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Holidays on the Hill

Doors in wrapping paper, stockings lining the coffee shop counter, and the Kimball cafeteria filled with crafts, free cookies, and Santa?

Yes, it’s my favorite season on the Hill – the holiday season. I wrote a post about this last year, entitled “Miracle on College Street,” and if I was feeling the Christmas spirit last year, then I’m drowning in it this year. From literally decking our hallway in all things Winter to blasting Christmas music in October, I have been anticipating this time of year for a while now.

 

My fellow fool and friend Lauren and I before we sang at our Christmas a cappella show.
My fellow fool and friend Lauren and I before we sang at our Christmas a cappella show.

However, my roommate and I do love to joke that though it is the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the most stressful time. Papers and projects are coming in hot. Finals are coming up soon. Winter is coming full force. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the work and even the change in weather.

Still, every year this time rolls around, I always find comfort in the sweet spirit on campus. Yes, one of my friends just pulled an all-nighter and yes, one of my other friends has two 20-page papers due in three days, but there is something about the holiday time and this hill that makes everything (even if momentarily) okay.

Sometimes it does feels as if there’s just too much to do and absolutely no time to finish it all. Then, when I catch up with friends over a Kimball Holiday dinner or I go sing carols with much of campus and the Worcester community at the Tree Lighting, I can find the silver linings. Or in this case, the silver bells.

 

 

 

My residents were truly feeling the Christmas spirit and got really creative with the board outside of the room.
My residents were truly feeling the Christmas spirit and got really creative with the board outside of their room.
Our a appella group, "Fools on the Hill," at our Christmas show.
Our a cappella group, “Fools on the Hill,” at our Christmas show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, the blog take-away is: Indeed, there is no place like home for the holidays and I will soon learn that Holy Cross will become a second home to me. Yes, I’ll have a lot to do, but I’ll have wonderful friends and a warm community to remind me how blessed I am. 
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Week Update

Hello from the Hill!

Homework has increased once again and for some reason that usually means extracurricular activities increase simultaneously. My a cappella group, my Praise and Worship service team, and my RA Staff have all had events this past week. As a result, I did not blog last week.

I know — so not cool. However, I am back and excited to share last week with you.

1) Chateau de Wheeler. This event is a Wheeler (the oldest first-year dorm) tradition. All the residents venture out onto “Wheeler Beach” and enjoy an evening of fresh tunes, festivities, fun, and food. Who knows why it’s French (and why pasta is usually served)? Not I. All I know is that Chateau Round Two was even better than the first time. Below is the beautiful Wheeler staff and an overly excited Katrina.

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2) Michelle and My First Hall Event – Hall events or programs are little dorm events, which are just opportunities for residents to spend more time together to relax or discuss relevant issues. Michelle and I decided to have some Fondue Fun and allow our residents to learn more about themselves and each other by taking a little “color” personality quiz.

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3) Friends – It’s always important to make time for your friends. Living in Wheeler as a sophomore (or junior/senior) can be a bit difficult, because most of your friends live across campus. However, meeting up at Hogan Center or Kimball is essential because friends keep you grounded, no? My roommate and I met up with one of our “far-away friends” for off-campus dinner and henna.

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4) Campus Life – After a while, all the work might get to you. So make sure you take breaks to eat, relax, and have fun. Good thing Holy Cross gives one the means to do all of those things.

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It was a pretty day + I liked my romper = asking my roommate to take a picture.
Me asking my roommate to take a picture as well = this.
Me asking my roommate to take a picture as well = this.
My roommate + fellow RA Lucca = impromptu photoshoot?
My roommate + fellow RA Lucca = impromptu photoshoot?
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Glasses + a week of work = pretending to be Harry Potter while folding laundry?

 

So, the blog take-away is: Holy Cross has got it going on. Work may be constant and the temperature may drop to 47 degrees on the 4th week of school (literally, this morning, 47 degrees), but nothing will be able to compare to the great friends and company I’ll have here on the Hill. 
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Springing back after Spring Break

Spring Break ended this Monday, March 9th and the transition back into Holy Cross was quite complex. Either break caused me to forget how much work I have here on The Hill or professors were simply eager to start teaching again.

First off, my Spring Break was truly great. My roommate and I basically embody the quintessential, Hollywood-esque idea of college — roommates turned best buds who travel to each others’ houses over break. I went down to her hometown for the first few days of Spring Break and it was so much fun, quite different from the kind of city-life I’m used to.

Then, we travelled back up to Connecticut and I got to show her where I grew up. We even got to travel to New York to visit one of our Holy Cross friends. That’s right, Holy Cross students are friends off-campus as well, believe it or not (this was more or less a sentence my roommate wanted me to include and I actually really like it. And you thought I wouldn’t include it).

In any case, once I returned to campus, I had to distance myself from Netflix and buckle down. I had a great amount of homework due, as well as some papers. It felt as if my courses had doubled in intensity. How did I deal with this, you ask?

Well, that’s the thing about The Hill. Even though it seems like the schoolwork is never-ending, the community and atmosphere around campus will keep you sane. Maybe you’ll have friends who will make you cry of laughter when you want to cry of sorrow. Perhaps you’ll find that one professor who really understands your mindset. Heck, Kimball could be serving my, er, I mean your favorite mint chocolate brownies (I promise you, they’ll change how you see the world).

I also had Fools to fall back on as well. No matter my mood, going to rehearsal always makes me happier. Our a cappella group has such a tight bond that it’s impossible to leave feeling anything but ecstatic.

So, the blog take-away is: Here at Holy Cross, you get the whole package. 1) A rigorous, and I do mean rigorous, education. 2) A gorgeous campus. 3) A community so accepting and so welcoming that you can’t help but smile every single day. 

Below Spring Break pictures from left to right: 1 & 2) At the beach and 3) At the Reservoir in New York City

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The Hill

Hi, again!

Looks like I’ve got a hectic week ahead of me. Being involved in organizations has proved to be quite the challenge, but ultimately I’m still extremely happy. Nevertheless, with a heavy workload (German research paper due, English paper due, History team assignment due, plus all the additional work) and a heavy organization workload (two new songs for Fools on the Hill, preparation for CASA‘s Head-to-Toe Fashion Show, hosting for Prospectives, and, you know, keeping up with my blog), I feel a bit overwhelmed.

However, the great thing is — Holy Cross knows this. I don’t mean they know that they’re assigning a lot of work (which I’m sure they do know), but I mean they know that we feel overwhelmed and they are there to help. My professors actually like to know what I’m involved in and when I explain that I have/had an extremely busy week or weekend, they understand — but they also want me to understand that I’ve still got to get that work in.

Regardless, I’m happy here on The Hill. I have a fantastic roommate, who watches Netflix with me when I just cannot tolerate another Greek play and belts out Sam Smith songs with me. Moreover, I have fantastic FRIENDS! I had to leave a friend’s birthday get-together early for Fools rehearsal and someone saved me a piece of cake AND party food. This may seem minuscule and minor, but food is a big deal to me – I now deem that person to be especially special.

This blog post was certainly not as focused as my others, but below I wrote a little poem that should sum everything up. 🙂

So the blog take-away is: Life on The Hill can get hectic and life on The Hill can get hard, but life on The Hill I will never discard, for I know every day someone will make me smile and I know in the end it will all be worthwhile. 

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First picture: My hectic November calendar. Second picture: Cheering on the Crusaders at a football game (I honestly do not understand football, but it’s all about team spirit, you know?) Third picture: Walking up from Kimball. I honestly see Holy Cross in this filter 24/7. Fourth picture: Walking from Kimball again, but from a different, beautiful path.
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My Week back from Break

Hi, again!

So the first week back from break is officially over. In translation, the work begins again. I have an extremely immense amount of work to do, not because of procrastination, but just because I have quite the busy schedule.

I won’t bore you with personal dilemmas, though. Instead, I’ll give a little synopsis of my week back from break.

I returned on Sunday sometime in the evening and minutes later went to my CASA Members Meeting. Joining an organization (or a sports team) here on campus is a huge commitment; you will have events on weekdays/nights, so make sure you manage your time wisely. Monday strolled around and I had classes, my a cappella rehearsal in the evening, and Campion House cookies (below: a picture of my gorgeous friends and Campion House cookies)!

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The rest of the week went by quickly. Midterms were returned, tears were shed.

Just kidding, no tears. Midterms were returned and I was pleasantly surprised with my grades. Utilizing the Office Hours of my professors truly helped and they are always eager to see you succeed.

Finally, Friday dawned, as did Holy Cross Family Weekend! This weekend was jam-packed with cool events for families and friends. Fools on the Hill (the a cappella group I’m in) sang multiple times for different events and it was really nice being supported by students and their families. Here is a picture of us singing for families at the a cappella concert in costumes – I’m the nerd on the far right!

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Other cool events included festivities in the Hoval, the small lawn area in front of Hogan Center. My friends and I played some cool games, painted pumpkins, and listened to live music. It was so nice seeing everyone’s family come out and just have a great time. Below are some pictures of the Hoval festivities and a photo of a nice Fall walk with some friends.

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All in all, it was a good week back on the Hill.

So the blog take-away is: The first week back from Fall Break may seem brutal, but Holy Cross will always do a fantastic job of making you feel right at home again. 
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Thursday Homework Lesson

It’s Thursday!

I personally love Thursdays, because I know the next day is Friday and the long awaited weekend will begin! One thing I’ve realized here at Holy Cross is that the week goes by quite quickly, but the weekend passes by about twice as fast.

Therefore, it is extremely important you do your homework when you can. Procrastinating is not an option. Now I’m not saying you can’t take a break, because as I said in my first post, breaks are essential. Maybe take a walk around campus, grab lunch, or even watch an episode on Netflix (my favorite kind of break). However, make sure you get back to your work.

You’ll feel so much better if you finish your homework, or at least a good chunk of it, before the week starts again. As soon as Monday evening rolls around, you might have a new paper assignment or a great deal of reading and you will feel that you have absolutely no time to do your weekend work.

Moreover, I feel that the courses are truly interesting here at Holy Cross and you will definitely love them. So homework won’t really be a drag, but rather quite fun. I know, I sound insane, but it’s true! Make sure you give yourself time to really dissect what it is you’re reading or completing.

So, the blog take-away is: I will have a lot of homework if I come to Holy Cross, but I can manage it. All I need to do is be smart with my time. I should take breaks and I should eat and stay sane, but I should also make sure I get my work done when I can. That way, I can finish the new Netflix series I just started with my ample amount of free time. 

 
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The Truth about Holy Cross

Hi, everyone!

Welcome to my blog. If you’re reading this and thinking about coming to Holy Cross, you truly need to read no further – apply. I can honestly say I feel completely at home here. Not only have I made fantastic friends, but I’ve already learned so much. I will risk sounding cliché and say that I truly feel Holy Cross is the perfect college for me.

Okay, I admit that was a pretty quintessential blog beginning, but it’s true! However, you probably want more specifics. Like, what’s the food like? Are there any cool organizations? Will I have any time to sleep or will homework consume my life? Never fear. I have the answers. Granted they may be “freshman” answers, but they are answers none the less. Here is the truth about Holy Cross.

First, the food is quite amazing (I went a little overboard with the curly fries my first week). Don’t worry, though. I’ve heard from many that the “Freshman Fifteen” doesn’t really exist here, which you’ll learn after conquering the everlasting Dinand staircase.

Second, there are so many interesting organizations on campus. Honestly, I felt a bit overwhelmed trying to choose which ones I wanted to join. I feel so comfortable here that I knew I would enjoy being a part of anything Holy Cross has to offer. As of now, I am in a coed a cappella group, in the Caribbean African Student Assemblage (CASA), and I sing during the Inter-Denominational services on Sundays.

Needless to say, I am quite busy at times. Does she even have time for homework? 

The answer is yes. I won’t lie and say the courses are easy or that the workload is light, but it is possible to stay on top of things. Manage your time wisely (and take breaks – they are essential), and I’m sure you will be fine.

That’s it for my first post. I truly hope this was helpful. Talk to you soon!