Posted on

Frozen on the Hill

Are you freezing? No? That’s cool.

I wouldn’t say I’m freezing, but I’m close to it. Truth be told, Winter is my least favorite season. I absolutely love the gorgeousness of the snow, but I can’t say I love the chilliness or sporadic snowballs here on campus. Honestly, I felt like I was on the set of Sharkboy and Lava Girl walking through mountains of snow.

Maybe you’re like me, someone who isn’t the biggest fan of snow and you’re wondering if you should attend Holy Cross. Let me tell you, it’s definitely worth it. The friends you make here and the professors you meet will make the snow seem as nothing.

HOWEVER, I will encourage you to stock up on Winter clothes. Right now, we are in our second snowstorm. Yes, second snowstorm. Classes were not cancelled this time, either. Please, make sure you bring your Winter boots, Winter coats, gloves, thick pants, and blankets galore.

Anyways, though this weekend was quite chilly, my friends and I went to watch the musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” here at Holy Cross. The cast was absolutely incredible and they received a standing ovation at the end! It was well worth it, regardless of the treacherous walk to the theater (did I mention I don’t like snow)?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is still something to do on campus, even if it’s covered in the snow. Last Friday it was Extreme Bingo, which I heard was actually super extreme. Being Frozen on the Hill also means lots of inside parties. I promise you will have something to do if you don’t feel like going out.

Let’s also not forget about the true snowy advantage of going to Holy Cross — SLEDDING. It might be the cliche freshmen thing to do, but it is no doubt a FUN thing to do. I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea (really, snow + Katrina = mayhem), but I’m actually really glad I did it.

So, the blog take-away is: I will get wicked cold up on the Hill, but nevertheless I will make wicked friends, memories, and snow-angels. 

 

photo-4photo-3
Posted on

Family

Hello, again!

I have been absent for too long, so my greatest apologies. My schedule has been super packed this Holiday Break, but I regret not having posted more during my break. I mean, what’s not to post about family, friends, and food?

This break has reminded me two things: 1) Why I LOVE my family and 2) Why I LOVE Holy Cross.

1) My family has always been so supportive and each and every member is so important to me. They inspire me to do good and every day I hope to make them proud. Seeing my  parents and my siblings made me so happy. Seeing my little cousins, er, who are actually not so little anymore, caused my heart to swell (really, it’s like they’ve grown five inches since I left).

Their support and their perennial love makes me want to succeed in anything and everything I do, not just for me, but for all of them. They almost drowned me with questions about how I felt and how I was doing, but they were concerned mainly with how much I missed Holy Cross.

The answer: a lot. Though college brings work (and work on top of that work — see my post about that here), it also brings such fun and laughter and learning and friends. My friends and I stayed in touch over break, sending “memes” or funny quotes to each other and even exchanging Christmas gifts.

It has been the best experience of my life, as many often say, and though I am not eager to leave my wonderful family back home, I can’t wait to join my family back onthe Hill.

So, the blog take-away is: I love my family, both families – the one I grew up with and the one I grow to love more and more each day on the Hill. 
Posted on

Work on the Hill

My apologies for my absence these past couple weeks! Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, so I was extremely excited for Thanksgiving Break, even if it meant some time away from the Hill, and I tried to finish all of my work before it.

But alas, I am back and of course, work is back with me. Work becomes a dear friend here on the Hill, one who never leaves your side, a constant companion. In fact, sometimes it feels as if I spend more time with work than I do my other friends. However, it is important to know that work understands that distance makes the heart grow fonder. In other words, make sure you SOCIALIZE and TAKE BREAKS and LEAVE DINAND LIBRARY. Work will understand.

In all seriousness, when you’re happy in your social life, you’ll definitely be motivated to be happy with your class work as well. December break is two weeks away and for Holy Cross students, that means readings, essays, assessments, and the ultimate final exams. It is possible that when you hear the phrase, “there is a lot more work in college than high school,” you might brush it off as a cliche or a tactic used by teachers to get you to buckle down on your assignments. I’m here to tell you — that is a huge understatement.

Clearly, there is a lot more work in college than in high school. As I said, work becomes your best friend. However, there is much more work beyond just your classes. Please, I urge you, to work on getting closer to people in your hall. Please, work on becoming involved in any way you can on campus. Work on finding out what is you want to be remembered for or what it is you want out of your college experience.

Work on making memories and work on getting out. Homework is always important and will always be salient, but homework doesn’t last the same way memories and experiences do. This may all sound really corny, but I believe it’s true. I am in the process of finishing an essay due tomorrow, an essay due Thursday, and an essay due the 11th, but I still make sure I take time to work on getting to know my RA (note the picture of those fantastic sugar cookies we just made in the kitchen)!

So, the blog take-away is: Work will become my best friend here on campus and I will be very devoted to our relationship, but I will not limit my experiences to just work. No, at Holy Cross, I will have experiences in my faith or in an extra-curricular activity or in simply branching out. Here on the Hill, I work on having the best four years of my life. 

image-2image-3

image-4

From left to bottom: A sugar cookie I am very proud of made for my friend Victoria, another picture of the insanely delicious sugar cookies my roommate and I helped decorate with our RA, Megan, and lastly the CASA E-board at our November Head-to-Toe Fashion Show.
Posted on

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. 

image (1) image (2) image (3) image (4)

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.
Posted on

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)!

photo 1 (1)

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!

photo 2 (1)

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.

photo 2photo 1 (2)photo 3

 

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. 
Posted on

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!