Terrifically Long Thursday

Hola!

Yesterday, as with all Thursdays this semester, was my longest day of the week. I had three classes plus a GRE Prep. Course until 9:30pm.

My first class was religion. We had our second in class essay which went okay (but last time I thought I did badly, I got a A so I'm no longer all that worried because it's clear that he just wants to know that we did the reading). Then we talked about the reading in great detail which really helped my comprehension of the material.

My second class was Chaucer. We went over the Reeve's Tale and the Cook's Tale. The Reeve tells his story in retailation for the story told by the Miller so we compared the two stories which was very interesting. The Cook's Tale is unfinished because we do not have all of Chaucer's manuscript. This is both frustrating because we have no way of knowing what happened and a relief to busy college students with too much homework.

My last class was my Quixote class. We are reading the book in Spanish which is a lot of work. Although, I have found a decent online translation that I use to help myself along (otherwise reading it would take hours that I unfortunately do not have). Our professor was is Costa Rica, however, so we simply watched part of the movie and left earlier than our usual 2 1/2 hour time period generally allows.

After class, my roommate and I got some dinner at the dining hall. It was really weird to eat dinner there again but it was the easiest thing to do after a long day that was not even over yet.

Our GRE Prep Course started at 7 and went until 9:30pm. We got the results of our diagnostic tests back. My verbal score was actually pretty good and my math was, as always, pathetic. But overall, when you consider that I have not taken a standardized test since I took the SATs in high school nor have I had a real math class since high school, I really didn't do all that badly. We spent most of the class going over strategies for approaching the various problems on the Qunatitative Section. I really think the class is going to help because even after last night, I already feel better equipped to tackle those math problems.

We came back to the room and essentially crashed. I did some reading but I was too tired to really focus. But seeing as I only have one class on Fridays, I didn't have much to do anyway.

Well, I need to get going, but Happy Friday! Hasta luego!

Wednesday

Hola!

Yesterday was another full day for me here at school. I had two classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

My first class was American history. We talked about the roles liberalism and classical republicanism in the Revolutionary War (or, more specifically, the colonists's justification of the war). It is really interesting to learn about the war in a more sophisticated manner as opposed to how you learn about it in elementary school. There was so much going on at that time that was radical and new but that we take completely for granted today.

After class, I came back to my room to relax for a little while and have lunch. I actually managed to finish Peter Oliver's Origin and Progress of the American Rebellion! I will probably start the paper this weekend since today is booked solid and I refuse to start a paper on a Friday.

Once I finished the book, it was time to pay a visit to the library. I needed some books for a couple of my other classes. I found books for one no problem, but when it came to looking for books about St. Isidore of Seville, the library failed me. It irritates me to no end that I was unable to locate a good book in English on a saint at a Catholic school! No wonder our library was ranked so low by the Princeton Review!

My senior seminar started at 4pm. We are spending the year studying Seamus Heaney's poetry. I really like most of his work so far, although I may be a little tired of Irish poetry by the end of the year. But it could be much worse, I could have been stuck spending the year reading Whitman and Dickinson!

I got back to the room around 6pm, when class ended. We had dinner promptly at 7pm when the pizza arrived (hey, I can't cook every night!). After dinner, I settled down to read for my Chaucer class which ended up taking practically the entire evening because I kept letting myself get distracted (either through the television, phone calls, or instant messanger. Oh well, I got it done eventually.

That was pretty much my day yesterday. I need to get going because I have class soon and, therefore, my busiest day of the week is about to begin. Hasta luego!

The Week Grinds Along...

Hola!

Fortunately for me, Tuesday was not quite as busy and hectic as Monday. Unfortunatelty for me, it was only Tuesday and days like Thursday still lurk in the future. Not to mention the whole of next week which is booked solid and will, therefore, be crazy.

My day was comprised of two classes, a couple errands, and a meeting. The first class was religion where we are studying medevial theology. We has a guest lecturer who spoke to us about some of Bernard of Clairvoux's works. It was fairly interesting, believe it or not, since it makes me think about the intricacies of my faith.

My second class was Chaucer where we are reading the Cnaterbury Tales. We went over the Miller's Tale which is, well, crude (much like the character of the miller himself, actually).

After class, I made my way up to the English department to get some poems for my senior seminar. I had a lovely discussion with a friend on the way up and a nice chat with the department secretary (She is so sweet and you can learn a lot from talking to a secretary. For intstance, which faculty member is in China and who knows a famous Irish poet personally).

I finally got to settle down in my room and start working on some homework for awhile around 3pm. I completed my religion reading for our next class and continued with my reading for American history (I'm almost done with the book! I have less than 30 pages to go! Bring on the paper!).

For dinner, I made tacos which are incredibly easy. All you have to do is cook the meat, warm up the tortillas, lump all the toppings together, and start eating.

Afterwards, my roommate and I had to go to a meeting for students who had recently returned from studying abroad. It was completely and utterly useless because we have already re-adjusted to life at home again. Oh well, at least it was short and to the point.

I hate to cut this short (although truthfully, that is pretty much my whole day), but I need to get going because I have class in a little while. Hasta manana!

Un Dia Nuevo

Buenos Dias!

Yesterday was such a long day! I only had one class, but afterwards I had orientation for DC Reads and then I had to help my tutee study for her test today (Buena Suerte!). So all of a sudden it was 4pm and I was left wondering where the day had gone.

My class, which was American history, went fairly well. We spent the entire period talking about good writing and our paper assingment. As if by now I am unable to write a decent paper!

DC Reads orientation was a bit long but I think it will be a worthwhile experience. I am going to be tutoring a child in either first, second or thrid grade at La Salle Elementary. I will be going once a week for a couple hours. The school is a fairly nice facility but, at least from what we were told at orientation, some fo the students really struggle with reading and writing. Hopefully, we will be able to make a positive impact on their skills over the course of the semester.

As soon as I got back to campus, I had to meet with my Spanish tutee (student I tutor). We spent about half an hour looking over her review sheet and making sure she felt comfortable with the material. I really think she will do well because she seemed to understand everything and her professor was nice enough to give them a very thorough review sheet.

When I finally got back to my room, (okay, I'll admit it, I actually live in a trailer. I was very skeptical about the situation but really it is kind of nice for housing on a college campus. We have a large living room and a full kitchen in addition to our bedrooms.) I did laundry and started my homework. I started cooking dinner around 5pm because I was making a real, grown-up dinner (i.e. not something frozen) and I knew it would take awhile. I made baked chicken which I marinated in salad dressing, green beans, and baked potatoes. The whole process went rather well which is fairly impressive since I have never really tried my hand at cooking until this fall. The only glitch was that the baked potatoes took a bit longer than I expected but considering the other things which could have gone wrong, I consider myself lucky.

After dinner, I continued chipping away at my mountain of homework. I managed to come up with a topic for my senior seminar paper (If you're curious, I'm going to focus on a few of Seamus Heaney's poems and talk about how hwe uses the figure of a child throughout them) and read some more of Peter Oliver's Origin and Progess of the American Rebellion (only 75 more pages to go! And my 'reward' for finishing it? Starting the paper!). I also spoke with my parents on the phone for a little while.

I need to get going, today's classes and whatnot are about to begin! Hasta luego!

My First Entry!

Hi:-)
I decided to start a blog since my younger sister has one (and who wants to be less technologically advanced than one's high school aged sister?...just kidding!) and she seems to be enjoying it. Also, having one of my own means that I can leave her comments (hehe).

I've never done this before and I have to admit that it feels weird to write something that anyone could potentially access. Any diary or journal I've ever kept in the past was always a small, written book to which only I had access.

To begin, I think I will introduce myself briefly (although I do not anticipate having anyone that I do not know reading this. But I have to start somewhere.). I am a senior English major at a university in Washington, DC. I am also minoring in Spanish. Next year, I hope to attend graduate school and earn a Masters in Education so I can teach.

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy reading, shopping, watching movies, hanging out with my friends, plays, and listening to music. I am also involved with Best Buddies, DC Reads, and ATLAS Tutoring on campus. In the past, I have copy-edited for the school newspaper, been a part of the residential college program, tutored with St. Ann's Infant & Maternity Home, and interned in my US Senator's office. Last semester, I studied abroad in Spain and over the summer I spent a month in England studying Shakespeare.

As the title of this blog suggests, one of my most striking features is my long curly hair. I am also petite in keeping with the statures of my other family members.

I need to get going now because I have class soon, so hasta manana!