It is the week before Thanksgiving and I can’t wait for the break. I will be spending the week away from school with my aunt and cousins in beautiful Miami. It already promises to be a wonderful experience. It seems however that all my professors have planned for this break. They have all loaded me up with nonstop homework and assignments. Yeah, I know it is not exactly what any student wants to hear. The professors seemed to have conveniently left all the assignments for our Thanksgiving break. Despite that, I will allow nothing to spoil my long awaited break. I am determined to enjoy it as much as it possible.

This semester has been long and tedious. It has taken me a little while to get used to my first semester in university. Thanks to the close guidance of the international admissions team here at Saint Leo University, as well as my friends, I have finally managed to adapt to the new experience. The Thanksgiving break is therefore a good chance to rest and recharge my batteries after my first rough semester. I am sure that the break will be very exciting and relaxing. I am looking forward greatly to the week in Miami.

It is not just about the rest and relaxation however. After the break, I will have a single week before my final examinations actually begin. It will be a lot of work, but I know that I can do well with enough preparation. That has made me even more determined to enjoy this break since I will be busy for the next couple weeks. This week is therefore my time to relax before the next few weeks of challenging school work. When it comes I will definitely be ready for it. Therefore all I can say is “LET THE FUN BEGIN!”

Posted by Davion Cooper at 12:09 PM | Permalink

“There is no place like home” is a statement that most people simply take for granted. For me, this was brought back to me with renewed emphasis over the past weekend (November 9-11). I attended a conference in Orlando for the Florida Caribbean Students Association and oh did I have a blast? I got the chance to meet thousands of Caribbean students attend universities across the state of Florida. We had Caribbean food (WOW!) We met students from all Caribbean countries and experienced a culture that I had not seen for the past four months. Being at the conference was a rejuvenating experience. It reminded me a lot of home. We had all of three huge Caribbean parties in three days. One of the parties even included an entire hour’s performance by Jamaica’s musical sensation Elephant Man. Yeah that’s my homeland, Jamaica! We also had educational workshops that focused on issues that directly affected Caribbean students in the United States.

Overall the experience was a wonderful one. Here at Saint Leo University, we have an active Caribbean United Club. It gives Caribbean students a chance to unite and have fun while sharing a familiar culture. It has helped me a lot since I have been here. Being in a new environment, it has provided a great deal of familiarity and stability to my school experience. I am really excited to be a part of the Caribbean United Club. Can’t wait for the next Caribbean Conference in February! It should be another great and enthralling experience.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Florida Caribbean Students Association Conference:

Posted by Davion Cooper at 3:54 PM | Permalink