Cecilia's Blog
Name: Cecilia "Ceal" Tobias
Major(s): Criminology and Sociology, Minor in Communication Arts & Sciences
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Extracurricular activities: State certified domestic violence victim/survivor advocate and Sarah's Inn Crisis Line volunteer
Hobbies/interests: Being a news junkie, making people laugh, animals, road trips, a little bit of photography, and late night getaways with friends.
Class of: 2010
Contact Ceal with questions and comments: tobiceci@dom.edu
Title:Excitement!
Date: 8/20/10
I plan on setting up a visit with Loyola University so I can find out more about their programs. For now I want to see what their certificate program in statistics is like and whether it's even for me. If everything is good to go, I might decide to pursue a Master's in stats instead, or maybe a Masters in sociology or a related subject. There's still so many things I want to learn about and I'm not even sure if it's “normal” to want to work in so many different fields and positions before my time on Earth is up, but either way I'm eager to take advantage of those opportunities.
The job search is still on. I've applied for a position as an administrative assistant for the Department of State, as well as many other positions in places everywhere from Whole Foods to non-profits. I even have posted my resume on Craigslist. I got some luck from there (aside from your average bot responses); a lady contacted me from Chicago Public Schools about a position, but unfortunately I didn't meet the qualifications that well. I'm still optimistic and trying and that's all that matters!
Title: Happy Market Days!
Date: 8/16/10
The job search is on-going as usual. More descriptions detailing how I must either have a car/driver's license and/or a certain number of years of experience in the field are making me more aware than I need to be of the catch-22 when it comes to finding a job. I'd go on to pursue my Master's degree, but not only do I not have a penny to spare for that kind of endeavor, I'm also unsure of what I would like to pursue my degree in – sociology? Criminology? Criminal justice? Just get a certificate in statistics and/or managing a non-profit organization? So many choices, so little money. I would like to get a job first, anyway, as an attempt to get some experience under my belt while gaining some independence from the family. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and we get along fine considering I have three younger brothers and we live in a small house, but it's time to move! Needless to say that dream is impossible without a reliable, decent income.
On the upside of things, I've found a farmers' market that sets up shop at Daley Plaza every Thursday. After reading a bunch of reviews, it seems I may find better deals there than at my grocery store, plus I may be more inclined to buy healthy fresh food as opposed to frozen, overly processed food. I'm hoping to find real maple syrup, raspberry preserves or jam so I can make some Swedish Pancakes, cheese, mushrooms, spinach for homemade pizza, and maybe even some bread for whatever. I love grocery stores in general, but farmers markets seem to be a bit more adventurous and exciting given you only have a certain amount of time to get the best of things offered, along with free samples and surprises here and there.
Title: Work Before Play
Date: 7/26/10
I've been searching for and applying to jobs left and right, everything from being at a grocery store to working for the state, and I have not gotten anything more than silence. I've posted my resume on many different websites for employers to look up, but have gotten no signs of interest either. It's frustrating to not even find something I can safely apply to, too: I either need to be fluent in Spanish and English (I only know some Spanish), have a driver's license (which I seriously can't even afford to buy right now, plus my family can't even afford to put gas in the car as much so I can get better at driving), or I don't have enough years of experience, don't have enough experience in the field I'm applying for, or the position is too far for me to get to via the CTA.
A Bachelor's degree is beginning to seem a little pointless while this economy is in the dumps, but then again I've heard of Harvard graduates and former vice presidents of large businesses who can't even find a position. I'm sure my degree will come in handy at some point, but it seems that I might as well sit back and relax since I'll get the same results I'm getting now anyway. The sad part is that I haven't even been searching for long, it's just my frustration coupled with knowing other people's stories of being unemployed and searching endlessly, including my dad who's been unemployed for two years after losing his job of 21 years. It doesn't help that his unemployment benefits almost got cut off and we already can't catch up with the payments on our utilities. I just can't imagine how other people that are worse off than us are coping with this.
Title: Yawwwwwn...
Date: 7/19/10
This weekend is going to be rough because I took up 11 hours on Saturday and 10 hours on Sunday at the Windy City Rib Fest. Not only is standing on my feet all day uncomfortable, but it's supposedly going to be very hot and humid and there's no guarantee that we'll be working in shady areas. I am provided with free, cold water at least – yum! I'll also be working with one of my good friends from Dominican, or at least will be working at the same fest and hopefully the same gate because that usually helps pass the time. If I can handle El Salvador during a heat wave for 11 days without air conditioning and only warm water to drink, I should be able to handle this. Let's see the results next week.
Title: Old Experiences Mixing with the New
Date: 7/15/10
Today I just finished my first day as a temp at the Field Museum and it was pretty hectic: it was a Target Free Second Monday, which means Target (the store) sponsors and allows anyone free admission for the day. We had everyone from regular Field Museum members to huge school/community/camp groups attend. It was the first time in about ten years since I'd been at the museum so it was hard trying to answer a lot of the visitors' questions, but I was able to do my job well considering the short amount of time allotted to learn a bunch of things.
One of my highlights were that I unexpectedly saw a Dominican graduate and her daughter at the museum. I also got to see (and this was somewhat planned) my first roommate in college and friend. Although I couldn't really socialize with either, it helped make my day considering I got under five hours of sleep after getting home late from working at the burger fest the night prior. Considering these past few days, I don't think I've ever been on my feet for such long periods of time over consecutive days – ouch!
Title: A Sad Night
Date: 7/6/10
I guess other than that, my 4th of July was okay. No fireworks this year (can't afford that either), but at least the neighbors had a nice free show for us. My dad made some good fish on the grill, and I even searched a little for any new job postings. No luck so far though.
Title: Pride Fest!
Date: 6/25/10
I'm still looking for an additional job, so nothing new in that department. I received an email from my current employer asking for my resume if I wanted to be considered for other opportunities through them, so I sent it. Hopefully something good comes up! I've been looking at the Career Development website's links and finding some openings there but nothing I'm qualified for or that's within public transportation's reach. I haven't received any response from when I sent my resume and cover letter out to a job I would really love to have, so I'll be calling them soon to follow up.
In the meantime, I've also been being a dork by looking at different places I could be renting had I had the money to live in them - I think of it as motivation to not give up searching for a job even though I feel I've exhausted most outlets.
Title: Dun Dun Duunnn
Date: 6/17/10
I did finally find a couple of positions that I'm excited about if I actually get them. There is a spay and neuter clinic down the street from me that's hiring front desk receptionists and I think it would be a great place to work. The hours are strange compared to the typical 5-day, 9-5 type, but that won't be an issue for me considering I live so close to it and it's a full-time position. If I even get interviewed it would be amazing because I've heard so many horror stories on people applying to a billion jobs and only getting a few interviews, if that. My biggest hurdle for that one is that they prefer Spanish-speaking candidates. The other position is within the same organization and is at a different location as an adoption counselor. I think I have a much better chance at that one, but we'll see. Either way, I'm hoping for the best!
Title: The Ups and Downs in Life in a Nutshell
Date: 6/11/10
On another note, I was volunteering for the biannual Blues Symposium yesterday and it seemed pretty cool even though I was in the background at the registration table most of the time. I wasn't able to volunteer for the last day, though, because I wasn't feeling too well and had a major headache that was not receding with pain meds that lasted throughout the night and the entire day. It would have been fun, too, because I would have been able to go to Millennium Park to see a free concert and afterward gone to a famous blues bar/club.
I think my stress levels have been upped to the same level they were when I was trying to complete the bazillion papers and errands before I graduated. I recently started seeing a chiropractor because I figured now would be the best time for general care after finally getting rid of all that stress from school and being hunched over a computer for so long. My issue now, however, is finding the money and time to pay it off along with the balance and crutches bills still leftover from severely spraining my ankle at school back in February - oh the wonders of being an adult! It sucks.
Title: You'd Think It'd be less Chaotic After Graduation
Date: 5/18/10
As for the bad news, I unfortunately had to miss my first day of work this past Saturday because I wanted to go see my uncle in the hospital. I'm glad I took the day off, however, because I was able to spend some quality time with him before he passed away shortly after midnight due to health complications.
I'll keep this post short while enjoying the storms as I usually do - we're supposed to be getting storms for the next couple of days and I don't want to risk frying my laptop or anything. Did I ever mention it's weird passing up the green road signs that point out the direction of Dominican and Concordia Universities knowing I don't have to go there for undergrad studies ever again?
Title: Graduation and After
Date: 5/18/10
I can't afford Microsoft Office at the moment so I have to go back to Dominican on Tuesday to update my resume and hopefully send out a few applications. Then, afterward, I'm probably going to go out for a late lunch/early dinner with a couple of DU friends, yay. I'm still slowly but surely unpacking. Our home is small, so I've had things scattered between the garage, my room and attic for so many years and I'm trying to get rid of what I don't want before trying to move it back into my newly switched room. It's weird knowing I'm going to be home for more than four months for the first time in eight years after boarding school for high school and dorming at DU. I'm just glad the hardest part is over with and I can hopefully start making some real money now!
I know a few DU friends who've already landed jobs in different places, two or three of them in universities elsewhere that will offer them room and board and whatnot for working there. Glad SOMEONE'S finding a job! I hope I find one soon, but it seems those who have similar interests as me who graduated last year still can't find a job. I'm going to search with my hopes up, but my expectations not as high.
Title: In the Single Digits
Date: 4/30/10
It's slowly starting to hit me here and there as I walk around the campus to do the things I've gotten used to – for four years – doing: going to and coming from class and seeing all familiar settings and faces, going to the dining hall for lunch with friends, enjoying the spring and summer scenery Dominican's campus offers. Even though I'll likely end up here again as a visitor or just taking advantage of the services at Career Development, it still seems strange that for the first summer in over 16 years I don't have to worry about getting school supplies and doing other preparations for going back to school in the fall. I don't have to worry about how I'm going to pay for school, get my books for cheap or free, and so on.
I'm about to start my final set of crunch times before it's all over – I don't anticipate getting much sleep between now and Wednesday morning when I finish up my last final with the professor and capstone (finishing-off) class of my first declared major, criminology. What a way to end the year!
Title: The Days are Winding Down
Date: 4/24/10
I do kind of have one job lead. Keli at DU's Career Develoment office apparently volunteers for PAWS Chicago, an organization dedicated to the welfare of pets. She received an email from them stating there was an open managerial position, and although I don't have any managerial experience per se, I've had many leadership roles that DU has offered as well as that internship with the Humane Society Legislative Fund in DC to hopefully boost my chances. I'll be updating and sending my resume and cover letter next week to them with the help of Keli. As soon as I graduate, I'll be scouring the internet and contacting some people in-the-know about possible job openings since it seems, especially in an economy like this, the only way to get a decent career going is to know somebody already in the field and preferably in the place you want to work. Until then, I gotta get a move on with the little things in life that make sanity possible, like cleaning my hideous room, then packing to go home to do some laundry! - And homework, of course.
Title: ZzZZzzz
Date: 4/19/10
This blog is going to stay short and sweet. Tons to do. Little time to do it. Ten
papers, four presentations, one final, and many minor events along the way until graduation.
People are counting the days until they graduate; I'm counting the assignments until I can
sleep. Just finished a major one. Yes, I realize these sentences aren't quite
intuitive. Is that even the right word to use? I apologize – I'm beyond tired regarding
the fragmented amount of sleep within the past four days - perhaps I've only had about 15 hours out
of the last 96-ish. And to think this will only get worse.
I'm looking forward to the day I can wake up without having to worry about a deadline or important event. Sounds like it will be the day after graduation – yes! Twenty-two days total to go, but so much to do. I've done so much reading since last weekend I never thought it was possible, (and to think I'm not really procrastinating, but rather trying desperately to get ahead) nor did I ever realize the effect reading would have on me (especially after reading historical documents): I feel like I am talking and writing like one at times. I guess books do help you get smarter – haha! Just kidding, that would be more of a “I know” than a guess. Yeah, time for sleep.
Title: The Countdown Begins
Date: 4/9/10
Things have been off with my family as well. One of my close uncles was hospitalized and is now in critical but stable condition, so every call I get from my parents or from my aunt (his wife), I get nervous to pick up. The last thing we need is another death in the immediate family in less than two years, so of course we're all hoping and praying for the best to come of this.
I guess the best thing that happened this past week was my presentation at the Expo. I've been getting compliments since 11:30 a.m. that day on Facebook, through email and face-to-face. It seems a lot of people liked how I gave a twist to the presentation style by letting a part of it speak for itself. At the end, I played Fleetwood Mac “Black Magic Woman” and showed how certain parts of it were derived from blues music and how it (blues) is the roots to practically all the music we hear today, from pop to hip hop to electronic and rock. I also always try to include in my presentations pertinent pictures and short phrases here and there as opposed to bland, media-less presentations that just have one sentence after the next and a presenter that reads those lines aloud and barely explains them. I'm just glad I didn't trip over my words as much as I thought I would, I was comfortable with my audience, and I knew my stuff well enough and even had the crowd laugh a couple of times.
Title: Same Stuff, Different Day
Date: 4/5/10
There's nothing much that's new this week. As usual, I have more projects, presentations and papers than the previous week. So much for Easter “break”. The last two times I've come home, it's been calming at least, but unfortunately I get this idea in my mind that I can just take a two-day break from homework, only to find that when I get back to the dorm I'm stressed before I even start it. At this point it all seems too ridiculous to even reasonably tackle. I want to skip an assignment here or there that I feel isn't worth the time and grade even if I were to get an A on it – oh the joys of senioritis. I'm obviously not in the best of moods these days and, as I mentioned in my recent Facebook status, I could use a REAL vacation, you know, the one where you don't have to worry about three papers and a huge presentation due the next week.
I know it seems I've only been complaining about homework lately but it honestly has been THE major facet in my life; not even sleep can top it and you figure we should be getting eight hours of sleep a night. I'm lucky to get six on a weeknight.I have to do a presentation on the blues genre, its meaning and how it changed America at Dominican's annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Investigations Exposition that's on this coming Wednesday. Normally, I'd be happy to do it, but given the circumstances this semester I didn't want to do it after realizing the workload I knew I would have around this time. I would have dropped the subject at the beginning of the year while I still had the chance, but had already promised the professor that's sponsoring me that I would do it and it's also required by my communications class to finish off my minor.
I'm hoping to find some motivation to do all this homework, but the light at the end of the
tunnel is starting to look more like it's attached to a train than coming from a sky. I'm
afraid I'll just stop caring and only do maybe one assignment a week. I know that won't hurt
anyone but myself but it's nonetheless tempting.
Title: This is Not Fun
Date: 3/26/10
I'll keep this blog short. It's been pretty hard keeping up with homework and every other
daily life demand. Its hard to believe that this will get worse before its gets better.
If there's any good news for me, it's that health care reform passed, so maybe I don't have
to worry about losing my health insurance the day I graduate. Even that, however, is
uncertain since nobody seems to know for sure whether you have to be enrolled in college full time
in order to get coverage. All I know (and the only thing consistently reported about this) is
that the age to be covered under your parent's health insurance is now bumped up to 26. I
want to go to graduate school but I really feel I need to take a break, find out for sure what
program and school I want to get into, try to find a job and save up for it and/or find an employer
who will help me pay for it.
I guess the other good news is that I was able to get one of my papers' due date pushed back two
weeks, which is a huge relief for me because I literally would have had no time to do it otherwise
given all the presentations, papers and other projects I have coming up. I can't wait till
this is over. Graduation cannot come soon enough!
Title: 33 More School Days...
Date: 3/22/10
We practically have about a month left of school (not counting weekends or Easter Break), and it's officially crunch time for me. If I want to keep up on all of my major assignments, I have to ramp up my productivity to an ideal 10 pages worth of writing a week, not including other mini-assignments, from this point forward.
I have to prepare for the upcoming DU Undergraduate Expo where many students present their class and other academic projects and findings. I'll be doing a presentation on the blues, its impact on America and how the Great Migration is related to it. I'm working with the awesome Dr. Janice Monti, who's an expert on the subject and leads the Mississippi Delta and Memphis study trip during the summer (the best bang for your buck if you're seeking 3 credit hours during the summer).
I have a billion things going on at once and I'm going crazy. Out of the next 50 days, I have some major assignment or presentation due on 21 of them. Add everyday stuff like work, class and errands and this could be the ultimate test as to whether I can multitask and use my time wisely under tons of pressure and deadlines – at least I'll be able to give a good example of a challenge overcome, if a future employer ever asked that question!
So far one of the weird but relieving things I've found out about being a soon-to-be-graduate is
not having to worry about the rush to register for classes or figuring out how to pick my room for
next year. I also don't have to worry about whether I'll have enough money to cover "next
semester." It will be weird when I finally move back home for a very likely period of more
than four months at once since 2002 (I went to a boarding school for high school). I'm just
hoping things go well from this point forward.
Title: Feels like Spring?!
Date: 3/10/10
A couple of friends and I went to the Chicago History Museum on Monday so I could complete an assignment for my history class. I never realized you could take the North Avenue bus east and end up right in front of it! I also never knew you can pass through various neighborhoods like Wicker Park and enjoy their amenities, too. Don't get me wrong, the Oak Park/River Forest area is nice and has everything you need from grocery stores like Jewel to Starbucks and restaurants, but it's nice to get out and about and see what else there is in Chicago.
Since it seems I won't have a life until maybe the week of but definitely after finals and graduation, maybe my friends and I can do some stuff out that way. My biggest issue is finding a job – at this point, any job – because otherwise I will have no income whatsoever. Finding fare just to hop on a bus would be challenging enough.
Last night I was looking up some job postings for entry-level positions in my fields of interest: very little available to begin with, and there was no posting which really appealed to me that I met the requirements for. Lately I've been looking more into graduate schools than work, but that's mainly because I will be losing my health insurance if I don't stay in school full time. I do want to go to grad school, but I would prefer to save up some money for that and obviously find a job first before going back so soon. I need a real break! I've been looking at statistics Master's programs since I seem to find that kind of stuff easy to do and enjoyable, however I'm not sure if it's really for me. I want to go to an open house at Loyola University, but would have to work that out with a professor of mine since I have a class during the time of the event.
I wish I could devote more time to figuring out what I'm going to do after graduation, as I know I'm probably already behind in terms of applying for graduate schools and jobs, but I just have too much to do that's more urgent if I plan on graduating with decent grades.
Title:Spring Break At Last
Date: 3/5/10
Today I met with Sister Melissa Waters. Anyone who comes to Dominican eventually finds out who she is and realizes she's one of the nicest person you'll ever meet. She had previously sent out a mass email to graduating seniors asking them to meet with her about post-graduation plans. We basically talked about my time in DC, if I'm going to go to graduate school, what classes I am currently taking, and other things. It was a nice way to end the school day since I saw her right after class.
The other day I realized I only have two more months as an undergraduate, and the thought is becoming scarier by the week. I found out the other day that the deadline to order caps and gowns is March 17 I think, which is only twelve days away. Then I remembered I have to pick someone to be my rose for the Candle and Rose ceremony the day before graduation. THEN I remembered I still have to take graduation pictures since I was unable to last semester due to being in Washington, DC.
Speaking of DC, a representative I knew from the Washington Internship Institute program that Dominican is affiliated with visited yesterday to give an information session on the program. I was able to share some of my experiences and was happy to answer quite a few questions directed to me. It sounds like there are already DU students going for both the summer and fall; I'm sure they'll have a great time as long as they take advantage of the countless opportunities around DMV (for those who haven't read my previous in-DC blogs, DMV = the District, Maryland, and Virginia area).
Title:A Slow Recovery
Date: 2/26/10
Meanwhile, the workload is increasing as midterms and huge projects, tests and presentations loom. I've found myself falling asleep at five, six, seven in the morning for a couple hours, going to class, catching another 2-3 hour nap and going back to class or work and pushing afterward to get homework done before getting another unfortunately short night/morning of sleep.
My weekends are jokes; whoever said they're to have fun and relax apparently don't know my schedule and I'm sure quite a few other people can agree after looking at their own workloads. I just hope I can pull out of this final semester alive and with at least a few A's!
Title: When a Day (Almost) Off Goes Bad
Date: 2/19/10
The irony is that I was on my way to the Wellness Center to get a checkup on a previous knee injury on the other leg since it coincidentally began acting up again earlier that day. Instead, I was headed to the hospital since a few cracks were heard as I fell. I couldn't get up and the paramedics weren't sure if my ankle was broken. I ended up spraining my ankle pretty bad and because my other knee isn't in the best of shape, I need to use a wheelchair to get around the longer distances. I used crutches at first but my uninjured foot would become too strained after about 20-30 feet and my knee bent backwards a few times thanks to the previous injury, so the wheelchair became my only reasonable choice if I wanted to still go to classes and possibly work.
I'm not sure how long I'll need the wheelchair for, but I'm going to try to start exercising my ankle as soon as possible because I'm tired of it already. There are some perks to being temporarily handicapped though. I now have key card access to the basement of Coughlin Hall from the elevator down the hall from me, so it saves me tons of time and saves me from freezing while outside going to another wheelchair-accessible building. I'm also glad I got a manual wheelchair because maybe now my arms can get a mandatory workout. The only bad things about the wheelchair so far is that I can't do all my normal work duties and of course it's a little harder to get around the tight spots on campus such as through certain doors or going up the ramp behind the library to go to Parmer Hall for class.
So far everyone's been nice about it. I have a friend who lives a few doors down from me who can help with things here and there and another friend who checks on me to see if I need anything and whatnot. People around campus are helpful, too. I guess the only annoying thing aside from limited mobility is having to explain the story over and over or tell people the abridged version, "badly sprained ankle and a bad knee." It's understandable, though, as I would ask the same. It at least shows they care!
I missed all of Wednesday's classes and work, but that night a good friend from off campus was able to find me a wheelchair to rent. I'm still not back on schedule as far as sleep goes. In fact, it's 6 a.m. and I'm not tired, but I have a test at 10:30 and need to study some more and hopefully take a nap.
Title: And Now, the Time Crunch
Date: 2/5/10
A couple of friends and I took advantage of “DU at The Lake”, which is a once-a-month Tuesday discount on movie tickets to the nearby Lake Theater. I got to see Dear John, which was an okay movie. What I thought was interesting was that I saw no one but a bunch of other DU students watching the movie, too.
Afterward, we all went to the corner where the DU shuttle picks us up and had to wait for a bit. Meanwhile, some of the other students were playfully pushing each other into the snow and even my friends and I threw a few snowballs at each other. That was the night we had a snowstorm and were all hoping we would have a snow day the next day - no such luck!
Lately some of my friends have formed a study group at night. We basically meet up in the lounge I live next to and do homework for a few hours or however long it takes. It's actually kind of helpful because there's no wifi in the dorms, so it forces me to focus more on homework than play games or go on Facebook. I still get distracted and we end up talking a bit here and there about whatever, but I at least get a little more done.
At this point, I feel like I've been through it all and have mastered it enough to prove my abilities, so perhaps that's why procrastination has been a sworn enemy since the beginning of the year. I'm hoping that changes since I have more work than usual this year, but unfortunately it's been pretty hard trying to find the motivation to begin with. Either way, please wish me luck.
Title: Goodbye Freedom
Date: 2/12/10
I've definitely been feeling the rush and need to get a real schedule set up of goals for every week in order to lessen the amount of work I have to do towards the end of the semester. For all of my projects and whatnot, they are things that obviously take more time than reading a chapter in a book and analyzing it in a few hours. It doesn't help that I'm basically swamped with classes and work the first four days of the school week, so it leaves weekends being short-lived and not as “free.”
If there's anything I've noticed about this semester so far it's that I'm taking a ton of naps already. I used to literally only nap maybe once or twice a year, but now it's almost once or twice a week. I guess that's a good thing since I haven't been getting enough regular sleep, but it sure throws off my sleeping schedule.
I have to get going on some homework now, so I'll cut this right here!
Title: All Settled...At least for 3.5 Months
Date: 2/1/10
I attended the memorial service I mentioned in last week's blog for Mr. Termondt. Apparently there were a lot more people there than expected, as the other three scholarship recipients of Mr. Termondt's and I kept having to find chairs to put in the chapel. I didn't get to see the service itself since it was packed and felt it was best that family and friends get those seats and standing areas, but I was right outside and could hear most of it at least. I got to help pass out memorial cards and programs, in addition to meeting his wife at the end of the service to thank her and her husband for all that they've done.
In other realms, I did my first late night food run the other night with some friends. We had all been studying in the lounge area next to my room getting restless and hungry when we decided to go for this place near downtown. It was one of those order-outside hot dog and polish sausage stands. The food was good even though I wasn't really hungry, free because I have awesome friends even when I'm a typical broke college student, and it was a nice temporary getaway. I hope more study sessions and late-night runs will happen, but we'll just have to see how busy everyone gets because I sure know my work is only going to get heavier as the semester drags on.
Title: All Settled...At least for 3.5 Months
Date: 1/22/10
I just came back from a comedy show that one of the student groups here on campus hosted. It was great! I don't go to many student-focused events on campus, but the comedy shows I try to make because it never hurts to have a laugh.
This weekend I plan on catching up with some homework, hanging out with some friends for one of their birthdays and going to a church service here at DU for a former trustee of the school who died in December. His name is James Termondt and apparently he did a lot for the school and those in need in addition to other impressive activities. For three years I received a scholarship with his name on it for (I believe) need-based aid and I was one of a few students who received it.
I unfortunately never got to meet him (I was supposed to last year but was told he had a bad fall and couldn't come to the luncheon), but I did at least write a letter to him and his wife every year thanking them for giving me the ability to better focus on my studies instead of trying to pay for school.
The service, which is open to the public, will be on Sunday and I'll be helping by passing out the programs and greeting people. I'm hoping I'll at least get to meet his wife to extend my condolences and thanks.
Title: Back In School
Date: 1/15/10
I'm still trying to get a certain book from one of my friends and I haven't finished unpacking my room but I only need to organize a few things and put up some posters so it doesn't feel weird and empty any more. It's good to be back though! I've already had a few friends visit me and I love the fact that I was lucky enough to get a big room. I got to see a few friends today and hope to run into more tomorrow. Most of them I haven't seen for about seven months if I didn't get to see them during the summer. I have some lunch and dinner meet-ups set up already so it should be a good semester (unlike the ones in the past where I seemed to never have a schedule that allowed me to eat with other friends).
So far all of my professors seem cool. I think if there is anything bad I have found about my classes already it is the fact that I have to do a big research paper for at least four if not all five of them.. More things to complicate that is that two of those papers are at least 20 pages long, they're all due around the same time of the semester (the end), and most if not all are going to require a lot of outside research in addition to me having to choose the topic for each one. Some people would say that's not bad but for someone like me I prefer much more structure. I guess all I can ask for is luck!
Title: Moving into DU for the Last Time
Date: 1/08/10
I still haven't decided when to move into my dorm room, but it will likely be either the 10th or 11th. I also haven't been able to get any books for any classes, but it appears that I can borrow at least four from a friend, saving me about $100 and some hassle. I didn't have Internet access for a little over a day so that kind of hampered my book search but it shouldn't be that much of a problem.
I was also told by one of my friends that for one of my classes requiring four or five books, all of those books are available on the I-Share system. For all those who plan on going to DU or any other Illinois college or university, see if your college participates in the I-Share system, which basically is like an online, expanded library giving you access to many other colleges' libraries. The best part about it is that it's free and the books get sent to your school's library for you to pick up. I'll probably be doing that with most of my books this semester.
I can't wait to see some of my friends again at DU. It's been over seven months! Well, I did see
many of them when I was working there over the summer, but it has been almost five months since
I've seen most of them since I was interning in DC.
Hopefully everything gets settled quick with my finances because from what I estimated, I may
actually have just a little bit of spending money before school starts, so maybe I can go out with
some of them next week. Yay, I'm so excited! I have to admit though, I am definitely not ready to
start up the rigorous, never-ending cycle of homework. I need to find motivation somewhere!
Perhaps the weather at least helps me to stay in...How is everyone enjoying this lovely weather anyway? Haha, I'm not. You'd think being a born-and-raised Chicagoan I'd be used to it now, maybe even one of those crazy people who take out the trash, get the mail and newspaper every morning in just a T-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Nope, far from it. As much as snow looks pretty, I don't like bundling up for it. What's strange is that I have a friend down in Mississippi who loves both the cold weather and snow (he even begs for it). Yeah, you can bet I've called him crazy before, too. I just hope the weather gets a little better before move-in day.
Title: Another Year Come and Gone
Date: 1/05/10
Right now I'm on my way to my aunt's house for a post-New Year's celebration. We have to take Lake Shore Drive all the way up there so I'm looking at Navy Pier, the frozen lake and the snowy paths and ground that would normally have people biking, running, and picnicking. I think once it gets warm out I want to take the Green Line from DU to downtown Chicago again with a bunch of friends. Hopefully I'm not too busy by then because it seems this semester is going to be quite a hard one.
The other day I got an email from one of my professors for next semester detailing the books we'll need for class. For that class alone I need about five books, one of which costs $80 or so depending on where I get it. I ended up looking up the books I need for my other classes that day (14 total) and figured out that if I can't borrow 5-10 of them from the library or friends, it's going to cost me anywhere from $300 to $500 to buy them all. I'm low on cash as it is and on the verge of deciding whether I need to take out what would be my first college loan even though it would likely be under $500. Compared to other loans some of my DU friends have already taken out, I thankfully don't need to worry!
Title: A Quiet Christmas
Date: 12/26/09
Christmas was today but it sure didn't feel like it despite getting a couple of gifts. The whole family is in a weird situation right now and normally we would have gone to my uncle's house down in Alsip, but it unfortunately went into foreclosure after he got laid off. We celebrated at my house nonetheless and still enjoyed the holiday. Now I just have to figure out what I'm doing for New Year's Eve.
I got my new laptop earlier this week, and it's awesome! I won't bore you with all the tech details, so let's just say I know a bit when it comes to computers, and I know I got myself a decent deal for the money. It's a Gateway with all the specs I was looking for and then some. Now, I just have to figure out how to transfer all my files from my old computer to my new one – that can be a challenge, but I'm going to ask around a bit to see if there's an easy way to do it.
I can't believe I start my last semester of college in less than three weeks. I still have to finish my paper and pack to move back in the dorm. I got my room assignment the other day and am kind of nervous because I can't think of where exactly the room is located relative to common areas including staircases and bathrooms. I just hope it's not a tiny room because I know not all of the rooms in Power are the same size. I've seen both the big and the small single rooms; there's definitely a difference!
Title: Back Home, But Still Not Done
Date: 12/18/09
I got back to Chicago on the 13th after a long night sleeping on the floor of the Amtrak train's
freezing observation deck - aaahh! It was uncomfortable, but I survived. It seemed like
a much shorter ride back than it was to DC, but that's a good thing considering I was feeling a bit
homesick by then.
Unfortunately it seems my academic semester has not ended. I had to write a final
40-page paper, but my laptop decided to die in the middle of it. Long story short, I'm glad
I'm finally getting a new laptop but not glad that now the paper is due on the 31st - yes, I get an
extension, but would be nice if this was all done by now! I'm going to try and finish it
early so I can enjoy my vacation, but I have to buy an affordable laptop first.
I'm glad to be back home but not happy about this coming semester. It will probably be
my hardest one yet, but at least it will be my last! It's a bittersweet situation: I'm ready
to graduate, but I know it will be very difficult finding a decent job right out of college.
I hate to admit that I'm ready to take up a retail or restaurant job if it really comes down to
it. The good news is that I have no loans out thanks to generous scholarships and grants, so
it's not like I absolutely need to get a job right away, but having money just in case and for fun
is always nice. I've got a little over four months to go before the big day, guess we'll see
what happens.
Title: This Is It
Date: 12/11/09
The last few days have been a bit stressful since I’ve been trying to tie up loose ends while figuring out a billion other little things. I still have to say goodbye to my awesome Swedish roommates and pack, but my internet is being cut off today so hopefully I get some real work done now that I can’t dork around online for a couple hours after work (hahaha). Saturday I leave for Chicago on a train ride that will last a grueling 17.5+ hours (I add the plus sign since last time they were about 1-2 hours late taking off) and I arrive in Chicago on Sunday morning, apparently just in time to get all my stuff in the house and enjoy the next snowfall.
I think what’s best about this month is that the fun doesn’t end just yet. Even though I’ll be back in Chicago, I’m going to the 30 Seconds to Mars and The Used concert on the 16th, then of course spending Christmas with the family, but for once in my life I’m doing something different for New Year’s Eve – celebrating! I’ll be down in Mississippi again hanging out with some friends and listening to some live blues music. I can’t wait for any of these events to happen!
Title: Winding Down
Date: 11/24/09
Things are beginning to slow down at my internship as I am wrapping up my work, and everyone’s getting into the spirit of the holidays. The school work load is piling up as final papers and presentations have been assigned. I’ve already bought my Amtrak ticket to go back to Chicago on Dec. 13 but I’ll still be doing homework on the train as I have a research report due within a week of then. This week I plan on going to a few more museums and such and will probably be my last round of visiting places since I will soon have to focus more on tying up loose ends. I have a huge duffle bag that I ordered from Amazon.com because of all the new business casual clothes I had to buy out here, so as soon as that arrives in the mail I’m going to start packing because I miss home! Of course, packing sooner rather than later doesn’t help much in getting me home any faster but it’s the thought that helps.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving break!
Title: One More Month
Date: 11/13/09
I’ve been sick with a sore throat since about last Thursday. Not cool! I have at least been meeting some interesting people. Last week I met Grover Norquist who heads the Americans for Tax Reform organization. If you’ve heard the name, you’re probably into politics, or at least watch the Fox News Channel. If you don’t know much about him, you can type his name in Google and be sure to find plenty of information. He’s definitely a very opinionated person and let’s just say I didn’t agree with him on quite a few things--many liberals probably don’t. It was nice to meet a well-known figure, though.
Yesterday, despite the horrible weather DC has been getting thanks to Hurricane Ida remnants, I had a great day at work. As part of my internship I have to check the main account for the organization and forward, respond to, delete, etc emails accordingly. I had to respond to this one email, and long story short the member stated straightforward in her letter and check to the organization that if it weren't for me she would have never donated the $40 she did and mentioned that it won't be the last time she donates. The whole last paragraph in the letter was basically all good things about her email conversation with me--it was so awesome! My supervisor was the first to see it and she forwarded to other employees in the building, and then it was forwarded to the president of our organization who is also VP of the Humane Society of the United States. So happy!
To top off that day, I also had my favorite train conductor when riding back home from work. (The public transportation system in DC has train conductors who actually call out what stops are next and give friendly reminders, whereas in Chicago it's all pre-recorded.) He's pretty funny and tends to say random stuff on the train without getting unprofessional about it. He always makes riding the Metro a great way to end the workday. I wish the CTA was like that!
I realized today that in exactly one month I will be home. Time is passing by so fast! I don't know what to do for Thanksgiving week, but I'm sure I'll find something, if not just explore the city more before I leave for good. Anyone got any ideas for hotspots in DC?
Title: Defeat After Defeat – But with Halloween Comes a Treat
Date: 10/31/09
If you’ve read my past blogs, you’ll see I was working on a huge project through my internship and had the chance to basically revolutionize the way we were collecting data for the project. Long story short, after over a month of trying to get this data collection method passed, I was told that they simply don’t find it worthwhile. I personally think it’s a big mistake to not take up the idea and continue to do things the way they are being done because it will only lead to more inefficiency, more chance for errors, more otherwise unnecessary management and effort put into the program and an increased chance of burnout. Oh well, at least I can say I tried.
I, along with two other roommates, have also been having some issues with one of our roommates. In short, it’s basically dealing with space issues and lifestyle differences, but it’s a major issue nonetheless and it’s really been bumming me out. I just hope something can be resolved soon.
My Halloween was pretty cool, at least. Probably one of, if not the best I’d ever had! I went to a gay bar with some friends and had a good laugh at all the costumes, especially the guys dressed up as drag queens. The owner even dressed up as Tina Turner and did a show with one of her songs. He also had a Michael Jackson costume and did a show with one of his songs. Hilarious! There were other mini shows with popular songs like the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack in addition to karaoke and even a costume contest I entered and almost won money in – if only I had a full costume! I even met a few other straight people there and I must admit it’s nice being reminded that I’m not the only straight person who feels comfortable AND can have fun in a place like that. I’ve been to “straight” bars before and it seems you just can’t get this degree of overall fun despite little events going on to keep you more entertained than the average television set to the news or sports.
Title: Birthday Bash!
Date: 10/27/09
This past weekend was probably one of the best, if not the best weekends I’ve had in DC. Even though I felt sick Thursday right before work ended and had to call off for Friday, I was thankfully feeling better by the end of that night. Some friends and I went out to that Brickseller place again by Dupont Circle and afterwards got some good pizza. It was a short night, but Saturday definitely made up for it. It was my 22nd birthday and even though we all woke up too late to go to the zoo that day, we went to go see the movie Paranormal Activity later that night. I thought it was pretty good, but wished it was longer and elaborated more on some parts – still enjoyed it though!
We would’ve gone to the Swedish Embassy to a party they were throwing with live music and all, but the tickets sold out before we could get any. Instead, when we all came back from the movies, the Swedes (a ton of people in the internship program are from Sweden, including two of my roommates) and some other friends dropped by to party in our apartment. It was awesome! Everyone had fun and all went well.
On Sunday, the partying was still not over. This time the organization I intern for was throwing a party that I helped put together. I’ve talked about it in previous posts, but it was basically a nationwide fundraising event where we asked our organization’s members to host a party and help us raise money while basically celebrating animals. At some point during the evening all the parties dial in on a huge conference call and our organization’s president and Senator Jim Moran announced the winner of our There Oughta Be A Law contest. There was free food and drinks and I even got a ride back home by a kind lady I met.
That was my awesome weekend, but unfortunately it ended once I got home from the work party. I discovered I overlooked three other assignments I still had to do for Monday and was pretty ticked considering it was already 10:00pm. I had to get up at 7:00am and purposely finished what I thought was the only homework I thought I had before the weekend’s expected festivities. What’s worse is that the professor that assigned all those extra things ended up canceling class, so I unnecessarily lost sleep. I also went week two without being able to give my presentation, getting dressed up and hauling a 10lb laptop all around for nothing. Oh well, at least the work is done for now.
Title: Win or Lose? Oh, the confusion and so much more
Date: 10/22/09
In last week’s blog I talked about a big potential project I want to take on for the benefit of everyone who’s already working on it. Today I was put through a couple more mood swings, from pure uncertainty, to great disappointment, to excitement, in less than two hours. I basically got an email from the company we want to do our online survey with stating that one of the points we were basing our final decision on was impossible to do, which may lessen the chance we’ll go with my proposed online survey data collection method. I’m not sure which side of the “battle” will win now, so we’ll see.
Last week I actually took a tour of the White House! I unfortunately couldn’t take any pictures inside and didn’t get to see nearly half of it, but we had a good tour guide who was a Secret Service officer and was very informative. This past Friday I also went to this place called Brickskeller (I may have spelt that wrong), which is a well-known place in an area of DC called Dupont. It sells over 1,000 beers from around the world, not that I care much for beer, but it’s a nice hang out place and I may spend part of my birthday there, which is coming up this Saturday! I might also go to the Swedish Embassy this Saturday since it sounds like they’re going to have a nice event there with live music and all. I’m not sure what it’s about, but if I go I’ll be sure to write about the experience.
I’ll keep this short this week – hopefully I stop forgetting to upload my DC pictures and start including some!
Title: NOOoOoOoOoO!!!!
Date: 10/12/09
Last week was crazy and stressful at work, which is part of the reason I keep getting my blogs in late. I informally proposed on Thursday that we do an almost total overhaul of the method we've been using to collect information from each listed domestic violence shelter in the nation concerning their pet policies. It's a bit too complicated to explain better here, but let's just say it would be a very beneficial thing to do instead of what we're doing now and the hardest part of it--which could be overcame if I'm given enough time to tackle it--is what I think is scaring the others who have already been working on the project using the current method. In short, it sounded like everyone was on board two weeks ago, but this week I got more indication that there is much work to be done on my part in convincing the others that they'll love it and perhaps they'll eventually think: what did we do without this? I hope they give me a chance! Then again, a lot of the final decision will also be based on the findings of two others on the team concerning the license we would need to sign up for and any potential costs. I'm nervous and would probably be devastated if we can't go through with the overhaul, but I'm hopeful and excited nonetheless. I don't think anyone has any idea how eager I am to get this going.
On another note, I got up extra early to attend a Supreme Court case last Tuesday concerning free speech and animal cruelty videos. It looks like our side will lose, but at least it's with good reason. The law we supported to be upheld was written too vaguely by Congress, so everyone is pretty much expecting a rewrite of the law eventually. Even though I did not get to see the whole oral argument, it was exciting for what it was, and I got to see Sotomayor!
My roommates and I finally went out with each other for the first time on Friday night. Google once again misled us, though, and we were stuck in a random part of DC at first. After asking around, we found ourselves at the TGI Fridays on the George Washington University campus. The food was awesome as always and we had a good time!
Title: In DC you almost can't miss them
Date: 10/1/09
At this point it’s probably safe to say that if you come to DC, especially on an internship, you are likely to meet someone who’s well known and/or in a powerful position. Maryann Dreas, a student from Dominican who helped convinced me to go on this whole internship thing, actually met and talked to John McCain for about a minute. Maryann interns at the newspaper The Hill and has the chance to meet just about anyone in a political position. Another Dominican student, Shahzeb Shaikha, met a guy who is basically in a similar position as General Petraeus. Shahzeb, or “Shazzi”, interns at the Near East South Asia Strategic Studies Center and basically meets many high-level military personnel on a daily basis. I met The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary (one of the most crucial law-making parts of our government) as well as Mary Lou Randour who is one of the top experts in her field of human-animal relations (exactly the kind of thing I want to get into!). We’ll probably meet at least a couple more people you may find familiar so I’ll just list them as I go!
It’s definitely becoming Fall here in DC. The weather was actually cold all day today as opposed to only the morning and late evening. Apparently it rarely snows in DC, so something as little as a couple inches can shut the whole District down because apparently they only have about two snow plows! I guess Chicago residents should be happy they don’t have the removal power equivalent to that of DC’s. (For those born-and-bred Chicagoans, you already know the whole issue with Mayor Daley and snow plowing). So far the weather is holding up enough to not need a coat, but I am definitely going to try and buy a few sweaters at some point because most of my formal tops are too thin.
Tomorrow I’m actually meeting with Mary Lou Randour (who is practically my second supervisor) as well as a few other people from another animal-focused organization, the Animal Welfare Institute, an organization that I actually inquired to intern with before choosing the Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society Legislative Fund. We’ll be having lunch while discussing what we could do to make the process of gathering data from I believe about 3,000+ domestic violence shelters and programs a little easier and more beneficial for all. In brief, there’s this huge directory with all the information we need to start off; however, the only question asked pertaining to pets was whether or not there is a shelter or pet program on the premises – nothing more specific than that. Domestic violence involves more than just partner abuse; it’s also child abuse, sometimes elder abuse and often, if the family has one, pet abuse. If you’re still convinced that including animal in the picture is absurd – or if you want to find out more information – feel free to go here. Mary Lou Randour helped write the featured guide!
Title: DC Madness
Date: 9/23/09
I’m already almost a month into my semester-long stay in the District/Maryland/Virginia or DMV area, as they call it. So far I’m having a pretty good time. I wish I didn’t have to work as much or at least didn’t have to do homework because I’m sure not getting enough sleep or enjoying everything DC has to offer as much as I would like to. By the time I get home I’m usually too tired to want to even think about homework! Pile that on top of having to make dinner every night (unless I settle for quick “convenience” food) and doing any other errands, and the night comes to a close quickly. Oh well.
You want to know something funny? (Note: If you read my last post this paragraph will make more sense.) Last night I went to go see four experts on media terrorism speak at the International Spy Museum with some of my DU friends. On figuring out how to get back home, I was already disappointed that it was pretty late, had much to do and was thinking we still need to find a way to transfer to a blue line. Intuitively, my friend simply says “we can just take the yellow line.” Why is that funny, you may ask? For three weeks I could have saved myself sleep, a chunk of money, lots of sickening standing (those trains feel too fast after breakfast) and about 2-3 hours total per week if I had just paid more attention to my subway train map and not just go with what I had originally learned. We have a blue and yellow line train stop nearby, and I had been taking the longer, seemingly busier blue line to get to work, sometimes letting 1-3 yellow trains pass me by for 5-15 minutes before a blue one came along. No more passing depressing Arlington Cemetery.
As for other terms, my internship is going well. I went out to eat with my supervisor, fellow interns and others last week; went to a subcommittee hearing about polar bear trophies yesterday (it was crazy!); and tomorrow I plan on going to George Washington University Law School for a conference about prosecuting animal cruelty/fighting cases. Mary Lou Randour, who is basically my other supervisor for one of my major intern projects, is a well-known researcher in the field of human-animal relations. She will be presenting on the link between animal cruelty and other crimes along with other presenters. Although the event starts early in the morning and goes until 5, I think it will be totally worth it – I can’t wait! What’s best is that I think my business cards just came in today, so I’ll have a little more confidence in trying to meet other people on a more professional level. I’m actually nervous as to whether or not I should have put my home address on there, since I figured it makes me seem more legit (others agree), the card still wouldn’t be totally outdated once I finish the internship, and it makes it more apparent that I’m available in both the DMV and Chicago areas. More possible job prospects after graduation? Who knows, but I’ll see.
Title: Living in Our Nation’s Capitol
Date: 9/13/09
For four days a week, I pass by a building that was hit by one of the planes during the 9/11 attacks. For four days a week, I pass by thousands of the graves of our nation’s heroes, including the recently departed Senator Ted Kennedy. For four days a week, I take the train along with many other hurried businessmen and women and military personnel in uniform, wondering what they and everyone else would do if something major—God forbid—were to occur at that moment in DC.
If you ever go to the top floor of my apartment building, you can see the Washington Monument. The Pentagon is minutes away, and though I have not seen it as a whole, I’m sure by looking out the right side of my apartment building’s top floor I may be able to see it. I have seen for myself that the gates of the White House keep most at bay, just enough to be able to view the small entryway contrasted by the huge columns. I can finally say that when watching some political events on CNN, I’m only minutes away by train from them, including the recent tea party protests. So far it’s fun living near DC and interning five blocks away from the Capitol building. I even got to see Jane Goodall speak about her new book in the Library of Congress last Thursday for work.
Overall DC seems to be an awesome experience. I’m interning at the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which is affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States. I’m also taking three classes, while juggling time to go out with friends, shop, do laundry, chores, homework and *gasp* buying my own groceries and making my own meals regularly instead of relying on Dominican’s cafeteria and café. I’ve figured out a simple and awesome salmon recipe at least!
Adjusting to the big change has been a little difficult but not too challenging. For example, it seems Arlington/DC doesn’t have a Jewel, Dominick’s or Food4Less around, so when we first had to search for a place to buy groceries, we had no internet or yellow pages nearby and it was late at night. I had to call up my dad and ask him to look up the nearest grocery store and we eventually found a Safeway. Since then we have found an abundance of grocery stores nearby (go figure). I have two other roommates (other than the one from Dominican) who are from Sweden, so it’s been cool getting to know how things are like in Sweden and how the two countries’ general cultures are very alike.
In order to not spill everything in this post, I’m going to save more for next week! If I remember, I’ll try to talk more about what my internship is about and a particular project I’m working on. Until then, I hope everyone is having a good time adjusting to being in college, going back to college, or finishing up their senior year in high school – my classes officially start tomorrow!
Title: One Week
Date: 8/25/09
Only one week left!?! Time passes by too fast. I leave September 1st for my internship in DC, the same day Dominican students start up again. I also just looked at the academic calendar that the Registrar posted and realized I will have an entire 31 days for winter break! When my program in DC finishes, DU students will be getting ready for finals week and all DU students go back to school I believe January 14th. Awesome!
My financial aid situation has at least gotten better. I think I may have enough aid to cover both semesters, but it depends on whether or not the state of Illinois will cut the MAP grant in half by not paying spring semester grants. I guess we’ll see in December when the state makes its choices? A lot of students are going to be hurting if that grant disappears…
I'm pretty nervous overall. I still don't have everything I need. I'm not sure how much shopping I should do as far as career clothing is concerned because I'm not sure if I'll have enough space for everything on the train or if I need to get bigger or more suitcases and duffle bags. I’m not even sure if I should bother sending some bigger items by UPS. Eek!
I’m still figuring out a few other things for DC. I had to open up a bank account with Bank of America because apparently the closest Chase and WaMu banks and ATMs are in New Jersey. Road trips are cool, but I can’t be doing one every time I need to visit a branch or avoid ATM fees!
I also recently found out who my roommates are going to be. I already knew I was going to be rooming with my DU freshman roommate, but in the other bedroom in the same apartment, Maryann and I will have two other female roommates from Sweden. I’m hoping we all get along well and it turns out to be a cool setup! I’ve been looking into internet service for the apartment and everything. It’ll be a rough first week but I’m glad our classes and internships don’t officially start until the 8th, so we have some time to settle in, unpack, and get to know the area. I’m so excited!
I think the best part about this program is that it’s literately saving me thousands of dollars. The only real downside I’ve found so far is trying to scrap together some money so I can actually live in DC, not just survive there. It’s basically a delicate balance between how much I want to spend on career clothing and “fun” expenses. I’m no partier or even one for bars and clubs or expensive things, but I hear DC can get expensive so I want to at least have a decent experience.
I think by the next time I write a blog, I’ll be in DC! Until then, wish me luck. I think I’m going to need it!
Title: Fun Stuff and Problems
Date: 7/21/09
I’m less than two months away from leaving for Washington DC and I’m really trying to get my financial aid situation together. It's really messed up, to say the least. The way the FAFSA is set up, it makes it look like my dad made about $20,000 or so more this year than the three previous years. What happened, in short, is that he got laid off from his job of 21 years and then my grandmother (his mother) who used to live downstairs from us died last June and we were left with the house, its bills for up and downstairs and a $30,000 home equity loan that really wasn’t supposed to be there (another long story). We basically had to take out my dad’s pension money, 401k, and I think other things, too, just to keep up on the sudden expenses we faced. In the end, it looks like we had a lot of money come in last year, but we also practically had double if not triple the expenses just so we could keep a roof over our head, food on the table and utilities running. I believe we’re pretty much more in debt now than ever, and apparently according to the FAFSA and how financial aid and loans work, that doesn’t matter. Two of my grants have already been cut in half or more and other stuff is happening to my aid that I don’t understand. So, because of all of what was said here and then some, I am basically freaking out. I want to meet with the head of financial aid to see if anything can be done, but I’m so confused and frustrated at this point I basically have little hope for anything changing.
On other matters, my summer has been better than expected. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I have a job, so I’m at least making some money. I’ve been hanging out with some DU friends, going to some cool spots on Lake Street and in the general River Forest/Oak Park area near the campus and to events and places like the annual Taste of Chicago and the fireworks. I’m pretty happy this summer because for the last two summers I didn’t have any friends that lived in the area after school was out, so there wasn’t much to do with people in my age group. This year, I not only made more friends that also happen to live in the area, but one of my long-time friends is living up here for the summer since she’s taking classes this time.
Title: A Job!
Date: 6/30/09
When I was turning in my Delta trip paper, I was down in the Tech Center on campus and my boss happened to see me. We talked for a bit, and I ended up with a summer job. YES!
So, now I’m working with IT again and making much needed money for DC, while being around great people. I love being able to kill time on the computer waiting for calls or doing paperwork, and I can get up almost whenever I want to in order to do equipment deliveries, pick-ups and paper checks and whatnot. Yes, I am productive and no, I’m not a lazy bum, haha. There are unexpected days in which everything is crazy and there’s no time to breathe, and other days in which you swear the world is paused. A job in which I would be stuck in a cubicle all day or in any small space would drive me nuts, so I’m happy with what I have.
In an effort to lessen the pain of the bad economy, starting in July DU bumped up minimum wage for student workers to $8.50 an hour, so it makes things a lot easier. Last semester I was scrambling to find money to pay off tuition without having to take out a loan and I barely got by. This summer it’s going to be a delicate balance between my regular financial aid, whatever money I make, and a potential loan in order to survive in DC.
I’m glad to have a reason to keep coming to Dominican for the summer, though; it’s so boring at my house! I usually get off work at 4 pm, which is a decent time to start hanging out with some of my DU buddies who are still sticking around for the summer, too. The other day I went to the nearby TGI Fridays and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop with a friend. Afterwards, I went to go see The Hangover with her and it was pretty good.
This Sunday I helped my boss set stuff up for a big event that DU put on. It was an ice cream social in which a (very good) children’s choir sang outside in the Quad, and afterwards the community, including Oak Park and River Forest residents, were invited to watch the movie, The Sound of Music, in our big auditorium. The movie/play is significant to the DU community because a sister who taught at DU helped out the main actor in the Broadway play with her role and apparently also inspired a couple of songs (“Maria” and “My Favorite Things,” if I remember the pre-movie fact reel correctly).
All right. I have to get up early tomorrow for work! Off I go…
Title: Ode to Joy
Date: 6/15/09
I must say my trip to the Mississippi Delta and Memphis was absolutely awesome. I had more fun than I thought I would and even made a few friends. The group dynamics were great, making the trip even more enjoyable. I love courses like this because you not only learn about the significance of the places you go to, but you’re right there to feel them and have fun at the same time!
We had a great driver/tour guide who knew a lot of people down there and was getting us deals and insider information left and right. Our professor, the honorable Janice Monti of the Sociology and Criminology Department, made sure we all had a great time and we even celebrated her ??th birthday! (You didn’t think I was going to give that out that easily, did you?)
It was a moving experience going to some of the places we visited, especially the motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated, the river where Emmet Till’s body was found and the funeral home it was prepared in, the record studios where famous musicians like Elvis got their breaks, graves of famous musicians, and visiting Al Green’s church on a lively Sunday. The food was awesome, but I know there’s at least one person other than me who’s still recovering from it all, to say the least. We of course did a lot more than what I’ve mentioned here. We visited Graceland, some other museums, and even Beale Street. I would tell more about it but Professor Monti likes to keep some aspects of the trip under wraps so it’s a nice surprise for those who end up going. I might have said too much already!
Either way, I would definitely do it all again. Unfortunately, I am now stuck doing a 12-page photo journal about it that’s due Monday, but it shouldn’t be too hard reflecting on all we did. We are supposed to be having a group outing at some bowling lanes near Dominican to celebrate completing the course next week. I can’t wait!
Now that this course is basically over with, I have to start focusing on getting a syllabus or huge assignment together for my independent study while I’m in Washington, DC. I also have to figure out whether or not I need to take out a small loan to help pay for food, transportation, and other expenses while there, but I’ll see as soon as I get my financial aid award letter. One of my friends who is going with me already landed an internship over there at The Hill. I spoke with my DC advisor, and everything’s on track so far as to finding an internship for me. He’s going to start contacting potential sites and I’m hoping the Humane Society of the United States is going to be one of my final choices. Have to wait and see!
Title: Boooooooooooooring
Date: 5/28/09
It’s been almost a month since school let out and I’m already feeling anxious to get back to civilization—I feel stuck in my house! All but one of my friends have either moved away since middle school or never lived near me to begin with, so it gets pretty boring at my house. Next week, however, is my five-day trip to the Mississippi Delta and Memphis area with my favorite professor. This evening I went to Dominican for our last workshop about the trip. I have forgotten how beautiful the campus is during the summer! It had been raining all day and yesterday and was cloudy when I got there—my favorite kind of weather. The ivy has grown back in and it looks like they've done some nice landscaping. If you ask me, the greenery, gothic architecture and weather went together perfectly today.
I am, as you have probably guessed, still jobless. Extra spending money is looking more like a dream than a reality. My entertainment has been the occasional visit with a friend, a lazy pitbull who barks in his sleep, a psycho kitten, the internet, the internet, the internet, television, the internet, and the internet. Okay, maybe not that much time on the internet, but it feels like it.
Despite not having to get up early for a job or class, I'm still not getting enough sleep. Go figure. It seems I have gotten used to staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning and my family and noisy neighborhood never fails to somehow wake me up before getting 7-8 hours of sleep. I guess it doesn't help that I'm sick. I have a slight sore throat and stuffy nose with the occasional sneeze.
I think I’m going to be bad tomorrow and bake a five-chocolate chocolate cake. It may sounds like a chocolate overload (but don't get me wrong, it is indeed a diabetic's nightmare). It’s a recipe I learned while in high school. You bake a cake with chocolate chips in it, dig numerous holes into it and fill the holes with cold, instant chocolate pudding, then take Cool Whip mixed with a little bit of chocolate syrup as frosting, then sprinkle the top with either chocolate sprinkles, chocolate shavings or chocolate chips.
Title: Chillin'? Almost!
Date: 5/12/09
It's been almost two weeks since school got out and I've been enjoying it for the most part. I can't believe it's still chilly out! Freezing in your own room because you refuse to turn on the heater to save on bills is not cool. Otherwise, I am still jobless but there's a slight chance I might get a job at the Olive Garden or the McDonald's by my house thanks to a friend.
Despite it being summer and being jobless, it seems I still have a few things to do to keep me from going insane. I have homework for my Mississippi Delta trip and still have to work on some essays for my Washington D.C. internship. Tonight I take another shift on the domestic violence crisis line at the agency I volunteer for, and on Thursday I have my graduation audit, yay! I've been keeping track of what classes I took and needed and should be fine so I hope there are no surprises.
I have some plans for this summer—I'm going to sell a textbook I no longer want so I can buy train tickets to visit a good friend of mine who also goes to Dominican. She lives on a farm way south of here and I've always enjoyed the countryside, so I can't wait to visit! Apparently there's a lot of fun stuff to do down there that you just can't do in an inner-city place like mine, so I'm excited. I probably won't go until the last week of June. After June, I pretty much have nothing left to do except plan and pack for D.C. Woo!
I've been taking care of a kitten lately, and boy, is she a devil! I've never heard a cat meow so much and use its claws for everything. She's cute, don't get me wrong, but when a kitten crawls at 90 degree angles from you foot to your shoulder, is persistent at trying to chew on your laptop's power cord, yeah. What is nice is how she likes to lay down on my chest and fall asleep a lot. Unfortunately I'm not sure if we're going to keep her. A neighbor kid found her somewhere and she still needed to be bottle fed, so my mom (being an animal lover) volunteered to take care if her. Problem is the kid's father doesn't want the cat, and I don't even trust the kid to take care of her properly. Our problem is the fact that we already have a cat and she doesn't like the kitten, we also have a dog (a big one at that, but he doesn't attack either of the cats), and finally I'm allergic to pet dander (go figure for someone who loves animals). I'm not sure what's likely to happen, but let's just say I'd rather keep her.
Welp, I'm off to run more errands until the kitten wakes up again. If we keep her in her big box, she meows until she's out. If we take her out, she likes to roam, get lost in the house and seemingly try to make us jump over her every five minutes so we don't accidentally step on her. Crazy kitty!!!
Title: FREEDOM
Date: 4/29/09
I got so caught up in studying I forgot all about my blog. Apologies!
As of Tuesday morning I was set free from the balls and chains of huge papers and looming tests, at least until September. I’ve been packing on and off today and waiting for my dad to come pick up about half of my room, and I’m a bit hungry at the moment.
I have yet to find a job, and I’m growing less optimistic by the day. Bah at the economy! And what’s with this swine flu stuff? I was having a “last dinner” with some good buddies last night in the dining hall and we were making fun of it left and right. The news is saying it’s a quickly spreading strand of human flu mixed with pig and bird flus, right? Well my friends and I have thrown a proposition on the table: this confirms the validity of the phrase “when pigs fly.” Watch me get it now (jeez).
As you can tell, this is a pretty random post compared to my usual blogs. Things have been hectic these past two weeks, but it’s nothing I’m not used to handling at this point. If there’s anything college teaches you out of academics, it’s how to handle insanity.
I might have mentioned in an earlier post that I went to a high school called Mooseheart. (It’s actually WAY more than a high school, but to keep this brief just Google “Mooseheart” if you want to know more.) It’s kind of like a boarding school, but not like a traditional one. And it is by no means an elite school, but it’s a darn good place if you come from a family that either couldn’t really afford a decent private high school (and had no good public high schools in the neighborhood, like me) or didn’t have a stable family life. Any who, I mention it’s a residential living school because at the end of May I might be at their graduation catching up with old friends, staff and faculty. I sometimes wonder if people who went to “normal” schools have as strong of a connection to their alma mater as I do to Mooseheart.
Either way, it should be awesome! I might bring a friend who comes here to Dominican since she’s lived in Aurora all her life, knows about Mooseheart, but has never been on the beautiful campus. I can’t wait to show her (and possibly another friend) and I’m hoping this all works out!
Until then, for all the high schoolers out there: good luck with finals and have a great summer.
Title: Procrastination is Never Good
Date: 4/21/09
But can it be when you seriously feel like you need a “calm before the storm” to prepare? I could have finished two papers over the weekend, but instead I did other, easier homework assignments, ran errands and filled out more job applications. Now I kind of have to rush doing one of those papers, eek.
This past Sunday, DU had its annual student leadership luncheon that included TORCH (orientation) Leaders, officers from student clubs and students from other leadership programs that DU provides. We went to Maggiano’s in downtown Chicago, and the food was pretty good and worth it, as always. I was hoping they’d serve their awesome salmon and mozzarella sticks like they did last year, but they didn’t. It was still a great meal, though, and the music they played afterwards was an interesting mix. I didn’t dance ‘cause I’m not much of dancer-type person and I also cut the bottom of my foot the day before, so it hurt to stand on it anyway.
Lately I’ve been thinking more about what I might be doing after college. If you had asked me a month ago if I wanted to go to graduate school, I would have flat out said no, at least not immediately after I graduate from here. Now that I think about it though, I’m wondering if I could somehow learn more about social statistics and eventually get a job in that field. I’m taking an introduction class right now and have found it pretty easy and interesting, despite others struggling every step of the way. I remember in high school I was able to do algebra and pre-calculus fine. It was just the little mistakes that got in the way, like mindlessly adding instead of multiplying or reading my chicken scratch writing wrong. Maybe I have a more mathematical/statistically-inclined mind? All I know is that if I do go into this field one day, I fear I’ll end up with a professor who doesn’t teach it well and will kill my interest in it. Who knows? At least my current stats professor is awesome, and my high school math teacher was equally great in making the subject matter interesting and comprehendible.
Well, I got to get going on that paper, now. All I can say is that I wish every student at DU luck during these last two weeks!
Title: Winding Down and Packing Up
Date: 4/14/09
Finishing up this semester might be a little easier than I thought. Still challenging, though. I have two final exams, both of which I’m not that worried about. I have four papers due within the next three weeks, but they shouldn’t be that bad if I work on them over the course of a few days or more each. A couple of other things are due here and there. It could all be worse, that’s for sure.
I got formally accepted into the Washington D.C. internship program for this coming fall. I’m so excited! I still have to do a couple of essays and find $350 for the tuition deposit, though. As for my other trip, I also went to my first (of two) workshops for my Mississippi Delta and Memphis course this summer. Our professor gave us a flash drive full of blues music and whatnot that we need to get familiar with, which is cool because I already knew a lot of the songs and artists she put on there. Otherwise, I can tell it’s going to be a great trip. We’re going to Graceland, Beale Street, visit the church where Al Green is preaching (we might see him), and we’re also going to a few museums and civil rights sites. We’re doing a ton more, but I’ll talk about it more in later posts.
I have been filing out job applications like crazy. I lost count after 13. I hate to admit I’ve almost gone desperate because I really need the money for my Delta trip and for D.C. and I also need to get out of my house during the summer. I CANNOT spend another 3-4 months doing nothing at my house again. Doing my best in the job position is a given; it’s a matter of me getting there. I almost want to tell potential employers “I don’t care how hard you work me, when you make me work (I’ll work every weekend and holiday if you want me to) – I NEED SOMETHING TO DOOO!!! You’ll be happy you hired me, I promise!!!”
Okay, so maybe I have gone desperate.
The days before school is out can be counted on fingers and toes, and soon my main concern will be getting all my stuff out of my room and back home. The computer labs are getting packed more often now that everyone is cramming in final projects, presentations and papers. Students are looking more tired by the day, while others are becoming rambunctious—maybe because we’re excited for summer? Either way, I’m sure most of us can’t wait for this cold, rainy April to transform into a warm, glowing May.
Title: A Nice Little Vacation Despite a Couple Disappointments
Date: 4/8/09
Friday was a hectic day. Returning resident students began picking out their rooms for next year. I had to send a proxy for me to pick out my room because I had a big statistics test during my time slot, but let’s just say that didn’t work out and I got pretty mad considering I had enough on my plate that day with having to leave at 3 p.m. for Iowa.
After not being able to get breakfast or lunch on Friday and rushing to pack and do an hour of work (which also included a bunch of running around), I finally met up with the four other students that were all going to the Midwest Sociological Society annual meeting in Iowa to present our papers on El Salvador. It was actually a pretty fun five-hour road trip. We stayed at the Marriott in Des Moines and were a bit too anxious to get to sleep, resulting in most of us staying up until almost 2 a.m. knowing very well we had to present at 8:15 a.m.
Six-thirty in the morn’ came about and boy was I tired. We all got ready and went downstairs to the room we were supposed to present in. We saw one guy walk in, sit down … and walk right back out before the presentation began. A woman also walked in, sat, and started setting up her laptop, asked if it was a certain session … and walked out. So, we had one attendee during the actual presentation who might have not even been there had one of our members not found out a month previously that they were both presenting at the same conference. We all still presented, of course, and gave each other feedback and questions and whatnot. I think I did a better presentation at DU’s annual undergraduate research expo than at the conference simply because I knew and felt comfortable with everyone who was in the room in Iowa, making me more lax than I should have been.
I guess I’m not that disappointed about practically no one showing up – the night we arrived (Friday) we knew there were a lot of late night parties going on in the hotel and probably drinking, as well as many big conferences during our scheduled morning time. I have to admit, no matter what condition I was in, I would have never gotten up so early to see any presentation that was as early as ours! Either way, stranger peoples’ absence significantly reduced the stress factor, and presenting so early enabled us to just get it over with so we could have the day to explore other interesting seminars.
We not only had free meals and a couple of free gifts, we also didn’t have to pay for travel (except tolls) and lodging expenses thanks to generous people and funds and a professor with some connections—always an awesome thing. In fact, by winning one of the many $100 Travel Awards the conference gives out randomly to attending students, I actually came back with about $50 extra after you factor out other mini expenses. Overall, the experience was great. There were interesting sessions and I got to meet a few new people. I found out the next annual meeting is in Chicago and I’m really hoping I can make it to that one, if not to present (at a later time!) then hopefully to just attend a lot of the sessions and meet some more new faces.
Title: Light at the end of the tunnel?!
Date: 4/1/09
Wait, no… just a firefly.
My calendar showing homework assignments, meetings, and other to-do things for April is hideous. Four presentations—one that anyone in the school can attend, another in Iowa for a professional conference. Nine papers and formal outlines. Four exams (not that bad, but still, who likes tests?). Not to mention all the hours upon hours of outside research for some of those papers on top of regular class assignments, readings, and so on. eez. I’m sure I can handle it, though.
This semester has passed by so quickly. I’m still trying to find a job for the summer and have applied to about nine or ten different places. I’ve only heard from one—Target told me “No Thanks.” I guess I’d rather have a response telling me I’m not needed rather than no response at all.
As for other matters, I unluckily came down with a stomach flu on Sunday night. I didn’t get a solid sleep, to say the least, and I had to miss my Monday classes. I’m actually thankful I work for IT because when I checked my email at 1:30 p.m. on Monday I realized I completely forgot I had to register for next year’s classes starting at 8 a.m. I had read an email from IT saying to be extra nice to people about all of the registration and website issues since they were stressing everyone out. Unfortunately, I became one of those stressed-out people.
After realizing my pin for registering for classes was locked when it wasn’t supposed to be, I had to make quite a few phone calls and emails that resulted in me having to leave my room in my seemingly near-death state. Normally, I wouldn’t care to have to register for classes on paper and run across campus just to get the form signed, as long as I got into the classes I needed. However, I was feeling like I was about to fall flat on my face at any second due to a combination of nausea, sleeplessness and shakiness.
Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there. When the registrar’s office was trying to sign me up for classes, half of the system said I was registered this semester while the other half didn’t even recognize me as a current student. How that happened, I have no clue. Either way, the registrar’s office thankfully fixed the problem and I got into all of my spring classes as planned. Now, I have to figure out how to register for the Washington D.C. internship and an independent study course so it doesn’t look like I’m only registered for one semester, which I'm guessing would affect my financial aid.
I guess one of the few good things that came out of unexpectedly having to run around campus was the quick visit to the nurse that resulted in advice for gettin' better and free tea. Mmm…
Title: Flying Time
Date: 3/25/09
It’s the end of March already? Jeez.
I applied to a few places on Saturday in hopes of finding a job or two this summer and plan on applying to at least two more places. I haven’t heard anything back yet, but of course it’s a bit too soon. I’m not worried yet. Either way, I really need to get out of the house this summer and making money while doing that is something I don’t mind doing.
Slowly but surely a Washington D.C. internship this fall is looking like a reality. I have the application done along with a few other things I need to include with it. I only need a copy of an official transcript that I already requested and a final recommendation form – woohoo! I’m still trying to figure out finances once I get there (food, clothing, etc.).
I just found out today that apparently I have to take some national test pertaining to sociology and criminology majors like me in order to graduate from here. I guess I’m not that nervous about it since I usually do well in these classes anyway, but still, when are tests ever fun? Hoping for the best…
Otherwise I’ve been lacking sleep once again. Tonight I have my monthly 12am-8am volunteer shift for a domestic violence crisis line and I did NOT get enough sleep these past two nights. I need to do a paper anyway, so at least I’ll have something to do between calls (if I get any).
Title: Figuring out the Future
Date: 3/18/09
Slowly but surely I am getting my life together, figuring out what exactly I need to do, when to do it, and how much I have to pay if anything to get it done. I must say this is my busiest semester yet as far as having a billion different things to do and keep up with. I just wrote out a checklist of the many things to do and I feel a bit better now but would surely feel better if this was all done with already.
Have I mentioned that 4:00 a.m. has become my official bedtime? My body just doesn’t seem to get tired until then nowadays. I also seem to be more productive during the 1-4 a.m. time range. Unfortunately, when the next day comes, it seems my lack of enough sleep leads to bouts of hyperactivity instead of drowsiness. Though I must admit, monotone voices seem to do the trick at almost putting me to sleep during class despite trying desperately to stay awake. I never end up falling asleep completely because those desks are just too uncomfortable for a thing like sleeping. Sometimes I wish we could just all break out in song to keep things a little more lively, haha. Seriously speaking though, it's really not the teachers. I'd probably be well awake and a part of the class more if I actually did get more sleep.
I’m pretty excited right now. My two good friends are coming back tonight from observing the historic elections in El Salvador. (I was there last summer and learned all about issues there, including historic political corruption). Long story short, the leftist party (FMLN) finally won and it’s spelling big positive change for the countless poor in the country. Of course, the opponents (ARENA) tried to cheat and win as always, but thankfully failed for once. I can’t wait to hear my friends’ stories!
Title: Spring Break Adventures
Date: 3/12/09
So much for Spring Break—I got homework like no other! Of course, being on break, I had to get out of the books at some point before going insane. I took a five-hour road trip towards Galena with some friends (and made some new ones) and didn’t get home until almost 5 am, but it was worth it. Not only was the scenery beautiful out there on an almost-full moon, but the conversations were definitely funny and entertaining. We wanted to go bowling before that but being a Wednesday night, no bowling alleys were open by the time we picked up the last person around 11:30 pm. We at least had good dinner in Lombard. :)
As for other matters, I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to pay for the Washington D.C. trip. I’m sure I can get the money from somewhere somehow but it’s a matter of getting it when I need it. I’m jumping between a private scholarship provider, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts. I wish I could sit everyone down at once and get everything settled already! Gotta keep jumpin’, though…
I did figure out how to pay for the Mississippi Delta trip—my parents are letting me borrow the money they get from their tax refund until my CD matures at the end of June. We have too many bills and whatnot to pay for them to just give me the money. I’m even nervous about filling out the FAFSA since it looks like my dad’s income was almost twice what it has been the past few years when really it’s just a combination of him working on top of having to take out his pension after getting laid off from work after 21 years, taking out something else, and cashing the annuity my grandmother left behind when she died this summer just so we can keep up on bills and other unexpected expenses. My dad inherited the house when my grandma died and now we’re paying double the utility bills plus a few other things since we haven’t been able to rent out the downstairs apartment. In short, it may look like my dad had a much bigger income, but we sure had a lot more expenses to wipe out that extra income. I hope that doesn’t take much financial aid away for next year because it’s next year when I’m going to need it the most!
Title: A Great Weekend
Date: 3/4/09
This past weekend I had a ton-o-fun! I was out celebrating my good friend Maryann’s 21st birthday a week early since she’s leaving for El Salvador to observe their elections on her birthday. (Maryann was my randomly chosen roommate during freshman year.) It was also another friend’s birthday and given our little friend group consists of students straight from Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and of course America, it was quite an experience. On Saturday we all met up and basically devised an impromptu plan on how we were going to pick up over ten people. We surprisingly succeeded and celebrated at a Pakistani restaurant on Devon Avenue. The food was spicy at times but thankfully not too much, and the cake we got at a Baskin Robbins right down the street did the trick to cool my burning mouth! Afterwards we ended up at a place called Alhambra where we danced to some awesome (what I think was) Saudi Arabian music until closing time. That place is absolutely beautiful and I wish I could post pictures, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera and the pictures on my phone can’t be transferred without a certain cord.
On Friday I also helped celebrate my friend’s birthday by joining her big family at a Portillo’s restaurant in Glen Ellyn. The food was, of course, awesome, especially since I added a famous Portillo’s Cake Shake to it. After a few hours in the restaurant we got back to the dorms and stole her three siblings and escaped to a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins we frequent on North Avenue.
That Saturday morning (sorry this isn’t in chronological order!) I not only had enough sleep, but I also got to eat out again, this time with my parents at IHOP after we went grocery shopping. By the time I went out with my friends that night I was still stuffed from eating at IHOP, but I did at least try all but one of the Pakistani dishes we ordered that night—great food!
Then, Sunday was also a different kind of day. I woke up early and went to the counter protest set up by some students and supported by what seemed like a couple hundred others. The infamous Westboro Baptist Church came to protest our showing of “The Laramie Project,” which is a play about a gay college student who, if I recall correctly, was beaten in a field for being gay and left to die there. (Check out Michelle's blog for a picture from the counter-protest) I unfortunately did not get to see the show since the one that I was able to go to sold out a half hour before I tried getting tickets. Afterwards, I had some hot chocolate in the ministry center with some friends from DASH (Domestic Abuse Stops Here – a DU student group). I would have been able to eat out once again, but really needed to do laundry and do homework.
Otherwise, life seems to be getting more hectic everyday. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to pay for the Mississippi Delta trip this summer, and the Washington D.C. internship program is looking more and more like a reality. Given I haven’t started the application, though, I’m not putting too much enthusiasm in it yet.
Title: Getting a Little More Realistic
Date: 2/25/09
Ireland seems like an awesome place, but after much consideration I’m thinking it’s not for right now. I’m not sure if I want to do another set of five classes with just a different setting and people. Of course it would be an experience of a lifetime and I’ll be able to do things I just can’t here, but I’ve concluded that I think I’d rather vacation there for a couple weeks than spend a heck of a lot more extra money doing the same old thing (read, get lectured, write) in a different place.
I recently started getting interested in a semester-long program through the Washington Internship Institute, mostly because I would get credit for doing an internship that the organization finds for me (apparently nothing skimpy like simple file work) and is related to my future career interests. I would be in Washington D.C. for an entire semester with some friends who would be doing the program, too. It sounds like the internship is for four days a week and on Fridays I would take my only two classes—one related to my majors and another to help build my portfolio and other skills from being there. Apparently it sounds like it would be cheaper to do this than another semester at Dominican! I pretty much have all the classes I need except for four that I can take during the spring semester my senior year. I just need to figure out expenses and a way to get an extra credit hour so I’ll be at 15—it’s what I need to get an almost $5,000 IL MAP Grant from the state (if it would still be applicable in D.C.) and a credit hour I need to graduate. I’m hoping to meet with someone in the Financial Aid Department here sometime this Thursday or Friday about both this and the Mississippi Delta trip.
On another note, I have to admit that I pulled my first all-nighter of the semester—and no it wasn’t necessarily because I procrastinated! I had a ton of homework for the same class on top of other classes, including having to read a whole book, find and watch a four-hour movie, and do a group project and presentation in less than two weeks all due the same day in the form of the group presentations and what ended up being a 16-page paper (if I remember correctly). How I’m still decently functioning after a sleepless 36 hours with only about two small meals within 30 hours is beyond my comprehension! All I can say is DON’T DO IT!!! It’s not fun.
I was a little bored working here at the Priory today so thankfully I had this blog to write to help keep me awake. Now I’m done with my shift and hope I set up the cart holding the projector, laptop, speakers, and VCR/DVD combo for the CAB Movie Night event right. So far it all sounds well! Now I need to run off and catch up with some friends outside who supposedly have a muffin I requested for good nommage before heading to the shower and then bed (yes, nommage = eating).
Title: Getting Away from Home Again
Date: 2/18/09
I recently made the decision to take one of the Sociology/Criminology Department’s trips away from the classroom. Now all I have to do is meet with Financial Aid and figure out how I’m going to pay for it, heheh...
I plan on taking a trip down to Memphis and the Mississippi Delta. I quote this from a previous course listing on myDU: “This course will provide students with an introduction to the musical and racial legacy of this region, to the historical, social, economic and political conditions in the Delta, and the relationship among these influences and the Civil Rights Movement.”
I can’t wait! It’s a fun professor, too, which should make it all the better. I might even have a friend come with me, and she’s really into photography so even if we can’t get souvenirs (maybe we'll be really broke by then, who knows), we’ll at least have some awesome pictures. Unfortunately the trip is short—only five days—but it’s better than nothing AND I get three credit hours I need in order to graduate. I only like taking 15 credit hours a semester; I needed three more to graduate given the pace I’ve been taking classes, and I didn’t want to take an extra class during the school year since it’s going to be my senior year and I think I’m going to be BUSY!
I’m still thinking about Ireland, but due to HUGE costs and fears of how my grades might drop going there (I heard a straight-A student claim she got all C’s there), on top of being unsure as to whether or not I’ll land a decent job to pay off those loans after I graduate, I just don’t know!
Otherwise, I’m actually struggling in one of my classes as it is. The professor is great, but loves giving out tons of homework—hard, time-consuming homework that requires just as hard, time-consuming reading. I learn, of course, but not voluntarily. Let’s just say I’m way behind in that class and I don’t know how I’m going to catch up.
This weekend, despite it being Valentine’s Day, I don’t really plan on doing anything. I might try to convince some of my friends to go to Coldstone Creamery, Oberwise, or Ben and Jerry’s down in Oak Park, but we’ll see. I’m hoping to do SOMETHING this weekend, but expecting nothing much simply because I have too much homework to do.
Why must homework and the like be a necessary evil!?
Title: Social Classes
Date: 2/11/09
This past weekend I went home for the first time since starting up this semester. I have to admit that every now and then when I go home from here I always think of the different environments: River Forest and Dominican University are particularly affluent looking with million dollar homes and manicured lawns, while the area in Chicago I was raised in, Little Village, is almost the opposite. Lawns that once existed are now cemented over because there was probably not enough money to put into making it look nicer, and there are small homes and apartments that could use some serious repairs and upgrades.
I’m so used to the transition, that it took being reminded in my social inequality theory class that the extreme differences exist. We recently watched a PBS video in that class called People Like Us, which addressed the class system in America. One scene showed what some working/lower class people would find entertainment in–I believe it was a county fair or something similar, but either way people were bobbing their heads in buckets of water trying to take out the pig legs sunken to the bottom, and another scene in which there was a large pool of watered down mud and guys jumping stomach first into it. Now obviously not everyone in the lower classes or whatever do this stuff, let alone find it fun, but would you ever see someone in the upper class do these kinds of things? Most likely not, at least not on a level in which other upper class members would find acceptable.
Well, here’s my point in saying all of this. I am definitely no upper class person, let alone an upper middle class one. I actually found fun in cleaning up a backyard full of half a winter’s worth of dog poop with my brother this weekend. Needless to say, you had to actually be there in order to understand at least partially why it was fun. Let’s just say my brother blasted 80s dance music from his huge stereo in the downstairs kitchen through the open windows and door, and after we were done trying our darnest to not slip and fall on the wrong patches of grass, we of course found poop on the bottom of our shoes and not enough snow piles in our yard to help clean it off. So, we went to the next yard over where snow piles were plentiful, my brother jumping off a fence and over a 7-foot evergreen in order to get there. No worries–no one owns the land and even the house next to the land is abandoned. Mind you, the entire time we’re laughing at ourselves for being both lame and “ghetto.”
In short, I’m the kind of person who finds fun and enjoyment in even menial tasks–I don’t have to spend thousands on a Disney trip to entertain myself, but of course that would be fun, too. I’d say I’ve had the privilege of experiencing both the lower/working and lower middle/middle classes for what they are. I went to a boarding school for my high school years where money was never really a problem as far as having adequate health care, education, and so on. Now I at least don’t even really have to worry as much as others do as far as paying for a good private university. All I can say is that having this unusual background helps me see more through society today and definitely helps me when studying in my sociology and criminology classes.
Title: Thinking About Ireland
Date: 2/4/09
We’re almost a month into the semester and I’m already thinking about how I’m going to graduate and what I’m going to put on my resume in hopes of being hired quickly in a career I’ll love, given that I don’t decide to do graduate school.
It strangely feels like things are falling into place. I found out today that I apparently saved someone from attempting suicide by sticking with them and talking things out, unknowing at the time that I was taking into account our president Donna Carroll’s motto “absorb chaos, give back calm.” I know that probably sounds cheesy, but I can assure you that the people who run this blog never encouraged or told me that I had to relate THIS much to what I learn at Dominican!
Then, I must start with the fact that I’ve always loved the Irish accent. There have been times that I’ve wished to go to Ireland, even after finding out DU had a study abroad program to take classes there for an entire semester, but for some reason it didn’t work out the first time. Today, I was talking with a friend who happened to find me during lunch, and in the middle of our conversation about random things here and there she mentioned she was going to Ireland for a semester. Long story short, now I know two people who plan on going, and I know one person who’s in my major who went just last semester, so I can get insider tips, too! All I can say is that I hope it’s affordable and the classes I need and want are available there. We’ll see!
Meanwhile, I plan on presenting a paper I had to write for my El Salvador study abroad trip this past summer at the annual Midwest Sociological Society conference in Iowa in April. Immediately before that, I plan on presenting it at DU’s undergrad research expo, kind of as practice for the Iowa trip but it’s obviously a real deal, too.
Anywho, I need to run to class!
Title: Oh Jeez...
Date: 1/27/09
I mentioned a while back that I’m a news junkie, but I must admit that I’m tired of seeing stories about Governor Blagojevich. It was funny at first, waking up one morning turning the TV on to CNN as usual and seeing his face everywhere because he finally got deserved negative attention outside of the state. But now? Everyday the news has more than one story about him, usually accompanied by a "BREAKING NEWS: BLAGOJEVICH TRIAL LIVE" at the top of the page of the site I regularly check. I stopped following the story soon after it broke because I was never the type who liked following politically related stories anyway, aside from the whole election coverage. As long as we get a new, better governor, that's all I care about. (And yes, I know not everyone is like me and does like to know every fact and snippet about what's going on with Blagojevich.) Done with my rant...
As for other “news,” earlier I was enjoying my free time off between classes with a friend and hot chocolate from the Cyber Café—yum. I also went to dinner early for the first time in a while, so I was delightfully reminded of how packed the cafeteria can get. I dropped my stuff off at a table with some of my friends’ stuff and went to the library to reply to an email and pick up a book instead. I came back 15 minutes later and still had to wait in a long line to get food. Oh well, at least I tried to be productive!
A couple days ago I tried doing my federal taxes through TurboTax. Jeez, even with guidance it can get confusing, but I think the software was being funny instead since it kept telling me to correct an error that I kept correcting. I plan on doing my state taxes and the FAFSA form later. My dad lost his job of 21 years last year and my mom picked up a job for the first time in a great while, so I’m wondering how that will affect my financial aid, if at all.
Anyway, I have to go work on some homework. There are definitely times I wish it would just do itself! Or at least be able to be done in less than an hour. Either is cool. :)
Title: Back to School and a New President
Date: 1/20/09
Break was a big breath of fresh air that was not only well deserved but also much needed. I came back to school with an actual will to do homework, particularly reading since I didn’t do as much of that as I should’ve last semester. I’ve already been bombarded with the prospects of group projects, huge papers, midterms, other tests, quizzes and finals but I’m not going crazy just yet. Yay!
I had a little trouble trying to get my books for this semester since I’m practically broke. I rediscovered an old trick to getting them for free, though: I-Share! Dominican’s library is basically linked to other libraries around the state. You can borrow books not just from Dominican’s library but from others as well. The best part about it (aside from it being free) is that they’re sent to DU so you don’t have to figure out a way to get to them. My only issue with it right now is that I’ve requested five books and only one has arrived. I guess that’s what I get for not thinking about using I-Share earlier? Otherwise, I was able to rent one book for half off its price if I bought it new, and bought another one online for about $30 off. Unfortunately, I still spent the average $300 or so on books this semester (average for me, that is) since I had to buy a single book from the book store that cost a total of $185.03 – ahhh! Luckily not all books cost that much or half that, depending on what major you’re in.
I can’t write this blog without mentioning the fact that today was Obama’s Inauguration. Everywhere on campus where there was a TV and a public setting, CNN was tuned in. I’m glad my first class let me out early for the event because the two places I visited to try and watch the event were already both packed – first the Library/Lewis Link and then the Social Hall where I stayed.
I am, of course, glad Obama has finally taken office seeing as that my father’s job of 21 years ended thanks in large part to the falling economy. As long as his words translate into actions, I’m sure the majority of Americans will be happy. As for future prospects, I’m hoping that by the time I graduate from DU the economy will be much better, or at least on a positive haul upwards. I know graduate school is becoming a must in my field, so to say, but I really want to get into the field already!
I’m not sure if I mentioned this in the last blog but the internship I was really looking forward to applying to ended up falling through. The organization basically plans on closing its doors after a lot of troubles it’s been having. On a positive note, though, I visited the Career Center and got some names and numbers of places I may be interested in checking out. Maybe this time I’ll find more than one interesting internship.
Title: A Loooong Breath of Fresh Air
Date: 1/6/09
The first part of my vacation could have definitely have gone better. Let’s just say never let someone else try to tear you down, regardless of whether they intend to or not! Otherwise, my break was nice, relaxing and just what I needed. I found out I got straight As for the first time in college this past semester, and I felt this was the hardest semester yet! I definitely appreciated the booster.
Over the break I got to spend time with the family and old friends, make some funny videos, meet some new friends, have some really good conversations with people, and got money for Christmas that will unfortunately ALL go towards books and tuition. My parents and I are extra broke this semester, and I might need to borrow anywhere from $100-$200 from a relative just to cover the rest of the book costs and the first payment for tuition. I’m refraining from taking out my first college loan until next year.
On another note, it wasn’t all fun and games this break. I looked for an internship for the summer and may have actually found one I want to do with the Chicago Crime Commission. I’m just hoping I’m eligible for it and the application process goes well. I know I should find another option just in case this falls through, but I will admit that the search process was exhausting and at times discouraging. I’ll probably have one of those bored nights that I’ll suddenly feel like searching the web and maybe even the phone book for some ideas.
Until then, I will enjoy the rest of my break and prepare for going back to school.
Title: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Date: 12/10/08
It’s finals week…dun dun duuun. I still have three finals and one 10 to 15-page paper due, but at least I have two other 10+ page papers and a presentation out of the way.
Today I started reconsidering whether or not I want to be a cop for the Chicago Police Department. The interest was sparked by a TV show I was watching about dumb criminals (haha, and yes I know not all situations are like that). I used to watch those kinds of shows all the time, which ironically turned me off the whole cop idea. I’m thinking if I do become a cop, I’d have a much better chance at getting into the whole human-animal violence focus for my dream career. I’m not sure how cops get into it, but I do know there is an Animal Crimes Unit in the CPD.
I love animals, but I unfortunately have bad allergies and can’t really be around dogs, cats, rabbits and other furry things for long. Having a job at a shelter probably wouldn’t be the best thing since I’d probably end up having to wash the animals and play with them, which is great but not when you’re sneezing nonstop, have red, watery eyes and a runny nose the entire time. I’m guessing within the Animal Crimes Unit they at least catch people who’ve commit crimes against animals. I’m sure they probably do more, but I’m not sure what since it doesn’t seem like there’s much info out there about it. As long as it has to do with helping animals AND people, I’m in.
Otherwise, over winter break I plan on not only relaxing and prepping for the new semester, but also on trying to look for an internship for the summer. I prefer to have one that relates to what I talked about above or one that can help me be more qualified for it, but I doubt that’ll happen because it seems like it’ll be kind of hard to find something like that. I’d also have to find something I am actually qualified for and can get to and from whenever they need me. I don’t have a car and public transportation isn’t always the best deal. I’ll see what happens with that.
Until next time… Happy Holidays!
Title: Lost and Found
Date: 12/3/08
One thing I love about Dominican is that you can almost trust that if you lose something, it’ll either be right where you left it at least a half hour later (maybe days or weeks later, depending on where you leave it) or with Campus Safety and Security where the “lost and found” for the school is located. I wouldn’t recommend leaving anything expensive around and testing out that idea, though.
Any who, I lost my book for my intro to journalism class last week, and it took me a week to find it. (I was at home for Thanksgiving break; otherwise I bet I would’ve gotten it sooner.) Turns out, I left it in the IT office where I work at the student assistant desk. Given it is now the bookstore’s “book buyback” season and the economic crunch is unavoidable, I breathed a sigh of relief to find that someone didn’t take it to sell or something. I was especially relieved because the book isn’t even mine; I borrowed it from a good friend of mine who was my freshman-year roommate. :)
Borrow or buy books from you classmates if you can! Especially if it’s your LAS seminar class since all freshmen use the same texts, all the sophomores, and so on. It saved me over $50 this semester!
On another note, Thanksgiving break gave me a much-needed rest and time with my family. I don’t feel as energized as I wish, but I definitely feel more up to the challenge of finishing off this semester than I did last week. What’s better is that two of the due dates for my papers were pushed back, so I now have the needed time to do them more thoroughly. All I can say at this point is good luck to all who are prepping for finals—I know I need it!
Title: Same Ol’ Same Ol’ and ... Squirrels?
Date: 11/26/08
Break is only a day away, but it feels like forever! Just two more papers to go and I’m free of classes and work for five days, despite having to do a lot over break for projects and papers due the week we come back. I get to see my mom and other family for the first time in almost a month— and do laundry for free! That’s always a perk.
As for things I’ve been working on, my interview with university president Donna Carroll went great. I found out some interesting things about her, but I won’t spill that here since I’m guessing it will be put in the school newspaper. All I have to do now is figure out a way to focus the story by Wednesday. Given my time constraints and the inability to focus since there’s so much going on, that’s definitely going to be a challenge.
Aside from being busier and more stressed as the semester comes to an end, I’ve noticed that there seems to be a pack of squirrels always roaming the mini-quad. For the past two or so months, I think I have yet to go outside during the day and not see at least two. I’ve also counted up to seven at a time, picking away at whatever is on the ground and every once in a while chasing each other up the trees. So why am I telling you about these four-legged fur balls? Well, it looks like students aren’t the only ones who have to beat clocks for the sake of “surviving.” Although, I do wish I was a squirrel at this point because I have to admit, staying up till 4 or 7 in the morning doing papers is not fun!
Title: Breaks and Burnouts
Date: 11/19/08
So the semester is winding down quickly, but that’s not necessarily a good thing for people like me who have homework galore. Not just 50-pages-a-night reading and question answering either. Try two reports due on one day, a presentation tomorrow with someone who I haven’t had the chance to meet with because we’ve both been so busy, and a presentation in front of the school’s review board (or so I was told) in less than three weeks (Don’t let the amount of time fool you. It’s not enough!). I also have an interview with our president, Donna Carroll, for my intro to journalism class for which the story is due Friday, not to mention looming final exams with 10+ page reports, club meetings and events, and of course homework everyday on top of projects, papers, work, and actual class time. Do I have a social life? Sometimes I wonder.
I definitely do NOT have it as bad as some people I know, but I’ll spare the horrific details.
Burnout has definitely hit many students at this point, and I’m somehow finding the ability to finish what I need to do on time and still get good grades. Sometimes you get that feeling that you want to just finish off the semester with a bang, and other times it seems hopeless—expect that.
What I would offer as advice is to take real breaks. Get off campus with some friends and go somewhere to eat or go to Borders or do whatever it is you do for fun and relaxation, but don’t do it the night before you have a five page paper due at 8 a.m. that you have yet to start. Get a good amount of sleep, as in more than six hours but less than nine. Get your socializing done within some reasonable time so that you feel like you at least got your socialization need out of the way. Or study with a friend with whom you can actually concentrate on doing your homework. This might not work for everyone, but it’s something to consider. Either way, find something that works, because nonstop staring at computer screens, books, worksheets, packets and so on and so on is going to make your mind the equivalent of the currently burning and smoldering hills of California!
Title: Meet Ceal
Date: 11/11/08
My name is Cecilia Tobias, but calling me Ceal is fine. I tend to be shy, but give me some sign of humor and I’m good to go! Speaking of humor, my friends tell me my sense of it varies from "mean" to random to odd – all in good ways. Apparently many people also like my smile and laugh, and I have been told I can easily make someone’s day.
I love chocolate and enjoy the company of animals, even though dogs, cats, and bunnies make my allergies go nuts. I’m no partier, but I like hanging out with friends when I don’t have to worry about big homework assignments or something. I’m glad Obama won and have been trying to get a copy of the November 5th Tribune and Sun-Times newspapers! Otherwise, I’m an easy-going person who is strangely more productive at getting things done at night than during the day or evening like homework and cleaning my room. If I had to go nocturnal for some job, I probably wouldn’t have much trouble with it.As for scholastic background info, I came from a boarding school (they prefer to call it a residential living school, though for some reason people give a puzzled face to that description). It wasn’t an elite school or anything, but Mooseheart, located in between North Aurora and Batavia, definitely gave me opportunities that many places, including private high schools, could not. My experience there and how it carries to today is a whole other story, though.
I can safely say that I’m a good student and try to be involved with what time I have. Right now I’m active in two groups: D.A.S.H. (Domestic Abuse Stops Here) and Sounds Society (music club). I’m Treasurer for the first one and Vice President Assistant for the second one. For Sounds Society, we actually just had our annual concert this past Saturday and everything went great and smoothly. As for D.A.S.H., we just got done with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which was in October. We sponsored and hosted many speakers who talked about the different aspects of domestic violence. We’r e also selling bags and bracelets for the next three weeks to help raise money for domestic violence victims and survivors.
In addition to being a part of D.A.S.H., I’m also an overnight shift Crisis Line volunteer for Sarah’s Inn, a local domestic violence agency. This past summer I took a 40-hour training course on becoming a domestic violence victim/survivor advocate and will graduate on December 13th and get state-certified.
I chose Dominican because it felt like the perfect fit for me. All my life I’ve been used to small class sizes and not being too far from home. Being a Chicagoan who is used to learning environments of 25 people or less where the teacher actually knows you by name, DU was perfect. DU also has a criminology major, which initially got my attention. Since then my major has expanded into a double major in sociology and a minor in communication arts and sciences. Finally, I first saw DU during the summer. Combine a live picture of lush ivy, trees, other plant life, and the gothic architecture, and it’s just awesome.
