The Final Stretch

I believe there's a certain sense of irony in the fact that I'm just starting this post at 12:30am, when I have mountains of homework that I should be doing.
Maybe it isn't irony, I don't really know. I tend to think everything is a bit ironic in its own way, even if it isn't.

To say that a lot has happened this past semester would be an understatement.
To say that a lot has happened this past year would be an even bigger one.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty that I am so happy here at Roanoke College. When I step back and really try to think about it, I find it's difficult to explain to people, and I have to be very careful when talking about my college experience thus far, because it has been very unique. There have been ups, and there have been downs, but I feel like I must stress the fact that I do not regret a moment of it. There have been some difficult times, yes, but I have absolutely loved every moment--from the day I committed to Franklin College, to the time I decided I needed to transfer, from the time I accepted Roanoke's (second) offer, to tonight, as I sit in Lucas once again to type out another blog post. I sometimes feel that I make it sound like Franklin was a terrible experience and a waste of my time, and that wasn't the case at all. Yes, the school had some issues, but what school doesn't? Yes, I was not as happy as I am now, but there was a lot going on all at once. However, I have had some of the greatest experiences of my life at Franklin, and have made some friends that I truly believe will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. (Yes, Kaitlin, Emily, and Michelle, I'm talking to you! Greece Part __ will have to happen soon.) So while I may roll my eyes and laugh when someone asks why I transferred from Switzerland, please don't think that I regret it, or that it was a waste of time or money, or anything like that. Because I firmly believe that a large part of why I am who I am today is from those experiences. I credit Franklin for sparking my (initial hate, and then) passion of feminism and equality. Such a global setting, and such diverse people have allowed me to open my mind to a whole new realm of possibilities that I may not have considered if I kept myself in such a closed environment. And that's only one part of it. So much has happened in these past few semesters, months, years!

This has been an adventure that I am so proud to look back on. I don't know many people that can say they had their parents drop them off at an JFK International and just let them go the way my parents did. I'm sure ya'll are tired of reading me thank my parents as much as I do, but I really cannot imagine where I would be if I didn't have such amazing parents that believed in me and bent over backwards to try and give me the best opportunities possible. In fact, I could argue that this entire adventure really began back in 8th grade, when Mom and Dad agreed to let me go to St. Joe's. I don't think I would have ended up where I am, Franklin or Roanoke really, if it hadn't been for St. Joe's.

It's funny, really, because I look back and it seems that most every place I've "left" has ended on a relatively poor note, but the longer I find myself "away" from that place, the more it means to me, and the stronger that connection becomes. I'd be lying if I said my last few months at SJ were enjoyable. The lame duck period of being accepted to college yet having to wait for that chapter to begin was agony. But if I am back in Connecticut for any period of time and don't make it back to SJ, I feel like I'm missing something.

I laugh now, because I remember rolling my eyes at all the "Come home to Joe" speeches I heard over the years, and here I am, two years later, coming home every time. I will always be a Cadet, and I will continue Coming Home to Joe whenever I have the opportunity, because St. Joseph's High School shaped my character and my identity in such a way, that I feel obligated to go back, as a sort of thank you to those that have helped me get to where I am today. People like Mme. Marcucci, Ms. Broderick, Mrs. Cardillo, and Ms. Lowell. And especially Mrs. Green. These teachers showed me the potential I had and inspired me to do well, and I owe them more than I could ever express through words.

Anyway, I feel like I always start these updates with a purpose and I end up miles from that point by the time I'm done. So I'll try to bring it back to the present, and wrap it up quickly since it's nearly 1:00AM and I have some American Literature to be reading!

While Franklin College was an exceptional experience, Roanoke College has offered me so many opportunities in the past eight months, and I can really see myself thriving here. This community (another concept that I laughed at when I first got to St. Joe's) is so strong and so real that I want to be a part of it, and I want to be remembered as someone that was, and is, a part of this community. I have not yet been in Salem, Virginia for a full year, yet I find the same sense of pride that I feel for St. Joe's here. I am so proud to be a Maroon (I couldn't even escape St. Joe's colors!) and I want Roanoke College to be proud to have me as a Maroon, too.

Today I had the opportunity to attend an Awards ceremony, and had no idea what I was there to receive. As I walked in, I sat down next to a fellow Creative Writing major, and she asked if I had known about "the other award I received."

"I don't even know why I'm here," I responded. I was too anxious with how underdressed I felt because I had come from class and was in a polo and jeans. ("At least I decided to change out of my flannel, huh?" I commented to a friend later on.)

I began flipping through the program of all the students that had received awards, and finally came to the English section. The first one I noticed was the "Charles C. Wise Poetry Award" an "award, made possible by an anonymous donor, for an original poem judged outstanding by the member of the English Department. I was fortunate enough to take First Place in this contest, and my work will be featured in Roanoke College's Literary Magazine, On Concept's Edge.

Secondly, I noticed another award with my name beside it:
"Literary Studies Outstanding Sophomore Performance Award"
 This is "an award recognizing an outstanding sophomore major in Literary Studies, chosen by the Literary Studies faculty, who shows a high degree of promise in the field. For the award, students must have completed twelve course units; must have completed or be in the process of completing four courses in the major; and must have an overall GPA of 3.0. The name of each year's winner will be inscribed on a perpetual plaque and the designated student will receive a cash award."

As I was listening to our department chair describe the award, I learned that this was the first year this particular award was awarded, making me the first recipient. Therefore, when this plaque is created, I shall be the first recipient. I am now a part of history here at Roanoke College.

I don't like to praise myself for my accomplishments that often. I like to think of myself as being a rather humble person, or modest at least. I find it awkward to just glorify myself for all of my accomplishments, and I find that I don't particularly care for people that consistently need to one-up or undermine another person for his or her achievements; so why would I want to be that person?
However, I would like to think, and hope, that I do not come across in such a way.

Instead, I feel like this is something that means so much to me. I have had a very difficult time in the past qualifying myself as having anything worthwhile to contribute to a larger community. Throughout school I performed decently, but was never acknowledged for my effort (which was arguably half-assed so I never assumed any recognition). At Franklin, I again, performed well, but I didn't necessarily have the Global Awareness drive that many of those people had. Sure, I loved traveling (still do) and loved having the exposure to so many different cultures, but I was never really part of a standout crowd there. I just did what I needed to to get by.

Roanoke is different. I feel like the Creative Writing program is helping my achieve new levels of personal success. I credit Paul Hanstedt, my Creative Writing and Composition Theory professor for helping me find that authority and renew my confidence in myself, which was something I lost long, long ago. I never would have imagined myself entering a poetry contest before meeting Paul (or Anna, who ultimately pushed me to enter the contest.) Even though I was a creative writing major, I didn't think people actually wanted to read my work. But Paul showed me that I had potential, that I was good at what I loved, and that it was worth pursuing.

So here I am, nearing the final weeks of my first year here at Roanoke, and I could not be happier. Sometimes it's hard to remember that the small things aren't the most important--there will always be drama with peers, and disagreements on group assignments, but here at Roanoke College, I am finding myself. I am excelling in my studies, in my major, in my social relationships. I got a job at the Writing Center for next year, and will be helping students improve their writing, and I even applied to be a Resident Assistent (RA) too! I should find out sometime this week how that went, so wish me luck there.

Things are going incredibly well here. I'm not ready for them to change, and I hope things end on a good note this semester, and I am able to pick right back up in the fall. But I don't want to think about that just yet. One day at a time, one assignment at a time.
On that note, I'm off to read some Robert Frost. I bid thee farewell, until next time. And thank you all, again, for your continued support. It really does mean the world to me.

Best,
Nick

A New Chapter.

Well hello there! I feel like we have met long, long ago, no?

It's a shame that I let this blog fall to the wayside the way so many others have gone before this. However, in my own defense, May was, for any of you that had the pleasure(?) to talk to me during that month, a very hectic time.
At that time, specifically around the time of the 7th, when the post previous to this was written, I was on the cusp of my final exams at Franklin College, while simultaneously balancing my mom coming out to visit and pack me up, and ultimately the Great Move back to the United States. I capitalize "Great Move" because, believe me, if you have ever carted nearly 200lbs of stuff, which had seemingly been your entire life for the past 8 months across a European country.... you would probably capitalize the experience too!

But I'm back. After a good 8 months of time back in the country, I've finally settled in to my new home, and have started a brand new chapter in my life. Just a heads up, I cover a lot in this post, and it's much, much longer than it should be / will be in the future, so bear with me!
Crash course of the past 8+ months to follow!

Roanoke College.
Creative Writing (with an impending) Double Major, Literary Studies. Concentration in Psychology? Maybe. The future is nothing but a blur at this point!

Heritage Walk, Roanoke College, Salem Virginia

I'm very pleased to finally find time to sit down and work on this blog again. True, it will have a different feel. I will not be hopping across mainland Europe every six months or so, but I'm still moving about the East Coast, and even branching out to the West on occasion! Traveling is still something that I value above many things, so you can expect that to continue, just on a much more local scale! Living in the South is a truly unique experience to that of the fast-paced New England lifestyle I'm so accustomed to, and even more different from that of the leisurely lifestyle that so many Swiss/Europeans value so much.
Interestingly enough, there are many similar aspects from the two, while adding its own flair to my everyday life. I hope that I can share some of that new culture, as subtle as it may seem, with you all over the next few years.

Roanoke was voted on the the 18th most beautiful campuses!

Being January (albeit the end of the month) I decided it was a great opportunity for a new beginning. I know people are all on their New Year's Resolution kicks... (or has everybody given up on theirs already?) so I figured rather than a resolution of sort, though I suppose it could be considered one if you wanted, I would start updating a blog to keep in touch with those that I don't get to see on a (semi-?)regular basis.
The conversation came up with my mom over some break in my first semester, and I sort of dismissed the idea, giving the excuse that "But that blog was for my traveling! I'm in Virginia now, nothing exciting happens there! Y'know what? Some pretty interesting things happen. And even if it didn't, when you go from having the entirety of Europe at your fingertips to the South-Central Virginia, you make some interesting things happen if you can't find any.

So here we are at last, again.

A quick summary of the things that have happened in the past eight-or-so months since my last post (even though I was updating about March) I'll give you a brief photo log accompanied with snapshot summaries of what's happened since then, using my Instagram as a guide!

(this is going to be longer than expected... I apparently did a lot more than I thought.... Who would've thought.)

 March 2012: Went Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Greece over the course of two weeks.

Our hostel, Studios Arabas, Thessaloniki, Greece

May 2012: My cousin Zach and Mom visited me in Lugano, and I moved back to the United States.

Mom and I on Lake Lugano

June 2012: I got my MINI Cooper!!!

Still need to decide on a name for her!

Summer 2012: Went to Cape Cod more times than humanly possible.  

Woman on the beach, Provincetown, Cape Cod

August 2012: Got a new puppy, Leyla!

She's gotten much larger since then1

 August 2012: Moved down to Salem, Virginia to start my first semester at Roanoke College!

My half of my double! (I've since moved to a single!)

October 2012: Visited Trevor at Wagner College on Staten Island, NY

Brooklyn Bridge, New York, New York

 Every day of my life 2012: Consumed far too much caffeine for a normal human being.

Mill Mountain is the love-child between God and Starbucks.
Yeah. I went there.

Every day of my life 2012: Ate waaaay too much sushi, and apparently instragrammed all of it!

Sushi from Charlotte, North Carolina

 October 2012: Made some great memories, and spent time with family on Fall Break

Grandma and Joey on his bike!

 November 2012: VOTED FOR THE FIRST TIME

So proud to have the right to vote!

 November 2012: Had Thanksgiving at my house for the first time in 5 years!

Delicious Thanksgiving meal! (I made the pumpkin soup!)

 Fall Semester 2012: Found a new mentor and inspiration.

Hong Konged, written by my Creative Writing professor, Paul Hanstedt

 December 2012: Christmas!

Decorated the tree!

 December 2012: Made it out to Arizona for the first time in about 6 years!

National Cemetery, Phoenix, Arizona

 January 2013: TURNED TWENTY and made coconut curry to celebrate!

Curry for my 20th Birthday Dinner, made by yours truly!

Well then! Now it's January 2013, and here I am, back in Lucas Hall (world language department) typing away on my Macbook instead of writing my American Lit homework on journal writing.

It's a bit ironic that I'm updating my blog instead of reading on how to write a journal. This is sort of the same thing, isn't it? I hope I'm doing alright for y'all!

Real Fact: The South has converted me!!! I am guilty of slipping "Y'ALL" into every day conversation now! I've resisted for so long, but it's just so soothing and make me feel at-home! 

Anyway, what really inspired me to update this blog was because I have new courses that I'm very excited about this semester!

For those of you who hadn't heard, last semester I took 4 courses and made Dean's List with a 3.675 GPA.

I felt very honored and proud of myself for meeting this achievement, and am determined to improve over the course of my time here at Roanoke. I've already stacked the odds against myself, because unlike last semester, when I had only 4 courses, this spring I have a total of six! Funnily enough, I just added a course this afternoon when I ran into my old French professor, but I'll get to that shortly!

This semester, I start off finishing my math requirement for my core, by taking Mobile Apps. I had expected it to be yet another math course like statistics, but it's more of a computer science course, and we actually follow tutorials building actual apps that work on real Android phones! It's pretty neat! In my first few classes, we've created an app that's a picture of a cat that meows and purrs when you "pet" or tap/shake the phone! Pretty cool for an intro class, if you ask me (haha!)

Next if my Composition: Theory and Practice course, which I'll probably refer to as Comp Theory more often than it's full title. This course is very dense, so far, but it's incredibly interesting! We're learning how to teach writing to other people, and the various theories and practices behind different methods. It feels like a weird blend of a creative writing / education course, and I'm really excited to see how it unfolds!

These above classes meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 1 hour long each. 

After that is my Character at Crossroads course, which has a focus on Morality and Ethical Literature. So far I'm not incredibly impressed with the course, though I am desperately trying to. It's one of those intro core classes that I need to take, so I'm with a bunch of freshmen who don't seem very thrilled about literature, or ethics for that matter... The subject we're covering seems very interesting, but the group discussion is lacking right now. Hopefully as the semester picks up, the group will come together nicely. At this point, I feel uncomfortable sharing my opinions on literature, as ethics can be a rather touchy subject, and I don't really feel like I can relate to this people, which makes the class awkward and tense at times. Like I said, hopefully it'll improve as time goes on! This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 4:00-5:30. It makes for a long day, but it's nice because on Fridays, I finish at noon, just like last semester, which is great for the weekend!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have two classes as well, these meet for 90 minutes long each, and I luckily have them one right after the other.

First is another core requirement, but this one is a Psychology course, and it focuses on the difference between Love, Lust, Limerance, and other forms of the word(s). It seems incredibly interesting after the first two classes, and I think it's one of those courses that will really shape the way I'm going to look at the world. In addition to looking at just the basic definitions of "What is Love" versus "What is Lust," we look at how they are implemented across different cultures, so it has a really diverse feeling to it. The professor is named Dino and he looks like that crazy old grandpa everyone has or knows of, who is just a bit too eccentric and starts talking about sex to anyone that'll listen. It's the perfect combination of awkward, hilarity, and informative.

(If that wasn't the most bizarre summary of a college course you've ever heard, I don't want to know where you go/went to college....)

Immediately following that course is my American Lit class. I can't really say too much about it, since we've only met once so far. Our second class was cancelled because a snow storm rolled through and cancelled classes last Thursday afternoon and delayed the college on Friday. To be short, it reminded me how much I dislike "old" American Literature when we had to read Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. However, the syllabus and textbook suggests we'll be reading some Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Kate Chopin, e.e. cummings, and some other good stuff, so I have hope! We apparently just do a few weeks of background 16th-18th Century lit, and the majority of the course is on 19th and 20th Century, which is very, very different, and much more tolerable! The professor seems very different from any I've had thus far, and I'm curious to see how the semester unfold with him. I've heard nothing but good things from him, so I'm very optimistic!

Finally, is my French Paleography course. This little blurb is especially for mme, because I was about to send her an e-mail about this course when I decided I would update my blog and share with everyone else, as well! 

Last semester I took what I had thought would be my final French course in college. Roanoke requires up through the 201 level in a foreign language, and I placed into their FREN-201 course. My professor urged me to take 202, and pursue it, but I had other obligations to fulfill for my major and core that I couldn't fit it into my schedule (it was the same time as my Mobile Apps course.)

However, today I was sitting in Lucas (where I am right now...) and by, as fate would have it, my old French Professor walked by the room I was in and stuck his head in to say hello! We talked very briefly, and as he walked away I added "Sorry I couldn't take 202! I just couldn't fit it into my schedule!!" He comes back and starts talking about it, and mentions his Paleography course. I had been under the impression that you had to take his FREN-202 class to take it, but he said I was more than welcome to take it, and that their first meeting was tonight!

French Paleography is an independent study course that meets one night a week for about two hours, so for us we meet Mondays from 7:30-9:30 at Mill Mountain, my beloved coffee shop right down the street!

We study old manuscripts of French from the 800's - 1450's AD. This first class was incredible, and totally surpassed my expectations. Not being confident with my knowledge of French, I was able to pick pieces out that looked familiar, and didn't even feel like I was at a disadvantage. What we are doing is essentially deciphering old script from hundreds of years ago, and trying to put it into a modern context.

For example, this is one of the pieces that we looked at today: 

Click here for a larger version, if needed: (click)

Here, the French is very difficult to understand in both appearance, and the writing itself. But we started with words that we recognized, and worked through it line by line, not constrained to in a start-to-finish order. It was very interesting for me, and I think the benefits are three-fold.

First, I'm learning about 'old' French manuscripts. We're deciphering texts that you wouldn't ordinarily see in a classroom, and it is a great cultural study.

Secondly, much of the actual discussion switches back and forth between English and French, which gives me a much more solid understanding than if we were translating old french to modern french. It puts things into a better context for me, as the deciphering is less of a "french" study for me, as a general construction of language/breaking down of a code. I am even learning new grammatical practices that are applicable to the English language.

Finally, discussing the construction of this old language, and how it has adapted from the text to modern French, is a great way to stay in touch with the language, and even clarifies to an extent. As glad as I was to finish my language requirement, I was afraid that I would lose the (minute) French that I did have. I firmly believe in people knowing at least one other language in addition to their native tongue, and would have felt disappointed if I lost French.

Since the class meets once a week, and I don't have classes until 1:10 the day after, I don't mind that the class meets from 7:30-9:30pm. It seems interesting enough to keep me going to class, plus it's a small group, there's only five of us, so I think that enhances the learning as well. 

That's another thing! My class sizes are SO GREAT this semester. Comp Theory has 8 people, American Lit has 7, Paleo has 5. My Psych/Mobile App/Lit courses have between 15-20 students, but those are courses for the core requirement that everyone needs to take to graduate, so it's expected that they'd be larger class sizes.

All-in-all, I love this new chapter of my life. I have had a number of people tell me that I seem happier at Roanoke than I did at Franklin, and I'm able to look back and reflect on that and agree. Roanoke is everything that I expected a college to be, and more. I've established some great relationships here with both faculty and student alike, and I feel like the program and school itself is capable of getting me where I want to go (even though I have no idea where that is right now.) That's not to say I regret Franklin or my year in Switzerland at all. I had a fantastic year and met some incredible people there, but the school was just not able to provide what I needed, and I had to make a decision. I have memories that truly will last a lifetime, and it fueled my fire to get out and see the world. I have some great expectations for my future, but right now my year in Lugano has satisfied that hunger for now. Now it's time to get serious and focus on my degree, and then see where that takes me, whether it be graduate school or straight into the work force. I'm leaving the book wide open, ready for whatever life has to throw at me. Do you think I can throw any more clichés into this before this ends?

No? Well, the clock says it's now 12:15, and I should really get to work on my AmLit reading.... so I guess you were saved by the bell.

(Come on guys, I'm funny.)