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So many of you might be wondering what I'm going to be doing with my life now that I have graduated from Saint Peter's College.
I'm still not entirely sure about the answer to that question. But I am sure of one thing: What I'll be doing for the next two years.
Early in March I got a call from the Jesuit Volunteer Corps office and was informed that I got accepted!
Right now I am writing to you from Micronesia, a country in the Pacific/Oceania, close to Guam, Hawaii, and the Philippines.
I will be teaching at Xavier High School on the island of Weno, in the state of Chuuk, Micronesia.
Xavier High School is a Jesuit school built on what was once a Japanese bunker in WWII. I will be teaching English Literature for Freshman and English Skills for Juniors. English skills includes teaching how to write papers, public speaking, and debating. This automatically makes me the Debate Coach here. I also volunteered to help with Campus Ministry as well. I really feel like my past four years of experience, both in and outside the classroom at Saint Peter's, has helped lead me to do this. I'm nervous about teaching but excited to be here.
Micronesia itself is a very small country. Its full name is the Federated States of Micronesia and it is under a trusteeship with the U.S. It is comprised of four states and each state has a distinct language. I'm on the state of Chuuk so people here primarily speak Chuukese. English is one of the official languages and I'll be teaching in English. The students at Xavier are from all over Micronesia as well as the Marshall Islands. The boys stay on campus where there is a dormitory and a cafeteria while the girls stay with host families on the island.
A picture taken of the coast of Micronesia
A former Jesuit Volunteer (FJV) described Micronesia to me as the state of Rhode Island, cut up into 200 small pieces which spans over an area of about 1,000 miles. It’s a pretty accurate description.
Before I go on to my experience, I would like to describe the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). It is a non-profit organization of lay people who follow the Jesuit mission and ideals. There is a domestic program as well as an international program. The international programs have volunteers in: Belize, Peru, Chile, Tanzania, Nicaragua, where I am, the Federated States of Micronesia. I wanted to do become an international volunteer because I liked the idea of serving people in a different country, learning their culture, and being away for two years in an intentional community. JVC has four values: living simply, intentional community, spirituality, and social justice. As a JV I strive to live out the four values. What really attracted me to JVC was the value of community and spirituality. Unlike the Peace Corps, I did not want to be by myself in a foreign country. I liked the idea of living with others who have the same values as I do and growing spiritually with them and getting to know the as well.
Orientation for JVC started on July 19 in Boston College. It was so hard saying goodbye to family and friends but I feel encouraged that they will be keeping in touch for the next two years and I’ll see them when I come home. My family is planning on visiting next year as well as some friends.
At Orientation, I met all the other JVs going to different countries. We started each day with silent breakfast at 7:45, prayer at 8:30 and our first session at 9 AM. We had mass almost every day and afternoon sessions as well as free time. After dinner at 6:15, we had one more session and ended the day in prayer. Each session we had was important and had something to do with living the JV values such as community to understanding the realities of developing countries. We also had a day about how to teach. It was all very informative, but it also got very long. I got the chance to get to know a lot of JVs and hopefully I can keep in touch with them for the next two years. The last weekend of orientation we had a silent retreat and I thought this was significant because the last time I went on a silent retreat was at Saint Peter’s, where I was also discerning about what to do after college and now I’m here as a JV! The silent retreat was at the Campion Renewal Center, a Jesuit retreat house, near BC. It’s absolutely beautiful there and huge! We each had our own room and there was a chapel on every floor. It was relaxing and a great way to wind down from Orientation, right before we leave for Micronesia.
There are four members in my JV community here at Xavier. Emily, Alex, and I are all new JVs and our second year JV is Mike. There is another JV community about an hour drive away from us at another Chuukese high school called Saramen. There are five JVs there: Meghan and Charles who are also new JVs, as well as Tyler, Jessica, and Caroline. I’ll be mentioning them a lot in my blog because they’ll be the only social life I have here in Micronesia other than the staff at Xavier and my students.
A picture of the Xavier and Saramen community
On Sunday, August 1, the JVs of Micronesia left Boston College to the airport where we flew to San Francisco. At San Francisco we had a layover, then flew to Hawaii. We stayed in Hawaii for a night at a hotel near the airport, provided to us by JVC. The next morning we were at the airport again, this time boarding on an island hopper plane. We literally “island hopped” our way to Micronesia, first stopping at Majuro on the Marshall Islands, then stopping at a military base, Kawajalein. Our next stop was Kosrae, our first stop in Micronesia, then Pohnpei where we said goodbye to the JVs who are serving there, and then finally we arrived in Chuuk! It took us about 5 hours to get to Majuro and about 40-60 min. flight inbetween each island. It was nice because they served us a drink or snack every time we island hopped. It was definitely a LONG flight and not one I’d like to make for another while. I was thankful that I didn’t have to make the trip by myself.
Flying over the Pacific region was not like anything I’ve ever experienced before. We flew during the day time so we could see every inch of endless ocean beneath us. Once we started flying near the Marshall Islands, we saw small, tiny strips of land and the bluest water near them. The view was breathtaking and it made us anticipate arriving in Micronesia even more.
When we arrived at the airport the second year JVs were there to pick us up. It was so exciting to finally see them because we corresponded with them through email during the summer, asking for advice and what to bring. We breezed through customs and picking up our luggage (thank goodness our entire luggage arrived with us).
They picked us up and gave us crowns of flowers to wear. Fortunately we had a big van to take us to Saramen, which is closer to the airport. During the ride we got our first glimpse of Micronesia, the roads, the people, the buildings, and houses. I would say that it’s similar to the Philippines but it’s obviously very different. It’s definitely a developing country and has very few Western amenities. The roads are horrendous. Half of them are dirt road, half are paved riddled with potholes and huge puddles of water and mud. What would normally take a 10 min. ride in America takes an hour in Micronesia.
After we arrived at Saramen, we got to see the JV rooms there and started getting to know each other. They gave us each coconuts to drink out of and eat. This is the first time I’ve ever had fresh coconut and it was amazing! The JVs planned a barbecue for us with Chuukese food including rice and chicken. There is also Micronesian food including breadfruit, a sour type of doughy bread that I need some time to get used to eating. That first night I went to sleep around 8 PM because I was exhausted from the long flight and the time difference.
The next day we went on our hour-ride to Xavier, my home for the next two years. The campus here is pretty big. We have the JV house, where the volunteers and other staff members live. I have my own room and share a bathroom with Emily. There is a main building. The first floor consists of administrative offices. The second floor has the staff kitchen and dining room, teacher’s offices (including mine!), and a porch which is very nice and breezy. We have separate buildings for the classrooms, labs, library, boy’s dormitory, and bathroom. There’s even a student’s center as well as a chapel, which is beautiful.
Classes do not start until Aug. 31 and we have staff orientation starting on Aug. 16. Right now the JVs are on Phase II Orientation, or Orientation in-country. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, getting to know each other, asking questions about Micronesia and the culture, and visiting places around the island. Near Xavier, we hiked to the Japanese Lighthouse, left from WWII. It has a nice view of most of Chuuk as well as the water and reef. We also swam at the Japanese dock and picnicked on the island of Psiwi.
Here we were on top of the Japenese Lighthouse, taking in the beautiful view
Micronesia is a tropical island with plenty of tropical plants and trees. There are breadfruit, coconut, mango, and palm trees as well as other flowers that I’ve never seen before. Every piece of land is owned by someone, so we have to be mindful of where we walk around the island. If a family cannot make enough ends meet to purchase food, they can live off the island by making breadfruit. So land is very important here.
Walking to the Japanese Dock to swim!
There are more insects here that get inside. Fortunately there aren’t any snakes here on the island. Apparently there are also small sharks out in the lagoon, harmless if not provoked, so I’m safe for now. There are also plenty of cockroaches, rodents, spiders, wasps, and other bugs that find their way inside. I’m terrified of cockroaches myself and I have a feeling that we’ll have to get along for the next two years.
I didn’t know what to expect of Micronesia and made so many assumptions about it while I was still in the U.S. There isn’t 24-hour power here, so around 8 PM every night, island power turns off and it’s pitch black. I’m not a big fan of the dark so the first few nights I was scared to walk around and sleep. It’s also frustrating because if the power is off then we don’t have internet or phone access. So we just spend our time playing board or card games and talking. The night sky is not like anything I’ve ever seen before either. At night, when the power is off, the stars appear and there are so many of them! Mike, the JV here, says that there are different constellations here than what we’re used to because we’re in a different hemisphere. I’ve seen about 10 shooting stars since I’ve been here when we’ve gone out on the roof and just gazed at the stars.
I also didn’t expect how conservative this country is. All of us women have to wear long skirts or mumus because it is forbidden to view women’s thighs here. The JVs wear basketball shorts or slips underneath their skirts. Even when we exercise outside we still have to wear skirts. When we swim, we swim with a t-shirt and shorts on and our bathing suits underneath.
Also, there is no such thing as “social drinking” here. Alcohol is only used to get very drunk and has a very bad influence. Chuukese men get drunk and get into fights. Domestic abuse is an issue here as well. As a woman, I cannot personally buy alcohol. For example, if someone sees me with one drink, whether it be a glass of wine or beer, people will automatically think that I’m drunk. It’s quite a different culture here.
There isn’t a lot to get here on the island. The stores are dependent on what goods are left on the boats when they arrive here in Micronesia. Popular items are bought out fast and there’s no way of telling when they’ll be back. There are some stores near Saramen but not much to buy.
It also costs the same to mail something to Micronesia as the domestic rate in the U.S. Since Micronesia is under a trusteeship, one of the benefits we have is having the same postage rate. I’m so happy it still costs me 44 cents to send a letter to the U.S.!
The Chuukese language is also very different from anything I’ve heard before. I don’t know much yet but I hope to expand my vocabulary for the next two years.
Everything here is also on “island time” and Chuuk will try your patience with Murphy’s law. A lot of things don’t get done for a long time, like construction on the road, or a boat engine breaking. My patience will hopefully improve while I’m here, waiting, waiting, waiting…
I’ve learned much about the basics of Chuukese culture here but I’m sure I’ll be learning quite a lot until I leave. I’m just afraid of offending people here and getting embarrassed, which I’m sure will happen at some point.
All in all I’ve been slowly acclimating myself here in Micronesia, getting to know the JVs and the local people here, and starting to plan classes. I haven’t gotten sick or hurt yet, thank goodness, and I’ve enjoyed all the food I’ve been eating.
I will say goodbye for now but hopefully I’ll be able to blog soon. The internet here on Chuuk is horrendous and communication with the U.S. is very difficult. I’ll do my best to update as much as possible and teach you more Chuukese traditions.
Again, thanks to all my family and friends for their continued support. Thank you especially to the Saint Peter’s College community, you have all been so supportive throughout this whole process.
Kirrisou, or thank you and Kearinom, or Goodbye, in Chuukese!
A picture of Xavier Community, the three people I will be living with for the next year. Our friend caught a blue star fish at the Japanese dock for us!
**Some of the pictures in this blog were taken courtesy of Saramen JV, Charles Mansour
Monday, May 10 marked the last day of classes for me as an undergrad and the start of senior festivities!
This semester I only have four finals to take-my hardest one was for Dr. Rabin's Medieval World class but I'm glad to say that I aced it! I actually got 4.0 GPA for the semester and I'm very proud of myself. However I still had to work hard for those grades, studying for finals while attending other end-of-the-year events.
May 10 was also the day of Junior Senior Formal. I couldn't go last year as a junior because I was studying abroad in Malta but I was so happy to go this year as a senior! Formal took place at The Landmark in East Rutherford and it was an amazing time! When we arrived we enjoyed eating hors d'ouevres at the cocktail hour. Then dinner started and the DJ opened up the dance floor. I must say that I enjoyed dessert the most with chocolate fondue, cotton candy, an ice cream buffet and popcorn-all my favorites!
With my date, Jonathan
Dancing!
All the girls! We were taking a picture outside in the gazebo
Needless to say, I had a wonderful time dancing the night away with my close friends and fellow seniors.
Wednesday, May 12
I had an English final this day-the first final of the semester. I did a pretty good job writing about King Arthur and the Round Table for Dr. Walsh.
I was asked by Dr. Poiani to present in front of the Board of Trustees at their end of the year meeting. The meeting took place in the afternoon so I presented my speech after taking my final. There were four of us who spoke: Me, Jacob Hayden, Rezma Shrestha, and a night school student, Allison. We all talked about our experience at SPC and our future plans.
I'd like to share my speech here:
"Now, before some of you may ask, I was born in Manila, Philippines as Maria Anna Dela Paz, but my Dad decided to nickname me Peaches (because I was the apple of his eye) and that is what people know me as. My life has taken me through several journeys. My family moved several times, before coming to America and finally settled down in New Jersey. I graduated from Notre Dame High School in 2006, a small Catholic high school in Lawrenceville, NJ and decided to come to Saint Peter’s College as a presidential scholarship recipient. I decided to come to Saint Peter’s College because of the diverse, tight-knit community I found here when I visited the campus and its proximity to New York City. My four year relationship with its Jesuit College of New Jersey and the Jesuit mission began.
Taking a glance at my resume, I have received several academic and service awards, I have interned in several places during the summers and have been very involved on campus. Yet this list does not even encompass the amazing experiences I’ve had throughout my four years here at SPC.
I am very involved with almost everything on campus and the vibrant life of student activities is important to me. It was through my involvement that I got to experience the diverse community at SPC. I had my first international experience as a freshman when my roommate, Ani, came from Bulgaria and we shared both of our cultures together. I also joined the Asian American Student Union to explore my Filipino background and roots. I am part of the Pavo Society, a group of student volunteers who get to share their personal experiences at SPC with prospective students. I’ve sung my heart out on the SPC stage with the McMullen Chorale and Argus Eyes. Most importantly I became involved in Campus Ministry where I have gained a stronger foundation in faith and community service as a retreat leader and participating in the weekly student run mass. Participating in these clubs and organizations has taught me valuable leadership skills, have connected me with the Saint Peter’s community, and allowed me to take part in things I truly enjoy such as diversity.
Although I have a liberal arts background as a History major and English and Anthropology minor, having a Jesuit education has educated me in all areas. Interestingly enough, the most difficult course I took was part of the Core Curriculum. I took Romance Synthesis with Fr. DeStephano where I spent six hours every week learning French, Italian, and Spanish. This course was my first international experience in the classroom and it was very challenging, but I’ve had the best memories from the course, where we learned and memorized the French national anthem and I began talking in different languages outside of the classroom as much as possible. Saint Peter’s College has given me an education that provides for the foundation of the subjects I have taken and relating it outside of the classroom.
The summer before my junior year I experienced my first “study abroad” program when I was accepted into the Washington Center program for Internships and Academic Seminars. I lived and worked in Washington, D.C. for three months where I enjoyed weekly trips to the Smithsonian museums, picnicking by the Washington Monument, and simply enjoying everything that D.C. has to offer. Meanwhile I was a docent at the National Library of Medicine, giving tours of our exhibition and honing my skills as a historian.
During the spring semester of my junior year, I was accepted into the International Student Exchange Program. I studied abroad at the University of Malta, a small island 60 miles south of Sicily. I spent six glorious months of my life in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea where the water was the bluest I’ve ever seen and I got the chance to travel to different countries including Italy, Sweden, and Egypt. I lived with girls from around the world: Japan, Holland, Italy, and France and my other close friends were from Ireland and Canada. I picked up some more Italian, Maltese, and French along the way and through this experience I also became more aware of European politics and the impact of globalization on the world. Needless to say I would give anything to go back and live in room 108G in the International Residence at the University of Malta.
This past spring break in March, I received a scholarship from the Polychronis Foundation and went on yet another study abroad trip with SPC. This time I travelled with twelve other students with classics professor Dr. Chew to Greece. Although this trip was much shorter, it was still fantastic and I learned just as much. We spent ten days visiting the ancient sites of Greece, touring the Peloponnese, racing at the ancient site of Olympia, and visiting what was once considered the center of the world, Delphi. I tried to improve my basic knowledge of Modern Greek, ordering gyros (or Gy-Ros) in Greek and trying to immerse myself into the Greek culture. Recently I was able to present what I learned from this trip to Greece at the annual Academic Symposium, here at SPC, a few weeks ago.
And my international experience at Saint Peter’s College isn’t even finished yet. In two weeks I will be traveling to Quito, Ecuador, with twelve other students on a Global Outreach trip through Campus Ministry. Different from my study abroad trips, my trip to Ecuador is a service immersion trip in which we will be working with the poor and marginalized, working for a Jesuit organization there called “The Working Boys Center.”
Saint Peter’s College has allowed me to fulfill my dreams of traveling around the world. My study abroad experience gave me an education that truly went beyond the classroom and I experienced a full cultural international immersion. Now as a senior I am more confident about who I am and where I am going. I have had a rich college experience complete with travels abroad to Europe and Washington, D.C. to creating close relationships with both my peers and my professors. SPC gave me the college experience that I never even dreamed of.
This July, I plan on undertaking my next journey. I am happy to announce that I got accepted to the Jesuit Volunteers Corps International where I will be leaving to spend two years in Micronesia teaching at a Jesuit high school. I hope to take the memories of Saint Peter’s college with me and more importantly, continue to live out the Jesuit ideals I have learned and living out the mission for social justice and being a woman for others. Thank you."
Writing this speech made me realize how much I experienced here at SPC in my short four years here. I am so grateful to have had such a rich and fun-filled college education at SPC. After all of us spoke, we received a standing ovation from the Board of Trustees and many people came up to me to congratulate me and give me well wishes. I felt so proud to be a soon-alumna of the college.
That night, Dr. Surrey held a graduation party for one of my good friends, Mariya Marinova. Mariya is an international student from Bulgaria and her parents could not make it for graduation. So Dr. Surrey decided to hold a graduation party at his hours for Mariya and her friends and of course I came! Dr. Surrey and his wife Michelle welcomed all of us SPC students into their home and celebrated Mariya's achievements. We even spoke to her mother on skype in Bulgaria!
Everyone at Mariya's graduation party
Dr. Surrey gave Mariya, Rezma, and I these beautiful jewelry boxes with our picture on it!
The next week, on Monday, May 17 was a special senior Pavo dinner at Papa Joe's house. All of the senior Pavo members were invited to celebrate one last time with our favorite adviser, Cheryl Schenk. The dinner at Papa Joe's house was lovely and we even had Japanese deserts and snacks!
After dinner Cheryl gave us a speech about our four-year service to the Pavo Ambassador Society and presented us with these beautiful peacock frames and a picture collage of our pictures throughout the years giving tours. It was a beautiful gift and I feel so lucky to be a part of the Pavo Society.
On Tuesday, May 18, I took my last final-Pre-Colombian Civilizations with Dr. Surrey and that night started the events of Senior Week!
The first event was an cruise around the NYC harbor. Unfortunately the weather was cold and rainy but we had a fun time dancing anyway. I had so much fun and didn't feel seasick at all. The cruise came with dinner, dessert, dancing, and a magnificent view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
My friends and I on the cruise
On Thursday, May 20 my friend Rezma Shrestha and her adviser, Dr. Sciorra planned a picnic at Liberty State Park. I've been going to this park since I was a young kid and this was the first time I've gone in ages. I can't believe how close Liberty State park is to the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was just as amazing. We had a good time playing whiffle ball, frisbee, and eating wonderful barbecue cooked by Dr. Sciorr and Dr. Machlachlan.
The view at Liberty State Park
Taking our jumping pictures!
Enjoying the playground there
That same night was the Delaney Reception for the Class of 2010 sponsored by the Alumni Relations. It was another night where we got to spend time with our professors, advisers, and fellow Class of 2010 soon-to-be-alumni.
As we walked in we were greeted by this beautiful ice sculpture! I loved it and wanted to take it home with me!
A picture with Mary Sue and Fr. Braden
With Dr. Cornacchia
The next day, Friday May 21, there was a softball game, Class of 2010 vs. Faculty at the Jaroschak field in Liberty State Park. The Class of 2010 won and we had a good time eating at the barbecue afterward.
The faculty team aka the enemy!
Faculty
Students
Me, being the unathletic person I am, just watched the game and cheered for the teams
That night the seniors took a bus to Atlantic City where we got to spend the night doing whatever we wanted. I mainly stayed on the boardwalk. It was a loooong night.
In Atlantic City
The next day the official ceremonies for graduation began. Baccalaureate is the mass held before graduation and all the graduating class and their family are invited. It took place in the Rec Center and all Jesuit community also came and presided over the ceremony. Fr. Braden was the main celebrant. I took part in the mass as the lector.
Baccalaureate is more important to me than the actual Commencement ceremony. I like it because it's a spiritual ceremony celebrated with friends and family. I feel like it's more personal and there's more time to mingle at the reception that takes place afterward. I was glad that I got to take part in the ceremony.
At the podium saying the reading. This Sunday the church celebrated the Pentecost, one of the important events of the church calendar. I thought it was fitting that this weekend was also Commencement. We, the class of 2010, like the apostles, are going out now that we have learned from SPC and the Jesuits into the world to continue to become men and women for others.
My family and I with Fr. Braden
The next day, Sunday May 23 was the big day! The Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2010 took place at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Sunday morning. I have attended commencement ceremonies previously as part of the McMullen chorale. I couldn't believe this day has finally arrived and I attended not as a spectator but as a participant, a graduate of Saint Peter's College.
There's always something about a graduation ceremony. I don't know quite what it is but despite taking numerous finals, acing papers and tests, receiving transcripts and encouragement from professors but the actual graduation ceremony gives one a sense of accomplishment. I really felt proud of myself this day about all that I have done and achieved throughout my four years here.
I received two awards at the ceremony! One for History and the other for Anthropology.
I got to sit near my friends-also award recipients!
My family-my parents were so proud!
My brother and cousins made posters for me-they're silly things I've said throughout my life
The gang's here! All of my family and family friends came to support me. Their presence meant so much to me
Throwing our hats in the air
Jumping picture!
My graduation portrait. Everyone had a chance to sign around my picture.
It's official! I have graduated from Saint Peter's College!
It feels weird to have graduated from college and now I'm a "real person." These past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions from packing up all of my stuff and moving off campus for good, saying goodbye to all of my friends from around the country and the world, and feeling a sense of accomplishment. I will miss all of my friends and the SPC community. It truly has felt like a second home to me. I had an amazing four years here and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Thanks SPC!
I was so busy towards the end of my senior year that I couldn't update my blog as much as I should have. So I'd like to re-cap starting in April through pictures. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 8
My Birthday!
I had an amazing birthday where I cooked awesome chicken parmesan for my friends and went out to Hoboken to celebrate. It was an amazing time with my friends!
Saturday, April 10
Students for Life Community Service
The Students for Life club went to a school in Staten Island to help an organization who helps expecting struggling mothers. We helped with their annual Easter party with the children and it was more fun that I expected it to be. I got to sing for the kids and even take a picture with the Easter bunny.
April 13-17
URINETOWN!
Argus Eyes held its annual Spring musical-Urinetown. I saw it twice and many of my talented friends were in it. The set and costumes were fantastic! Argus Eyes did a really good job this year.
Wednesday, April 14
History Club Community Service
We made a Powerpoint to present to the senior citizens of St. Ann's Home in Jersey City. I talked about Marty, the man I interviewed the last time I was at St. Ann's last semester.
This is Marty!
April 16-18
Global Outreach Retreat: Heifer Farm
The Global Outreach Team for 2010 Ecuador went on a retreat at Heifer Farm in Massachusetts as preparation for our trip in May. We learned about sustainable farming solutions around the world as well as where our food comes from and how a farm operates. We got to help around the farm, feeding the animals, mucking the stalls, cutting pine needles, and gathering wood.
Me carrying a baby goat!
Wednesday, April 21
The Annual Academic Symposium
Every year towards the end of the second semester, SPC holds an Academic Symposium where students and professors can present their research from the academic year. This was the first time I participated. Rose Jacobson and I presented on our trip to Greece! We had an awesome powerpoint presentation and table on what we learned on our travels.
Thursday, April 22
Alpha Sigma Nu Induction Ceremony
We inducted both undergraduate and graduate students into the Jesuit Colleges and Universities Honors Society. The ceremony started with mass and dinner following. As an e-board member it felt good passing on the torch to our new members who will hopefully carry on our work and create more Jesuit presence on campus. Each of our members have proven worthy through outstanding scholarship, leadership, and spirituality. Congratulations!
Alpha Sigma Nu outgoing e-board + Mariya Marinova
Friday, April 23
Cross Keys Induction Ceremony
This year I was awarded the Blue Cross Keys for outstanding service to the Saint Peter's College community. Last year I got the Gold Cross Keys. It was nice attending this ceremony because I couldn't last year because I was studying abroad in Malta. The Cross Keys selection committee read a citation for each Cross Keys recipient. There were so many recipients this year! Way more than last year. I was lucky to have Dr. Virginia Bender talk about me two years in a row. She spoke about my service to the community and my future plans. I was honored to be awarded the highest service award at SPC.
April 26-30
The Student Entertainment Board held its Springfest this week filled with fun events every day. On Monday we had a Casino Night where we got to gamble (with fake money of course) for raffle tickets for prizes. On Tuesday, we watched Avatar and ate blue cupcakes.
On Wednesday there was a carnival held in the Rec Center complete with Rita's Ice, cotton candy, popcorn, rides, and games. This is a picture of me riding a bull-I stayed on for at least 30 seconds!
Friday was Peacock Palooza where many bands and singers performed at SPC.
Sunday, May 2
Dr. Surrey took my Pre-Columbian civilizations class to the Museum of Natural History to physically experience the civilizations we were studying such as the Olmecs, Aztecs, and Incas. The museum had a huge collection of artifacts from these tribes including this Aztec calendar wheel. It was a really good way to prepare for the final and it gave us a visual for each civilization. This was one of my favorite anthropology classes with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Surrey. Taking this class made me really want to visit Central and South America and visit the ancient sites of these long-gone civilizations such as Macchu Picchu in Peru. Museums, just like studying abroad, is another great hands-on learning experience.
April/May
Every year Fr. Magnan, art history professor and Jesuit at the college holds an art exhibition in the basement of the library. This year the theme was Buddha. There was a collection of different artworks of Buddha including sculptures like this one, paintings, and miniature figures. The art was beautiful!
Wednesday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo)
The History Club joined Dr. Rabin on a tour of the Cloisters
The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum in upper Manhattan next to Fort Tryon. It holds a collection of medieval art, artifacts, paintings, and armor. It shows different types of cloisters or courtyards of monasteries and houses throughout medieval Europe. Dr. Rabin explained much of the artifacts including a collection of medieval tapestries that depict the metaphorical hunt for the unicorn and are as detailed as paintings. The Cloisters is definitely one of my favorite museums.
Thursday, May 6
Chorale Spring Concert
This year the theme was Gossip: Songs about People. We sang several songs ranging from the Medieval period all the way to the present day. This was my last chorale performance and I will definitely miss being a part of this group.
Fourth Year Chorale members
I had a solo this year! I sang "Uncle Walter" by Be Folds
The week after this started the events for senior week and finals. Throughout these past couple of weeks I was busy writing papers (the last papers I will ever write as an undergrad!) and taking mid-terms in the beginning of April. As you can see I also had a lot of extracurricular activities as well. Senior year flew by and before I knew it, finals were coming up and I had to prepare for graduation....
I spent my spring break in March in Greece through a scholarship with the Polychronis Foundation.
It was an amazing experience. There were about 12 students and 3 chaperones from SPC who went. My roommate Veronica also came too! We spent 10 days driving around the Greek mainland, through the Peloponnese and Northern Greece.
Taking a picture with a Greek guard on the first day
We spent our first day in Athens, the capital of Greece, where our hotel was only blocks away from the Acropolis. We walked around Athens, observing the contrast between Modern Greece and Ancient Greece. Just like when I visited Rome last year, there are preserved ruins alongside new modern buildings. The ruins are at least 25 feet below the modern day soil level because over time, soil accumulates. We walked around the Plaka, a touristy area beneath the Acropolis with narrow cobblestone streets and tourist shops and restaurants everywhere. We also witnessed the changing of the guard in front of Parliament. We did a lot that first day, walking around Athens and trying to adjust to the time change.
On the second day, we started driving towards the Peloponnese. We met our tour guide, Emilo, who accompanied us on the entire trip, giving us tours at each ancient site that we visited.
The first stop we took was in Epidaurus, site of the fist and oldest theater in the world. Its acoustics are so perfect that the sound of a coin dropping in the center can be heard all the way in the last row. The site is still used even today to host concerts and shows.
Next, we visited the ancient site of Mycenae and the acropolis there, named after the mythical figure, Agamemnon. Before visiting the acropolis, we made a stop outside an ancient beehive tomb, a technological feat for the ancient Greeks. Elites were buried inside these intricately made tombs out of stone in the shape of a beehive. We visited one of the most intact tombs, still protected from the rain and flooding.
After seeing the beehive we visited the actual acropolis at Mycenae. An acropolis is built on the highest point of the area, built high for military purposes for defense against enemies. The highest point was also seen as an area closest to the gods who reign from above. The entrance to this acropolis was protected by a threshold, the door is long gone, but the lions symbolizing power and royalty, are above the doorway. Right inside the entrance there are remnants of other beehive tombs, 14 in all. In the back of the acropolis there is also a water spring that the ancient inhabitants used.
This is the entrance to the acropolis
The next day was rainy and a little chilly. But we still visited the ancient site of Olympia, the place where the first Olympic games were held in 76 B.C. Unlike modern day Olympics, the ancient Greek Olympics was a religious festival held for the honor of the god Zeus. Women were not allowed to enter and men played naked. One of the main sites are the ruins of the ancient temple of Zeus. The statue of Zeus is one of the Ancient Wonders of the world. Unfortunately, visitors have to use their imagination because the statue was destroyed as well as the temple by a huge earthquake.
Here we are at the finish line of the foot races on the dirt. Men raced naked in ancient times. During the 2000 Olympics in Athens, the Greeks allowed archers to compete here in the ancient site
This is a view of the crumbling columns of the Temple of Zeus-they were huge!
After leaving Olympia we made our way back to the mainland, out of the Peloponnese to Delphi. Delphi was considered the center of the world, the "belly button" because it is the center of the human body. This is another ancient site where there were feasts and celebrations. Delphi is in the mountains and the view was absolutely breath-taking.
The beautiful view from Delphi
At this site there is the ancient temple of Apollo, the war god. This is where the famous oracle made her predictions.
Above the temple is a crumbling theater where we took a group picture.
Similar to Olympia, there is also a gymnasium and buildings for sport here as well. We took a chance here to run a foot race...one which I lost miserably at.
We had to look out for the falling rocks...
A little further the gymnasium is the Temple of Athena with three restored columns.
After leaving the beautiful site of Delphi we made drove to Meteora, probably my favorite place throughout the entire trip. Meteora is a site that was underwater millions of years ago and the cliffs of Meteora are softened by the water, creating natural caves and cliffs. The cliffs attract rock climbers and Meteora is the Mecca of some sorts to rock climbers all around the world.
Hanging on a cliff....
But the caves attracted a different kind of people long ago. They were once the sites where monks would come to live a life of solitude, poverty, and chastity. Eventually so many monks gathered that monasteries and convents were built to create a community. At the height of its popularity, there were 24 communities in Meteora, now only 6 are currently running. These convents and monasteries are Greek Orthodox and are different from Roman Catholicism in that they do not have different orders like the Catholics do with the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, etc. Instead, there is only one order in the Greek Orthodox Church.
The convents are perched right on top of these cliffs and some of them are very difficult to get to. The public can visit the monasteries but are not allowed to take picture inside. Women are also required to wear skirts which are also provided by the monasteries.
The women wearing our skirts before entering the convent
We visited two convents, many built centuries ago with beautiful paintings dating back to the Renaissance or Middle Ages. It was quite interesting learning about the symbolism behind the chapels and their paintings.
After visiting the convents we took this jumping picture
Meteora was indeed beautiful and felt less touristy than other places that we visited. It was a chance for us to learn more about modern Greece and the Greek Orthodox Church. For a spiritual person like me, I loved visiting the convents and their little chapels, learning about other religions.
After visiting Meteora we entered Northern Greece and the city of Thessaloniki. It is quite fascinating to know that the cultures of northern Greece and southern Greece are very different. The people of ancient northern Greece did not have to struggle for resources as much as the southern Greeks had to. Agriculture is abundant here which is one of the main reasons why the empire of Alexander the Great flourished in northern Greece.
Thessaloniki is the second major city in Greece with a population of about 1 million. To most of us, Thessaloniki felt more "urban" than Athens did. There were also ancient sites right alongside modern buildings.
This is part of a crumbling wall built centuries ago
Our hotel room! It was one of the nicest ones that we stayed in
The next day we visited several sites. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures in most of them.
The first site we visited was where Alexander the Great was born. Alexander the Great is one of the famous ancient Greek emperors responsible for spreading the Hellenistic Empire and its influence. Anything "Hellenistic" means Greek culture. Greek language, lifestyle, and culture spread. Alexander the Great went as far as India, spreading his empire before dying at the young age of 33. His face is immortalized in several renderings, in pottery, sculptures, mosaics, and paintings. We visited one of the newest museums with several pieces of Alexander the Great as well as every day items of ancient northern Greece such as pottery and jewelry.
A picture of Alexander the Great, it was easy to recognize his unique features
After visiting the museum of Alexander the Great, we visited his father's tomb, Philip II of Macedon. Philip II died unexpectedly and had to be buried quickly. Nobody knew where his tomb was until 1977 when Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos discovered intact tombs in the site of Vergina, close to Thessaloniki. After a great deal of archaeological digging and research, the remains of the tomb have been identified as belonging to Philip II of Macedon.
Here is the golden box where Philip II's remains were discovered. The bones reflect a shortened left leg and a blow to the skull. Historians know that Philip II received these injuries in his lifetime and the bones confirmed that this was indeed the tomb of Philip II.
The tombs were under mounds, similar to the beehive tomb that we visited in Mycenae. The entire tomb is covered by a modern building, built to protect the tomb and its contents. We got to see items that Philip II was buried in including pottery, armor, tools for war, and jewelry. This was my favorite museum because it seemed like the archaeologists built a museum right on top of the ancient site, protecting it and preserving it for future generations to see. The tomb was enormous and visitors could walk to its lighted entrance.
After visiting Vergina we went back to Thessaloniki where we visited another museum there where we learned more about the northern Greek culture. Afterward we were free to roam around the city.
Jumping in Thessaloniki
The next day we spent the whole day driving from northern Greece all the way back to Athens. It was a good day to rest from our busy day and week, walking around, waking up early, and visiting the sites.
Our last day was spent in Athens. We finally got the chance to go up to the Acropolis and see the Parthenon, a site of ancient Greece that can be found in any Western Civilization textbook. Climbing up to the Acropolis was no easy feat, there are slippery marble steps exposed to the elements and softened by the feet of millions of tourists who visited the site. There were tourists everywhere and at one point I even lost the group.
The Parthenon was built for the city's patron goddess and namesake, Athena, who defeated Poseidon in gaining the people's devotion. Visiting the acropolis was breathtaking and I could not believe that I was standing in a place where people only see pictures of in books. I remember I first learned about the Greeks, Athens, and democracy in middle school. I was amazed that I was standing in the place that I have studied for so long.
Group picture in front of the Parthenon
And of course, jumping in front of the Parthenon
After visiting the Acropolis and the Museum of the Acropolis, which was built in order to house the Elgin marbles, which are still in England, my roommate and I visited the Eros Museum. Eros is better known as cupid in the modern world. The Eros Exhibit portrayed love in ancient Greece. This was quite an interesting exhibit because it portrayed love in many types of ways. It portrayed Eros as a young baby, as well as marriages of humans and the gods. There was also a section on prostitution, bucolic love, and phallic symbols-all artifacts from ancient Greece. It was quite interesting to see love or erotica from the perspective of the ancient Greeks.
Outside the Eros Exhibit
After a long day we decided to walk back to our hotel through the National Gardens. And on the way we saw...
A PEACOCK! With its feathers outstretched-this is the first time I've ever seen one like this!
...and we also saw the remains of the Temple of Zeus.
That was my trip to Greece! It was absolutely amazing visiting all of the ancient sites and experiencing the Greek culture. I finally got to try a gyro in Greece, race at the ancient site of Delphi, and jump in front of the Parthenon. I am eternally grateful to the Polychronis Scholarship Foundation who provided the scholarships for many of us to travel to Greece and learn about ancient Greece. The more I travel, the more I believe that traveling truly is a valuable tool in helping to learn and remember what can also be taught in textbooks.
Hello everyone!
So much has happened since the last time I blogged.
My thesis took over a big part of my life this past semester. I've been experiencing a great deal of stress, writer's block, and feeling overwhelmed because of my Honors Thesis. But now that I'm done writing it and presenting it, a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I've felt a freedom that I haven't felt since my days in Malta.
My honors thesis was due by March 1 and I defended it on March 4. I was so busy that week with other events, homework for other classes, mid-terms, and other things that I am thankful that I even survived the week!
But IT'S DONE!!!!!
The title of my thesis was: "Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "The Yellow Wallpaper": Contemporary and Modern Receptions"
The purpose of my thesis was to determine whether or not Gilman’s story was seen as a horror story by contemporary readers in the late nineteenth century and contrast their view with the modern understanding of Gilman’s story as a feminist piece during the 1970s.
I also got the chance to defend my thesis for Women's History Month. I was invited by Dr. Cohen to present my thesis again for the event "Women Writers of SPC" on March 22.
My complete thesis! (notice the bags under my eyes)
This thesis could not have been possible without my adviser, Dr. Gillen, and the National Library of Medicine, where I first started research on Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Defending my thesis
So, now that my thesis is done and over with, a lot has been happening at Saint Peter's College this semester.
For the first time in my experience at SPC, we had four snow days (two different weeks in which we had two consecutive snow days). I'm sure those around the Eastern coast experienced some type of snowstorm in February. I couldn't believe how much snow we got! I got to enjoy, perhaps my last snow days ever, by participating in snowball fights, sipping hot chocolate, and relaxing with my friends. I also had to work on my thesis during my snow days, but I still found time to have fun.
Snow in front of where I live on campus. We got so much!
This past semester there were also many SPC basketball games, both for the men and women's team. I always like going to basketball games to show my SPC spirit with my friends and even my professors. Sometimes we lose and sometimes we win but it's always fun to show school spirit and have fun supporting our team.
My roommate and I attending one of the women's basketball game-we all wore pink that night to support breast cancer research.
A picture of the SPC basketball team
Campus Ministry had its first Senior Retreat on February 12-14. The first twenty-four hours was a silent Montserrat retreat where we had meditations, silent reflection, and had the chance to speak with spiritual advisers. This retreat is just like the Silent Retreat that I attended two years ago as a sophomore. For some people it is hard to fathom how it is possible for one to be silent for four weeks, let alone twenty-four hours. The Jesuits do it and it is possible for us as well. It's honestly not that bad. I quite enjoy the silent retreat because I get to pray and meditate to God on my own time without any distractions. It also makes me appreciate other things more such as eating a good meal in silence and appreciating its unique tastes.
The second half of the senior retreat began after the silent part. The first activity we had was creating time lines of our entire college career. It took me a lot of time to create mine because there is so much that I've done these past four years in college! My semester abroad, freshman year first year experiences, senior thesis, and more were included in my time line. We all had the chance to share our ups and downs with each other and share our uncertainty about the future.
On the last day, some recent SPC alumni were invited to speak to us about their experiences after college. It was interesting to hear what they had to say about their experience at SPC and what they're doing presently. I know that after graduation it will be hard for me to say goodbye and to transition into the next stage of my life. I was thankful that I got to go on this retreat, reflect on my wonderful experience at SPC, continue to pray to God, and hope for the next stage of my life.
Senior Retreat! All of the seniors holding up their college timelines
All of the senior retreatants-I have so many memories with everyone who is pictured here!
On Saturday, February 20, the Asian American Student Union held its second annual singing contest, Wanna Canta? I was asked to host again alongside my friend and fellow AASU member, Cyrus. The event was a success! Filipino-American clubs from all around the metropolitan area came and participated in the event. One singer was chosen from each school to compete and sing two songs: one of choice, and one from an assigned genre. I enjoyed hosting the event, listening to the amazing talent, and range of musical styles. We had four live judges including Kristina Lao, winner from last year's contest, and SPC's own Brandon Hightower.
At the end of the night, SPC, represented by JP Arnesto, won 3rd place! The first place winner was an amazingly talented singer songwriter and guitar player from Stonybrook. The event brought AASU members together. We all helped organize the event and I give a lot of kudos to the AASU E-board who did a wonderful job organizing Wanna Canta.
Me and my co-host, Cyrus, with our SPC representative, JP Arnesto who won 3rd place at Wanna Canta!
March 4 was the day of my favorite SPC event: The Evening of International Song & Dance. Earlier that day I had a history mid-term and my thesis defense. The entire month AASU had rehearsed our cultural and modern dance for this event. I was so glad to take part in it during my last year at SPC. Freshman year I danced tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines with AASU for this event. It was only fitting that we performed tiniklig again, three years later. Performing was so much fun! I love to dance, especially the cultural dances. I enjoyed my time with my fellow AASU dance members and glad we did a good job representing our Filipino culture.
There were also other groups who performed. For the first time, as long as I can remember, the Bulgarians performed a traditional dance. The Nepalese performed a beautiful courtly dance. There were also outside performers including a Brazilian martial arts group. There were student soloists, group performances, and all of them brought cultures from around the world together on one night. I always love EISD because it truly celebrates and shows the diversity of the student body here at SPC. The evening ended with the chorale (and my solo!) performing "Let There Be Peace On Earth." I will always remember EISD and my lovely memories from this event.
One of my favorite pictures of the night: me with my friends Mariya, Rezma and Dr. Surrey!
The Bulgarians!
The Nepalese!
The week of March 14th was Spring Break and I will be covering that in another blog that I will dedicate solely to my amazing time in GREECE! So stay tuned.
After we all got back from spring break, I still had so much to do! On March 23rd Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society of Colleges and Universities, at SPC, held its first Jesuit Heritage Week. Our president, Jacob Hayden, and our adviser, Fr. Braden, helped to make this week possible. The entire week we had some Jesuit-related event including a Jesuit Scavenger Hunt, co-sponsored with the Intramural Office, we showed a Jesuit movie, The Mission, and we had several speakers as well including Fr. Boyle. Fr. Boyle, SJ is an amazing man who founded the largest non-profit organization helping gang members. He is based on California and he came to SPC to promote his new book: Tattoos of the Heart. His talk was my personal favorite because of his genuine love and mission for social justice.
I also helped plan Jesuit Heritage Week. I directed a dramatic reading of the one act play: The Witness, written by Ernest Ferlita, SJ. The short play is about the interviews of a witness, Maria, who experienced the murder of six Jesuits in El Salvador. It is a moving, dramatic play, that captures the horror and injustice of the event. After the play we had a discussion about the Jesuits, social justice, and El Salvador. Mike Fazio, VP for Advancement, began by sharing his recent experience on an immersion trip to El Salvador. This night was one of my favorite and most rewarding moments here at SPC. It captured the mission of the Jesuits, brought people to discuss, and to experience what Jesuit colleges try to strive for: social justice.
The cast and me, as director. I was so proud of them!
Some Alpha Sigma Nu members and our adviser, Fr. Braden
This past week, Campus Ministry has also held many events to remember the Lenten Season. We held a reading of the Stations of the Cross on the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador. I helped in reading the stations in the quad. We also had our Taize prayer in which I helped participate in leading with the Chapel Choir. The event was peaceful in singing through prayer and also provided for the opportunity of reconciliation. I take part in these events to strengthen and continue my close relationship with God. One of the things that I am thankful for here at SPC is the opportunity to be open about my faith.
Me, reading one of the Stations of the Cross in the quad
The chapel is always beautiful and serene during Taize
Finally, we recently had a Scholarship Brunch! I had the opportunity to meet three of our lovely presidential scholars. We had almost 100 students, each awarded some type of scholarship to Saint Peter's, come visit and take tours of our campus. The day was sunny and I was excited to give tours to prospective students and be able to share my four years of my college experience at SPC.
Don't forget! Open House is APRIL14! If you didn't get a chance to see our campus, you can come visit then!
Me and my fellow Pavo Members
My last semester at SPC has been a roller coaster. I was swamped with schoolwork, most importantly, my senior honors thesis. But I've also participated in many events this past year and has some fun along the way.
Now that my thesis is done, I can finally enjoy the rest of my last semester.
January 2010 marks my last semester as an undergraduate college student here at SPC.
I'm nervous and excited about graduating in May and I'm trying to make the most out of my last days here.
Before the semester started, I attended a Phi Alpha Theta Conference in San Diego, CA. Phi Alpha Theta is the History Honors Society at SPC. Three of us, Jonathan Brantley, Michael Massey, and I were funded by the school to present papers at the conference. Our adviser, Dr. Rabin was also there.
The Saint Peter's College group at the Phi Alpha Theta conference
I presented a paper I wrote while I was an exchange student at the University of Malta. It was about the movement for Italian unification during the 19th century and how wars and conflict helped the unification process. I think I did fairly well during my presentation. I was very nervous, especially since this was my first history conference. I was very interested in my topic and I think that really helped my presentation.
Presenting my paper: Risorgimento: The Road to Italian Unification
Other than presenting papers, we attended paper sessions (there were over 400 paper presentations), met other history undergrad and graduate students, and got to see the sites of San Diego. The paper presentations were interesting because we were allowed to choose which topics to attend. It was nice networking with other history majors, talking to them about what to do after graduation and such. I met some history grad students who want to become college professors, or are applying to PhD programs around the world. For the first time I felt comfortable talking about my passions for history because I was with other people who shared the same interests as me. At one point during the conference, we were all talking about our paper presentations while hanging around the hotel's pool and I felt like we were in history heaven!
On our first day in San Diego, we got to see this beautiful sunset
San Diego was absolutely beautiful. It's a very different city compared to NYC. The weather was warm and we got the chance to swim in the hotel's pool every night! We visited sites in Sa Diego including Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter, saw the USS Midway Museum, and the Zoo! We got to eat authentic Mexican food since San Diego is so close to the Mexican border. My favorite part was the Zoo. It's absolutely beautiful-a lot different than the Smithsonian zoo in Washington, D.C. I got to see a baby panda and so many peacocks and peahens! We spent the entire day at the zoo the day before we left to go back to cold New Jersey.
Old Town, San Diego
Our hotel had three pools, two slides, and a hot tub! We took advantage of the warm weather and the pools every day!
The San Diego Zoo!!
If you look closely behind us, there's a peacock on the tree! I got so much peacock paraphernalia at the zoo including a peacock key chain, t-shirt, and stuffed animal! The peacocks were absolutely beautiful.
All in all the conference was a success. We were able to represent Saint Peter's College for the first time at a history conference and got to meet other history students and had fun! I didn't want to fly back to the cold weather....
The week before classes started at SPC, my family had some Australian visitors over. My family and I used to live in Australia and we still have some family friends there. I got to tour my friends, Lauren and Louise, around New York City. I took them to all my favorite places including the Museum of Natural History, F.A.O. Schwartz, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, and we also got to see Wicked the musical! I was so excited because I had never seen the show before and it was absolutely amazing!
Outside the Wicked theater
Outside the main building of Ellis Island
The Statue of Liberty up close
The view of Jersey City and NYC across the Hudson
Spring Semester began the last week of January. But before classes started, I got to help train our new Pavo Student Ambassadors. We have eight new Pavo members, all trained and ready to give tours of our college. I've been a Pavo ambassador since my freshman year and it's so nice to meet and help the new Pavos who will continue the organization long after I'm gone. Training lasted for three days and ended with a Pavo dinner with old and new members.
Our new Pavo Members!
Old Pavo members rocking out with our new Pavo t-shirts!
Finally, classes started. It felt weird on the first day of classes, knowing this would be my last first day of school.
This semester I'm taking six classes:
Medieval History (1100-1450) with Dr. Rabin
Pre-Columbian Civilizations with Dr. Surrey
Urban Anthropology with Dr. Cohen
The Arthurian Legend with Dr. Walsh
The Story of Rock with Professor Cummines
and an International study abroad course with Dr. Chew-we're going to Greece over spring break!
I'm finishing up taking my last major, minor, and core classes. I like my classes and professors so far.
On the first weekend of the semester, the McMullen Chorale had our semester retreat in the Poconos. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. We learned new warm up exercises and music. We had a lot of free time to spend with each other and get to know each other as a group. I've always liked spending time with the chorale and going on these retreats. It's so sad to think that this will be my last Chorale retreat!
Sopranos on the Chorale retreat!
On January 29, Global Outreach along with SPC Intramurals had our annual "All-Nighter." It's a fund-raising event to raise money for our trip to Ecuador in May. A local band "Highbench" performed along with our own Mike DeJager from Residence Life and Matt Calvert. Gift certificates and baskets were raffled off as well as a 50/50. It was a fun night that started from 9 PM and ended at 3 AM. It was heartening to see students attend this event because I'm part of the Global Outreach team this year.
Global Outreach Team 2010 Ecuador
Our very own Cheryl Schenk performing with Highbench!
I've also attended a few basketball games this semester already. Tomorrow is the Pack the House, Pink Zone game. It's one of the big basketball events of the year and everyone wears pink for breast cancer awareness while we watch the women basketball team play.
This week and next weekend is packed with events. I'll be attending the first Senior Retreat this weekend. On Thursday we have the Evening of International Song and Dance-my favorite event on campus.
Meanwhile, I'm still busy writing my senior thesis. I have about fifteen more pages to write so hopefully I'll be able to get it done so I can enjoy the rest of senior year.
Here's to a fun-filled, amazing, memorable last semester!
Hello everyone,
It's been forever since I last updated my blog-partly for reasons that were out of my control and partly because I was super busy with end of the semester events and deadlines. But I'm glad to be on Winter Break, relaxing at home and catching up.
I'm leaving for a Phi Alpha Theta conference in San Diego next week. I am presenting a paper in front of the Honors History society. I'm excited because I've never been to San Diego and I will get the chance to present on a topic that I am very interested in-the Italian Risorgimento, or unification. I wrote the paper while studying in Malta and the Conference accepted my paper.
During the Spring Semester I will also be traveling to Greece in March on spring break with SPC. Dr. Chew is teaching a Classical Civilizations study abroad course about Greece and I was the recipient of the scholarship to go to Greece! I'm so excited. My roommate Veronica is also going. I didn't get the chance to visit Greece when I was in Malta so I'm glad I got the chance to do it this semester.
Also, in May after graduation, I am planning on going on the Global Outreach trip with Campus Ministry to Ecuador. The trip will take a great deal of preparation and service but I am excited to do this type of long term community service in the Global community. We will be helping a mission there founded by the Jesuits that help young boys stay in school and off the streets. The mission also helps their families as well. I should probably brush up on my Spanish but I'm happy to be a part of Global Outreach this year.
I flew home to the Philippines this past November because my grandfather (Lolo in Tagalog) passed away. My family and I stayed there for about a week. I haven't been to the Philippines since high school and it was great to see family and friends who I haven't seen in so many years. I got the chance to see my other grandparents and catch up with my cousins as well. It's always hard having family in a different country, especially members who I'm still close with. It's hard keeping in touch. This trip back to the Philippines was a chance to reconnect with my background and strengthen the bond between me and my family there.
We flew back to the States on Thanksgiving. It was definitely an interesting Thanksgiving. I had a lot to be thankful for. I was thankful for my family in the Philippines and thankful for the family I have here with me in the US. I was able to cope with my grandfather's death because of the support I had at home and with my family both in the Philippines and the US. I'm so grateful for all of my friends who helped me get through this rough time.
My family in the Philippines
With my grandparents
These tricycles are found all over the Philippines and is one mode of transportation that people take to get around. Here we're in front of the one of the churches my grandparents go to in the Philippines
With my cousins and I bowling-this was their first time bowling and it was so much fun teaching them and being able to spend time together
This is one of my favorite pictures with my two youngest cousins. I miss them so much!
We visited Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's house-one of the founders of Filipino Independence. This house was five floors, like a mansion and it had several secret passageways and unique characteristics. It even has an indoor pool inside! This house was built in the late 19th century and it's preserved today for the people of the Philippines.
We visited one of the many volcanoes in the Philippines. This one is called Taal Volcano and believe it or not, the whole lake behind me is the entire crater of the volcano. The last time it erupted was about forty years ago. The place was beautiful and so peaceful-different from being near Manila.
It's always interesting visiting the Philippines. It is a developing country so there is still a great deal of poverty there. Poverty in the Philippines isn't hidden either-it stares you straight in the face. There are shacks right across the malls. It's difficult every time I go back to the Philippines because I want to help. It's overwhelming to me because I want to make a difference but do not even know where to begin. Going back home is an eye opener for me because it makes me even more thankful for the blessings and opportunities I'm given here in America. I'm thankful to be able to pursue the American dream and have opportunities that I wouldn't have if I was still in the Philippines.
Once I got back from the Philippines I was busy making up schoolwork and getting ready for Christmas. My professors were very understandable-one of the things I like about going to a small school. At Saint Peter's College, each student really is given personal attention. My professors understood my situation and were gracious enough to give me extra time to make up all of my work.
There were also several end of the semester activities going on at SPC.
On Dec. 1, SPC had its first World AIDS Day Benefit Concert. The McMullen Chorale sang "Seasons of Love" for it and Kevin Cummines coordinated a series of monologues acted out by SPC students. The monologues were about characters who were affected by or had AIDS. I thought the concert was profound. It was different from the Performing Arts shows because it was dramatic and had a different message. We donated the money we raised to a Jersey City center that helps those with AIDS.
Photo taken courtesy of Juan Cardenas
My friend JP and I played brother and sister. JP's character had AIDS and I am the sister who supports her brother. It was one of the many monologues spoken during the AIDS Benefit
Two days later the McMullen Chorale had our annual Winter Concert and Christmas Tree Lighting. I've been a member for the Chorale for four years and it's sad to think that this will be my last time performing for the Winter Concert. We sang Christmas carols and other Holiday songs including Sleigh Ride, Erev Shel Shoshanim (a Hebrew song), and I even got to sing a solo during Let There Be Peace on Earth. Fr. Braden said the Christmas tree blessing and we had refreshments after the concert where we mingled with everyone and enjoyed the holiday spirit.
My friend Mae and I with the Christmas tree!
The senior Chorale members with Kevin
Enjoying refreshments and each others company after the concert
Some Pavo members with our advisor, Cheryl Schenk
The Pavo Society also had our Christmas dinner with the White Elephant (sort of like Secret Santa). This year, we had dinner at Amelia's Bistro where we got to make our own hummus and the food was delicious. For White Elephant this year I got an Express gift card and I was very happy!
At dinner with some Pavos
Pavos with our White Elephant presents!
The last week of school, Campus Ministry held a Taize prayer to help students and faculty relax from our busy schedules. I helped sing with the choir. Taize is a group started in France in which people come together to sing songs as a prayer and meditation. We sang several Taize songs and had listened to some readings.
Our beautiful chapel during Taize prayer
On Reading Day, the day before finals started, the Chorale had our Community Service at the A. Harry Moore School. We sang carols for children with disabilities. We visit this school every semester and it's always a joy to sing for these children.
The Chorale at our community service
Later on, I went to Carnegie Hall to see my history professor, Dr. Rabin sing with the St. Cecilia Chorus. I have been going to these concerts since my freshman year. This year the concert featured the Mass compose by Hummel and Mozart. As always, it was very interesting and I love going to Carnegie Hall. The conductor, David Randolph, always has something to share about the pieces and helps the audience understand the music better.
After the concert, even though it was freezing, we made our way to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller center. The city is beautiful during Christmas time. I love seeing the different decorations around Manhattan like the Macy*s windows and Radio City music hall. I'm so thankful to be so close to such an amazing city.
Christmas tree!
At the end of the semester, Dr. Graham invited us to have dinner at her place. She invites her Theology classes every year and I was happy to come. I went two years ago as a guest and this year I was able to come as her student. We had a great time cooking dinner and chatting with other SPC students. Dr. Graham is always great and I'm glad I had the chance to have her as a professor.
Cooking 101 with Dr. Graham!
During finals my friends that I met from the University of Malta visited me in NYC! Rachel from Canada, Alessandro from Italy, and Claire from Chicago joined myself and Cassandra from Long Island to experience Christmas in the city. I took them around Manhattan and we saw everything from the Metropolitan Museum to Little Italy. It was amazing to see my friends again. It's so hard to believe that half a year ago I was in a different country. I still think of Malta often and it was so good to see my friends, although we still had to say goodbye in the end. I try to keep in touch with my study abroad friends as much as possible. It's easy to do so with things like Facebook and Skype. But it's still hard making the effort, especially since we're all busy with our own lives at home. But I'm thankful that my friends came and I was able to share NYC with them.
Rachel and I saw Hair the musical as well as In the Heights. They were amazing! Rachel and I both share a love for Broadway musicals
At Strawberry Fields in Central Park
The whole group eating in Little Italy
After finals were over I went home and caught up on some much needed rest. But I miss all of my friends at SPC. I think it's harder for me to say goodbye, even for a month of winter break, because I'm a senior and I know that this upcoming semester will be my last. I don't want to think about how soon graduation is but it's a reality that is inevitable. Right now I want to enjoy my family and friends as much as possible and enjoy the rest of the memories I will have at SPC.
Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it-from the music, the cheesy movies, the decorations, the optimism that I feel around me-everything. This time of the year last year I was preparing to study abroad and saying goodbye to friends and family for six months. This year I'm saying goodbye for good after graduation.
2009 was an amazing year for me. I spent half of the year living in another country, making friends all over the world, and having an amazing experience traveling and studying abroad. The summer was great as well-I caught up with friends, had a summer job, and got ready for senior year. The first half of senior year was very unique. I have more SPC memories and am looking forward to the last semester of college ever!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that this year, 2010, is prosperous and has many amazing memories.
It's been a while since I last updated. Around mid-October everyone had mid-terms and I was studying as well as writing papers. This past Thursday my first draft for the Tuleja Seminar was due. I successfully wrote 25 pages on John Stuart Mill and his views on women and the individual. Needless to say, I'm very happy that it's almost done. Now I just have to start writing my Honors Thesis. We had an Honors Colloquium this past Wednesday and each of the seniors writing their thesis were given 5 minutes to talk about their research so far. There are twelve seniors who are writing one this year, including me. I hope to get my thesis written before school ends for winter break.
Despite a lot of work, October was also full of fun events and things to do.
Mid-October, Oct. 16-18, was our annual Catholic Retreat. This year it was called Catholic....Who Are Your Heroes?.
All of the retreatants after playing an icebreaker
We talked about the Saints and their lives. I was really happy about the turnout this year, there were about 19 people who came including the retreat leaders and Mary Sue. On the first night we talked about St. Ignatius Loyola and the faith heroes in our every day lives. I realized that I am blessed to have plenty of faith heroes constantly present in my life and I am grateful for all of them. I spoke on the second day about how a saint becomes a saint. I talked about the canonization process and specifically about St. Padre Pio and how he was declared a saint. We had other retreat talks about saints and the miracles, sacraments, and community service.
On the second day we also had our talent show! It's definitely one of the highlights of the weekend because Mary Sue always bakes apple pie and we all have a blast. This year I also cooked dinner for the first time-I cooked adobo, one of my favorite Filipino dishes.
All of the girls after the talent show-we had a dance party afterward!
Mary Sue's amazing apple pie
I had an amazing time that weekend on my last Catholic retreat. I've been going on this retreat for the past four years and every time it's been great. I'm happy that I got to be a part of it for so long and hope that the upcoming retreats will be just as meaningful for others as it was to me.
There were a lot of seniors who attended the retreat
On Oct. 22, I went to the Human Life Review dinner in New York City along with four other students and Dr. Conlon. Dr. Conlon is the adviser for our Pro-Life Club which is a new club this year. We support the pro-life movement on campus. The Human Life Review is a scholarly journal that publishes articles about the pro-life movement. We were able to attend the dinner because of donors. I was excited to go to this dinner because I got to meet other pro-lifers and listen to others give speeches about something I feel passionate about. The hor d'ouvres and dinner tasted great-definitely a good break from cafeteria food.
A group shot before we left for the dinner
With a copy of The Human Life Review at the dinner
Group shot with Dr. Conlon
Thanks to Dr. Conlon and other donors, we all had a great time and gained more insight into the pro-life movement.
Halloween is my favorite type of occasion because I always love dressing up in costume and going out with my friends. This year my roommate and I carved pumpkins to get ready for the Halloween festivities. This is the second time I carved a pumpkin and I had a great time doing it.
I love Halloween!
This year I was MetroCard for Halloween! This is probably the best idea I've ever had for a costume and it was also the cheapest costume too. I made it out of cardboard, posters, and glue with the help of a friend. I couldn't wait to show off my costume at the Greenwich Village parade in the city. It rained on Halloween night but it didn't stop me from going. A few friends and I dressed up and went to the parade.
MetroCard!
Last Friday, November 6, I was invited to go to the Business Symposium, an event held every year by Saint Peter's College. This year the theme was "Restoring Confidence: From Crisis to Recovery." The keynote speaker was Ali Velshi, Correspondent for CNN. He has his own show called "Your $$$$$" and just recently published a book about the economy. He spoke about the economy and the struggles America has to face before it fully recovers. Other speakers included Byron Pitts, correspondent for 60 Minutes who talked about the hope for America despite the economic crisis and SPC's own Kathleen Fitzgerald, Communications Officer at KPMG, a major accounting firm.
I was chosen as one of the outstanding seniors recognized by Dr. Cornacchia. He spoke a little bit about me and what I do at the college. I felt honored to be spoken about in front of everyone. I enjoyed attending the Symposium and listening to the speakers. Although I have a very strong liberal arts background, I am still interested in business and other interests that aren't necessarily in my field.
With other SPC students who attended the Business Symposium. It was held at the Hyatt Hotel in Jersey City. We had a beautiful view of the NYC skyline.
Last Saturday, November 7, the History Club went on its first walking tour of NYC. Our tour guide, Emily, took us around Greenwich Village where she talked about several historical places and sites. We learned how Greenwich Village was actually a suburb before NYC became a city in the colonial period. We also found out about riots, conflicts, and struggles that took place in the Village including the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the Irish Draft Riots during the Civil War. It was fascinating learning about these events because I constantly go to the Village and usually pass old buildings without really appreciating them. Now I have a better understanding of the Village's vibrant history.
This was taken in front of Mayor LaGuardia's statue in Greenwich Village with the History Club. The weather was gorgeous!
The next day my friend Jacob and I sang at Fr. MacVeigh and Fr. Stump's Golden Jubilee Mass. These Jesuits are part of the SPC community and have been ordained as Jesuits for 50 years. Congratulations to them! Father Stump gave an insightful homily of what it means to be a Jesuit for 50 years. It means a life of service and doing as much as one can for God and his works. I was happy to sing for this special occasion and we got to mingle afterward during the luncheon as well.
Jacob and I with Fr. Stump, SJ-a Jesuit for 50 years!
The Presidential Ball set up
Last night was the annual Presidential Ball in honor of our president, Dr. Cornacchia. This year it was held in McIntyre Lounge and hosted by Student Senate and the Class of 2013. I always like going to these dances and it was a fun time with the president, my friends, and SPC students.
Senior Girls with President Cornacchia!
So much has happened in October and I can't believe it's already November-one month before finals start! My senior year is quickly passing me by. I really can't believe it and I don't want it to end just yet. I want to appreciate every day that I have here at SPC.
I can't believe it's already October and September has flown by. I had a busy month full of beginning of the year activities and ceremonies and now it's back to doing serious work. I have two mid-terms this week as well as a retreat this weekend, the Catholic Retreat. I'll be a retreat leader. This year the theme for our Catholic retreat are "Who Are Your Heroes?" We'll be talking about saints, their lives, and how they inspire us to become better Catholics.
I want to share a picture of my apartment this year. I'm really excited because I'm rooming with one of my close friends, Veronica Graveline, from California. She's one of the first people I first met here at SPC and we're really excited about rooming together.
My new room! Notice the Maltese pride on the right. I have a whole wall dedicated to all my travels abroad from last semester.
So here's a recap on all the events that happened on September:
On September 10 I was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honors Society. There were three new inductees, including me, and most of the history faculty department was present as we agreed on our vows. I also got elected as Secretary for our chapter.
We're planning on new events this year for the honors society including having a guest speaker, Dr. Fischer, talk about his new book On the Waterfront about Irish immigrants in Manhattan. There's also a Phi Alpha Theta conference this January in San Diego that we're planning on attending. As members, we'll attend the conference as well as give a presentation on a paper we have previously written. I'm really excited about getting more involved with the history honors society.
Me, along with the new Phi Alpha Theta inductees with the History Department Faculty
Other than Phi Alpha Theta, I was also elected as President of the History Club this year (when I was still in Malta). We meet twice a month on Thursdays at noon. There's always free food and we play trivial pursuit. This year we're trying to do different things such as visiting a museum, having a Jeopardy tournament, and sponsoring a movie night. Recently, we went to St. Ann's Home for the Elderly to finish our community service from last semester. We came and took down oral histories, basically we interviewed members of the community at St. Ann's about their life. It was really interesting! I spoke to a 92 year old man named Marty who grew up in Bayonne and loves his life. We're planning on going again in November.
History Club members in front of St. Ann's at our Community service project
Along with all the honors and inductions, Saint Peter's College had its Michaelmas Convocation on September 23. The top 10 students of the Class of 2010 were inducted into the "Most Noble Order of the Peacock." There were also several undergraduate awards that were also given. I received the Konstantyn Sawczuk Award for having the highest average in History by the end of junior year. I was honored to be given this award.
My friend Jacob, my Dad, me, and Fr. Wrynn (Chairperson of the History Department) at the luncheon after Michaelmas Convocation
So...enough about history!
On September 13, my roommate Veronica and I went to "Broadway on Broadway." It's a free performance in which all the musicals take a part in. I've been going every year since freshman year and I really didn't want to miss this one as a senior. This year was the best Broadway on Broadway I've been to, I think. We got the chance to sing along to "Seasons of Love" and see a lot of great performances. Hopefully I'll be able to see a few shows this year.
Veronica and I in front of the stage
During the finale, "New York, New York" I love NYC!
On September 16 the McMullen Chorale performed at the Presidential Reception, honoring our SPC donors. We sang the Alma Mater as well as Io Pavo, the SPC fight song. I had a fabulous time meeting alumni and enjoying our spectacular view of NYC.
My friend Mae and I at the Presidential Reception
The next day, a couple of friends and I went to the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy, Manhattan. The San Gennaro festival is held every year in September and I've been going ever since my freshman year. It's based on an actual Italian festival in Napoli honoring San Gennaro. There's a whole ceremony in Naples where the produce of this year's crop is predicted. In Little Italy there are a bunch of booths set up that sells food, souvenirs, and other merchandise. It really made me miss my Italian friends from Malta.
At the San Gennaro Festival
The weekend of Sept. 18-20 was a really busy one for me. On Friday, we had Student Leadership Day, sponsored by Student Senate, for all the e-board clubs and organizations of our school. The next day I had to wake up early for the Chorale Retreat Day. This year we had a retreat on-campus where we learned new music for this year as well as do some team bonding activities. Kevin Cummines is the Chorale Director and planned the whole thing, including free food! Later that evening we had a pool party and I swam in the SPC pool for the first time!
Learning the music
Veronica and I at the pool party
On Sunday I had to wake up early again for another retreat, this time for Campus Ministry. We went on a mini retreat for retreat leaders at the Marist Brothers place in Poughkeepsie, NY. It was at the same site where we held our Adventure Retreat. I still had a lot of fun doing some new low ropes courses and learning more about my fellow retreat leaders.
Most of the retreat leaders this year
On September 26 it was Free Museum Day nationwide. Participating museums gave free admission to everyone and it was sponsored by Smithsonian. As a history buff, I love visiting museums! I think it's why I loved Washington, D.C. so much. Veronica, her mother visiting from California, and I visited The Museum of the City of New York. It was so interesting! They had an exhibition on New Amsterdam and the Dutch influence as well as a toy exhibition, photo exhibition, and an exhibition on trade and commerce of Wall Street. I learned a lot about Manhattan and its past. Hopefully I'll be visiting more museums this year as well.
Veronica and I in front of the museum
Later on that day my friend Albert got tickets to the Devils pre-season game against the Philadelphia Fliers. I had so much fun! I went to my first hockey game last year and I'm definitely a Devils fan. The Devils won after scoring a goal in the first few minutes of the game. I really hope we have a good season this year.
Albert and I in the Prudential Center where the Devils play
So, that's pretty much September of my Senior year! It's been hard balancing leisure time and work. I'm still working on my honors thesis and history research paper. It's really hard trying to balance everything, but hopefully all is well in the end. See you in October.
So, I took a little break from updating my blog over the summer and now it's back to school!
I was really glad that I had a few months of summer after I got back from Malta before school started. It was really hard adjusting to things-culturally and starting to work again. I thought (and still do) think of Malta every day and it feels like it was just yesterday that I was there.
However, I did have some goals this past summer:
1. Get a job and earn enough money to travel
2. Lose the "Malta 15" by running around my neighborhood every day
3. Catch up with family and friends
4. Start researching for my honors thesis and reading for the Tuleja Seminar (class-related)
5. Begin planning for post-grad plans (JVC, taking the GREs, Grad School)
I accomplished a few things. This summer, I worked for the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, or the HESAA. It's the place where college students get approved for loans and grants. I simply helped process loans, worked on past loan cases, and helped around the office. It was nice because there were other summer interns there who were my age and it was close to my house. I think I earned enough this summer to start traveling again.
This is me, right outside of our office
When I first got back from Malta I missed being in Europe and all of my friends but there were some things that I was excited about being home in America like eating home cooked Filipino food by my mother, having a couch and TV, driving on wide roads on the right side of the road (it was so scary driving a car for the first time after 6 months), going to 24 hour diners with greasy french fries, and of course NYC.
One of the first weekends after I got back, I went up to Jersey City to meet up with some of my friends from SPC. We went out and had a picnic in Central Park and I was so excited to be in Manhattan again! After being on an island where there are no skyscrapers at all, it felt so different being back in the city after so long. I had so much fun re-visiting the places that I went to so many times before.
In Journal Square there was an Egyptian Festival where I had my first fried oreo! They were so good.
Our picnic in Central Park
This was taken outside the PATH station after we had just run 3 blocks in the pouring rain-we were all soaking wet!
I also had the chance to attend a concert for the Good Morning America show with my friend, Megan (who graduated from SPC). We woke up super early on a Friday morning and took the train to Manhattan. The concert was in Central Park and Brad Paisley was on the show that day! We were close to the stage and even got to be on TV! Brad Paisley was promoting his new CD and performed some new songs from it. It was so awesome seeing him perform live. He was also really cute and interacted with the audience during breaks. Seeing the GMA Show was a first for me-and I'd do it again!
Megan and I on the stage
Brad Paisley! It's like he was looking straight into my camera!
On the 4th of July my family had a barbecue at home and we had cousins come over. My Dad and I cooked some ribs and they tasted so good. It was just nice being able to enjoy the good weather, good food, and being with the family.
My Dad and I BBQing
Later on that day, my cousin and I decided to go to Six Flags. LeAnn Rimes was singing at a concert and we also wanted to see fireworks. Surprisingly the lines for all the roller coasters weren't that long. I finally got to ride El Toro and I think it's my favorite coaster in the park, so far. Yet another thing that they didn't have in Malta-amusement parks.
In front of a gigantic watermelon in Six Flags
Watching Leann Rimes for free!
One of the reasons why I love the 4th of July so much is because of FIREWORKS!
I also saw a lot of my friends back at home. One of my friends celebrated her 21st birthday by having a pool party in her backyard. It was like being in the Residence in Malta again!
Jumping into the pool
My friends and I chilling in the jacuzzi
In August, my cousins had their graduation party. Of course it was fun because there was plenty of Filipino food and line dancing. It was nice seeing family members that I hadn't seen yet. Two of my cousins graduated from college and one of them graduated from high school this past year and I'm so proud of them. I was so sad that I had to miss their actual graduation ceremony, but I was happy that I got to celebrate with them at least.
I also got the chance to visit my friends at the beach several times over the summer. Even though I miss the intense blue and calm of the Mediterranean Sea, I still like going to the Jersey Shore.
Chilling at the Jersey Shore
I visited Manhattan one more time before school started in August with friends from SPC again. This time we ate lunch at South Street Seaport and walked around lower Manhattan.
In front of the Brooklyn Bridge
Posing in front of a statue
Right in front of the New York Stock Exchange
Jersey City!
I got the chance to move onto campus early this year because I helped to lead Campus Ministry's first Adventure Retreat. The Adventure Retreat is an idea that came out of interviewing one of our Jesuits on campus. My friend Jacob and I interviewed Fr. Stump who spends his summer in the Adirondacks as a rector for a Boy Scout summer camp. Jacob had the wonderful idea of having a type of adventure retreat for incoming freshman.
This retreat is meant to be a weekend where freshman can meet new friends, learn what to expect from the challenges of college, work as a team with everyone else, and to learn about Jesuit values. I gave a talk about the Examen prayer, a five-step prayer that St. Ignatius Loyola gave the Jesuits to do every day. It's basically a reflection on the day and how you felt and if you could have done better. It's a very powerful prayer and helps you learn more about yourself, try to change, and also get closer to Jesus.
Not only did we have retreat talks, but we had low-rope and high-rope challenges that we all participated in. We went to the Marist Brothers retreat center near Poughkeepsie, NY about two hours away from campus. We slept in log cabins and stayed there for about 3 days. You can read all about the Adventure Retreat from Nicole's Blog. She wrote about our exciting campfire where we got caught in a thunder storm and our high ropes challenge (there's a video too!)
It was fun leading this retreat because I really felt confident as a senior. I had the chance to give advice to freshman and talk about my experience about the past three years of college. It was also just another chance to have fun during my last year at SPC. We had four freshmen, two sophomores, and two juniors come on this trip and we all really bonded and worked together as a group. The Adventure Retreat is definitely on the top of my favorite retreats list. I hope that this retreat will continue onto next year as well. So look out for information next summer incoming freshman!
Me and the other retreat leaders, Jacob and Katie B. Father Stump, SJ also came along with Mary Sue and Doug from Campus Ministry, and our new Assistant for Community Service, Clare.
During the hike we came across this beautiful waterfall
At the top of the mountain, overlooking the beautiful Hudson River
Me doing the high ropes course, up 25 feet on a tree!
Once we got back from the retreat, campus was slowly coming back to life. Upperclassmen were moving in, the freshman had their orientation day, professors were back on campus and I started to see people I hadn't seen since last December.
In some ways it feels like I never left SPC for a semester abroad. Everyone has been asking about my trip and updating on things that happened when I left. I guess it's just weird saying that I'm a senior already, starting my last year at SPC. Freshman year seems so long ago when it really wasn't. Now I'm worrying about what I'll be doing after graduation already. But I want to enjoy my last year as a senior too.
Classes started on August 26 and already I'm super busy (what's new?). On the first day, we had our annual Pavo dinner. I loved seeing everyone in Admissions again!
Barbecue!
Last week we had Club Fair for all the new freshman:
I was promoting the History Club, among other things.
This past Thursday I also got the chance to see my first professional football game! Granted, it was during the pre-season, but it was still fun! I went to the Giants Stadium to see the Jets play the Eagles. We had really awesome seats and had an amazing view of the game. I'm also really happy because the Jets won!
My friend Ivo and I at the Giants Stadium
So senior year started off with a bang. There are so many things that I'm stressing about already like starting research and writing my honor thesis, writing an intense history research paper for the Tuleja Seminar, and applying for jobs/opportunities for next year. I'm also president of the History Club this year as well as an ISEP Student Ambassador (I want to convince more students to study abroad). I just hope that I have the chance to enjoy my last year here at SPC.
The entire University Residence
I am officially back in the land of the free now that my semester abroad from SPC is over. I arrived here safely, fingers, sandy toes, brains, and all without a hitch. (Lufthansa is a really good airline company). It's bittersweet being at home-it was just last week that I woke up to a house of 11 girls and now I have my own room again and it's weird feeling. Leaving Malta was probably one of the saddest moments of my life. I had to say goodbye to all the friends who became my family abroad these past few months. The hardest part about studying abroad is saying goodbye. It's also sad leaving Europe itself where it was so easy to travel from country to country. I can't wait for the chance to travel again.
Since my trip to Egypt, I've been busy in Malta with exams and events. Classes finished at the end of May and I had six exams and one assignment to finish. It was hard to concentrate on studying that last couple of weeks because the weather was so beautiful and it finally got warm and sunny. There was always someone going to the beach every day and it was so difficult to resist the temptation. Up until exam time, the semester was ridiculously easy because I only had three presentations to work on. Now I had to make up for an entire semester's-worth of reading to catch up on for six classes. Not to self: Never leave reading to the last minute.
My finals were spread out: I had 2 exams the first week of finals, 3 the next week, and only 1 the last week with a paper to write in-between. Even though exams seemed to drag on forever, it worked out because I had a lot of study time in-between even though I wanted to get my tests done and over with. All of my exams were in essay form. Other people had different situations compared to mine; some had several assignments and only a few finals while others had equal amounts. I feel like most of my exams went well....
Taking the exams was also a new experience as well. At Saint Peter's, professors give their own exam in the same classroom and exams are usually over in two weeks at the most. At the University of Malta, the exam schedule is posted only a month in advance, is subjected to change every day (making students like me waking up in the middle of the night worrying about last minute changes on the classroom or time). The professors do not give their own exams-I think to avoid pesky last minute questions from students. Exams are given in classrooms I've never been to before (studies have been done to show that people remember information better in the setting where they first learned it in) but thankfully they were all air conditioned. All students must keep their student ID on the corner of their desk to be checked by the proctor to ensure that the right student is taking the right exam. All bags, notes, etc. have to be placed in the front and back of the classrooms. Talk about being paranoid about cheating....Everything just made me even more nervous to take these exams, especially when proctors stared you down while taking tests. Some people also had exams on Saturdays which was ridiculous. My hardest exam would have to be Art History-with more than 50 painters, sculptors, and architects to memorize, I was a little overwhelmed. Thank goodness exams are finally over.
Studying in Malta...
Right after I got back from Egypt, I jumped into planning an American party which was held on May 16. There were more or less 25 Americans living at the Residence so we had a good number to help plan for the party. I was in charge of decorations. I never realized before how hard it is to find an American flag-and other American paraphernalia-outside the North American continent. There were plenty of European decorations and the closest things to red, white, and blue was the French flag. Malta doesn't have a Party City either, so I had to be creative. We bought red and white construction tape and cut blue starts out of foam paper. I was also lucky enough to find posters of NYC. With decorations taken care of, I also helped with preparing the food. I don't remember the exact number of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I made-but it was a lot! I actually introduced the concept of PB&Js to my apartment and my flat mates Juliette and Ikue absolutely loved them. Other than PB&J we also had fries, potato chips, homemade rice krispies, potato salad, and baked beans.
Pre-party: putting up the decorations for the American Party
The actual party started at around 3 in the afternoon-we wanted to be as American as possible, so we thought-why not have an American barbecue? We had a grill at the residence and the guys grilled hot dogs and hamburgers all afternoon. Luckily, someone's parents from America came to visit and they brought an American flag for the party decorations! We also had a music mix to complete the atmosphere. The party started with an American girl, Cara (who has a great voice) singing the National Anthem (I helped of course).
On a whim I decided to dress up as Lady Liberty. My friend Linzi helped me to create a crown out of cardboard and tin foil. I wrapped a flash light and book with tin foil as well. But my favorite part was the toga I got to wear-I got wrapped up in a white bed sheet to finish the costume (with a little help from my friends, of course). Everyone loved the American party. I had never seen so many people in the pool at the same time-everyone got pushed in at least twice. And everyone loved my costume! There was much picture taking and posing. It was definitely a party to remember-probably one of the best parties of the semester.
Give me your tired, your poor!
Me and my Italian room mate, Diana
The Wednesday after the American party, May 20, there was a Mister and Miss Erasmus competition at club in Paceville all the people at the residence go to. Erasmus stands for: European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students-the European equivalent of the American exchange program. So, hence, the competition being named "Mister and Miss Erasmus." I did NOT want to compete in this at all but my flat mates signed me up for it against my will anyway. But I figured-where else can I participate in this sort of contest with all the support from my friends in a club in Europe? It was just another opportunity I didn't want to regret missing. For the contest, I really didn't have to do much-I just had to dance, one of the things I love to do. I guess people liked it because by the end of a very long night I won Miss Erasmus '09! My Italian friend Mario (the one who I saw in Assisi, Italy this past April) won Mister Erasmus-he had to sing as part of his competition. We both won a free salsa dancing lesson, a champagne bottle, and fifteen free drinks at the club the next time we went there. Winning Miss Erasmus is probably one of my favorite Paceville memories. Since that day a lot of people started calling me Miss Erasmus and throwing me into the Residence pool (despite my protestations, of course).
Presenting Mister and Miss Erasmus '09!
After Miss Erasmus, it was back to studying. The weather had gotten so nice that study breaks consisted of swimming in the pool and hanging out outside the apartment. Some girls also organized a potluck dinner as a sort of study break. Studying all the time forced most of us to be locked up inside our rooms instead of spending the last few weeks in Malta with all our friends. Having this potluck dinner killed two birds with one stone-we had a study break together. For the first dinner I cooked a Filipino dish called giniling made out of ground beef, soy sauce, potatoes, and red pepper and everyone liked it! All the food that everyone brought was really good too. The week after that we decided to have a barbecue where we each brought our own meat and something to eat on the side and my flat mate Juliette and I baked a delicious apple pie for dessert. That was really good too.
My friend Marina and I trying to look "manly" next to the grill
Our first potluck dinner-there was a LOT of food
About a week after the Miss Erasmus contest, it was one of my Italian friend-Antonio's birthday. As a surprise for him, some of us decided to dress up as the Sardinian flag. Antonio is from Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean, part of Italy. I am told that they have beautiful beaches-more beautiful than Malta's, and that there are a lot of sheep. My two roommates Paola and Sara are from Sardinia, Italy as well.
So the Sardinian flag looks like this:
So we tore up some old bed sheets, wore face paint and black clothes and looked like this:
Pretty close, right? Well, anyway, Antonio loved it when we all paraded in with his birthday cake. I really wish I had more occasions to dress up in costume.
Antonio really liked his birthday surprise
On Saturday, June 6, the Italians threw an Italian party. But before the festivities began, my friend Rachel from Canada and I, went sightseeing around Malta once again. I pretty much visited almost all the places I wanted to see in Malta, especially when I got to be a guide when my friend Casey visited me, but Rachel still hadn't seen much of the island. So I took her to Mdina, the silent city, and Rabat where St. Paul's and St. Agatha's catacombs are located. It was a beautiful day to visit Mdina and we had lunch at a restaurant with the amazing view of Malta in the background. After shopping around Mdina for last minute souvenirs, we went to Rabat, the small village right outside the fortressed city and visited St. Paul's catacombs. I had only been to St. Agatha's before, so visiting St. Paul's was different but also similar. Here we didn't have a tour guide to show us around, instead we wandered inside the catacombs ourselves, spooking ourselves out and imagining the life of Malta when the catacombs were still in use.
Rachel and I in Mdina. The weather was beautiful!
Inside St. Paul's catacombs
Jumping in front of St. Paul's statue
The Italian party started later that day and as a surprise to the Italians, my friends Linzi, Marbi, and I decided to dress up in costume one last time. Linzi dressed up as a Barilla pasta box, Marbi dressed up as a pizza slice, and I dressed up as Nutella (of course)! It only took us two days to make and a lot of cardboard that we got from the local supermarket. When we came out in our costumes, the Italians loved it! For the party there was plenty of food such as pasta, nutella, pastries, and Italian drinks such as aperitivos. There was also a PowerPoint presentation of images representing the Italian culture-singers, football players, food, everything! It was a lot of fun and I didn't escape the pool either.
Linzi (Pasta), Marbi (Pizza), and I (Nutella) with all the Italians
Group picture with Rachel's tri-color outfit and Diana
We love Italia!
The Friday before the Italian party, I decided on a whim with a group of other American girls, to visit Sicily the next Sunday, June 7. There's a ferry company that picks tourists up from their residence and the ferry leaves Malta at 7 in the morning and arrives in Sicily in about an hour and a half or less. The ferry returns at around midnight and drives back to the residence. I couldn't believe I didn't do it before-and it didn't cost that much! The trip also includes a tour bus, visiting several sites on the eastern side of Sicily.
We only visited the Eastern half of the island
This map of Sicily is made up of volcanic rock from Mt. Etna
I really wanted to visit Sicily because it was so close to Malta and I didn't think I'd have another opportunity to visit the region which is part of Italy. Also, I wrote about the unification of Italy this semester and Sicily played a big part of it with Garibaldi in the movement. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and very recognizable on the world map. I travelled with lovely girls, Ashley, Jessica, and Christa. We had to wake up super early because the service picked us up at 5:15 AM to get to the ferry. The night before was the Italian party so I was still super tired when we woke up the next morning.
We arrived in Italy around 9 in the morning at the Pozzallo harbor. There, we got on the tour bus, stopped for coffee by the beach which has one of the clearest waters of Italy. Our second stop was Catania, the second largest city in Sicily after Palermo. We only had about an hour and a half there, so we walked around the main street, came upon some ruins, took pictures of beautiful churches, and shopped at a local flea market. It was so hard to believe that Italy, a different country, was so close to Malta-only separated by 60 miles of sea.
Dipping my feet into the beach at Pozzallo
In front of an entrance to ruins in Catania
After Catania, we visited Mt. Etna-the largest and most active volcano in Europe. It's larger than Mt. Vesuvius but less dangerous because scientists can predict when eruptions will occur and take the proper precautions. I never dreamed of ever having the chance to see this amazing natural phenomenon. We spent about 3 hours there. We couldn't go all the way to the top, but we did come upon several craters formed by past eruptions.
The view of Mt. Etna from the bus-believe it or not it's the largest active volcano in Europe
Sitting in front of Silvestri crater
A house damaged by a recent eruption
Our last stop in Sicily was Modica, a cute Italian town close to the harbor where we arrived earlier that morning. We walked around the town which was almost deserted of other tourists. We had the best voted pizza in Italy in a restaurant called Pizza Piu. We watched our pizzas being made-I ordered margherita. They tasted amazing! Sicily is also known for the best tasting canolis and we had a taste of that as well. Sicily had some of the best food I've ever had in Italy. After Modica, it was back on the ferry and Malta. The ride back was super rocky because the sea and waves were very violent. I thought I was going to get seasick but I didn't, thank goodness. By the time we got back to the residence, I was super tired. I had my last exam in two days but I'm so glad I visited Sicily. I wanted to visit Italy one more time before I left Malta. I really did fall in love with that country. The next time I go to Sicily I want to visit the Western side of the island-Palermo, Agrigento, and other places. I really hope there's a next time.
In the pizzeria
Eating the pizza on some Italian steps
About to board the ferry to go back to Malta
After two days of hard studying and taking my last exam (finally!) which was Art History, it was time to spend the last few days in Malta with my friends. Rachel was one of the first to leave. On her last night, we all decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe in Malta, in Paceville. It was probably the perfect place to eat because there was a bachelorette party going on during our dinner and there was a live singer who took requests for songs from us. Of course the Italians requested "Volare," a famous Italian song that we all learned to sing. All of us started dancing on the chairs and tables, singing along, and having an amazing time with each other. Afterwards, we went out dancing in Paceville one more time. It was a bittersweet night-knowing that we had to say goodbye the next day to some close friends but trying to make the most out of our precious moments together.
Group picture in front of Hard Rock Cafe
Rachel left for Canada the next morning and my roommate Ikue left to travel around Europe for a month as well. It was the hardest day for me in Malta-saying goodbye to two of my closest friends. I cried as much for me as for them. I didn't really start appreciating Malta until the last few weeks of the semester. I was going to miss the Residence, the pool, the island, the beautiful weather and Mediterranean, and most of all-the friends that I made in Malta.
On Friday, June 12, I went to Comino, the third island that makes up Malta. It's mainly a tourist spot, there's only one family that lives there the whole year. Comino is only popular during the warm weather and it literally is paradise. It's famous for Blue Lagoon, the rocky beach, where the water is so clear, blue, and beautiful. I went with my flat mate, Juliette, it was her last day and I was happy to spend her last day in Malta with her. We also went with my two Finnish friends: Marianna, Marbi, and Marbi's sister. Our Polish friend, Szymon, also decided to come along and he took me exploring around the tiny island. We went snorkeling where there were beautiful fish and coral and jumped from a cliff about 15 meters high! It was my first time ever jumping off a cliff and I was SO scared! But I had to get over my fear because this was something I don't get to do every day.
My words don't do Comino justice, though; just look at all the pictures I took:
Juliette, Marianna, and I in the clear Mediterranean sea-it wasn't really cold, either!
Snorkeling!!
We got back from Comino late in the afternoon and later on that night the Dutch girls (who were all flying home together) planned a get together on the roof. It was another night of saying goodbyes. They had to leave early in the morning and I woke up early, around 5 in the morning, to say a tearful goodbye to them. It was so hard saying goodbye to my flat mates Ikue and Juliette. I got so close to them and I loved living with them. I'm really going to miss cooking dinner, baking, singing, and watching "That 70s Show" with them. But I hope to visit Holland in December so I can see Juliette again and perhaps Ikue can come up to meet us as well.
With the Dutch Crew! This was at their farewell party...
I spent the rest of the day shopping for last minute souvenirs in Valletta. I went to the airport to drop off my Italian roommate, Camilla off-that was hard, saying goodbye too. After that, we played a last game of football with the Italian boys. Later on we spent some of the night at the beach in Golden Bay. Some people wanted to have a barbecue and sleep at the beach all night. We only stayed until two in the morning, sitting down, and spending time with each other again.
Lying down on the beach
The next day, my last full day in Malta, I spent in Comino again. This time I went with my friends Linzi and Cassandra. Comino was breathtaking again and I jumped off a different cliff, this time only 8 meters high. I was still SO scared but Linzi and Cass kept on yelling at me to jump. We also went snorkeling again. It was so nice spending my last day in paradise.
Jumping off a cliff!
After we got back from Comino, I started packing-I had SO much to bring back home. I was afraid that my suitcases would go over the weight limit. But everything fit into my suitcases, thank goodness. Later that night, my Italian friend Alessandro, brought his mother to the residence. She was visiting Malta and Alessandro wanted to introduce her to all his friends. I met her and spoke the little Italian I knew. She took us out to dinner which was very nice of her. Afterwards, I spent the last hours of the night at a local pub.
Linzi and I with Alessandro's sweet mother
Leaving Malta the next morning was hard. I had to say goodbye again-after a week of saying goodbyes. I didn't have any more tears left. It honestly didn't seem like I was saying goodbye, instead I felt like I would be seeing everyone again soon. With technology bringing the world closer, it's easy to keep in touch with my friends abroad through facebook, skype, email, and snail mail. I really hope that my friends don't forget about me. I will never forget Malta and the memories that I will always cherish.
One more picture with my lovely roommates of 108
The flight back went smoothly-no delays or bumps along the way. My luggage wasn't lost (thank God!), and I arrived in Newark on time. I flew with my friend Cassandra, from Long Island. We didn’t know that we booked the same flight and we were both so happy when we found out that we would be flying back to the States together. It was so nice not having to fly alone while I was still emotional. It was nice to have the company, but I still had one more goodbye to say at the airport. I started crying all over again right before my family picked me up at the airport. It was nice seeing my family again, but I was still crying from saying goodbye and leaving Malta. To quote my friend Rachel, Malta was a really good time, it was a vacation. Now it's back to reality. You can't have vacation all the time. But still, I will miss being called Pesche (Peaches in Italian) by everyone, getting woken up by my Italian roommates at 3 in the morning, baking new recipes, learning how to cook real Italian pasta, comparing accents, and all the little things that made the Residence so much fun.
Ciao to all my amazing friends in Malta. I will always remember you!
So I'm back alive and healthy from Egypt! I had an amazing time with my friends in the Land of the Pyramids. We booked a tour guide beforehand so everything was planned and booked for us beforehand and it really helped us in the end because I wouldn't have known how to even start planning a trip in Egypt. Egypt is unlike any country I've ever visited before and I had no idea what to expect other than hot weather.
We were a group of four: Me, my friend Lisa from Ireland and two other American girls: Marina and Brittany. It was good fun travelling around with them. It's funny how we bond so much more travelling and going abroad than by staying at home. We planned this trip in March and I've been eagerly anticipating it ever since.
On the first day we flew to Cairo from Malta which is only a two and a half hour flight. Someone met us at the airport and drove us to our hotel. Cairo at night is a little bit like New York City at night-a city that never sleeps. Cairo has its own unique sense of culture. Although it's quite congested with millions of people and cars (the traffic makes any congested city in Europe pale in comparison) and the immense amount of poverty can be seen on every corner, it's one of the safest cities to be in. Cairo is honestly different from any city that I've ever been in. Unlike in Rome, I sort of knew what to expect from living in a European country but Cairo has a different style of life altogether.
We spent the night at our hotel in Cairo where there was a wedding going on inside one of the tents outside. Arabic music and English music was playing the whole night. Our hotel was amazing with a pool, outdoor restaurant, souvenir restaurants and a bank that definitely came in handy. When we arrived at the hotel we were excited, skeptical and nervous-we still didn't know what to expect! Our man didn't really let us know what was going on and simply gave us our hotel keys and that we were meeting our guide tomorrow morning. I think the coolest thing about our hotel was that we could see the pyramids from our balcony! It was amazing! Upon our arrival I expected the weather to be a great deal hotter but during the night it was cool and refreshing and not too hot at all. That night I was still excited to be in Egypt, however and it was hard to fall asleep.
The next day, we woke up and ate breakfast. I didn't know that falafel, which is served at home as an actual meal, is only a snack and is normally eaten during breakfast in Egypt. The hotel had an English breakfast but there was also cultural food which I tried first such as some interesting cucumber dressing, fig jam, hibiscus juice, falafel, and rice soup. It was all very good but I was a little bit paranoid about getting sick. Many of the girls from the residence who visited Egypt in April got sick during their trip or after they got back. The entire week we drank bottled water and brushed our teeth with it. We also stayed away from fresh fruits and vegetables-at the end of the trip I was dying to have a fresh apple.
Our guide, Mustafa, met us at the hotel. His name reminded me of Mufasa from the Lion King. Another interesting tidbit-almost everyone in Egypt is either named Mohamed or Ahmed generally. Mustafa was such a good guide-he's a tour guide but he's saving up money to become a photographer. The entire day he held all of our cameras (we had four!) and took group pictures of us everywhere with each camera. We had so many pictures only from Day 1 and all of them look amazing.
The first thing we visited was the Giza pyramids which is an oasis amidst the chaos of Cairo. The pyramids are near the sprawling city and can be seen from it. The pyramids of Giza were comprised of 3 pyramids, all built within generations of each other. The first pyramid is the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of Khufu built around 2570 BC and it's been worn down 9 meters since then, it has a wire on the top to signify how tall it was back when Pharaohs were still worshipped as gods on Earth. The second pyramid still has its original limestone covering at the top and it seems bigger than the Pyramid of Khufu only because it's built on higher ground and the third pyramid is a great deal smaller than its companions. All of the pyramids are built on the Western side of the River Nile because the sun sets in the west, symbolizing death and the final resting place of the Pharaohs.
Honestly, I think the pyramids were the most exciting part of the trip. Similar to learning about the Colosseum in Rome and Pompeii in Campania, Italy-seeing the Pyramids was unreal. Everyone learns about the pyramids, pharaohs, and the famous Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra and but it was awe-inspiring to finally see them with my own eyes.
We had a chance to climb a little bit of the first pyramid and we actually went inside the second pyramid! It was unbearably hot inside and we had to climb down a series of more than 100 steps inside a cramped passageway. Inside was very bare since all of the treasure in the pyramids are either stolen or in museums around the world but it was still eerie to be inside Pharaoh’s final resting spot. Afterwards, we rode camels....in front of the pyramids! Riding a camel is really hard to describe and I felt apprehensive because I was so afraid of falling off and of the jarring movement of the moving camel. But it was so worth it and I would love to do it again the next time I visit.
After seeing the pyramids, we visited the Sphinx a few meters away. It is honestly a lot smaller than it seems in the pictures compared to the pyramids. Unfortunately the nose and cobra on the top of its head are completely worn away but it was still a perfect photo opportunity!
Next we visited The Egyptian Museum, the largest museum containing countless precious artifacts from Ancient Egypt. It's impossible to see the entire museum in a day so we simply saw all of the highlights including the famous Tutankhamen mask and seeing the royal mummy of Ramses II. Unfortunately pictures aren't allowed inside the museum, but we got a picture outside:
We also got a chance to see a papyrus demonstration and how papyrus paper, made from the -papyrus-indigenous to Northern Egypt, is made. The paper made out of papyrus is actually very durable. I got a chance to purchase papyrus and have my name written in hieroglyphics inside a cartouche-a French word to describe how the Egyptian rulers names were always inscribed inside an oval-like shape in temples. Papyrus is used in temples to symbolize the North of Egypt whereas the lotus flower symbolizes the South of Egypt. We saw a lot of these images in later temples that we visited because the unification of Northern and Southern Egypt was an important event in the history of the ancient country.
After a busy day we had a chance to drink Egyptian tea at a local coffee shop with our guide. We asked him numerous questions about the culture and it was great fun sitting down in the midst of an everyday scene in Cairo. Egyptian tea is drunk and offered everywhere we went. It's like normal Lipton tea back at home but when it's in season, mint leaves are also added giving the tea an interesting taste. As soon as I got back to Malta I bought mint leaves and now I drink it with my tea all the time. The Egyptians also like to put a great deal of sugar in their tea as well. The tea is served hot, surprising in a very hot climate.
At night we finally boarded the sleeping train at the Cairo train station. I had never been on a sleeping train before and it was an experience I'll definitely remember. It was more like the sleepless train. I was impressed (I'm actually very easily impressed) by the small compartments, the bunk bed, and the small sink. The sleeping train is the best mode of transportation between the cities for tourists and for Egypt in general. We were served dinner and breakfast. That night I didn't get any sleep at all because of the constant stopping of the train. We arrived at Luxor at around 8 in the morning, tired and sore from the train.
Our train dinner-I was excited about the Rice!
Sleeping on the train...or trying to, anyway
As soon as we got off the train, we went off to visit the Colossi of Menmon, remnants of Amenhotep III and the massive temple that was supposed to be there.
Small, right?
Next we visited the Temple of Hatshepsut, or, as our tour guide told us to say-"Hot Chicken Soup" if we couldn't pronounce it. Restoration of the temple took about 40 years starting from 1964-2004. I was really excited to visit the temple before arriving in Egypt. It has three terraces and it was originally built for one of the famous female pharaoh’s Hatshepsut. However, a great deal of Hatshepsut's temples and buildings were destroyed by her stepson, Thutmosis III for stealing his throne. The Temple has one of the best preserved scenes and colors.
Here's a picture of one of the beautifully preserved Egyptian art in the temple
Behind the columns!
In front of the top terrace-this is after like 5 hours of sleep
I still cannot believe how all of the Pharaohs were treated as gods. These temples weren't built posthumously, but were actually built by the Pharaohs themselves. Imagine building a temple dedicated to yourself-now that's something that just unheard of. The "Temple of Peaches" actually doesn't sound that bad....hmmm.....
Near the Temple is the Valley of the Kings where several pharaohs were buried during the New Kingdom. There are 63 tombs discovered so far and there is still some excavation going on in the area. This is the site where Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered, intact from any robbers. These pharaohs were buried in tombs as opposed to pyramids because it was less easy for thieves to find and steal from. We were able to visit three tombs: Ramses I, IV, IX and of course, Tutankhamen-which we had to pay extra for. Tutankhamen's tomb was a great deal smaller because it was built hastily. Tutankhamen was only a child when he was pharaoh and was only famous posthumously because of his intact tomb.
In front of the tombs. They were as hot as the pyramids inside but it was cooler because some of them had hieroglyphics on the wall and one of them had the entire illustrated Book of the Dead. Ramses IV was actually vandalized by the Coptic Christians I mentioned before. You can see the ancient graffiti and Christian symbols on the walls. We saw a lot of these signs in several temples throughout Egypt.
After lunch, we visited Karnak Temple the largest temple built for religious purposes in the world. Some of it is lost but a lot of it is intact, especially the largest columns and obelisks in Egypt.
Big columns!
Obelisk
Look at these beautiful carvings
The scarab, a type of beetle, is a good luck symbol of Egypt. We walked around this scarab statue 3 times for good luck.
This is another example of the Christian influence in Egypt-see how the stone was cut to make the sign of the cross?
After Karnak Temple, we visited Luxor Temple:
On the back of these massive statues you can see the cartouches (in the middle-the oval like shape) containing the name of the pharaoh ruling at the time it was built.
So many temples, so little time! Anyway, after a packed day in Luxor, we boarded our Cruise ship on the Nile, which was our "hotel" for the next three days. After dinner, there was entertainment on the boat including a belly dancer who was fun to watch. Then we braved the streets of Luxor at night and went shopping. Haggling, or bargaining, is very much a part of everyday life in Egypt. I'm not very successful in making a bargain-I usually back down easily or agree to pay the first haggled price. Note to all future Egyptian tourists: The shopping in Luxor is great, so do all of your souvenir shopping there!
The beautiful view of the sunset on our ship
Brittany and I drinking Egyptian tea before we went shopping in Luxor
There are more than 200 cruises on the Nile and ours was pretty sweet. What was surprising about our 3rd day in Egypt was that it was cloudy and rainy! It NEVER rains in Luxor and it did the day we visited which was surreal. Thank goodness because the sun and heat was almost unbearable the days after Luxor. We took a boat on the Nile traveling south to Aswan, almost near the border to Sudan. The difference in temperature between Aswan and Cairo was apparent. It's a great deal hotter in Aswan than it is in Cairo.
The next day we simply spent on our cruise ship sailing down to Edfu. It was nice to spend the day resting after our sleepless night on the train. The ship had 4 decks including a sundeck complete with a pool and tent. Three meals were provided all day and they were superb, although there wasn't a great deal of cultural food. We weren't the only ones on the boat; there were several groups from Germany who were traveling with us.
In front of our cruise
The view of the beautiful Nile River
The beautiful staircase inside our boat-it reminded me of the movie Titanic
There are a series of lochs that boats have to pass to travel up and down the Nile. It regulates the level of the Nile to ensure safety from flooding and to make sure the water is kept at a constant level. It was fascinating watching our cruise ship go into a tiny corridor to get past the loch.
The cleaners of our cruise ship liked to show off their towel art-we got a lotus on the first day and this on the second day.
My own personal chef! He cooked our omelet’s every morning-it made me miss the omelet’s made in the SPC cafeteria.
Seems like paradise, right? I highly enjoyed the cruise ship even though in the back of my mind I was thinking of environmental consequences and the fact that I hadn't exercised at all after eating three square meals that day including tea time.
After an entire day of cruising up the Nile, we woke up early the next day to visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu. Horus is the Egyptian falcon god of the sky. It's the most visited temple in Egypt-there were so many tourists! It's also one of the most complete temples. It was built during the Ptolemaic period and it's the second largest temple after Karnak. When the Romans occupied Egypt, they did not want to tamper with the temples, so there are some remaining Roman ruins outside of the temple. Ancient Egypt was first ruled by the Pharaohs, and then occupied by the Romans and then later the Greeks. Egypt was under the rule of non-Egyptians for a long period from 300 BC-about 1960 AD.
In front of one of the most complete falcon statues in front of the temple. It's wearing the double crown symbolizing the unity of North and Southern Egypt.
One of the huge carvings on the front of the temple
There are Egyptian guards like this that sit in every temple to ensure that the tourists do not tamper with the ruins
After visiting the Temple of Horus we went back to the boat and it set sail for Kom Ombo where we visited the Temple of Kom Ombo. I think at this point we were sick and tired of seeing several temples; they kind of blended all together in my mind after a period of time.
This picture depicts the rudimentary surgical tools use by the Egyptians for childbirth-looks painful, right?
Sooo excited to be in another temple....with hieroglyphics...and columns...but wait, no obelisks, shock!
After visiting to Kom Ombo we travelled to our final destination: Aswan. At Aswan we visited the High Dam, constructed in the 1960s in collaboration with the Soviet Union against a great deal of opposition. The High Dam is up to 110 meters high and created the largest manmade lake: Lake Nasser. There are some positive aspects to the Dam such as the regulation of the flooding of the Nile, electricity, and other things. However, there is also a great deal of negative aspects such as the inability of natural silt to reach the northern part of the Nile. Like I mentioned before, there isn't a great deal of wildlife present north of the Dam anymore and it's not advised to swim in the Nile north of Luxor. Also, creating the Dam flooded several important areas of Egypt including the Nubian lands, a separate entity in Ancient Egypt. Several temples also had to be excavated and moved to higher ground to preserve it and ensure that it was not covered by water.
On the dam with the view of Lake Nasser behind us
This monument was erected after the High Dam was completed to celebrate the union between the Soviet Union and Egypt in funding and creating the dam
This was inside the monument, cool, eh?
After visiting the Dam, we went to the last temple of our trip: The Temple of Philae. Philae is a tiny island near the Dam and we had to travel to it by boat. It's one of the most recently built temples of Egypt and probably the coolest one we saw so far. It was also used as a Coptic church by the Christians, observed by the altar installed inside the temple itself.
We really did like this temple
Like an Egyptian totem pole
Afterwards we visited the Unfinished Obelisk. The date of the unfinished obelisk is unknown because of the lack of marking around the area but visitors can observe how obelisks were built and carved out of the rock. After seeing several obelisks in temples, it was fascinating to see the workmanship and process of creating a huge piece of art. The Unfinished Obelisk would have been the largest obelisk in Egypt if it was actually built but unfortunately there were major cracks that formed in the early stages of carving it so workers abandoned it and it's been preserved ever since. The entire place is completely composed up of the rich Egyptian pink granite that composes many of the temples and is still used as popular stone for modern kitchens.
Can you recognize the shape of the Obelisk?
Many of what historians and archaeologists know about Egyptian history about the temples today is read from the hieroglyphics. After the discovery of the Rosetta stone and the mystery of the language of the hieroglyphics were unlocked, there was a flood of knowledge added to the puzzle of Ancient Egypt. The temples and art are also classified by the Pharaohs. Pharaohs each had a unique and different style of sculpture and art which is easy to distinguish when a certain artifact was made and under what rule. Much of what was written in Ancient Egypt was dated under a specific Pharaoh and not by a calendar year.
Before boarding the train from Aswan back to Cairo, we had the opportunity to go on a felucca ride. A felucca is a sailboat that most Egyptians use on the Nile. It was different from the cruise ship and it felt a lot more natural and better, actually.
What a felucca looks lke
A fearless tourist-going where no tourist has gone before...dun dun DUN!
After our felucca ride, we went on the sleeping train (again) but this time I got a good night's rest on the train and we arrived back in Cairo around 9 in the morning.
Showing off all of our admission tickets to temples from the entire week on the sleeper train. I have a lot of scrapbooking to do when I get back....
That day was our last day of sightseeing in Egypt. We went back to the hotel where we first stayed in and met our next tour guide there. Our tour guide was female this time and she offered us a great deal of insight into the Egyptian culture our male tour guides couldn't give us before. I believe that tourism is one of the markets that promote gender-equality in terms of availability of jobs and salaries for women.
On the last day I visited a mosque for the first time. Throughout our trip we heard the call for prayer five times a day: at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon and sunset. I've never been in a Muslim country before-I had only read about Islam in my theology course freshman year and in retrospect I'm glad I had a little knowledge about it. Egypt was actually one of the first areas where Christianity was accepted and it flourished there for a time until the influence of Islam and Mohammed spread throughout the area. However, there are still Coptic churches that form another branch of Christianity. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to visit a Coptic church but the mosque was beautiful. It was quite interesting to see all three religions: the Ancient Gods, Islam, and Christianity, all present in one country. It was fascinating learning about each of the different Egyptian gods and their different forms and what they represented. I really should brush up on my hieroglypics the next time I visit Egypt....
The Citadel was occupied by Egypt's rulers for 700 years, first built in 1176 and refined until Mohamed Ali in the 19th century. It was meant to withstand invasion from outsiders. Inside the mosque which is located inside the Citadel, we had to take our shoes off and I had to wear a green robe to cover myself from head to toe. It was fascinating to be inside this structure. The entire floor was carpeted and on the ceiling there were Arabic passages dedicated to the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed. I couldn't believe how massive it was and we could hear our echo from the ceiling.
The domes of the Mosque
Inside the mosque-notice our fashionable attire!
Soo beautiful
The Citadel also had an amazing view of Cairo and we could also see the pyramids. Our tour guide pointed out the different structures of the city. In the middle, one of the newest parts of the city is primarily inhabited by young people for a reasonable price which is good for students. I kind of wish we had that in NYC....
After visiting the Citadel we did our last shopping trip to the Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar where the famous Midaq Alley is located. For the last time we were heckled by touts and bargaining was still a struggle for me. Afterwards we finally had the chance to eat real Egyptian food called kofta and hummus with pita which was a lot tastier than back home. We spent the rest of our day in the hotel, reminiscing about our wonderful trip and resting before our flight back to Malta.
This is me getting henna done on my arm-it was so cool! The woman drew it so fast and flawlessly. Henna only lasts for about a week, mine is entirely gone by now.
Showing off our henna-even our tour guide had it done!
It was interesting because I purposely packed clothes that covered my shoulders and my knees for the entire trip because I knew that although Egypt is very hot, the culture is still very conservative, especially when it comes to women (and dress). Egyptian men would wear long cloth dresses called gallabias and women would be covered from head to toe only revealing their faces. I was lucky that I borrowed my friend's scarf which I wore almost every day. I could almost pass as an Egyptian because of my skin tone. Too bad my touristy wardrobe and sneakers gave me away. Sometimes I wore the scarf like the Egyptian women wore it, over their entire head to keep cool under the sun and to minimize my uneasiness. On American and European standards, my dress was conservative but I didn't think it was conservative enough in Egypt. I didn't want to be disrespectful towards the culture. I wore the scarf as well in order to stay away from over-friendly men who would harass many female tourists, especially if they're alone or aren't accompanied by males. Part of it is because their idea of Western women comes from movies. Women are stereotypically seen as "easy." It was actually very funny because I knew about this beforehand, so I wore we all wore fake wedding rings on our left hands in order to prevent unwanted attention (but we still got a lot of attention anyway).
We hardly saw women outside of Cairo simply walking around. As a result of the conservative and Muslim influence, women are meant to stay inside the house away from the public view. It was disconcerting not seeing women workers whenever we travelled around Egypt and we were happy to finally have a female tour guide on the last day in Cairo. Even though women have yet to gain equality even in developed countries, I am thankful to be living under different circumstances where women have the freedom to make choices about their life and career and are not always forced to stay inside the home. But then again cultural and religious differences must always be taken into account. I am content with the lifestyle I lead in America and here in Europe.
Visiting Egypt was beautiful and I had an amazing time and now have memories of a lifetime but I couldn't help but feel guilty or helpless because of the amount of poverty I witnessed. Even the environment of Egypt is at a risk with hundreds of cruise ships simply for tourism pollutes the Nile. The Nile above Aswan Dam has little of the wildlife that was there before. Little children would try to sell us souvenirs and it was hard to turn the other cheek to them knowing that many of them had little prospects for a better future. Even Cairo is one of the most polluted cities in the world, famous for its black smog that is very visible. The economy of Egypt is heavily dependent on tourism and without it; many of the population would be jobless. Witnessing these hardships and the harsh environmental practices of the country pushes me to try to help the community and give back to the environment. It has definitely been an eye opening experience, similar to my spring break in Kentucky last year. I just hope that I can make a bit of a difference in the future, and even now.
Returning back to Malta was definitely a breath of fresh air. We no longer had to worry about brushing our teeth with bottled water, getting unwanted attention from men, and bargaining for everything we bought. A few days after Egypt my stomach felt queasy but I'm feeling 100% better now. I think almost every tourist that visits Egypt gets sick in some sort of way. So warning to future Egyptian tourists: be aware of health issues.
This trip made me realize how grateful I am for certain things at home and also opened my eyes to the cultural and religious differences of the world. I am proud to say that I have finally been to Africa, visited the Land of the Pyramids, rode camels in front of them as well, and went up the Nile. The next time I visit Egypt I want to go to Alexandria; them climb Mt. Sinai, and then travel to either the neighboring countries of Jordan or Israel. God willing, or "in sha'Allah" as the Egyptians would say, I can visit this country again. The next time I'll know what to expect. Travelling this past semester has taught me a so much about history and culture of all of these countries.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought about visiting Egypt. It didn't even cross my mind that I could visit Egypt when I came to Malta. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful experiences I've had travelling so far and I hope to continue to travel in the future.
Chocran, which is thank you, in Egyptian, for reading about my long Egypt trip. I'm currently studying for finals which are starting on Monday and I'm very very nervous because I have 6 exams! For now, it's back to work and I do NOT want to think of goodbyes and leaving Malta just yet....
Bye Egypt! Thanks for all the memories!
So from all of my past blog entries it seems like I've been on a never ending vacation since I arrived in Malta. NOT TRUE-well, partly anyway. Sure, I've been traveling a great deal around Europe (and next week Egypt!) but I'm also studying here and taking several courses.
On clear days the University has a beautiful view of Valletta. I like to spend the time between classes out on the benches enjoying the sun and the view.
Read on and take a small glimpse into my routine as an Exchange student.....
I chose to spend my SPC semester abroad at the University of Malta because:
1) It was close to Italy
2) Courses were taught in English
3) The University had a good History program
4) An island...in the middle of the Mediterranean...warm weather-what's not to like?
Currently I'm taking 9 courses:
Medieval Europe
Modern Western Europe
Aspects of the Parish in 18th Century Malta
Chaucer and Medieval Literature
Children's Literature
Theories of Literature: Gender and Power
Scriptures of the Mediterranean
Feminism and Anthropology
Sculpture I
Art and Architecture in Early Renaissance Italy
The reason why I'm taking so many classes is because unlike the US, all of these classes only meet once a week for one or two hours. We only get graded on one test-the final. Sometimes there's a separate assignment like a presentation but most of my classes simply have one test at the end of the semester. Finals start in the last week of May until mid-June. Many of the classes here are worth only 2 or 4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) which amounts to 1 or 2 SPC credits. That's the reason why I'm taking double the usual amount of classes here. So in total I'm taking 30 ECTS which would transfer to 15 credits back at SPC.
On to my life.
As part of the ISEP (International Student Exchange Program) I get room and board at the University Residence including a meal plan to buy my groceries. I live in an apartment with 12 other girls. I share a room with another person, my Japanese roommate Ikue and the other girls come from Italy, France, and Holland. Everyone at the University Residence are international students on an exchange program similar to me. Many of the Maltese students still live with their parents while they study at the University. In fact, the Maltese students don't even have to pay to study at the University-they actually get paid to study. They receive a monthly stipend from the government and they can spend it as they wish-on books, school supplies, clothes, accessories, etc. It's so much fun living at the Residence just meeting new friends from around the world, learning bad words in other languages, chilling out by the pool, sunbathing, and having a blast.
This is the first landmark I saw when I took my first taxi ride to Lija where the Residence is located. We call it the "Birthday Cake" and we pass it every time we go back to the Residence. It's actually called Belveder Tower.
Lija is about five minutes away from the University and 15 minutes away from Valletta, the capital of Malta. The bus is the main form of transportation here in Malta and how we get around the island. The buses are definitely one of the main images I will always think of when I think of Malta. Many of them are old fashioned while there are some modern ones. Note to all tourists: All busses lead to Valletta, the capital. They're 47 cents each way so it's very cheap to travel around. Here in Malta they drive on the left side of the road instead of the right so the first few weeks I wasn't used to it. I was always afraid of crossing the street in fear that I was looking the wrong way and would get hit by a car. The Maltese people use their cars to drive everywhere. Almost all of the streets are very narrow and the sidewalks are even narrower.
Me chilling by the pool at the University Residence
The weather usually isn't as beautiful as this. For the past couple of weekend it's been cloudy and rainy but whenever the sun is out so many students come out to sunbathe and study or listen to music. The pool is usually too cold to go swim in but some just go in for a few minutes to cool off and then lay out in the sun.
Getting on the University Residence bus.
There is a courtesy shuttle that takes trips every hour from the Residence to the University. This is how I go back and forth from the Residence-sometimes I have to take the bus as early as 7:30 AM to get to my 8 o'clock lecture.
This is the view of the University as I get dropped off by the shuttle. This building is called Gateway Building and is by the main entrance of the University. My first week here I got lost so many times on campus I felt like a foolish freshman all over again.
This is my Art History classroom (can you tell I'm trying to keep a straight face?) Most of the classes are small with around 20-25 students. There are international students in most of my classes but I've gotten to meet some Maltese students as well.
Studying in the library. The library here is pretty big with silent and group study areas. I spend most of my time here studying because I can't concentrate at the Residence where it's very loud and distracting. I've prepared two presentations here and written a paper. It's also where the internet is very fast and where I upload all of my pictures on facebook. Unfortunately the internet at the Residence is very slow and inefficient so I take my laptop on campus a lot.
One of my favorite classes here is Sculpture I. The first three weeks we worked with clay and created a head, now we're sculpting with Maltese limestone. Can you guess what I'm making? A PEACOCK! of course....it actually looks very dismal right now. I'm hoping that it will turn out alright in the end. Nobody really understands my Saint Peter's College spirit here but I'm sure everyone back home does (can you tell I miss SPC?)
When the day is done I take the shuttle back to the Residence to cook dinner, go food shopping, or see what everyone else is doing. All of the students here shop at the local supermarket, Smart, which is only a ten minute walk away. We're actually quite spoiled because there are very few supermarkets in Malta. Instead, many Maltese do their shopping at mini grocers, go to the butcher to get their meat cut freshed, and get their fruits and vegetables at local fruit stands that are set up every so often on all of the main streets. There aren't many malls here either. Most of our clothes shopping we do in Valletta, the capital, or in Sliema, where there are many stores, mainly built for the tourists who visit Malta and want to shop. I've spent way too much money shopping for clothes here. There are several shops that aren't in America such as Pull & Bear (from Spain), Peacocks (from England), Stradivarius, and Bershka. I'm going to miss all of these European stores....
Me in front of Smart. I use my SPC Goes Green shopping bag all the time! The Malta government just passed a law that stores have to charge 18 cents per plastic bag to minimize the waste and try to become environment friendly.
In Malta AND at home I'm always so short....
Look at all the NUTELLA!! (I'm a little bit obsessed with Nutella since I first ate it here)
They also give free samples sometimes-I love cooking with Uncle Ben's Chicken Curry sauce.
It's funny because I'm so spoiled when I'm at home or at school because my mom cooks for me or there's the cafeteria to rely on. Here, I mostly cook for myself and I've been missing Filipino food like crazy. Studying abroad (similar to like being at college) isn't just about studying but also about creating your own lifestyle and becoming more independent with your family halfway across the globe. The last summer I spent in Washington, D.C. was a good time to prepare for my semester abroad. Ironically I've learned how to cook Filipino food here in Malta than when I'm at home. I have my family send the spices and recipes to me here and I cook them about every week. My roommates love trying Filipino food. I've also tried other types of recipes here as well. There are so many different ethnic foods that are cooked here in the Residence. I've had plenty of authentic Japanese food cooked by my roommate, Polish food, and of course Italian food. I don't have as much time to cook when I'm at Saint Peter's because I'm busy all of the time. When I'm back home I want to cook for myself more. I really enjoy doing it! Baking is my favorite though. This past semester I've baked several cookies, an oreo cake, two apple pies, and made chocolate fondue. I'm trying to become more creative with my cooking and baking. Before I hated to cook and bake and now I love it!
My flatmate, Juliette (from Holland) and I baking an Oreo Pie-notice my Malta apron!
In front of the 24-hour bakery by the Residence. Here the bread is SO cheap and made fresh, you can smell the bread baking in the oven. I'm holding Maltese bread here which I eat all the time. It's very similar to sourdough bread.
Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can...look at all that dough about to be put into the oven. It's so hot inside the bakery when they're baking.
At the fruit stand where the lady knows me and gives me discounts on fruits and vegetables sometimes. The fruit at the stands are usually a lot cheaper than at the supermarket. I love me some fruit!
I'm eating a pastizzi here-a flaky pastry with ricotta cheese inside. It's Maltese food that's very cheap-only about 60 cents-and everybody here loves them.
It's actually quite interesting hearing what everyone's perception of what America is like and also observe how cultures can be so different. My friend Sam from England bases his image of New Jersey strictly from the Sopranos. The Italians eat at around 9 PM every night so they think I'm weird for cooking dinner at 5 PM which is the norm in the US. I like to eat eggs for breakfast while the Italians only drink coffee. The Canadians hate being called American (we already knew that). There are so many little cultural things that I don't even notice in America but become obvious here in another country.
There are also many things in America that I can buy that I take for granted-like Reese's peanut butter cups, good peanut butter, Dunkin' Donuts, and Chinese takeout just to name a few things. But I'm sure when I go back to America I'm going to miss more things that I can't get there such as Kinder bars (made by the same company that makes Ferrero Rochers), Aero chocolate (so good), and many European brands that aren't sold in the US. I told all of my friends that they have to mail me snacks from Europe while I'm in America because I'll be craving for them all the time. I'm glad America at least has Nutella....
All differences put aside, almost everybody here gets along with each other. My flatmates are all great and there hasn't been any drama (unlike last summer when I shared a luxurious apartment with 3 other Americans and there was drama galore).
So, now that we've got the studying part of my life here finished, let's go on to what I did over the second week of my Easter break. The weather in Malta was actually rainy and chilly half the time so we spent our time baking apple pie, playing card games, watching movies, and just relaxing in our apartments. The one thing we all miss is a common room with a couch. There's only a kitchen area in our apartment and the pool outside, there's really nowhere to just sit down, watch a movie or hang out. I can't wait to have a couch again when I go back home.
On the last Friday of our break, I went biking on the small island of Gozo with my Dutch friends. Apparently biking, or cycling, is a very important part of life in the Netherlands. They cycle everywhere, there are parks and places made for cycling, and there are no hills or inclines so it's easy to cycle around. I sort of wish we could be the same in America. I haven't cycled since I got my Driver's License so getting on a bike in Malta when (a) they drive on the left side of the road (b) the roads are very narrow and sometimes there aren't any sidewalks (c) wearing no helmet because apparently nobody in Europe does except the Germans was very, very scary...for the first couple of minutes. I got used to biking after a while and it was actually quite fun. One of the things I want to do when I get back to America is bike more because it really is a good type of exercise while having fun. Anyway, we biked around the entire island. Gozo is very small that all the sites can be seen in one day.
This is called the Azure window. Isn't it beautiful? In front of the Azure window is the Blue Hole-a hot spot for divers where they have amazing views of the window from underneath the water and observe reefs and plant life. While we were there we actually saw 6 divers! Needless to say the view was breathtaking, the water was clear and blue as always and I couldn't believe I was there to enjoy it.
Breathtaking
On the rocks by Azure window you can actually see some fossils of shells popping up from the erosions. There's also a small island off the coast called "Fungus Rock" that the Knights of St. John (who commanded from Malta for a long time) picked a certain type of fungus only grown there with healing effects.
The bikes we rented were only 5 Euro-a good, cheap workout!
and of course there's always time for the beach and gelati!
Next week I leave for Egypt and I can't wait to show pictures the next time I blog. Stay tuned!
I'm finally back from Easter break! I spent 11 days in Italy and the rest of the break relaxing around Malta. The past few days I have eaten at the base of the Colosseum in Rome, went on a gondola ride in Venice, turned 21, saw David by Michelangelo (and the Sistine Chapel as well), said hello to the Pope, celebrated Easter, and even more. I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to see all of the things I've read about in history and art books.
I left for Malta April 4 and met my family in Rome where we met our tour guide at the hotel we were staying. We booked a tour company to see the best that Italy could offer. The best part about it was that we didn't have to plan anything, we just had to sit and enjoy the view. All of our hotels, tours, and events were pre-booked way ahead of time. We also met and got to know 29 other tourists who were on the same tour as we were. They were all very lovely people. Most of them were from North America but there was a couple from Australia, Sri Lanka, and a few others from New Zealand and Singapore. We had beautiful weather all the 11 days we were there. Springtime in Italy is beautiful with wild poppies, wisteria, and other flowers blooming. I couldn't ask for better weather or views.
My brother and I outside of the bus we rode for the next 11 days-it was so spacious inside!
The next day we spent in Rome where we had a tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, got to see Saint Peter's Square and proceeded to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. Rome is like a history book come alive and I didn't want to stop reading! I was amazed at how so many people still lived on this ancient site where more than 1/2 of the city are built on ancient ruins and temples. Mussolini himself covered 1/3 of the Roman forum with one of the buildings he built during his rule. A term that our tour guide, Debra, used a lot to describe Rome was "Roman Recycling" where some of the foundations of buildings and other structures are built on top of old and ancient foundations. It was surreal seeing the contrast between the modern world and the ancient world that still remained within the city.
My family and I in front of the Roman Colosseum (If you're wondering what those blue tooth-looking things are on our ears-they are headphones that the tour guides used throughout the week so we could all hear what they were saying over the crowd and other tourists)
This was taken in Saint Peter's Square after the Pope's blessing. When we visited it was Palm Sunday and instead of distributing palms, in Italy olive branches are given out. We got a chance to get some blessed olive branches. This is where I saw the Pope! There were so many people in the Square. The Vatican is actually its own country so it has it's own different post system as well.
This is in the Piazza San Navona where there are several cafes and the beautiful Fountain of the Four Rivers is located. We stopped to have some delicious gelati (Italian for ice cream).
This is my brother and I in front of the Pantheon. It's actually a church and it's famous for its dome with a hole in the middle that lets sunlight (and rain) in. The first king of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel II is buried there, as well as Raphael, one of the painters of Saint Peter's Basilica. The dome itself was amazing and one of the coolest sites to see in Rome.
The Trevi Fountain where I flipped a coin backward for good luck!
Almost all of these famous Roman sites are close to each other. My family and I walked from Saint Peter's Basilica to the Trevi Fountain. On the way we also saw Castle D'Angelo, a fortress castle where the Pope used to reside in times of war and conflict. On the way there were so many shops and I bought several souvenirs and postcards. The weather was beautiful and there were so many tourists already.
That night was the unfortunate earthquake in L'Aquila, a town located in the center of Italy. I woke up at around 3 or 4 in the morning to my bed and everything around me moving. It honestly felt like someone was shaking me awake. Rome only felt half of what L'Aquila felt and thank goodness nobody was hurt. Touring around Italy I could see the importance of a small, medieval town like L'Aquila. So many precious buildings, architecture, and art have been damaged throughout the country due to natural disasters like earthquakes. I especially pray for everyone who was affected by the earthquake.
The next day we got to go into the Vatican Museum, see the Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter's Basilica. Saint Peter's Basilica is the largest basilica and has the largest dome in the world. It can house 60,000 people. Many popes are buried there including Saint Peter himself. In the Vatican museum we got to walk through the corridor connecting the buildings which the Popes used. Now it's simply a museum that tourists can walk through. There are several series of corridors-corridors of sculptures, tapestries, geographical maps of Italy made out of mosaics. Before we went inside the Basilica we saw the Sistine Chapel and I got to feast my eyes on the Creation of David by Michelangelo. Personally, I really liked "The Last Judgment" a lot more and I liked the story behind it. I was amazed at how much work Michelangelo did. He painted upright for 15 straight hours for 4 years. I recommend watching the movie "The Agony and the Ecstasy" which shows the pain and obstacles Michelangelo had to endure while creating the Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel was recently renovated through a special technique developed by Japanese scientists. It allows for dirt to come off of these precious paintings without ruining the work itself. A wealthy Japanese commissioned the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel and owns all of the rights and images to the chapel. This is the reason why we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Chapel because of this copyright.
Inside Saint Peter's Basilica-I got to rub the foot of the sculpture of Saint Peter for good luck!
After visiting the Vatican Museum, we drove about two hours to Assisi located in the region of Umbria where Perugia is the capital. Assisi is where Saint Francis grew up and first started his mission and the Franciscan order. We got to see the church he first started preaching in and the beautiful basilica that was comissioned by the Pope. Hundreds of Franciscans are there to contemplate and give their service in the area where their founding father first started preaching. Assisi was the most peaceful place that we visited and it was my father's favorite. The basilica was beautiful and it actually had paintings of the artist, Cimabue, that I recently gave a presentation on in my Art History class. It was fascinating seeing all of the art and architecture that I just learned in my classes here in Malta. It definitely made the subject come alive and motivate me to study harder.
Our hotel was literally 70 meters away from the basilica itself. The town of Assisi is built on a hill and in medieval times it was considered a defensive standpoint so that the town could defend itself from neighboring city states. There was constant war between the cities and towns throughout Italy.
This is a statue of Saint Francis right outside of the basilica. You can see the beautiful view of the Umbrian countryside from the hilltop of Assisi.
I met one of my Italian friends, Mario, who is also studying at the University of Malta. He lives in Perugia which is only about 20 min. away. It was so cool seeing my friends in their home country.
After spending one night in Assisi, we drove up north and spent only one night in Venice. Venice, or Venezia, is built on a huge marshland and there are two main areas. The entire city is made up of hundreds of island each connected by footbridges. Cars do not exist in Venice, instead, only boats. Everything you could think of is a boat. The taxi is a boat, the public transportation is a boat, the garbage truck is a boat, even a hearse is a boat. The whole city depends upon the boats and almost everything is more expensive because of the extra cost of shipping from the mainland.
We were lucky enough to actually stay in a hotel located in Venice and not on the maesta, or the mainland. The first thing we did when we arrived in Venice was go on a gondola ride! It was amazing and so beautiful. We got to see the narrow corridors and facades of houses from the boats and our gondolier even sang (I think it was because he just got married).
After the gondola ride, we had the chance to see a glass demonstration. Venetian glass is very expensive and very rare since there are only 15 glass masters who still work in Venice. We walked around beautiful St. Mark's Square in front of the basilica and the palace where the king used to reside. Venice was packed with tourists. I wish we had more time to see the beauty of Venice. I wanted to see the art and go inside St. Mark's basilica, but we really had no time. We got to walk around for a bit and I bought a Carnevale mask. Carnevale is huge in Venice and it's the hot spot of Italy during that time.
Before going to our hotel, we drank bellinis (a drink made up of champagne and peach juice) in front of a live band outside in St. Mark's Square. (yes, I'm wearing my Carnevale mask, and yes, it's peach colored)
Going underneath the Rialto bridge on the Grand Canal
The next day was my 21st birthday and we had to leave Venice (so sad) . We drove to Tuscany where Florence is the capital. Tuscan real estate prices have more than tripled ever since the book and later movie Under the Tuscan Sun came out. It's ridiculously expensive to buy a rundown non functional farm house and renovate it to a beautiful house. As much as I would love to live in Italy, it would not be in Tuscany. However the landscape is beautiful.
We stopped by for lunch at a local vineyard, Fattoria il Poggio, where our tour guide knew the cook and asked her to make home made pasta. I think the best meal I had in Italy was here where we got to see the vineyard (the grapes weren't growing yet) and see the olive presses and how they made olive oil. We were served sun dried tomatoes, bruschetta, and salami for starters. Then we had the amazing home made pasta. We also had six bottles of wine on each table and got to learn and taste the different kinds of wine made in Italy. At the end of the dinner, they surprised me with a birthday cake and song. I felt to special!
How fitting that it was my 21st Birthday. I think the reason why I fell in love with Italy so much was because all the food was so good!
Right outside the vineyard (When I go to Italy, I will definitely make plans to come back here)
After lunch, we headed off to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. We only had an hour there so I didn't get a chance to see the church and the baptistry. Instead we used up our time taking the cliche tourist pictures. They were hilarious to pose for...
Needless to say, my birthday was amazing. Later on that evening, we ate dinner at our hotel and I had another birthday cake that was a lot bigger and I could share it with the rest of my fellow tourists. It felt like I was celebrating my birthday every day that we were there because we did so much and it felt like an ongoing party.
The next day we drove to Florence, or Firenze, considered the birth place of the Italian language because of Dante. Firenze is so called after the flower, and the fleur de lis is the sign of the city. There is so much beautiful art and architecture from the Renaissance here. It was probably one of my favorite cities after Rome. While we were there we saw a leather demonstration (there is a lot of awesome shopping to do in Florence). We also saw the church of S. Croce, the beautiful dome of S. Maria Maggiore and of course, saw David by Michelangelo.
In front of one of the beautiful, colorful churches decorated in the Tuscan style
The beautiful dome of S. Maria Maggiore
During our free time we went to the museums and I had the chance to see more art pieces that I'm learning about in my art history course. Florence is a city of museums and we only had time to see the Bargello and the Museum of the Works of the Duomo. I think the best part of Firenze was seeing David and learning more about Michelangelo. Throughout the whole tour, I got to see 3 out of the 4 pietas that Michelangelo started. The first and most famous one was in Saint Peter's Basilica which Michelangelo sculpted when he was only 23! The last pieta that Michelangelo was working on when before he died is located in the Museum of the Works of the Duomo.
Showing my SPC spirit-there were peacock sculptures in the Bargello!
In front of the Founatin of Zeus which was commissioned by the Medicis to show their power against the Republic of Firenze (symbolized by the statue of David). The Medicis was a powerful family who ruled in Florence for a rocky 300 years (1400s-1700s).
The statue of David used to be in front of City Hall, this fortress-like building but it got moved into the Accademia building where there's always a huge line of people waiting to go inside and see David. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures of the David but it was massive! I didn't realize how big it was and it really is the "perfect man." I don't know how he did it, but David is absolutely beautiful.
The next day we left Tuscany to the southern part of Italy to Sorrento where Naples, or Napoli is the capital. The temperature was a little bit warmer in the south and the atmosphere was definitely a lot warmer and friendlier. That day was Good Friday and my family and I witnessed a procession that was a little bit eery. The only participants in the procession were men and little boys in black clothing and pointed hoods. It was obviously to remember the Passion of Christ but it was a little bit frightening seeing the morbid costumes. All of the roads were blocked and the processions went on for hours.
It was also in Sorrento where we got to eat authentic margherita pizza and it was delicious. The next day we took a ferry to the island of Capri just off of the coast of Sorrento. It's a big vacation spot, especially for English tourists. Caesar himself visited Capri as a summer spot. Capri reminded me so much of Malta, except a smaller and more posh one. There was a lot of expensive shopping there but the landscape was beautiful, especially with all of the flowers blooming.
On our boat ride (we went through that!)
The beautiful wisteria plants that were in bloom throughout Italy (I'm planting one at my home back in the states as soon as I get a chance)
After Capri, we drove along the Amalfi coast where the road is literally on the edge of the cliffs. The road has hundreds of curves because it literally hugs the cliffs. It was a little bit scary but the view of the coast was spectacular. We visited the town of Positano where the houses are literally built on top of each other. It's located and built that way for protection purposes. Positano was protected by the mountains from internal forces. A little bit like Venice, Positano has very few cars. Indeed, it's actually quite expensive to have a car and there's literally no space to park. Instead the streets are simply sidewalks and stairs that connect the houses.
The beautiful view of the Amalfi coastline
I'm not lying when I say that the lemons grown around Sorrento are as huge as melons! Everything here in this peninsula is about lemons. There are lemon candies, lemon chocolate, and of course an alcoholic drink called limoncello. The lemon chocolate was delicious. The huge lemons only grow during the springtime and we were lucky to see them with our own eyes.
My brother and I on the Positano beach. The beach didn't have sand, instead it was made up of smooth rocks.
The view of Positano from the shoreline
Eating dinner at our five-star hotel back in Sorrento where our waiter was really friendly and the star system really does not mean the same thing as back in the States
After we visited Sorrento, we made the last few stops on our journey. Before heading back to Rome we stopped by Pompeii near Mount Vesuvius (which was huge). I've always read about Pompeii in my history textbooks, can recite the history of the town, destroyed in 79 A.D. blah blah blah. I knew about the history, but I never realized how massive the site was! You could spend days just walking down all of the streets of the deserted city. It was amazing and a little bit scary knowing that Mount Vesuvius could erupt at any time because it's still an active volcano. We learned a lot about the city, like how there was fast food on the main streets and we also visited a brothel with some erotic frescoes. (Nothing new, eh?). We also saw some of the bodies found in the city when it was excavated. The site was astounding and I really couldn't believe how preserved everything was.
On the stepping stones used to cross the street in ancient Pompeii-you could even see the rut marks from the wagons!
Pompeii was one of the last sites we visited before we went to Rome for our farewell dinner. I left for Malta the day after and my family left for the states. I had an amazing time with them in Italy and it was sad to leave them. When I arrived back in Malta about two hours later I was more homesick than I felt before when I first left home. I can't wait to see them again in June. My parents gave me the best birthday present-seeing me in Europe and visiting the most amazing sights of Italy.
After this trip I can appreciate the beautiful culture of Italy that truly extends throughout history and has seeped into many different cultures. I loved the food, the people, and the countryside. I plan to visit Italy again in the future. But for now, ciao!
Coming up next:
How I spent the rest of my Easter Break
A Day in the Life of an Exchange Student
and.......Egypt to come!!!!!!
It's almost the end of March and I've had the busiest month. I've had three presentations these past two weeks plus a trip to Sweden and my best friend got to visit me in Malta! Tomorrow is another national holiday for Malta, the Feast of St. Joseph so nobody has school. Easter Break starts on Thursday for me and I'm so excited because I'm leaving for Italy! My family is meeting me there and we're touring around the entire country for ten days. With all of my schoolwork done, I'm eagerly anticipating for the end of school. It's also been getting a lot warmer here in Malta and I can't wait to go to the beach soon.
Classes haven't been too hard. We've been meeting once a week and there's very little homework. I had a few presentations, though. I had one presentation in Art History on an Early Renaissance Italian painter named Cimabue, in Feminism and Anthropology I examined the contrast in women's fashion between the Gibson Girl and the Flapper and finally in Western European history I presented on the Italian Risorgimento. I think I did well on my presentations. Two of these presentations are the only criteria I get graded on the entire semester so I hope I got good grades.
Since I last blogged I've been able to explore more of the island. On the last week in February a few friends and I went to Kalkara where the Mediterranean Film Studio is located. The MFS has two of the largest water tanks in Europe and films like Troy and Gladiator get shot there to make it look as if the scene is filmed in the middle of the ocean when they're really on the water tanks. Unfortunately it wasn't open to the public but we got to see the tanks and watched the waves crash onto the rocks by the shore.
My friend Cassandra and I
Intense waves!
On March 1 and yesterday, March 29, the entire residence was invited to go on a hike along the coast of Malta. On the first hike we walked around 7 km from Popeye Village to Golden Bay Beach. Popeye Village is the set where the movie Popeye, starring Robin Williams, was filmed. The set was never taken down and now it's used as a tourist attraction. We walked the entire coast, over rocks and cliffs. It was really intense rock climbing but the view was absolutely beautiful. We ended at Golden Bay and I got to dip my feet into the chilly Mediterranean again. There were about 113 students who went on the hike and one of the people who works at the residence, Ray, was our guide. Ray is an endearing man in his fifties who knows all about the island and with his sense of humor is interesting to talk to.
Popeye Village
Our beautiful view
Rock Climbing
I'm lovin this
Flying At Golden Bay!
Yesterday, Ray took us on a second hike on the Dhingli Clfifs-the highest point in Malta. Although it was cloudy and a little bit rainy, the hike was gorgeous. We walked around 20 km and I'm was exhausted! The view was amazing, as always. I dont't think I could ever get tired of seeing the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean.
Dhingli Cliffs
With my lovely roommates threatening to push me off.....
On March 8 we celebrated Women's Day at the Residence. Women's Day is the day for all women and men are supposed to give them flowers. It's not celebrated in the US but it's big in the rest of Europe. I like to think of it as a day for single women since other women have Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Some of the Italian girls from Sardinia made home made pasta and we also baked a delicious pear cake. I wish this day was big in America.
Rolling the pasta into noodle shapes
On March 13-May 17 my best friend Casey from back home came to visit me in Malta on her spring break. I was so excited! Having a friend visit gives me an excuse to see all of the tourist spots in Malta that I haven't been able to visit yet. We packed in a lot of sites in the four days she was here. The weekend she visited was probably the best weather that we had in March. On the other weekends it was still chilly or rainy. We were definitely lucky that the weather cooperated for us.
On the first day I showed her Valletta, the capital of the island, where we had gelato and then later on at night we went to Paceville, the night club capital of the island. In Paceville there are tons of nightclubs and the drinking age is here in Malta is 18.
In Valletta
At a night club in Paceville
The next day, we visited the Hypogeum, this sacred burial site that was built before the pyramids in about 3000 BC and was discovered and excavated around the 1950s. It was discovered when a house was being built on top of the excavation site and now there's an entire foundation built on the Hypogeum to regulate the temperature and ensure that it's preserved. It's one of the most unique sites on the island of Malta. Only about 70 visitors can visit the Hypogeum to reduce the damage of the carbon dioxide emitted from tourists. So we had to buy tickets well in advance. It was so interesting learning about the ancient history of Malta, much of which is still unknown. The site was used to bury the people in mass graves and a place for sacrifices as well (not human sacrifices, though). After that, we visited the Tarxien Temples, a five minute walk away, which was a place used to make offerings. It was built in the same sort of style as the Hypogeum but it's still out in the open and not as fragile.
We couldn't take pictures inside the Hypogeum, but we took a lot of pictures at the Tarxien Temples
On the third day, I took Casey to the Sunday fish market in the fishing village of Marxaslokk. That was her absolute favorite part of the trip because we got to see the local fishing boats on the shore. We bought some cheap souvenirs and ate some seafood at a local restaurant. After Marxaslokk, we visited Blue Grotto, one of the most amazing views of Malta and the wonders of nature. We took a boat that took us into the sea caves and I didn't know the water could look so amazingly blue. I think that was my favorite part of the weekend. Close to the Blue Grotto is another temple site called Hagar Qim, similar to the Tarxien Temples.
With an old-fashioned (but still functional) Maltese bus
The wonders of nature: Blue Grotto
The water was so clear!
On the boat
The next day we visited a total of four cathedrals, one museum, and visited catacombs. We started out in Mdina, the Medieval city of Malta that was built by the Phoenicians. It's called the "Silent City" because it's entirely enclosed by a huge stone wall. It used to be a strategic point for armies because 3/4 of the island can be seen from the walls. People cannot drive their cars inside unless they live there and most of the residents are of the old Maltese nobility. Once enclosed in the walls of Mdina it truly is silent in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the island. It's one of my favorite towns of Malta and one of my travel books describes Mdina as "Malta at it's most photogenic." I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. Inside Mdina we walked around, visited the Cathedral Museum, and ate at one of the cafes there with an amazing view of the island. Casey ate her first pastizzi, this crumbly pastry filled with ricotta cheese, one of the local foods of Malta that everyone should try when they're on the island.
Entrance to Mdina
Mdina is famous for its hand blown glass
My Knight in Shining Armor
After Mdina, we went to Rabat, literally named as the "suburb" of Mdina. We visited St. Paul's Church, where there is a grotto built where St. Paul was meant to have stayed and preached on the island. St. Paul is the patron saint of the island because he was shipwrecked and converted the people to Christianity. There's a passage in the New Testament mentioning Malta in Acts of the Apostles: 23. After that, we went to St. Agatha's catacombs where St. Agatha stayed when she was in Malta. The catacombs were absolutely fascinating because there are frescoes painted on the wall in the 16th century and the bones excavated on the site still remain in their burial spot. St. Agatha's catacombs is also one of the only catacombs that remains intact because the Romans never really enforced their strict anti-Christian laws in Malta. There is still a circular "agape" table where families would eat. The ceilings are also low, not because the Maltese were short, but because people were supposed to bow their heads down in respect for the dead. Casey and I had never seen catacombs before and were really interested and impressed by them.
After that, we visited St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, one of the largest and most beautiful Cathedrals on Malta built by the Knights of St. John. In the Cathedral, two works by the famous artist Caravaggio, can be seen. The Cathedral has 8 chapels to signify the 8 main countries of the time that the Knights of St. John protected. The entire Cathedral is a palate of beautiful art, sculpture, and architecture. Everywhere you look there's a splash of color and richness. I want to attend mass there at least once before I leave Malta.
Inside St. John's Co-Cathedral
After a really quick lunch, we took the bus to Mosta where the Mosta Dome is. The Most Dome is the 3rd largest unsupported dome in Europe. It was so big! During WWII, a bomb was shot through the Dome where 300 people were having a prayer service. The bomb never went off and it was considered a great miracle. Malta experienced the brunt of WWII because it was a strategic point for the British in the Mediterranean Sea. Casey and I actually got the chance to hear mass inside the massive church and it was an amazing experience.
Mosta Dome
Malta is so rich in ancient history and has pride in it. Many of the places Casey and I visited were religious sites and I couldn't help but think that we were pilgrimmages, visiting the sites where saints walked and preached. I wish that my family could see this, especially my Dad, who is very religious and would love to see these sites. I was so sad when Casey had to leave but the next day I had two presentations and I left for Stockholm, Sweden!
Between March 18-March 22 I was in the Scandinavian country of Sweden. Eight of us went, including five Italians, one Polish, one English, and one American (me). We were definitely a diverse group and everywhere we went people would ask where we were from and amazed to find out that we were all friends from different countries. Stockholm was absolutely beautiful. Being in Malta for so long, you forget how big things can be. The architecture and facade of almost all of the buildings in Stockholm were unique and colorful. It was nothing like I've ever seen before. It didn't even feel like we were in the city because the air was so fresh and everything was clean. The public transportation is amazingly efficient and clean. However, everything was really expensive. The weather cooperated while we were there-it didn't rain or snow and it wasn't even too cold, although we had to bundle up a lot because we were used to the warm Maltese sun.
Most of the group on the steps of City Hall
Our hostel was located on the island of Lidingo, one of the nice parts of the city. Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden and is made up of tiny little islands that are connected by bridges. So we're always surrounded by water and every morning the water would freeze over. It was nice to be back in the cold weather.
Showing my Swedish pride
On the first day we walked around the city and visited City Hall. The next day we walked around Old Town where the Royal Palace is. Old Town was one of my absolute favorite places in Stockholm. The roads are still paved with cobblestones and it feels like a step back in time, walking around. We visited the Royal Palace, one of the largest, livable palaces in Europe. I was amazed by all of the granduer and wealth of the Swedish royal family. We also visited the treasury where we got to see some of the royal jewels. We spent our last night in Old Town where we found a Medieval pub where almost everyone was wearing period costumes and they served Medieval Swedish beer. People were also playing instruments and the atmosphere was very relaxed. We met two Swedish guys there who answered all of my questions about Sweden. I wish I knew more about Swedish history and the Royal family (It's on my TO DO list right now, actually).
Walking around Old Town
I love these buildings
Touristy picture inside a phonebooth
Watching the Swedish Royal Guard
We also visited the Nobel Museum. Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Peace Prize, was from Stockholm. He invented dynamite and had factories all over the world. When he died, in his will, most of his fortune went to the Nobel Peace Prize. He wrote down the criteria and information about the prize. I had never known the history and process of the Nobel Peace Prize and was fascinated. The museum had an exhibition on Freedom of the Press. It was interesting reading and seeing a museum that is not written from an American perspective. Every year the Nobel Peace Prize is given in Stockholm in an elaborate ceremony where the Royal Family attends and the prize winners all visit the museum and autograph a chair in the museum's cafe.
In front of Nobel Museum
On the last day we visited the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a ship built around the 1620s by the Swedish King Gustav to fight Poland. Unfortunately the balance of the ship was incorrect and the ship sank on its maiden voyage in the harbor of Stockholm. The ship was found and excavated in the 1960s and it's fully restored today for everybody to see in the Museum. The ship was massive and the museum was one of the most interesting museums I've visited. I got to learn more about Swedish history. We read about the sailor's lives and the life of an average person in 17th century Stockholm.
Beautiful Vasa Ship
Medieval Costumes
The whole group with our new Swedish friends
Never in my dreams would I have ever chosen to visit Stockholm, Sweden. Now I can't wait until I can go back and get to see more of the city. There are two islands that we never got to see and the shopping in Stockholm is great. I had no idea that H&M and Ikea are both stores that originated in Sweden. I also want to visit the rest of the Royal Palaces in the countryside and see a moose-there were so many souvenirs with moose on them! The Swedish guys we met told us that the Germans love to go to Sweden and see the moose, although they have no idea why. I also bought some Swedish meatballs and they were delicious. The Swedish people were all very kind and courteous. Even the bus drive smiled at us in the mornings. It was also interesting being the only American traveling in a group of Europeans. I got to learn a lot about different cultures, especially Italian. I learned an Italian song "Bella Ciao" that was written against fascism. Stockholm is definitely one of my favorite memories here so far. None of us wanted to go back to Malta.
My friend Tina (from England) and I. We both loved Stockholm
The week we came back from Malta, I had my last presentation the following Tuesday. I basically used the last week to catch up on work and sleep. Now I'm just eagerly waiting for Easter Break.
I've also bought a ticket to Egypt and I'll be visiting the country for a week in May! I'm so excited and cannot believe how lucky and blessed I am right now. I never thought that I'd be able to see all of these countries in one semester! Once again, one of the greatest experiences that studying abroad has to offer. I've gotten really close to my roommates for the past few weeks. We've been sharing each other food from our different cultures, sharing anecdotes, and comparing our cultures. But mostly we've gotten to know each other better. I can't wait to visit everyone in their home countries. When I go back home I want to save money and just travel, travel, travel whenever I have the chance. It's so easy and a lot cheaper to visit countries here in Europe. I wish it was the same way in America. I'm trying to make the most out of my proximity to all of these countries while I'm here.
Singing karaoke with my flatmates
So lesson of the day: STUDY ABROAD so you can travel to even more countries!
In blogs to come: My trip to Italy....and later Egypt!
A picture of the colorful boats of Malta
It's only been the fourth week of classes here in Malta and I feel like I've been here for longer than that. I'm getting used to my subjects and I haven't gotten lost on campus since the first week which is a good sign. I already have to work on three presentations, gah! But I'm taking an Introduction to Sculpture class and we just finished making heads out of clay. The next time we meet we'll be creating sculptures out of rock, I'm so excited! I have plans to create a peacock sculpture-I'm hoping it won't look like a turkey.
A lot of my classes interrelate to one another. I'm taking a Medieval Europe class which complements my Scripture of the Mediterranean anthropology class. We're learning about the Arabic world and Islam in both of them. One of my English classes, Gender and Power, is similar to my Feminism and Anthropology class. One of my most interesting classes is Children's Literature where we've been examining fairy tales and a sense of nostalgia comes whenever we talk about popular children's books. I'm really enjoying most of my classes so far, although some courses are more tedious than others.
The weather hasn't been too nice in Malta. It's been raining a lot and very chilly. It's a wet cold, a different cold from the Northeastern USA type of cold but it still induces the same type of feeling. Almost everyone here is sick/is getting sick and I am one of them, unfortunately. But no worries, I'm sure I'll feel better in a few days. In Malta none of the buildings here are centrally heated because winters are generally mild. I really can't wait until the temperature gets warmer.
I'm getting used to cooking for myself now. At SPC I'm used to relying on my meal plan and going to the cafeteria whenever I don't feel like cooking. Almost all of the stores here in Malta close by noon or early afternoon and everything is closed on Sundays. Supermarkets aren't prevalent, either, mostly just mini food stores and pharmacies are located throughout the villages. Fortunately for us there's a big supermarket only a 10-minute walk away from the residence and they deliver if you spend a certain amount of groceries. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of Asian spices/products so my parents sent me some spices so I can cook some Filipino food. I miss Filipino, Chinese, and Thai food a lot! There's a lot of Italian dishes that are served here. Restaurant food hasn't been too different, they just taste a little differently. For example, cole slaw is always put on hamburgers. Food servings at the restaurants are all so big, though. I have to watch how much I eat...
But I've been keeping busy, especially on the weekends. Every Sunday there's always a fair in Valletta and Marxaslokk, a tiny fishing village on the eastern side of Malta. But they start early in the morning and stop around noon so you have to wake up early in order to see all of the good merchandise. Two Sundays ago my roommate and I went to Marxaslokk. It took about half an hour to get there, but it was worth it. The market was right by the water and there was so much to buy! It's like going to a flea market in the States. There was so much food, seafood, and other merchandise. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold and I'd rather do food shopping here than at the supermarket. I spent so much on random items and nothing was too pricey at all! After we were done shopping, we ate at a seafood restaurant and I had salmon.
SEAFOOD!
With my roommate, Ikue
This past weekend was Karnival, a 5 day festival celebrated before the beginning of Lent, which starts today, Ash Wednesday. Every year there's a big celebration in village of Nadur on Gozo, the other little island that is part of Malta. It takes about two hours to get there from the residence including a 25-minute ferry boat ride from the mainland. Gozo is the island where the famous Blue Grotto and Calypso's cave are located. I haven't visited those places yet because it's too cold but I'll be sure to visit before June.
Karnival here is like Halloween in the States. Everyone is dressed up in ridiculous costumes and it's basically a party in the street. There are vendors selling all kinds of treats and toys. I really wish I brought my costume if I had known about Karnival before. It was basically like a big party on the streets.
The beautiful sunset on the ferry to Gozo
The ferry we travelled on
So excited to be on the ferry....at least I am
My friend Lisa and I ate this amazing chocolate cake from one of the vendors
There were so many costumes I took a pic of, but I love the Guy Fawkes costumes
Last Sunday we went to Valletta to visit the Sunday market there and to continue celebrating Karnival. The capital city was alive with so many people. The children were all wearing the cutest costumes and there were huge colorful floats there.
Karnival at Valletta!
One of the beautiful floats
I've only been to one Maltese mass here so far. Maltese is different from any language I've ever listened to. It's about 60% Arabic with a lot of Italian influence. I can't understand any of it which makes me frustrated. It's always interesting attending Catholic churches in different countries. The format is exactly the same, although it's celebrated in different languages. All of the churches here are a lot older and it's different from attending the fairly new churches in the US.
This weekend we're planning on going to Mdina, a Medieval city that has been kept intact since it was built. We're also going on a hike! I just hope that the weather cooperates. More pictures and another blog to come soon!
So I have arrived in Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean safe and sound. The flight took about 9 hours, not including the 5 hour wait in Germany because the flight crew went on strike. I was really nervous leaving because I've never traveled by myself and I had no idea where I was going. This is my first time being in Europe. I met really nice people on the airplane, actually and the food wasn't so bad. I just didn't get enough sleep.
View of the coast from Valletta
I stayed in the capital of Malta, Valletta, on my first night. I was so excited about being in a different country but the jet lag caught up with me and I slept pretty early that first night.
The next day I went to the University Residence in Lija and I couldn't move into my room yet so they moved me into a 5-Star hotel for the weekend, free of charge. We had Orientation on Friday, we moved into the Residence on Sunday and classes started that Monday.
I've met a lot of people already. The entire University Residence is inhabited by international students. I live in an apartment with Italians, French, and my roommate is Japanese. The Italians have got me hooked into eating Nutella-this chocolate spread with hazelnuts. It's amazing! I think they're also sold in the US but it was my first time trying it here and now I eat it all the time. The Italians also make fun of what I eat for breakfast. They don't think that eggs should be eaten so early in the day but I love my over easy eggs in the morning! I get a meal stipend here to compensate having a meal plan and I cook all of my meals. I feel like my summer in Washington, D.C. was a preparation for studying abroad. Now I'm used to cooking for myself and I'm learning new recipes from the other girls.
There are also a lot of students from the US here but I'm the only one from New Jersey. I love hearing all of the different accents and languages. Many of the students are studying in Malta to improve their English. As for me, I'm learning new words in Italian every day and I'm helping my suitemates with their English as well.
Taking classes here are SO confusing. I'm never going to take the US system for granted again. None of the class times and locations are posted online. Instead, we have to go to their department on campus and look up the timetables. Some of the classes I wanted to sign up for didn't even have a time and location yet. But I have officially signed up for classes and I'm taking 30 ECTS (European Transfer Credit System), about 10 classes.
European classes are different from the US standard college system. Classes only meet for 1 or 2 hours per week and they grade you based on either an assessment or a test. There are no mid-terms, midterm papers, or anything. I'm so used to a class meeting at least twice a week. It's hard for me to sit in a 2-hour lecture. But it's a new experience and I don't have classes on Thursday and Friday.
I've gotten lost so many times, walked into so many wrong classes and embarrassed myself. I feel like a freshman all over again. The University campus is a lot bigger than SPC and more confusing.
Everything in Malta is tiny! Malta is the most densely populated country in Europe. There are stray cats everywhere and I have yet to spot a Maltese dog. The main mode of transportation here is by bus and everyone is bilingual and friendly. Maltese food consists of rabbit, horse meat, and seafood. The language is also different from anything I've seen before. It's 60% Arabic with Sicilian and Italian influences. Malta is exactly like a sandcastle. The houses have beautiful balconies and doorknobs.
The weather is actually quite chilly here. (I've been trying to convert Celsius into Fahrenheit but I always forget. At the end of 6 months I'll be an expert on the metric system). The Mediterranean sea is so beautiful and so clear and blue. It's cold but I've been able to put my feet in it. It actually hailed two nights ago. The weather changes every so often here, it rains for one hour, then it's sunshine the next. I'm not complaining though, Malta seems to be the warmest country compared to the rest of Europe and the US.
The first weekend we went out to Paceville, the nightclub capital of Malta where so many people go to have a good time. We went bowling and toured the San Anton Gardens (right outside the President of Malta's house).
My friends take a little dip in the Mediterranean
At the San Anton Gardens-I believe the building behind us is where the President lives
PEACOCK in the gardens!!!
I found this Peacock store in Valletta
In front of our 5-Star Hotel
Bowling! This is Ikue, my roommate
Waiting in the lobby of the hotel before we moved into the Residence
The view from the BALCONY in my ROOM!!
The British occupied Malta until the 1940s so there is a lot of British influence still apparent in the country. Restaurants offer English breakfasts (eggs, bacon, etc.) and there are still some phone booths, like this one, around the country.
This past weekend we went to Valletta and took the ferry to Sliema, a big tourist spot on the coast that's great for shopping. We also saw a movie, Bride Wars, in Valletta.
Taking the ferry from Valletta to Sliema
Touching the Mediterranean!
Behind some sculpture we found on the coast
Last Tuesday was a public holiday in Malta, St. Paul's Shipwreck. St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta on the way from Jerusalem to Rome. 98% of the country is Catholic and there are 365 churches in the country-one for every day. We had no classes and went to Valletta where there was a parade. The weather was absolutely beautiful that day and we soaked up the sun by Fort St. Elmo-the fortress of the capital.
My friend Linzi and I (she's from Ireland) by Fort St. Elmo
In front of the beautiful blue Mediterranean
Scenic take
Decorations on the street to celebrate St. Paul's
A Valletta street at night. There are so many small alleys with small stores in the capital. It takes less than a day to see everything in Valletta
Last night we went to a football match: Malta vs. Albania. I have never seen a national soccer game before. It was freezing! There weren't too many people who went but it was a good time with the International students and coffee to warm myself up. A marching band was playing and we learned new chants: "Viva Malta, viva Malta, hey hey!" The game ended in a tie: Albania: 0 Malta: 0
GO MALTA!
I'm really enjoying my time so far and I've had so many memories already. I wish everyone could study abroad for one semester. It's an amazing experience, meeting people from different countries and being an American abroad really changes your perspective. I'm so thankful for being able to travel and arriving here safely in Malta. This country is beautiful. It's hard because I really do miss SPC and all of the clubs and events I'm missing. I miss all of my family and friends as well. I won't let myself get homesick because I know it won't do me any good. But I've been having a wonderful time and can't wait for the months to come.
I'm finally leaving for Malta tomorrow! I wanted to update before I leave because I've been keeping busy on and off campus. It seems that I can't stay away from Saint Peter's too long. Classes started for everyone else on January 14 and I start next week!
This break I've been visiting a lot of my friends and spending more time with my family. I drove to north Jersey to visit my friend from college, Mae. She took me around her hometown and we had a blast. I'm really going to miss her when I leave for Malta.
With Mae
My girlfriends from high school had a last get together before we left to go back to college. We always have a "Fab Fest" every year and this time we ate at PF Changs. It was nice seeing everyone again. I honestly can't believe that it's been three years since high school already but it's good to know that I still keep in touch with many of my friends from back home.
With a few of my friends from back home
Before classes started at SPC we had our annual Pavo training for our new tour guide members. This year it was from Jan. 11-13 and we all had such a good time! There are eight new Pavo members ready to be certified and give tours of the college to all the prospective students. Including giving tours of the campus, we had outside speakers talk to us like Art Youmans, Director of Campus Safety and Fr. Braden, who talked about the Jesuits and their role on campus. As part of our team building, we bowled as well and I think I've improved from last year, I hope. We finished our training with a graduation dinner and all the old Pavos were invited to share the evening with us.
As an outgoing E-Board member it was a joy to work with the Pavo Society, planning training and everything! I will definitely miss it when I'm away, especially dancing the "Peacock Shuffle." Congratulations to our new E-Board members, two of whom, Nicole and Barza, will be blogging as well!
Our bowling team!
Lucky Charms, M&Ms, Daddy, and Shorty
Eating Dinner
Our new Pavo members!
I have a story about this scarf-my friend Veronica travelled to Spain and Portugal as one of the study abroad classes offered at SPC. She saw this Peacock scarf in Barcelona and brought it back for me! I love it so much and I'm bringing it with me to Malta. Thanks Veronica!
After Pavo training I had to go back home :( But it was OK because for the first time in two years I got to celebrate my brother's birthday. I also had a Farewell Dinner the following Sunday with my extended family.
Last Tuesday, January 20 was President Obama's Inauguration Day. I was (and always will be) proud of being an American. It's fascinating to think that he spoke at our college only last year. I wish him luck and give him my prayers.
I spent the day with my friend Casey, in New York City. We watched the Inauguration Ceremony together and then we proceeded to the Museum of Sex and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I wanted to spend some time with my best friend from home in the City before I leave. The Museum of Sex only contained three exhibitions, one of which was about animal behavior. I thought it was interesting but I felt that there could have been better topics and more historical aspects. After that we visited the Met, only the second time I've been there since starting college. It always amazes me with how huge the Museum is and how much there is to see. I loved seeing the Japanese Garden and French bedrooms.
My best friend Casey-she's actually visiting me in Malta in March! I'm so excited!
In front of the heiroglyphics
Last Thursday, January 23 I travelled to Washington, D.C. with my dad and our church parish to take part in the annual Pro-Life March. This celebrates the anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision that overturned anti-abortion laws in all states. I personally believe that all babies have a right to be born and that life startes from the moment of conception. President Obama has promoted the "Freedom of Choice Act" which will allow abortion, including partial birth abortion. Although I support the President, I am vehemently against this act.
Please read more about this act on this link: http://www.fightfoca.com/
There were about 400,000 marchers who were in Washington, D.C. to protest abortion. I was proud to be of them.
My Dad and I at the National Basilica
This was the first time I've visited D.C. since interning there this summer and I really miss it.
At the March going to Capitol Hill
Finally, this past weekend I was able to go on the Chorale Retreat even though I'm leaving. I was so happy to be spending my last weekend in the US with all of my good friends on a retreat. We travelled to a retreat house in New York and learned new songs and bonded together. Our theme for this semester is: Songs of Conflict. We will be singing any songs with conflict for our Spring Concert in March. I will miss being part of the Chorale this year too...
With my friends Kate and Mae on the way to the retreat house
Some of the Sopranos
Last week I also donated my hair to Locks of Love. I cut ten inches off because I wanted a new look for Malta and do it for a good cause as well.
Look at my new haircut:
The weather in New Jersey has been very cold since Christmas. I honestly can't wait to be in Malta where the climate is a great deal warmer than here. I leave tomorrow and I'm so nervous and excited! I've said my good-byes and will miss everyone and everything at SPC. When I come back I'll have plenty of stories to share.
Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to everyone!
December was a busy month for me at SPC. We had about three weeks of school left, including a week of finals. It was hard balancing my extracurricular activities with my studies, but somehow I pulled through.
When we got back from Thanksgiving, the McMullen Chorale was preoccupied preparing for our first Christmas Concert on December 4. We always sang before the Christmas Tree lighting on campus the years before, but this year we actually got to sing in Roy Irving Theater and the Lighting Ceremony followed outside in the quad with refreshments in McIntyre afterwards. We sang traditional Christmas songs, two beautiful Hebrew songs, and a few soloists sang their hearts out. Many people came to see us even though the weather wasn't really cooperating. Fr. O'Brien blessed the tree and Dr. Cornacchia and Joe Ferraro, Student Senate president both spoke as well. Our first Christmas Concert was a success and I can only imagine next year's performance.
My camera died right before the concert-this was the only picture I took before :(
The first weekend of December I helped lead yet another retreat, Koinonia VII. The five student leaders and I have been busy all semester planning for this weekend. It was a busy weekend. We all got to know a great deal about each other and shared each other's personal stories of overcoming obstacles. I only wish that more people went on this retreat, but it was definitely a success.
On the last day of the retreat
Student Leaders
As soon as we got back from the retreat, I had to focus on writing papers and preparing for finals during the week. Not to mention all of the Secret Santa and Christmas Dinners....
AASU had the last meeting on Monday, December 8 with our annual Christmas party and Secret Santa. We played musical chairs (no joke when playing with college students), a potluck dinner, and had fun spending a few hours with each other before the semester ended.
The 2007-2008 AASU E-Board reunite!
My Secret Santa gave me the perfect gift-a travel guide to Malta complete with a map!
The following day, the Pavo Society had its end of the year dinner with a White Elephant gift exchange afterwards. It was my first time doing this-basically people can steal each other's gifts or open new gifts that haven't been picked yet. I was lucky enough to pick Cheryl's gift and she surprised me with a $50 Visa Giftcard! We ate dinner in downton Jersey City at an Asian restaurant called Grand Banks-the sushi and meals were all very tasty.
The Pavos with our final gifts!
The next day was the last day of classes and the first Winter Formal held in McIntyre Lounge and sponsored by all of the Classes. The tickets were all sold out and McIntyre was decorated into a Winter Wonderland. I had a lot of fun dancing one last time for the semester.
Our Table
With my lovely friends
In front of the sign
The next day was reading day-nobody had classes, instead this day is dedicated to hard work and studying (or sleeping in....)
The McMullen Chorale did their community service early in the morning at the A. Harry Moore School for special needs children. We sing for the children every year and it's so great to bring Christmas joy to the teachers and students.
With the children
The last weekend of the semester was another busy weekend. On Saturday, Dec. 13, SPC Basketball had its double-header against Seton Hall. Unfortunately we lost, but we did put up a good fight and it was great fun cheering along with other SPC students and getting free t-shirts and towels!
The Men
Peacock fans!
Later on that evening I had the privilege to see my history professor, Dr. Rabin, sing at Carnegie Hall with the St. Cecilia Chorus. A few other SPC professors are members of this chorus as well. Every semester the Chorus raises funds to have special student tickets for college students to attend their events. I've been attending these concerts since freshman year and I love it every time. This time the Chorus performed Handel's Messiah , a piece famous for its rendition of "Alleluia." Many SPC students attended to support our professors and to enjoy the classic music.
In front of Carnegie Hall
The city is beautiful during the holiday season. After the concert we saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
With Veronica in front of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree
The following week, it was down to business. The end of the Fall semester is always a lot of fun because of all of the Christmas ceremonies, dinners, and gift exchanges. But it's SO hard to concentrate on writing final term papers and concentrating on actually studying. I spent my share in the library the last week. I'm actually very satisfied with the grades I received. Hard work always pays off in the end.
It was a little sad leaving campus-I had to pack up all of my stuff in my apartment because I won't be coming back next semester. I've been busy organizing all of my college stuff at home, figuring out which essentials to bring with me when I study abroad next semester.
I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with my friends and family. I can't imagine not seeing my family, especially my cousins, for the next six months. I hate saying Good-Bye. I always catch myself saying "I'll see you later" because saying good-bye just makes my departure more real. During the last mass of the semester, Campus Ministry was very kind giving me a last blessing before leaving to study abroad. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well-wishes. I'm sure I'll have a blast in Malta.
With my Secret Santa, my best friend Casey from high school-she also gave me awesome travel guides to Malta including a webcam
Spending Christmas with my family (and the dogs too)
My family
Last Monday my cousins and I went snowboarding for the first time. I've been recuperating from my bruises and aches since then-everything hurts! It was fun though. It didn't help that we didn't have any lessons, so we started snowboarding cold feet. The last hour and a half on the bunny hill we actually learned how to brake and stop. It wasn't so hard after that. Next time I'm definitely bringing knee pads and more water....
Many blessings for the upcoming year. Next time I update I'll most likely be in Malta....I can't wait!
Looking back on past blog entries, 2008 was another busy year full of firsts and excitement, and of course hope for the upcoming year.
I can't believe it's Holiday Season already! I was so excited to go home this weekend. I haven't been home since September and it was nice to see my family and eat home-cooked food again. Thanksgiving was celebrated at my cousin's in North Jersey. My family was ecstatic when I told them that I'm studying abroad next semester. I'm just sad that I won't be seeing anyone I know for the next six months.
Thanksgiving with my cousins
These past two weeks I've been busy writing term papers and keeping up with classes. There's only about a week and a half of actual classes left and finals start soon! The end of the semester is almost here, but I'm sure a lot will still be happening on campus.
Open House was November 15! About 600 people came and it was a great success! I helped with the Pavos giving tours to prospective students and their families. It was a rainy day but we kept our spirits up with big umbrellas and renditions of peacock dances. Students still have the chance to visit our campus if they missed Open House. They can also set up personal visits and actually sit in a class with one of our Pavos if they like. Just contact Admissions!
Group Pavo picture
Old Pavo E-Board + New E-Board with Cheryl our awesome advisor
Later on that same day the first basketball games of the season started for SPC. President Cornacchia and other professors came to support the Peacocks and then later on for the Peahens. I'm excited that basketball season has started because SPC students come together to see the games and it's exciting to watch. I hope we have a good season this year.
At the Basketball Game
Last weekend my friend Jonathan took me to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. I'm sure many of you have seen the museum from the movie Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller. The last time I was at the Museum of Natural History was holiday season with my family last year. The museum is so big that after two visits, there's still so much to see. I'm not sure what my favorite part of the exhibition was-probably seeing all of the artifacts like hominids and neanderthals that I'm learning in my evolution class. It was like watching my Evolution class come alive. I actually knew some of the facts about them too. It was also really nice to see the city getting ready for Christmas. I just hate that the weather is getting so cold. I hope it's a little warmer in Malta.
Jonathan and I in front of the Museum-Teddy Roosevelt's head got a little cut off
In front of an Easter Island statue replica-the kids were crazy about this one!
So this past weekend I had a very relaxing time with my family and friends. I had the chance to attend my Tito Gardie and Tita Joseline's (Uncle and Aunt's) 25th Anniversary Wedding. They renewed their vows after 25 years and I was so happy for them. During the wedding my Dad was one of the sponsors and put the cord around the couple-the cord symbolizes their everlasting love and unity through marriage and the Church.
Later on the reception was at the Hilton hotel. I got to see a lot of the second cousins I never get the chance to see anymore. They all got a lot bigger than when I last saw them. As with all Filipino weddings there was a great deal of line dancing and fun. I learned how to do the Chili Cha Cha and the Todo Todo. Needless to say, I love weddings and witnessing 25 years of marriage is a joy for me.
My family with the happy bride and groom
At the reception in front of the Christmas decorations
Dancing with my Dad at the reception
Last night my friends and I got together to have a second Thanksgiving with each other. We all brought left overs from home and finished them together. It was nice to actually see everyone-I haven't seen some of them since last May right before I left for Washington, D.C.
At the Dinner Table-I made half of these pilgrim hats!
Now it's back to school-I'll be going on a retreat this weekend called Koinonia. I'm really nervous/excited. It'll be the first time I'm leading on this retreat. I hope it goes well. The next time I blog will probably during finals....I better start studying....
My roommate, Jolie, Jacob, and I carved our own pumpkins!
So the last time I updated was right before mid-terms. Right now there are 6 weeks left in the semester and I'm busy with post-mid term papers. But besides that, I did really well on my mid-terms. All of my work and stress paid off, so now I'm just focused on keeping those grades up.
Politically, I'd like to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama. I was so excited to have voted in my first presidential election! This is truly a historical moment in our counry's history and I'm glad that our generation got to be a part of it.
So....GOOD NEWS
I got accepted into the ISEP Study Abroad Program. I will be studying next semester at the UNIVERSITY OF MALTA!
I'm so excited. I've been waiting nervously this whole semester to see whether or not I got accepted. But I'm happy to report that everything is official and I will be leaving in January.
For those of you who are not familiar with Malta-it's an island 60 miles south of Sicily, right smack in the middle of the Mediterranean. I chose that place because it's close to Italy and they had a great History program taught in English. I really can't describe how excited I am right now, but stay tuned because I will be blogging from Malta next semester and I hope to share some pictures as well.
Here's a map of Malta:
I really can't thank my professors and advisors for helping me throughout the study abroad process. They have been supportive of me and my wish to study abroad and they've been all very great.
OPEN HOUSE is this Saturday, November 15! I will be there along with some of my fellow bloggers, giving tours and I hope to see some new faces on the SPC campus!
Besides all the good news, I have been very busy.
Mid-October the Honors Program hosted a walking tour of Jersey City. It was directed by none other than Dr. Chew's husband. He's a teacher at Fordham University but knows a great deal about Jersey City and its rich history. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, but we still had time to walk around. The first place we visited was the cemetery right by the SPC campus. It was an interesting place to walk around. I had never been there before and I didn't feel like I was in an urban environment while we were there. It was interesting observing the place and Dr. Fischer knew so much!
Some of the girls inside the cemetery
The Asian American Student Union has been attending/hosting many events.
On Oct. 19 we went to Central Park in NYC to do the Breast Cancer Walk. The club itself raised around $400. We walked the entire 5 miles-I was sooo tired after but I felt very accomplished. I know some women who have been affected by Breast Cancer and this was a day to walk in solidarity for their cause.
Here are some pictures from the Breast Cancer Walk:
2 more miles to go....
Resting after the walk
On November 1, AASU went to NYU to support our candidate for Mr. Philippines. Sixteen colleges around the metropolitan area with Filipino clubs participated for the "mangeant." The contest included a talent portion, costume portion, and the top 3 finalists had a round of Question & Answer. Our own Mark Velasquez, Class of 2011 represented Saint Peter's College. I was part of his talent as the "love interest" in his spoken word. I was so nervous for him! Mark didn't make the top 3 but we were proud of him anyway. Mr. PI was so much fun, it's just a great time to meet other Filipinos from other colleges and root for SPC.
Mark with the SPC sign
So I'm excited to announce the new Pavo E-Board for the upcoming year (2009). Nicole Onello, a sophomore, will be taking my place as Communications Chair of the Pavos. I'm happy for her and sure that she will do amazingly. To celebrate, we had a transition dinner with the old and new E-Board members. Good luck to them!
All of us!
You'll definitely be seeing our faces this Saturday at Open House!
On Oct. 25 the History Club went out and visited the city together for the first time. We were able to see the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It's absolutely fascinating! I didn't know what to expect but I wish we had more time to see more of it. We took a tour around a house constructed in the late 19th century and we witnessed the conditions that people, mainly immigrants, lived in and how they worked. I'm sure that the History Club wil host another event similar to this trip.
The History Club in front of the Tenement Museum
On October 29 I went to my first major hockey game ever! I got free tickets to see the New Jersey Devils play the Toronto Maple Leafs, compliments of Admissions. It was SO much fun. I appreciate hockey all the more now. The Prudential Center, where the Devils play, is in Newark and very easy to get to from SPC. I can't imagine being able to do this at any other college. The Devils lost, but it was such a good game! The Maple Leafs scored during overtime and the Devils put up a good fight. It was also a lot of fun because the game happened two days before Halloween and many spectators came in costume. It was interesting to see everyone dress up, I really wish I did.
I can say that I've definitely become a Devils hockey fan and I hope that I get the chance to see more hockey games.
YEAH DEVILS! Our seats were amazing!
Scoreboard
DEVILS FANS!
Halloween is always a fun time around the New York Metropolitan area. A couple of my friends and I went to the Village in Manhattan to see the biggest Halloween parade of the country. I've been going for the past two years and the Village is always packed! The most creative and crazy costumes can be seen. This year I dressed up as Princess Peach from the video game Mario & Bros. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful that night. We all had an intersting night!
My friend Mariya and I
Why so serious? The best Joker costume of the night!
Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett
That same weekend the Chorale had two performances on Nov. 2. We sang for the Alumni Memorial Mass as well as the Sons of Italy Induction in McIntyre Lounge. We sang two of our Italian songs in honor of new organization on campus.
Some members of the chorale with Kevin
This past weekend was the First Annual Presidential Ball. Dr. Cornacchia, the president of our college, was inducted last year. We held Presidential Ball for him last year and the Student Senate decided to make it a yearly event. It was held at Puccini's Restaurant right down the street and it was definitely a good time for both students, faculty, and administrators. The President himself was seen on the dance floor. I'm sure all of the students had a lot of fun eating and dancing.
Juniors: Maria, Alisha, Rezma, and I before we left
At Puccini's with my girlfriends!
Me and Dr. Cornacchia
Me and my date, Jonathan
So right now I'm getting ready for Open House this Saturday. I'm still busy retreat-planning, writing papers, studying-all of that academic college stuff. Thanksgiving is in two weeks and I'm excited to go back home to see my family. They're all really excited that I'll be studying abroad next semester in Malta. I know I'll miss them too and everyone on campus but I'm so ready to visit Europe and have the time of my life!
I hope to update again soon! I really can't believe the semester will be over in 6 weeks!
I'm glad we had a three-day weekend because I'm so busy with schoolwork and activities (as always). I really needed to relax and spend some time with my friends. Meanwhile I'm also preparing to take mid-terms. I have five mid-terms this week, yikes! Wish me luck. Mid-terms also indicates that the semester is halfway over. I can't believe it. I guess I've been caught up with all of my activities I didn't realize the semester slipping by....
Campus Ministry and the retreat leaders have been working very hard since the semester started planning our annual Catholic retreat. This year it's called: Catholic...Express Yourself and took place October 3-5 in beautiful Stirling, NJ. This year we explored different ways of worshipping God through every day activities or traditional and contemporary rituals. I gave a talk on prayer and how to pray the rosary. Other talks included the Sacraments, Adoration, Service Learning, Music, Meditation, and Faith Heroes. We even had an Arts & Crafts portion when we learned how to make rosaries out of twine. I ended up making 5 rosaries. The Jesuits also made their appearance: Fr. Braden, Fr. O'Brien, and Fr. Papaj came to give us guidance and lead us in mass.
It was such a fun weekend! I love retreats because it's a time to get away from campus and reflect as well as make new friends. There were 18 people who came in all and Mary Sue cooked delicious food for us all. As always we had our talent show with apple pie and ice cream. I'm so glad that everyone had a great time and I can't wait for next year already.
We received a warm welcome from the retreat house staff
The whole group! We were wearing stereotype headbands as one of the icebreakers
Giving my Prayer talk in the Chapel
Greg and Christina show off their finished rosaries!
Chilling on the couch
Waiting eagerly in line for apple pie!
Meanwhile I've been busy rehearsing for the Senior-Directed One Acts. The seniors of Argus Eyes were offered the opportunity to direct a One Act play. I auditioned and was cast in Liz Lodato's play, "Check, Please." It's a short play about blind (crazy) dates and the difficulty of finding someone compatible. I played two roles: Melanie-a football fanatic; and Linda-someone with a major personality disorder. I had so much fun rehearsing and starring in a show. The play was this weekend: Oct. 9-11.
The other plays were:
"The Incompatibles" directed by Tom Condon and
"Last Rights" by Amanda Staub-a play written by SPC's Professor White of the English Department
This is the first time I've ever acted in an Argus Eyes production. I was so nervous all three nights of the show! Thankfully I didn't mess up my lines and played my role beautifully. I wish I could do it all again.
Playing Melanie
Playing Linda
Taking a bow
My family came to see me! My brother and cousins are pictured with me here
I've been busy these past two weeks and how it's crunch-time. I need to start studying for mid-terms!
So we're about one month into the 2008-2009 school year here at SPC. I've been busy since I moved in last August with work, activities, and having fun. I really cannot believe that this will be my third year of college and I'll be a senior next year. I'm sure this year will be filled with more fun and learning than last year.
I'm taking five classes this semester:
Western Science & the Occult with Dr. Rabin-this course is about withcraft in the Middle Ages, it's very interesting
Renaissance Drama with Dr. Conlon
Political Science with Professor Sanders
Cultural Anthropology with Dr. Surrey
and Evolution, Science, and Adaptation with Dr. Surrey and Dr. Sciorra-I know this course will be challenging
I'm continuing my studies as a History major with two minors in English and Anthropology. This summer I received academic credit for my internship at The Washington Center.
This year my roommate is Jolie Hoppe, one of my fellow SPC bloggers and senior this year. I'm really excited to be living with her this year.
Even before school started I was asked by Mary Sue from Campus Ministry to speak in front of the Freshman on Freshman Day. Of course I never say no, so I agreed to give a speech on why I am proud of being educated by the Jesuits. My speech was about five minutes long and I hope the freshman got learned a little from my speech:
"First of all, I would like to welcome the Class of 2012 to Saint Peter's College. My name is Peaches Dela Paz and I will be a junior this year. It’s scary to think that I only have two more years until I graduate.
All of you come from diverse backgrounds-different schools, states, even countries, and you each have a different reason for being here, thus, the only thing you all have in common is the fact that you are here at Saint Peter’s College and will be graduating in four years. Some of you might not have even known the significance of attending a “Jesuit college? before coming here. At many other schools that you applied to, your chosen major prepares you for a job, so you can sell yourself to the million-dollar corporations in the “real world.? But the Jesuits have a far different idea of what a college education should be---its not vocational training, and it’s not just about preparing you for the first job interview you go to after graduating. A Jesuit education enriches your life.
And from this simple idea comes the idea of a core curriculum, which each of you will experience throughout your education here. It is based on the Jesuit idea of Cura personalis, of educating oneself in, not just one area, but in everything. You might hear students complain about the core curriculum, saying something along the lines of: "Well, I'm going to be an accountant, why do I need philosophy?" or, "I'm going to be a lawyer, why do I need to take Physics?"
Why? It's very simple. Being able to socialize and have a broad base of general knowledge is vital to a successful career in whatever area you are majoring in and also having a successful life. I have taken, uh…philosophy, so that when my coworker calls the head boss Hobbesian, I know what she means. I take theology to understand why some of my friends fast during the month of Ramadan. I take political science so that Machiavellian isn't just a funny Italian word in my mind. I have taken French…. Italian… and Spanish with Father DeStephano so that when some stud is trying to impress me with his expertise and calls his white wine Peanot Grigee-eoh, I can kindly correct him (Pinot Grigio) and tell him to beat it. I take biology so that I know that Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA and that malaria is an ongoing epidemic in many countries around the world---it seems trivial, but when you're socializing at say…an office party at your internship, it could be the difference between being perceived as a drone who won't be with the company long or as somebody who deserves a permanent position, maybe even a promotion."
Besides receiving a Jesuit education, there are the Jesuits themselves. They are remarkable leaders who have so much knowledge and are ready to pass that knowledge on to our young minds. I am proud and very grateful to have been able to meet these unique individuals not only in the classroom, but outside as well. They have not only broadened my mind but have helped me to grow spiritually.
Education is a tool for having a thoughtful and enriched life. It’s obviously very important. People will tell you to “get into college, graduate, get a good job with a good company and you'll be fine.? Uh-uh. This is a symptom of being close-minded that will not get you very far in the 21st century. My advice to you is to make the most out of this opportunity in receiving a Jesuit education-an education that will help you for the rest of your life through knowledge, leadership, and love. Thank you and good luck!"
Rozen and I-we both gave speeches
I'm really glad I got the opportunity to share my love of the Jesuits with the freshmen.
Since school started I have been swamped with Pavo training for our student ambassadors, retreat meetings (I will be leading two this year), and other clubs. Maybe I should start teaching courses in Time Management?
With the Pavo E-Board at training-isn't my peacock cute?
Student Senate has already had two meetings and each of them have been very interesting. Student Leadership Day was on September 13 and it was a conference for all students holding E-Board positions. This year I am the Treasurer for the History Club.
The beginning of the year is always exciting because there are so many events for the faculty, students, and administration. The Mass of the Holy Spirit, the first mass of the school year, was on September 10. Fr. Braden, the new Vice President for Mission and Ministry resided. The Michaelmas Convocation was last week where all of the undergraduates are given awards for their outstanding academic achievement. I got the Dean's List! Congratulations to everyone who won awards-it really shows how much hard work all of us have to do as students.
I was also lucky enough to attend the Presidential Reception last week with the McMullen Chorale. The Presidential Reception is a banquet to thank all of the donors who make student scholarships possible. I myself am a Presidential Scholar and am indebted to these generous people. The McMullen Chorale was invited to sing for everyone and we sang some of my favorite songs including Io Pavo, the school's fighting song, Ereve Shel Shoshanim, a traditional Hebrew song, and the Lord Bless and Keep You. It was great to mingle with the students but also the donors and faculty. This year the reception was held at the Liberty House in Liberty State Park, right across the NYC skyline. The view was absolutely beautiful and reminded me how close we are to NYC.
Some of the Chorale members on the terrace
Frank DeMichele, a Presidential Scholar, speaking
With Christina Clarke in front of the beautiful skyline
With Fr. DeStephano-a lot of the Jesuits were present too!
I took this at sunset
And the Chorale fun did not stop there. We had a retreat the following weekend in Wildwood, NJ. It took us four hours (including the traffic we got stuck in) to get there from Jersey City-but it was worth it! Some of our out-of-state students have never seen the other different parts of New Jersey. This was their first time of seeing another side of New Jersey and getting a chance to see the Jersey shore. Other than having fun at the beach and the boardwalk, we learned new music pieces and bonded as a group. As you can see from the pictures, we had a lot of fun:
Chorale Bus-you can see there were a lot of us....
We were crazy enough to take a dip into the Atlantic
Chorale girls on the Boardwalk
My roommates for the weekend. Here we were in line for a ride at the amusement park
We went on a Zombie ride....
In front of the Ferris Wheel-the view was beautiful!
The day after the Chorale retreat, a few of us also had to attend another retreat. (Yes, we did have two retreats in one weekend). It was at Genesis Farm and mandatory for all retreat leaders this year. The ride took us four hours (again) from Wildwood to North Jersey-we were practically on the Pennsylvania borderline. While we were there we took a tour of the Farm which was started by a group of nuns. The Farm is completely organic and environment-friendly. We listened to talks and gave our own reflections during the retreat. It was very relaxing and peaceful compared to busy Jersey City.
Our tour guide, Pat
During the week I had another chance to talk about my spring break last semester in Kentucky where I built houses. The presentation was sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Sociology and Political Science department. Anyone who went on the Appalachia trip were invited to speak in Pope Lecture Hall on their experience and try to convince others to go. This year there will be two teams for Spring Break: one wil be going to West Virginia, the other to Kentucky. It's an absolutely amazing experience to have and I encourage people to sign up!
The Appalachia group who spoke-these are all amazing people
I am proud to say that I will be making my debut as an actress on the SPC stage in one of the Senior-directed One Act plays. We've been busy rehearsing and I'm already a little nervous. The play is called "Check, Please" and it's really cute and funny. I will be playing two characters in it. Now I just have to start memorizing my lines....
You're also looking at a Staff Writer for the Pauw Wow! The Pauw Wow is the student newspaper on campus. I've never written for the school newspaper before, ever and I'm also really excited. My first article was about my experience at The Washington Center this summer. The next few articles I'll be writing, along with my friend Jacob, are the Jesuit Spotlight. We will be interviewing a Jesuit for every issue so students can learn more about them and the Jesuit life. You can view the Pauw Wow online at: http://www.spc.edu/pauwwow
Recently I have become obsessed with reading the Twilight Series. My roommate last year and friend Veronica got me hooked on the books. Even though I've been busy with classes and activities, I'm amazed that I still have time to read for pleasure. I've read all four books and can't wait for the Twilight movie to come out this November!
This weekend I've been busy studying for three major tests this week. It seems like my professors are operating on the same schedule and there's so much work for me to do!
I couldn't go back to SPC without blogging about all of the exciting things I did this summer!
Today was my last day of my internship at the National Library of Medicine. It's been such a great experience. I've been able to learn public speaking skills in giving tours of our exhibition as well as gain important research skills in creating a future traveling exhibition. I've had a lot of fun doing it as well. My internship in Washington, D.C. has been a great balance between research as well as interaction with people from around the country, even around the world.
The Washington Center itself took a great deal of work. We had to write reflections on the presidential speakers we listened to and when we performed service in the D.C. area. At the end of the whole program, we turned in a compilation of all of the papers we had to write throughout the summer. My portfolio ended up being about eighty pages and I'm really proud of myself. Hopefully my professors will be able to give me a reasonable grade once they see all of the work I have done.
Not only have I been able to work in Washington, D.C. in the field of my major (history) but I have also been able to go experience the city itself! I have visited almost all of the Smithsonian museums in the area. The best thing about Washington, D.C. are all of the free things to do every weekend. My roommates and I have been able to see outdoor movie events in Crystal City, VA and on the Mall in front of Capitol Hill on Monday nights. Hundreds of people go to Screen on the Green and watch a free outdoor movie on a cool summer night.
I'm glad to be going home for a while, but then after a few days it's back to SPC! Classes will be starting on August 26th and I'm helping the freshman move in two days before. So hopefully I get the chance to meet some freshman! I'm excited for junior year but I wish I had a real break before starting classes. I plan on relaxing a lot once I go home.
Here are a few pictures from my exciting summer:
Some of my TWC friends and I at a Washington Nationals Game-they lost unfortunately....
After the Fourth of July weekend, my roommate and friend Veronica Graveline, another junior at SPC, visited me! I was so excited since she had never been to Washington, D.C. before because she never had a chance to when she lived in California. I'm glad I got to show her around our nation's capital and show her all of the amazing monuments and museums to see!
I would recommend anyone who visits Washington, D.C. to see all of the monuments at night, especially during the summer, when the monuments are lit and the sun isn't out. They are absolutely beautiful at night! Veronica and I are standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It is a very famous monument and it is awe-inspiring to see the statue up close.
Veronica and I infront of the National Native American Museum-they have a great cafeteria there where we ate lunch and had authentic Native American food
Veronica and I walking around Capitol Hill-we found this fountain near there
Some TWC Scholarship Recipients with me. One of the things that made this summer possible was receiving the Diversity Leadership Scholars award which paid for my summer housing
Looks official, doesn't it?
The Exhibition Program and me during our visit to the Newseum. The Newseum is one of my favorite museums there and I talked about it in my previous blog. This time during the visit I had the chance to speak to the directors and the curators of the exhibition and learned about how the entire museum was made. It was great learning about the Newseum from behind-the-scenes.
I got to see the studio where they broadcast news every morning in HD!
My other friend from Jersey City-Annerei and and I at the Air & Space Museum-the most visited museum in the world!
My roommate Ashley and my good friend Jacob from SPC (also a junior this fall) at Crystal City, VA where we watched the James Bond outdoor movie held every Monday
My roommates and I eating Ethiopian food at a renowned restaurant called Dukem on U Street in Washington, D.C.Ethiopian food is a must when visiting D.C. because it's authentic and the best ethnic food to be had in the area.
One of the best experiences I had this summer was traveling to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with my TWC class. Our final was not a written final, instead we had to give a presentation in front of our class on the Battlefield about our assigned general. Our class, Effective Leadership: Lessons from the Battlefield, is about learning leadership skills from the Battle of Gettysburg which occurred July 1-3, 1863 and applying it to leadership today. The class was a great deal of fun and I loved learning about the Civil War. It was the most educaitonal field trip I had ever been to. I spoke about General George Meade, Commander of the Army of the Potomac and his leadership skills. I feel that I can even give a tour of Gettysburg because I know so much about it now!
My roommate, Sarah and me, had the same class. We were assigned opposite generals-I was General Meade from the Union and she was General Lee from the Confederate side. This picture was taken atop the Castle on Little Round Top-one of my favorite places on the Battlefield
My friend Elise and I having fun at the gift shop
My roommate, Sarah and I, watching Screen on the Green on the Mall in front of Capitol Hill. The movie we wathced that night was The Apartment, a really interesting movie made in 1960 and won five Academy Awards. I definitely recommend it, especially when it's outdoors! There were so many people who came. I saved our spot at 5 PM and the movie started around 8:45 at night, but it was worth it! We were so close to the screen.
My best friend from high school, Gail, and I at Chinatown in Washington, D.C. We ate at this awesome restaurant called Matchbox famous for its gourmet pizzas.
Graduation time! A roommate picture after our Commencement Ceremony at TWC. I'm so proud of all of the work we put in this summer for this program.
Another cute roommate picture
TWC!
My roommate and I walking around Old City, VA during our last week in Washington, D.C. We walked around the beautiful area and found a tasty sushi restaurant! Old City is accessible by the Metro-right outside the Kings Street stop and there's a free trolley that takes people down to the waterfront of the Potomac.
Right now I'm watching the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. As much as I have traveled around the world and lived in very diverse cities and areas on the Northeast Coast, I still feel that I am not cultured enough. I would love to travel in the future even more and experience the culture of different countries.
Other than that, go Team USA! I will have no life until the Olympics are over....
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