So yes, I am moving to SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA!!! I found out on Friday, two days after the video conference. I am so excited!! I do not know anyone in Santa Cruz but I am ready to moce and meet new people. I will arrive on July 26th so if you are in the area anywhere between July 26th and June 30th 2010 let me know. I should find out very soon who else will become a BEN Corps member. I could not help it but to google Santa Cruz and boy did a get a sight. Beaches, beaches, and more beaches not to mention the strip, college life and of course shopping centers. It is only an hour and half away from San Franciscon and 45 minutes outside of San Jose. I forsee enjoying my one year experience in California.

In other news, I defended my thesis today. It went very well. I barely spoke but when I did, I had a lot to say. My readers were not out to get me but they did challenge me, which is a good thing. I left the conference room telling myself "WOW I'm good!" I have to add a preface and correct a few minor things before I hand it in to Dr. Casey by the 15th. As of right now, I do not want to see my thesis so I am in no rush to make corrections.

Right after my defense, I ran to my apartment and ordered my ticket to go back to Senegal on June 27th for three weeks. I am really excited to see my home-stay family after 2 long years. They do not know I am going yet but I am sure they will be just as excited as I am. I cannot wait to speak wolof, eat ceebu jen, and dance mbalax. Be sure to check my blog, I'll make sure to put up some pictures.

Campus was very eventful today. The ISP Great Common Ball Roll was going on to support the International Service Programs this year to Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Jamaica, and Mexico. The hip-hop dance team, Urban Beats performed. There was also free Rita Ices and pizza. During this event, over 2000 numbere tennis balls rolled down the Commons and the first 80 balls receive prizes. Two people I sold tennis balls to won so I was excited about that. Also associates from the Princeton Review were on campus. A few students including myself were on a panel just discussing the wonders of the U of S. So next time you read a review, I had something to do with it!!! Well enjoy the rest of your week and we'll play catch up next week.

~Cynthia

Posted by Cynthia David at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So remember how I was telling you last week that I did not get the Fulbright, well I have news for you. No, I am still not going to Cameroon but the principal from DC contacted me to offer me an office manager position. I was happy that she thought about me but I could not accept the job. I can not see myself as an office manager, I really want to be in the classroom. She totally respected that and vowed to continue to search for ways for me to become a part of her school. I was happy to hear that and told her that if anything I will reapply next year so we'll see. That same day, I had my video conference for the school in Santa Cruz. I was a bit nervous about my first video conference. There were 3 people on the panel, with one of them being the person who conducted the phone interview. I enjoyed the interview. I was very relaxed and confident about my responses. One of the questions was, "how do you make learning fun?" I told them about my songs and they asked me to sing one. So of course there is no shame in my game so I sang the Virus song which goes to Cold Play's Viva La Vida. They were shocked that I did it. I was surprised that one of the panel members rapped about plant cells. We really had a good time. I should hear soon and I will keep you posted.

On a different note, student teaching was very fun this week. For my service learning component, I decided to prepare interactive activities to celebrate Earth Day which was yesterday. We shared information about ways to help the Earth by tracing our hands and writing ways to help the Earth on each finger. They really enjoyed this activity because it was hands on. Today we continued our Earth Day extravaganze. There were 6 stations with a specific task and they had 6 minutes to complete the activity. This was the first time I had the students work in groups. I was not sure if it was going to work out but it did. Looking back, I wish I would have incorporated more group activities but at least I got to do it once. My co-op was absent these past two days so she did not get to see my masterpiece.

I almost forgot to tell you that I turned in my thesis!!! What a relief!!! I am defending next week but I'm not nervous about it at all. I also picked up my cap and gown from Grad Finale. Graduation is right around the corner. I am excited and ready! Well that is it for this week. Enjoy your week!!

~Cynthia

Posted by Cynthia David at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome back from Easter Break. I hope you had a good time at home and are ready for one more month of school. I actually came back on Sunday because I had to teach on Monday. It was not as bad as I thought and I was definitely ready to come back on campus after a weekend at home. I must admit, this week was filled with a lot of updates. For starters I found out about the Fulbright. I am an alternate which means if one of the two people who got the Fulbright back out, I can go. The chances of that happening are really slim but there is still a possibility. I’m a person who likes to plan and know what’s going on in advance so being in limbo is not fun for me. I am sure everything is going to fall into place. I do have a video conference next week for a charter school in Santa Cruz, CA so I’ll let you know how that goes.

This week was really really stressful. My thesis was supposed to get handed in to my readers yesterday, but I was not done yet. I have spent numerous nights with little sleep to finish up. My schedule looked like this: wake up at 4am and go straight till 1, take a nap and do it all over again. I was definitely a mess but my thesis had to get done. I can not wait until it is out of my hands. My topic is really interesting but it is difficult to find information about the education system on the continent of Africa. I have learned a lot about Burkina Faso, Niger, Malawi, and Ghana’s education system and the need for the promotion of national languages. I am interesting in keeping up with the literacy rates of these countries even when my thesis is done. Alright, I’ll stop being a geek, but if you do want to read my thesis or the thesis of any other student in the honors program, they are located in the library. Wish me luck for the rest of the week!!

~Cynthia

Posted by Cynthia David at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey All!!!

I hope everything is going well this week. I understand that many of you have a lot of test this week. Remember to try to stay sane and there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. Make sure you find ways to distress by taking breaks and finding time for yourself. I know that is easier said then done but please try.

Let me tell you a bit about my week. Last weekend I went home for an orientation for a scholarship I received as a senior in high school. The Los Padres Foundation offers scholarships to Latino students for undergraduate and graduate studies. I do not even remember how I found out about the scholarship but I am happy I did. The scholarship is renewable and has helped me throughout my four years here. There is also a community service component which I think is really important. Throughout the orientation, I served as a volunteer and mentor to the incoming scholarship recipients. The founder, Mrs Rios stopped by and it was really nice to see her after a few years. We also went to see a play called Platanos and Collard Greens. This play was amazing! The play was about the relationship between African Americans and Latinos in the inner city. As a Latina, I found this play really informative and inquisitive. The history of the slave trade was traced and the views of different generations were portrayed. If you are ever in the city, New York City that is, please try to see it.

I enjoyed my time at home but it was just for the orientation so I did not spend anytime at home. Once back on campus, I prepared my lesson plans for the week and got ready to go home again. I do have a spring break but I’m going home tomorrow, so I pretty much just have a weekend.

Today Amy and I went to the Crossings. It was my first time visiting these outlets. We had a great time shopping around. My best store was….drum roll please… the Coach store. Amy had to drag me out and thank God she did. After 5 hours we headed back on the road for the 45 minute drive back to campus. That was the best prelude to spring break. By the time you read this blog, you are most likely home relaxing but do not rub it in that will soon be me.

Posted by Cynthia David at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome Back!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your break as much as I enjoyed teaching my wonderful 6th graders. It is very nice to see a lot of familiar faces on campus. I am also looking forward to see new faces this weekend for Preview Day. So for all of you who have gotten accepted, please try your best to make to our beautiful campus. A lot of preparations have gone into this day. The grass is definitely greener, signs have gone up, and your presence will definitely help the campus glow. I truly look forward to seeing you.

My week was very eventful. My mom came up from the Bronx to spend the weekend with me. It was the first time she came up for fun instead of to drop me off. She stayed in my apartment and my apartmentmates loved every second of it. On Saturday, we attended the International Sevice Program (ISP) Parent Day. The day was filled with events and information about the several service trips. Not to mention the food was amazing. (One of the perks about coming here is the GREAT food). The day ended with mass. At mass all 42 students were given their cross and sent of to be "men and women for others."

After mass, my apartment mates, mom, and myself went to Coopers. I love Coopers and the Shrimp Lover Platter is amazing!!! If you ever want to go to Cooopers, it is within walking distance from campus on North Washington, 2 blocks away from Lackawanna College. We had a good time and were barely able to move after dinner.

The next day was my induction into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society. Brunch was really good, but what was better then brunch was the wide variety of students from different majors getting inducted into such a prestigious honor society. As you can see there are a lot of opportunities on campus. Getting and staying involved is not a problem here. Enjoy every opportunity you get and do not be afraid to let go and try something new.

~Cynthia

Posted by Cynthia David at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)