Why did February seem so long??
Hello everybody!
It's been a while since I've updated and there's so much to talk about. I've been busy with classes, clubs, events, and unfortunately I was a little sick for a bit. But I feel a lot better now and ready to take on the month of March.
So looking back on February, there were a lot of exciting things that happened.
The International Evening of Song & Dance is held every year. It was a performance created to celebrate the inauguration of our previous president, Fr. Loughran, and it's been a yearly event ever since. It's one of my favorite events of the whole year because it shows how diverse our school is. All of the different cultural groups come together and perform a piece from their traditions. This year it was on February 7 and it was amazing! I performed with the Asian American Student Union and the McMullen Chorale.
The AASU Girls
We had been practicing ever since the semester started. There were so many dance practices that we held and it was difficult getting everything together. AASU decided we were going to perform two traditional dances as well as two moderns. Our traditional dances consisted of the Carinosa, which is the national dance of the Philippines. It's a courtly dance with couples and they court each other with props like fans and handkerchiefs. The other traditional dance was a Men's dance-the Magalalatik. It's a dance consisting of coconuts. It was actually performed to show the conflict over coconut meat between the Catholics and the Muslims in Filipino history. The men keep the beat by beating coconuts tied on their body. We danced two moderns to the songs Rain by Razah and Go 'Head by Ali & Gipp.
The whole performance was about five minutes. Some of our club members, including me, choreographed the dance. When we performed I was so nervous! It's weird being on stage. I remember performing in front of a big audience but I don't remember dancing individual moves. It's like it was a whole blur. But everybody loved the performance and I'm so proud of my AASU dancers!
The last performance was the McMullen Chorale and we sang a few international songs including a Hungarian song and Elijah Rock. Overall it was a great night and I'm so glad that a lot of people came to watch the amazing performances. Here's some video highlights:
Me with Fr. Kuntz and his Nigerian garb
Me with Kevin Cummines, the director of McMullen Chorale in his kilt
My friends in their Indian garb! They look so beautiful.
AASU at the end of our performance
The next day, on February 8, there was a big athletic event here at SPC. It was called Pack the House and the school came together to show our solidarity and support for the fight for breast cancer. Everyone came to watch the Women's Basketball Game, SPC vs. Rider University, and wore pink t-shirts. I sang "God Bless America" along with the McMullen Chorale before the game started. Basketball games here at SPC are fun to go to and really intense. I'm proud to say that SPC won the game and we also got the chance to show our support and service for important causes.
The McMullen Chorale singing
GO SPC BASKETBALL!
Two adorable kids rooting for the team
Watching the game...
That weekend (February 9 and 10) the McMullen Chorale had its first retreat in Cornwall, NY. We left right after the basketball game. The whole weekend was full of song, laughter, and bonding. We're a great group and it was a lot of fun. We learned about five songs. We even had the chance to take a walk around the beautiful area with Fr. Schroth, one of the Jesuits at St. Peter's. For a retreat I really didn't get too much rest that weekend it seemed like-but it was a good time.
Learning some music
Me with my roommate/fellow Soprano, Veronica outside in the beautiful snow
The next week, on February 13, I went with the History Club on our semester service trip. We helped kids make Valentine's Day cards at a school down the road. It was a lot of fun. I always love going on service trips, especially if there are kids involved. They were all very nice and easy to get along with.
Having fun with the kids...
On Wednesday, February 20, the campus was on lockdown due to a threatening note found in one of the buildings. Campus Safety along with the police responded very quickly and I felt safe with this fast response. Fortunately nothing was found and we were all safe to go about our regular schedule.
The next day, February 21, was the Variety Show: "Sorry Walt, we broke the Vault." This was my first time performing with Argus Eyes and I was really excited/nervous. For this Variety Show we had a Disney theme and we sang a lot of Disney songs from many movies including The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Hercules, Beauty & the Beast, and even more. It was a really good performance and I'm so glad to be a part of a talented group.
February 22, Friday, was a SNOW DAY! We definitely got a significant amount of snow and had our first snow day of the year. Unfortunately the Variety Show was postponed, but it was a very good relaxing day. We baked brownies and just hung out with friends the whole day.
That Saturday I visited my best friend from high school, Casey, who attend Pace University in Manhattan. I hadn't seen her in a while and decided it was time to go visit her in NYC. We had such a good time. We went to the Pier right by the Brooklyn Bridge and went to the TKTS booth there. We bought amazing tickets to see a Broadway show-A Chorus Line-for a really good price. Casey took me to this really great pizzeria by the Brooklyn Bridge and then after that went to see the show. It was a very good performance, definitely worth seeing.
By the Brooklyn Bridge
In front of the theater
I actually went home this past weekend for a good rest. I wanted to go see my family and spend some time with my high school friends. I actually saw my brother in his musical, Beauty & the Beast. I'm so proud of him, he did such a good job! It's always nice to see my old high school and catch up with people who I haven't seen in a while. My family's always great and so are my friends.
This week seemed busy as always with so many meetings and schoolwork. It's mid-term week next week and it seems like everybody is busy studying or doing papers. This Thursday I attended the Italian Club's Carnivale. Carnivale is like a big Mardi Gras celebration in Italy with masks and good food.
Us with our awesome looking masks provided by Christina Clarke
This weekend we had our Disney Variety Show again. I'm so glad that a lot of people came and saw it. Argus Eyes, as always, gave a very entertaining performance. I definitely want to do the Variety Show in the future. It's always a lot of fun to perform and watch. My family came and watched my performance last night and I was really excited. I'm sad that it's over, but I'm sure there are going to be future Argus Eyes events.
Performing Everybody Wants to be a Cat
Performing Belle
One of the Improv Scenes
The whole cast singing Beauty & the Beast
In other news: I got accepted by the Washington Center! The Washington Center is a program that students from SPC can apply to and spend a semester in Washington DC. It's an internship program specifically suited for the student and their major. I'm getting history and anthropology credit for this summer's internship. I'm really excited! I've been speaking to my advisor and I'm planning on interning at the Smithsonian Institute. So I'll definitely be updating my blog this summer and sharing all of the exciting things going on in Washington DC.
Right now I'm just busy studying for two mid-terms and writing a few papers. I've had to do quite a lot of work for the past weeks in my classes. I can't believe that the semester is almost halfway over and Easter and spring break are coming up! I really can't wait for spring to start, it's one of my favorite seasons. I just have to make sure that I get all of my work done. So until next time!