of these people for years.

Five days of our training was hiking through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area. I have never been backpacking before But I will defiantly be going again! It was challenging and amazing. I have never felt so accomplished and lucky in my life. 30 miles in two and a half days! Now we are getting all our materials on how to teach these children and getting our first assignments and I feel like I am starting to get more comfortable, but I am still really nervous to get started. I know that even if I am not 100% ready when that bus full of students show up, that I have an awesome team to work with and the support I need to get through it and improve for the next week.

I am excited for this learning oppertunity and to see where this

path in life takes me!

4 years, 8 semesters, 39 classes, and 125 credits later... this is what I have learned....

2009-04-28T14:54:00.009-04:00

1.) The esplanade is one of the most beautiful places in the city. An ambassador showed it to me my sophomore year, and I showed it to a freshman ambassador this year. Every thing goes full circle and the beauty of it makes me have hope for the world.
2.) Walks around the city with various good friends have made most of my favorite memories
3.) When you are walking through the rain there is no reason not to run through a fountain.
4.) You are never too old to go apple picking... just don't drop the apples in the middle of a busy intersection after spending all day getting them
5.) The commuter rail brings you to some lovely places... take advantage of it.
6.) Pandora is best way to listen to music.
7.) You can do anything that you set your mind too....but you can only do so much and do it well... Choose what makes you the happiest and do it better than anyone thought you ever could.
8.) If you try hard enough… you can almost always find free food or someone who wants to use their meal plan on you ;) Thanks for everyone who has supported me on cafe food when I needed or wanted it... I love and owe you all...
9.) Alcohol is over rated.
10.) Buying movie passes at the hub and waiting ten days to see a movie says $$... Totally worth it.
11.) Their is beauty in everything and everyone... it's up to you to find it.
12.) Nothing compares to the smell of the ocean...
13.) Zipcar is worth having when you turn 21.
14.) You never know unless you try.
15.) Get involved with community service.
16.) Stay strong in your beliefs and never let anyone compromise your comfort.
17.) Look at the stars.
18.) Get a pair of rain boots with a fur or wool lining… they just became snow boots.
19.) Don’t waste your time or money on umbrellas

20.) College night at fire and ice is amazing.
21.) Running through the commons barefoot in the rain is incredible fun... though probably not overly recommended.
22.) Believe in yourself.
23.) Never be scared to try something new or meet new people... they may be your best friend or your soul mate... and it may lead to the most amazing adventure.
24.) If you are going to go on Spring break... go someplace warm, with a large group of people you love, and rent a condo.... its cheaper than a hotel and you can buy food to make at home... far superior to having to live in a hotel. Breathe the culture and explore everything about where you go. I went to Puerto Rico. Best week of my life. I hiked to the top of the rain forest and have never felt more alive.
25.) Don't lose contact with the people who make you who you are. They are your soul mates... and they can heal you when you feel broken.
26.) Have a pen pal. Or take the time to hand write a note to someone you love.
27.) Take advantage of every opportunity.
28.) Hug your friends.

29.) Explore. And Discover.

30.) Try Thai food. And Sushi. And Indian food. And anything else you have never tried.

31.) Lay in the Sun…. but wear sunscreen.

32.) Go to class. Take copious notes. Professors are far more likely to 1. Help you when you need it if you have gone to class. 2. Test on what they lectured.

33.) Find the beauty in the everyday

34.) Retailmenot.com if you like to shop online…

35.) Steep and cheap.com … if you like the outdoors.

36.) Write down your memories.

37.) Write a note to the month. Set expectations for it to live up to.

38.) Take road trips.

39.) Be yourself.

40.) Get a tattoo… if you want one.

41.) Go salsa dancing.

42.) Dance… everywhere and anytime you can.

43.) VOTE

44.) Visit your friends in their hometowns.

45.) Leave the City on occasion.

46.) Make a resume early, and always update it.

47.) Enjoy the simple things.

48.) Don’t judge others.

49.) Get involved. Thank you to all the friends I have made though PC, PAO, TA, SU101TA, RCC, OL, and whatever else I have dipped my hand into… (PC-program council, PAO- Performing Arts Office, TA-Trustee Ambassador, SU-101 Teachers assistant, RCC-Residence community council, Ol- Orientation Leaders…)

50.) Everyone leaves home to go to college… or leaves a comfort zone. Don’t be shy, we were all freshman once, and we all knew no-one… say hello to a stranger in your class or in the cafeteria.

51.) Read your horoscope. Then blissfully ignore it.

52.) Look at the weather before you leave your apartment or dorm.

53.) Run. It’s the one thing you can do that will allow you to think about nothing but breathing.

54.) Do yoga. It will center your soul.

55.) Do not eat High Fructose Corn Syrup. And watch King Corn.

56.) Play devil’s advocate.

57.) Eat at the Law school cafe.

58.) Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not good or smart enough, because you are.

59.) When you turn 21… go to the Landing and get a fishbowl… or Guppy bowl. Haha

60.) Study Abroad… it’s the one thing I regret not doing over the past 4 years.

61.) Don’t go home for the first two months of school…. It’s the weekends that you are bored and looking for something and someone to do it with that you make your best friends.

62.) Do ASB-Alternative Spring Break… you will get unbelievably close to people that you have never met before.

63.) Live you dreams and test your borders.

64.) Call your parents.

65.) Appreciate the beauty of where you came from and the person it made you.

66.) Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you really need it.

67.) I changed my major four times… and did a lot of paperwork to do it…

68.) Find the grassy areas in the city

69.) Don’t be afraid to tell your friends, significant others, parents, siblings, or anyone… that you love them.

70.) Visit the seals in front of the aquarium… especially at night…

71.) Remember that what is right and what is true or perhaps best isn’t always the same.

72.) Buy your books online.

73.) Shop at Trader Joes or use peapod.

74.) Make everyday fun. (Your team…)

75.) At the end of your four years in college… no matter where you end up… look back and read your high school year book… the notes people wrote you, what you wrote about yourself and realize how much you have changed, grown, and stayed the same.

76.) Rule #76… No excuses play like a champion.

All that being said… I have had the most amazing four years I could have ever asked for. I feel truly blessed by the lessons I have learned, the people I have met, the memories I have made and the confidence I have gained. I thank everyone who has taken the time to point out my mistakes or appreciate my accomplishment. I thank my parents, friends and family for believing in me and helping me accomplish all that I have. If I could go back tomorrow and be moving into 10 Tremont again I would be in a heartbeat. I remember my first day I moved in and went out with the family, upon returning I told my mom to just get in the car and take me home. Looking back that makes me laugh because if I had really done that, I would have missed the best four years of my life. Now I am sitting here, 16 days away from graduation wondering where the time has gone. I want to say a special thank you to the Undergraduate Admissions office that allowed a shy girl from CT to break out of her shell and become a tour guide. I can’t imagine not giving another tour. Thanks to all of you that have given me the chance to be your tour guide, and allowing me to share what I consider my home, with you. As I move away from Boston and Suffolk, I am leaving a part of my heart here and bringing Suffolk with me forever. It’s been a beautiful four years.

last week...

2009-04-28T14:26:00.003-04:00

well, this week has been four years in the making! My last week of finals! As of right now it is one final actually, tomorrow. As of tomorrow afternoon I will be practically done with my college career... and nothing could be more heartbreaking. I am preparing a particularly heartbreaking blog to post on my last day in the office... so stay posted for my final send off from Suffolk!
As for now I would like to reflect on how lovely the past couple of weeks have been...
The sun finally came out to play! thank goodness! This is the third day that has been over 80 this week and I could not be happier! I spent a whole hour and a half reading in the sun on Friday and managed to get a horrid burn on my back... the downside to reading in the sun... and I had a razor back shirt on so that night at the Spring Ball quite a few people found humor in my patterned skin tone. While my back being burnt managed to make me slightly uncomfortable for the following couple of days it did not stop me from enjoying the sun even more! beside having to work Saturday afternoon, I spent the whole weekend outside!!!!!!! Truly, if I were to have a theme song it would most likely be "She's only happy in the Sun" By Ben Harper... due to the truth of that statement. I also got to spend a plethora of time with some of my ambassador friends... which made the weekend even lovelier. Nothing beats salads in the sun followed by Chocolate strawberry frozen yogurt or Boston Beer Works Nachos. yummy.
So, I have to say that the majorities of the past few weeks have been filled with late night walks in the warm spring air and good friends. Whitney, Allison, TJ and I have found ourselves wondering the streets and walking the Esplanade more nights than not due to the new spring air and the refreshing qualities of grass and good company. These night have been so lovely that they keep a smile on my face and make it harder to think about leaving. Honestly, these are truly beautiful people. Anyway... We are going to live it up tonight in Zipcar fashion... We are getting a Cooper Mini Convertible to cruise around in at midnight... the cars are half price then so why not!? haha
Also, we just had my last Spring ball! I went to eight winter and spring formals... each one was truly amazing! We even managed to gather all the ambassadors who went to take this lovely picture! It was a lovely evening filled with good friends, food, dancing and fun! I can't complain...

I am really going to miss this place...

so close!

2009-04-08T14:33:00.003-04:00

it's that time of year again... finals! well, kinda. I know its only April 8th(ps. I totally realized that my previous blog was not actually April 1st. opps. /happy April fools day!) but all my final projects are coming up quick! I have big preventions to do, papers to write and tests to study for and it's all going on at once, making it slightly overwhelming. I will admit, its 100% my own fault. At this point, I have know about the majority of them for quite some time now, but have had a minor case of senior-itus making it near impossible to have the motivation to do them, and I work best under pressure! Anyway, there is some serious stress going on and I can't wait to be free... and go to relaxation day next week and get a massage!
On the other side of the situation I am getting really sentimental as my time at Suffolk comes to a bitter sweet close. It really does not seem like that was four years, wow. anyway, I am keeping a promise to myself to save all this mushy stuff for the last blog... so that's all you get for now!

This morning I got to do something new and exciting! I went to a college fair with some of the Admissions counselors. This is a pretty common practice for them, but it was a truly unique experience for me, and some of the other ambassadors who had the opportunity to participate for the first time. I know it sounds really corny, but I really enjoy talking to perspective students, which is probably why I love giving tours so much. I think it is really interesting to be able to connect and gain a new perspective on the admission process. I really enjoy sharing my experiences with all of you, and offering a current student perspective. I know that when I went on campus tours that talking to current students made the biggest impression and helped more than any brochure ever could, so it means a lot to me to be that person for students.
anyway, I think that's really it for now... so until next week.... Happy easter weekend!

Happy April!

2009-03-31T12:28:00.002-04:00

Hello there....
I can't believe it's April 1st! wow... I have so little time left at Suffolk! I have been getting really sentimental lately when it comes to how short a period of time I have left here... looking back over four years and remembering all the good times! But I will save my sob stories for my last blog... so be on the lookout!
This past Sunday was showcase, which was quite fun with the rain, haha, not really. I was really excited to talk to some families, and students (much like yourselves) but the rain put such a damper on the day, I am hoping to a sunny Sunday this week so that we can have some more fun!
I also started my new job this week! I am now working the shoe department at City Sports in downtown crossing! It is a lot of fun so far, but having to run down the stairs for different sizes can get a little exhausting. Everyone I have worked so far has been super nice and I am looking forward to getting more comfortable with the technical details of shoes and the staff!
I also got to go out and do my service learning for Environmental policy and politic this weekend. We went into Dorchester Friday and Saturday am to look for sings of lead on houses in the neighborhood. I had a lot of fun although the weather gave me a cold! So i am a little sick but starting out April with a smile anyway.
Gotta run, sorry there isn't more exciting material for my blog this week! Hope all is well.

ASB... best week of my life

2009-03-24T15:38:00.004-04:00

Hello all.... I know it has been two weeks, but I actually was in Mississippi last week with no Internet access or I would have blogged every day about how amazing my trip was. Last week I was given the opportunity (by the S.O.U.L.S (Suffolk's Organization for uplifting life's though service) office at no price to me. Amazing ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY) to go on Alternative Spring Break 2009... So I packed my bags and headed down to Starkville Mississippi to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. The series of events that we went through as a group brought me so close to the 19 other people on my trip that I could not imagine my life without this experience. (hint: this is my way of suggesting that you take advantage of this opportunity when you get to Suffolk... Or really any school that you go to because it was that amazing.)

So we got there late, lost someones luggage, and entered the wrong address into the GPS so we got unbelievably lost the first day on our two and a half hour drive from the airport, but my car was rocking out so much to the amazing tunes that I didn't really mind the drive. I had to be one of the van drivers because I was the only student on the trip over 21, and I was pretty nervous but managed to go the whole week with only one scary driving moment, which was on the way back to the airport. Anyway, we finally got to the church an hour late and I was kinda embarrassed because I felt like it was rude to walk in so late... but they were so welcoming and excited to see us that you would have thought that we were right on time. Southern hospitality is such an amazing thing. Sometimes I feel like we try to be so rushed and busy to feel as though we are doing something worthy that we forget how the simple things in life, like a genuine smile or welcoming hug, make bigger differences than most things we try to pre-occupy ourselves with.
After our dinner we moved to a cabin at a boy scout camp which was slightly under our expectations, but it was so nice to be in nature that I didn't really mind being there. By Wednesday we happen to find a cockroach and a dead mouse ( which were most likely products of our own stupidity... ie. leaving the door open when there was food in the cabin) and Thursday we had to move to a church basement, and Friday night we long hauled back to Jackson and camped out on the airport floor. It was a big mess trying to figure out where we were going to stay and what we were doing, and it was even harder having to stay up til 330 in the am, driving, after a long day on site, our last dinner with the other groups and then the two games of Bowling that we played at the Starkville lanes, but all these twisted events brought us all closer together.
On site we had quite the experiences also, between the other two groups, one a Catholic group from Mississippi State and the other a group from Plymouth State, and the Habitat volunteers from Startkville. We became really close to our three leaders on site, John, Pat and Dave, who do this everyday and are all amazing people. We even got Pat to create a Facebook account so that we could keep in touch with him! We had our fare share of crazy incidents on site too, like this guy Ty, who had several interesting life stories to tell us about, even if we were rather uninterested, and there was a time that a ten foot 2x4 nearly fell on my head, while I was helmet less, with two nails sticking out of it ( luckily I am speedy and alert so i Jumped out the way! haha). They really appreciate everything they have down there, Ty even told me he felt bad for me because I lived in an apartment in downtown Boston, and he had tons of land and a beautiful triple wide trailer, while my initial reaction was that he may be crazy, I realized that he had an appreciation for a life that I could never understand, and he is probably right to feel bad for me, not the other way around. We also got to experience all the different Churches from the neighborhoods coming out to feed us lunch on site. There was even one older woman who came down everyday with a fresh batch of sugar cookies for us! These moments were some of my favorites on the trip because they make you realize what you have, and to be thankful, also they teach you how much can happen when people come together to build a dream. We were in the poorest part of this town and there was no shortage of people willing to help, even if it was just a batch of cookies.
Then of course there are the moments that I spent with the 19 amazing individuals that took the journey to Starkville with me. Each and everyone of them are amazing people who touched my heart and changed my life. I was in a pretty rough time in life the week before we left and they all helped me laugh so hard that I forgot what was going on in life. The times in the cabin playing catch phrase or apples to apples, or doing our roses and thorns of the day were what was absolutely amazing... even waking up to Kelsey's "wouldn't it be nice" beach boys alarm every morning are all going to be memories I keep with me forever, not to mention our obscene number of trips to Sonic, and our minor food fighting incident at the first sonic visit. One of my favorite memories was our trip to Wal-Mart as a group where we nearly got kicked out for taking a picture. Apparently It is illegal to take photos in Wal-Mart and you must get corporate permission before doing so, so next time you hit a wal-mart, make sure your camera's are away! We got to do all sorts of fun experiences like go to a Mississippi State baseball game and ring the fan's cow bells! Even the fans at the game, that had no idea who we were let us ring their cow bells and told us all about Mississippi. We even got on the jumbo tron- (I got on Twice! Once was for the chicken dance! and we should have won except for this small boy won instead. whatever!). I really enjoyed every experience I got to have with these people and exploring the area.
Ok, so I most likely have written so much that you are board but I wanted to write down all my experiences and maybe inspire you to go to college (really anyone... but hopefully Suffolk!) and to get involved. Maybe you are into community service, maybe not, but getting involved helps you connect to people that share your interest and offer you true friendship. I know that these 19 people will be people that will always hold a special place in my heart and I hope to stay connected with all of them.

Senior Night, Macbooks , frog pond and more...

2009-03-09T11:18:00.005-04:00

Ok, So it's been far too long since my last post! (things in the office were busy and my life was in a little lull...aka nothing overly exciting happened so I figured I should do other work...) Any way, this week was a lil different! Well really the last week and a half, but as already noted, Its been a while.

So last Thursday we had Senior Night at McFadden's, a local bar, to celebrate 100 nights until graduation. It was actually somewhere in the range of 80-85 days until graduation, but we, the senior week committee, got a little preoccupied and kinda forgot to plan it a little sooner-oops! Anyway, it was the same night that Mr. Belding, from Saved by the Bell! came to campus, so Whit and I tried to squeeze both events in, and did so rather well. Mr. Belding was suppose to talk for about four hours including trivia and other aspects of his 'show', but we only got to stay for the first hour or so, and we made Rich come with us!!! Anyway, the whole night was tons of fun because it was one opportunity to see all your friends in one night and to see people you usually would not.

I also just got my tax rebate! and I am thinking about purchasing a mac book! I am really excited about this because my old computer is dying, and It would be so nice to have a new computer that is actually capable of basic functions! Anyway, I know this is a huge purchase so I am pretty nervous and I went to the Apple store on Boyleston the other day to take my time and learn everything I could about the Mac book. The employees are not paid commission in order to actually help you find a computer that is best for you, not that would make them the most money which is awesome. So a very nice associate, Paul, sat with me for about an hour and fifteen minutes making sure I knew what i needed, and helping me learn all the features that are going to be different on my Mac book then they are on my PC. They also offer free tutorials on how to use different Mac programs like I work... the Mac Microsoft office equivalent. I still got nervous and left empty handed but I think I am going back to get one this week!

Then there was yesterday, which was a glorious day! I went to target to get ready for Alternative Spring Break! With my friend Kelly and (of course) Whit! We went and tried to get stuff for the trip but mostly just ended up buying everything that we wanted and not really getting much for the trip. Then I had to go to work but i got out early! So whit and I went to visit TJ at the Frog Pond! He was working until 9 so we went to hang out then we all went out to dinner. Whit and TJ are two of my favorite people so it was a great pleasure to get to go to dinner with the two of them. We went to the Cheesecake factory and I had the crusted lemon chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes and it was amazing. TJ decided to order whatever the waitress would have ordered... then he gave his leftovers to a homeless man, which was super sweet of him, and the man seemed pretty stoked for life.
I went home to find Law and Order SVU was on, followed by Selena, which completed the perfect day. Did I mention that it was beautiful out! I wore FLIP FLOPS! It was pretty much the best day ever... then this morning it was snowing... :(

back in the groove

2009-02-10T11:29:00.003-05:00

Well, its Feb now, so i suppose its time to get back in the groove of things, which I finally am. I am back up to about thirty hours a week at the Starbucks I work at, as well as my ten hours a week here and I am up to three work-outs a week, though I will be up to four or five by the end of the month... you have my word! haha...
I have to say, I love the city's ability to offer so many opportunities. I was able to hop a train last night and meet up with my sister and do a new kind of Yoga class, A-Z method, in Newburyport at the Metro Rock climbing gym. This yoga was a core intensive class, meaning that i left already feeling pain and she said that it should hurt the worst tomorrow, (two days after) so I am looking forward to that. I plan on going again next week, because it was a great workout, despite the pain I currently feel.
So I have been applying for jobs because I am looking for a change and generally dis-agree with everything the company has been becoming. So today, I have an interview at Banana republic today in Fanuiel Hall and I applied to The Museum of Science last week. While I was at the museum I was tempted to explore forever, due to my love of science.I love the stars and space and have every intention of getting a telescope, especially because it will be amazing to have in Idaho, in the woods. It is something that I would love to learn more about. I also applied to be part of the "green team" at Fenway this summer, which would be awesome because I could be outside all the time, watch red sox games and help people recycle. Sounds like a perfect gig to me. I am also hoping to work at a Marina.
I can't wait much longer for spring to get here, the cold is making me crazy. I need to be outside in the sunshine and I hate having to wear a coat! Well, I guess thats all thats new and happening in my life.
peace love and happiness!

Opps! guess what I forgot to tell you??

2009-01-28T14:31:00.003-05:00

Hello!
I forgot to tell everyone that I got into Americorps for next year and I will be moving to Idaho! I am going to be working at an outdoor science school that brings in mostly fifth and sixth graders to learn enviornmental science on a field campus in the woods. The change from the big city to a small town, living in the mountains, surrounded by a lake and woods is going to be a little bit of a shock, but one I can't wait for! My sister is going to be driving me cross country to my new home in Aug. and I am so very excited. As much as I love city life, the tree hugger in me misses the smell of nature in the morning, and the serenity of the woods. I am really excited to be getting this rare oppertunity and wanted to share my excitement with you. :)
Also.. hope you guys like the new blog look for the new semester ;) haha.
-Peace!

Me and DC

2009-01-27T10:27:00.003-05:00

Well hello!
Its so weird to be back from Winter break and back in the swing of things! Although really I am getting a late start, so I should be thankful. i had the opportunity to go to Washington DC for a ten day seminar with The Washington Center. (if you are really into politics then you should defiantly check them out because they have a lot of great opportunities as far as seminars and internships in DC) So I went down for the Inauguration seminar, to see Obama take his oath of office! Although in the end I ended up watching from my apartment... read on to learn why...

So we flew down January 10th and made our way to our apartment complex, which was right off the metro, but in North Bethesda, MD. The apartment was wicked nice, but due to over booking the seminar, due to high demand, there were six people forced into every 2 bedroom/four bed apartment. So it was a little crowded but really exciting to get to experience this new city and be there for such a historic event.

The seminars themselves were interesting, but sometimes ran a little long, from 830am til 1pm with no breaks. I was sick for the trip too, which made it even more challenging to get through the long days, but some of the speakers were really interesting. I am a Public relations major, but I have a high interest in politics, so it was really cool to be able to hear from Dana Bash, a CNN corespondent, or the press secretary from the Bush administration. We also heard from the ambassador from Pakistan, a secret service agent and many many other speakers with great insight. But the really fun part for me were the group site visits and the individual site seeing that we got to do.

The most interesting site visit that we got to go on, in my opinion, was the Israeli embassy. Here we learned more about the Israel/Gaza conflict, which I was not really well informed of, and more about Israel in general. We also got to go to the Capital building for a tour, the Human Rights Campaign(where we all got little shopping guides as to how to shop LGBT friendly), and the Heritage Foundation. On my own I went to the Holocaust Museum, and three of the Smithsonian's (Air and Space, Art Gallery, and American History). I tried to go to the international spy museum but that mission failed several times so i guess next time I am there I will have to try again.

We also went to the concert for Obama, the Sunday before the Inauguration. It was pretty cool to see Bruce Springsteen and others perform, even if we were a mile and a half back watching them on a jumbo-tron. While we were getting off the metro, I nearly lost my roommate Whitney in the crowd and had to pull her though. We got pushed around so much on our journey to the concert, that we couldn't imagine how bad the actual inauguration would have been with three times more people. Turns out that another friend on the trip left our apartments at 4am, waited in line for five and a half hours to get told the mall was full and she could either go stand behind the monument or just go to the parade, instead she came and watched in her PJ's with us!
All in all it was a good trip, and a great learning experience, I wish I had been less sick to be able to get more out of it, but I still feel like it was a great experience, and I got class credit for it!
Anyway, I am happy to be back in Boston at home :) and school.
ok... well I have to go give a tour! talk to you later!

well good morning.... America. haha

2008-12-08T13:47:00.004-05:00

Good Morning America!
I just got an email from good morning America as a confirm that we will be seeing the taping of the show the 17th when we are visiting NYC!!!!! I am going to the city for a night with Whit, and our friends Brian and Rich (fellow ambassador also... check out his and whits blogs!) We should have a ton of fun... whit and I decided to get two tickets to the show because the boys prob are not going to want to get up for the six thirty show.... so we will let them sleep and relax. I am getting really excited to go and see the big apple all decked out for the holidays. I am getting into the mood as we all relax and wind down after the semester and now that we have our tree up and what not. anyways, here are the updated photos i promised! Hope you all have a happy week.

Look how pretty we look at the Winter Ball... Me and Whit and Elissa (our other friend)
THIS IS OUR TREE!!! Its so beautiful and makes me happy when we are chilling in the living room/apt.My sister, Whit and Me at the Christmas Tree field about to cut one down.... its harder than it looks or sounds. trust me.

relaxation day...

2008-12-02T13:21:00.002-05:00

Well... it's relaxation day! Its that time of the semester when things get hectic and everyone needs to relax! So program council puts on a lovely day of massages, arts and crafts and cookies/refreshments for any stressed students to enjoy! So Whit and I stopped on by, as we def have stress that can be relieved! We decorated our cookies, caught up with some friends over a cup of coco and relaxed for our FREE PROFESSIONAL MASSAGES! Now I feel all relaxed and ready to concur the world! (or at least my finals...)

As the week winds down I am getting excited for vacation, which is going to be wonderful! I just realized that I only have one day of classes left!!!! wow, it seems like the semester had been so long, yet looking back it feels like September still! My finals schedule next week is crazy, I have one Tuesday night and the other three spread out next Wednesday, which is going to be crazy overwhelming, but I feel confident in my ability to do well across the board. Lucky for me I have my dance final on Wednesday morning, which has been rehearsed so well that I hopefully will be just fine, not to mention that we are taking the written part this week, so nothing to really "study" next week, and my night exam is a presentation that I have been working very hard on, so I really only have to study for one big exam, which is really nice to know. As for the exam on Monday, it also may be challenging, but I will have all weekend and Monday to prepare for that, not to mention an extra study session Monday night! I am looking forward to relaxing this weekend a little with the Winter Ball!

At the end of Every Semester PC puts on this AMAZING ball ( either winter or spring ) at some fancy hotel, where you can enjoy a night of dinner and dancing! Whit and I are looking forward to getting all dressed up and putting our dancing shoes on for this night of fun and friends!! I was lucky enough to plan them last year, and held mine at the Seaport Hotel in the Winter and Fairmont Copley in the Spring ( which was my dream location!) As much as I loved planning them, I am looking forward to being able to go and enjoy the event as just a guest! I will blog after and update you on how everything went after, but here are some pictures from last year. Its really a great opportunity to be able to get all dressed up and experience some fancy dinner with your favorite people at the end of the semester.

What else is going on?.... oh! I am looking forward to getting a Christmas tree! My roommate and I are going to put a little one in the apt, seeing how we will both be here for most of the month and its just not the holidays without one! and we can decorate it and watch holiday movies and drink hot cider and coco... and maybe even make cookies! Oh! I am getting all excited!

This was my tree last year! Dont worry.... there will be new exciting pics soon!

ps. HEY BECKEE!

AHHHHHH

2008-11-17T15:24:00.002-05:00

Hello there...

its that time of year again, where finals are approaching and I am starting to get a little stressed out. As finals approach and projects and papers are piling up, I need to buckle down and get going. Now don't worry, I did this to myself, its not a general college thing, although several people have assignments due and group projects at this time, most of them do not procrastinate like me.
In my defense I am working full time and going to school full time also, which is completely do-able, though I will admit that there are more nights than not where I just want to sleep, and reading or doing other work is the least of my concerns, making more work for myself overall. I do not suggest this, not at all actually, though I did the same thing in high school. Shameless plug but, if I were you going into college, I would take SU-101 to learn skills to help you avoid these habits, and you are lucky too, because it was not offered when I was a freshman, or I would have been all about that.
Luckily however turkey day is right around the corner and I will be relaxing for a long weekend! Tonight however is the International Thanksgiving Dinner! its put on my International Student Assosiation and Program Council, and its only a dollar or a canned good for a great turkey dinner! Ok, well maybe after that i will be able to write a longer blog to catch you guys up! til then... i gotta run to class!

Halloween and elections!

2008-11-06T17:05:00.005-05:00

So last week was Halloween! and it was so much fun to see everyone all dressed up and whatnot. Even walking down the street in costume and running into everyone else in some of the most creative costumes. My friend saw someone who was a "work in progress" and wore all white and had people paint on her to complete the 'work.' These are some pictures...
and... OBAMA WON THE ELECTION!!!! This was the first election I was able to vote in so I was super pumped to get to the poles! After voting, I had to work all afternoon, then I went to a friends house to watch the results come in. To move the night along my friend and his girlfriend cooked lamb, muscles, made maple muffins, and creme-brule. We were all so excited when we saw the results go in Obama's favor (it was a liberals and latte's shin-dig). I am so excited and proud to have helped make history. We are truly in the an amazing time of change and excitement. just think, we will go down in the history book, how cool?

Rainy Tuesday....

2008-10-28T14:24:00.002-04:00

well hello there friends...

Its Tuesday, and it's rainy, hence the title of my blog today. It's been a pretty slow week/weekend, but there is a ton of stuff coming up quickly.

So with mid-terms wrapping up quickly and looking towards finals-time I am getting a little overwhelmed. I feel like there is so much to do and such little time to do it! It turns out that I am really busy this week also, so it is hard for me to feel like I have time to do anything.
So Tuesdays and Thursdays I am usually free in the evening, even though I am usually to tired to do anything. This week, however, I have some really great plans! Tonight (Tuesday) I am going to see my sister who lives in Beverly. Luckily for me I live just blocks from the train, so it is really easy to go visit her. Anyway, we are going to carve pumpkins and go to the soup factory and getting Pumpkin Apple soup!
Thursday is the first Senior event! We are going to Boston Beer Works, there is going to be food and fun! I am really looking forward to getting together with a bunch of seniors and kicking off a year of great events, most of which will come in the spring.

Anyway, I got to run and give a tour. Hope you all have a great week!

Jason Mraz, Duck tours and whatnot

2008-10-21T14:13:00.002-04:00

Hello hello...
So this weekend marked two Jason Mraz concerts in two weeks. As I wrote last week I saw him play at our school for a concert, which was amazing, but his concert at the Orpheum was far superior. He played a two hour set, and was absolutely unbelievably fantastic. I am such a big fan of his music, and his concert was such a great mix of his well known music and better unknown stuff. I sat front row, but we were so far to the right that I couldn't really see him, so I ended up sitting on the ledge of the booth I was sitting in and seeing the show perfectly!! I was even more happy to see that, when I bought his tour shirt, that his merchandise is all made with solar and wind power and are earth friendly, making me love him even more, if possible. :)

To continue the fun this weekend, I worked for family weekend giving Duck tours! For those not familiar, Duck tours are given on old WWII vehicles called D.U.K.W. and you drive around historic Boston and learn a ton of neat things. For Instance, did you know in the early 1900's that there was a large molasses spill, creating a wave of molasses to cause several deaths and injury's in Boston's North End? I do now! Whit and I got to ride on the same Ducks both days and learn about some really cool things that neither of us knew before. If you are coming to visit Suffolk, or just coming to Boston, I would suggest going on a Duck tour... if you are lucky you can drive the tour through the Charles River!

and for whatnot... hummm.... not too much going on right now, midterms, final projects to start working on and more adventures to be had. I am looking forward to this weekends Students with Students information session... maybe I will see you there!

Peace, love and happiness til next blog. hope you all have a great week.

Procrastination and other things

2008-10-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

Well, I suppose you can say that as a senior I should be beyond the Procrastination phase of my life, but alas, it was Christopher Columbus day, and I spent the gorgeous day off, in the library researching and writing my paper. The worst part is, of course, I knew about the assignment since day one of school! Really Emily? weak performance on my part. While I feel as though the general assignment came out just fine, I could have done ten times better given the amount of time I had to prepare the assignment. Oh well, you live and you learn I suppose.

On a happier note, my mom came up to visit this weekend! Well, technically she came up to visit my sister, who lives about twenty minutes away, but she stopped in Boston to pick me up and took me to the Cheesecake Factory that my sister works at! After getting to see my sister and having a tasty meal, my mom and I took a walk on the Wakefield Lake, which is beautiful, before I hopped on a nearby commuter rail and headed back to the city. My sister and Mom were headed to Maine for a short vacation, and I will admit I am terribly jealous.

So... what else is new?? I applied to a program with Americorp! For those unfamiliar, it is a one year, domestic (in the US) program that is dedicated to service. I applied for three specific programs, one of which I am really hoping to be able to participate in, which evolves educating others about the environment. Anyway, I have always wanted to participate in Americorp or the peacecorp, so this opportunity would truly be a dream come true.

DON'T FORGET: The third Presidential Debate is TONIGHT at 9pm! This is the last debate planned before the election November 4th-so get with it, register to vote and be an informed voter!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend-this Saturday in Boston Is the Pumpkin Festival put on by Life is Good which benefits Camp Sunshine so if you are near the city you should check it out!

Apple Pickin' & Politics

2008-10-06T15:04:00.003-04:00

Ok, so the two items in the headline have nothing to do with each other except for the fact that they were the highlights of my weekend...
1.) Apple Picking
So this weekend Whitney and I ventured out the city life for a day and went to the country! Whitney had gone home for the weekend and I got a zip car to go out and pick her up! I had never really seen central/western Mass before, and with the fall in full effect, the scenery was beautiful! The leaves were all orange and red, you can only see it a little bit in the city, but as soon as I hit the outer limits of Cambridge I could really see that New England appeal! So I got the Prius zipcar! I, being such a tree hugger, was in Heaven, and it was green, my favorite color, needless to say I didn't want to return it! So I drove out, picked up Whit and we were off to Clear View Farms! I will admit I was expecting a larger farm, one that needed their infamous tractor rides, but I could see the whole farm from the parking lot. We hit the little store first, purchasing our "peck" bag, and a cider doughnut, which was rather tasty. Then we hit the fields! I was expecting it to take a little longer than it did, but we still were completely ridiculous, and had an amazing time. We stopped for lunch and some quick shopping (per Old Navy had a 14.92 sale in honor of the year that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, my apologies, I digress) then we zipped home! It was a rather lovely day, but then the bag of apples broke in the middle of the street, so we have about 7 apples to show for our adventure, mildly depressing.

2.) Politics!
SO I can only hope you know that Thursday was the Palin-Biden debate! fascinating! I am going to say quite openly that I love the Obama-Biden ticket and I think that Palin is not qualified for any position in office, never mind the Vice Presidency, and or the Presidency if it were to ever come to that! The debate was just more proof of what we all knew. I am looking forward to watching the New Saturday Night Live videos of the debate, and catching up on more politics. I have to say the Matt Damon youtube video is one of my favorites, so if you are an Obama fan, check it out for a good laugh! Anyway, I am getting excited as we get closer to election day! Make sure you register yourself to vote on time!

Til next time.... peace love and happiness to you all.

October already?

2008-09-29T15:09:00.003-04:00

well almost... Its September 29th already! I can not believe how quickly the semester is flying by, more so my senior year! I am, however, having a blast with it...

This past Friday night, our fellow ambassador Rich came over to hang out with me and Whit. We all got together after work on Friday and we made dinner and hung out for the night :) ... of course by "we made dinner" I mean that we made Annie's Mac and Cheese, frozen veggies and we bought a rotisserie chicken, and of course, croissant rolls! yummy!! After devouring our tasty dinner, we we hanging out watching the debate and decided that cake would be a good addition to the night, so we ordered from Night Owl. Usually, this service can be seen as the most glorious invention ever, however, not so much this past Friday. For those not familiar with Night Owl, it is an online delivery service for restaurants, so places like the Cheesecake Factory can get deliver you tasty cake, without having actual delivery it themselves, hence a small delivery fee of, I Believe, $4, Night Owl will order it, pick it up and deliver it to you on Rainy nights like Friday. However, on the case of Friday, we had a new kid get our order, and forgot to put it in. We waited for four hours for our cake to get delivered, we actually had to call in and replace the order, the bonus to waiting was that our cake was free!!! and, of course, delicious. Overall, we had a ton of fun and good food.

Whit and I also, inspired by our little dinner party with Rich, ordered Pea-pod! Pea-pod is a delivery service of Groceries, so we are getting tons of food deliverd to our apartment tomorrow night after all our classes and work is done! its such a great city life convience to be able to get your groceries delivered.

I am also really excited because I have an appointment at the Genius Bar tonight! Thats the Apple store, where you go with your broken I-pod and a Genius fixes it! my i-pod is on the fritz so I am hoping they can help me out :) The great thing is I have to go to Copley tonight anyway, so now I have an excuse to go to the new Apple store on Boyleston! Hoorey being productive!
slowly but surely I am crossing off everything on my very long to do list!

well off to class! Hope you have a great day! (as you should because the sun is out again!)

Happy Fall!

2008-09-22T14:51:00.003-04:00

Happy Fall solstice! It is the first day of fall and I can feel it in the air and it excites me! I find the fall to be so beautiful in the city so I can't wait for it to get here in full effect! This weekend was not all that entertaining, as I picked up an extra shift at Starbucks and ended up working the weekend away. Although I did have a rather thrilling experience on Friday night!
I went to see "My Best Friends Girl" which is the new Dane Cook movie with Kate Hudson! Not only was it hilarious and fantastic but I went with my friend Brian who happened to be an extra in the movie and you can see him during the Prom scene in the movie! Brian is also going to be an extra in the Pink Panther movie that is coming out soon and he is the actor who gets hit by the car in the beginning! I think it was really cool to be able to see a familiar face in such a 'Hollywood movie." In fact the whole movie was familiar because the movie was shot right in Downtown Boston!Dane Cook's father was a Law School Professor and they used Suffolk's Law School! There were also parts that were filmed in the North End, just a couple blocks from my apartment, and I remember last spring seeing the camera crews and crowds, and hearing about the actors that were filming, but now seeing the movie is made so much more exciting because you have gotten to see them film those scenes!
Anyway, I also just signed up for ZipCar, which I am really excited for because now I can get a car when I need one. As a student in Boston, I gave up my car and left it home, and eventually sold it because of the added cost and difficultly of having a car in the City, but then I Found ZipCar! They are a really cool service that offers "Wheels When you Want Them" so by being a member you can pick up a car located in the city (at saved parking spots) and you can use them for an hour or two, or the whole day! I am excited because I really want to go apple picking this year and there are no places close to a train, so it would be hard otherwise, now all I have to do is grab a zipcar and go! Also, by being a Suffolk Student I get a lower membership cost!
I think that's really all that is going on right now, excited to be getting into my grove as we get further into the semester! Hope you all have a happy fall!

2008-09-18T11:20:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!!

I wanted to tell you all of my great adventure last night! I went to the Bayside Expo Center to see Cirque Du Soleil- Kooza! The show is a great mix of tricks and acrobatics as well as individual acts like juggling, tight rope walking and other fantastical performances. I was amazed by how talented all the acts were and how quickly the two and a half hour show went by! The best part was that our tickets only cost $25!!!!! The office of performing arts sold tickets at that discounted rate (from $90!) to a number of students, which was an amazing deal! I went with my two friends we all had a ton of fun! (picture from cirque Du Soliel website)

I am so amazed that I was able to go for such a great price and we were so close too! Cirque Du Soleil brings their own tent and seating, so no matter where you sit you have a great seat!

On a separate note I am starting to be able to feel the fall weather! Although I absolutely love love love summertime, I am a little excited for 'sweater weather' and the beautiful fall changes. I can already see the leafs changing color and I can feel the air getting cooler and crisper!

anyway that's really all for now :) Thanks for stopping by!
-Emily Paige

hey there

2008-09-16T16:26:00.003-04:00

Well hello there...
My name is Emily and I want to welcome you to my blog! I have been a Trustee Ambassador (or tour guide) since my sophomore year, meaning this, being my senior year, is now my third year showing our campus to prospective students like you! I am currently in my Senior year and am about to graduate with a degree in Public Relations in May!
I am from small town CT and I could not be happier in the big city! I currently live in the North End of Boston, which is the city's little Italy! The North End is just a short walk from our campus and is truly a treasure, rich in culture and community. I live in a great apartment with my fellow Ambassador Whitney!
I have gotten really involved in my time hear at Suffolk, having been on the executive board of our schools Program Council for three years, I have also been involved with our orientation programs and being a teachers assistant for SU-101, a freshman introduction course, here on campus. I found my time being involved has been overwhelmingly rewarding and truly made my time at Suffolk fantastic! I currently work both on and off campus as a Barista and as a tour guide.
Boston is such a great place to get out and Explore! I love to walk around with friends and see what new adventures i can find! In fact, by doing just that I have found some of my favorite places in the City, The North End, The Esplanade (Charles River Walkway), and other cool hidden gems. I am sure that you will get the pleasure of hearing many of my adventures in my blog this year.
As I enter my Senior year I find it bitter sweet, as you may also as a senior in High School. I am looking forward to my last great year here and all the great opportunities that are ahead of me, post graduation. I think this year will be a memorable and I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you!
-Emily Paige