Trinity University

Now it will begin.

My lovely, lovely Thanksgiving is over. I got to see my family and go ice-skating with my tiny six-year-old cousin – we fell down a lot, but I thought that was pretty good for the first time out on the ice, what with all those crazy zippy teenagers circling us. We had made so much food we had Thanksgiving twice – the brunch idea didn’t work out because none of the cooks (not me, I swear) woke up quite early enough. In case you were wondering, yes, I did make baklava. It turned out even better than I thought because my grandmother, unbeknownst to me, is an expert at making it. Apparently, she hosted countless tea and card parties where this sumptuous delight made many an appearance. All I had to do was follow her instructions.

Nancy made it also, but when we exchanged samples it was as if we had been working from completely different recipes. I think I know now that we had. You see, I believe my grandmother had surreptitiously altered the recipe by changing up the number of layers and levels of minced nuts and butter so that it was her recipe. But, no complaints. In this instance, leaving my actions up to an authority was a good idea. I guess democracy isn’t always a good thing inside a kitchen. Or maybe, everything in El Paso is just bound to be sweeter…

Recently, (about a week ago I think) I acquired a new vice. How awfully embarrassing to have to admit this – I have become a fan of the Twilight series. I have only just started the second book and if you know how addicting they are you’ll congratulate me on not reading it in the airport or on the plane. I thought I had to start off on the right track – get back into gear and remember the pace of Finals week. It didn’t help that the woman next to me was reading the same book and gasping at every other chapter or that the girl on the plane had a screensaver of its movie scenes. But the couple next to me were really too loud to allow for proper appreciation of it anyways. So I was bombarded by temptation, but no, I read up on China’s political economy and how Mao couldn’t move beyond a revolution. Obviously, I am still distracting myself by writing this blog, but things are getting done as they must.

I have two presentations on the same day this week. Both are very important. One is on the possibility of democracy in Mexico (what, with the drug cartel’s infestation of everything?) and the other is for my Spanish class. I’m afraid that I might get confused and speak in Spanish in my PoliSci class – it is so early – so I’ve begun praying for clear-headedness.

That reminds me of something Tony, my boss, said to me the other day. He said, “You’re not the sponge you once were.� I laugh every time I think about it because I know he was just teasing me – the world knows of my mechanical inabilities – but with all that I’ve learned here, both academically and otherwise – I wonder if it’s true. Is there a point when you start ignoring things? I guess there is a moment when classes and all their interminable assignments seem too much, a point when it is easier to forgo an assignment for an impromptu movie night, but I’m trying to make those choices wisely. There is so much to learn here and it can become so easy to lose the balance and decide that it is your social life that you must devote yourself to, but whatever your choice is I’m sure the entire matter will be nothing you thought you’d ever have to deal with in college because it’s all up to you. Choices are weighty sometimes.

Aside from all that, I was thinking about sage. I had purchased some before my Thanksgiving trip. They conveniently sold it at Central Market in these tiny little plastic bags. So imagine it: a clear baggie of green powder. I couldn’t bring myself to pack it in my suitcase, but I was wondering, if I had been more daring, would it have been too suspicious?

Well, I have rambled on long enough…I think this means I’ve been good enough for about 6 chapters before bed…

Posted by Bianca at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Phew! I got through a most terrible week. A vertebrate physiology exam and a 12-page paper on the restoration of the Brancacci Chapel. Two very different and difficult things. My study guide for the third vertebrate exam was 30 pages and I had an additional 11 pages of figures. I know I said in my last blog that I consider anything more than 20 pages a book and not a study guide but there is no shame in writing a book if it helps you learn. I want to tell you that I smoked the exam but I am not sure. My professor said he graded the first couple of pages and was concerned he lost us on some of the material. Oh well. We shall see how I do on Tuesday. Now, about my art history paper. I thought about this thing for a good two months. My instructor, Dr. Laura Camille Agoston is one of the smartest people on campus. Yale and Harvard graduate, widely published, and tough. Many people avoid taking her classes because she can be so difficult to deal with. Let me tell you the truth, Trinity is expensive. Tuition will only rise. However, it is expensive because it is an amazing school with great teachers. You need to take advantage of that. Don’t take the class with the new, visiting professor because you never know how this person will teach. Get the most out of your education by taking someone who knows their stuff. Dr. Agoston knows her stuff. My Renaissance Art in Italy class started with 15 people (there were 25 slots) and then whittled down to 11. I think that the eleven of us are really enjoying the class. Everyone engages in the discussions and we all make very insightful comments. Of course, if you don’t like art history, don’t take Agoston, no matter how good she is. Anyway, I finished the paper. I took the test. After my academic work was done I had a busy weekend ahead.

On Friday night I attended Porsha’s birthday party. Porsha is my chemistry lab partner for life. As one of my closest friends since freshman year, I was really happy to be able to celebrate with her. It was a small celebration at California Pizza Kitchen. They gave her a free birthday sundae that was AMAZING. It was huge and delicious. I wish I had taken a picture but we were quite busy eating it all. It was really fun.

On Saturday, I had to go to a Study Abroad Pre-Departure Session. It was three hours long!!! However, it was all informative and really exciting. I listened to all the anecdotes and took a bunch of notes. I can’t wait to study abroad. There is definitely some fear and nervousness but they kept reassuring us it was normal to feel this way. I am so amazed at how many people study abroad per semester. They held the session in the Fiesta Room so they were expecting a lot of people. The session was even being recorded so people who missed could see it. It is mandatory for study abroad students to attend. So, that took a good part of my morning. In the afternoon I had to go to the McNay Museum. It is the cutest little museum in San Antonio. It houses a lot of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. So, my Impressionism class went. We were there for 2 and a half hours looking at art. The great thing about the McNay is it is only 10 minutes from Trinity. SAMA, the San Antonio Museum of Art, which houses a ton of ancient artwork is a mere 7-minute drive. We are surrounded by culture here so every once in awhile, it is very nice to step outside and discover it.

So after that, I went to the library to work and then I went home. On Sunday, I attended another friend’s birthday party. Sidra, my biology lab partner for life, was celebrating her 21st birthday. Porsha, Sidra and I are pretty close friends so it was like the same group of friends attending two parties in one weekend. We went to P.F. Chang’s because Sidra had never been there. It was very cold so we were all shivering outside as the waiters were setting up our tables. We had reservations but it took us 15 minutes to get seated and we waited another 45 minutes before we got served. It only took us 20 minutes to finish our meals. And to be honest, I don’t even like P.F. Chang’s. It is so greasy and they give you huge portions that you can’t really take home because left over’s from P.F. Chang’s are really no good.

So, now it is Monday and I am working on finishing this blog. I will be going to clean the green house on the rooftop soon. The weather is finally cool enough to allow me to go up there. Oh, did I tell you, we caught a large Imperial Moth Butterfly? Well, actually, a caterpillar that will become the Imperial moth. The name suggests a very large magnificent creature, and it could not be further from the truth. The caterpillar is the size of a regular glue-stick. I showed it to Bianca and she recoiled in horror when I pointed it out among the leaves in its new home. We hope it will start pupating soon. I think it had eaten its fill and will start forming a cocoon soon. Unfortunately I will be in Japan when it comes out of its cocoon. My labmates promised to update me though.

Can you pick him out among the leaves? He was burrowing in the soil. We named him Igor (after Igor Stravinksy)

Now, I think this is a quiet week but after Thanksgiving, things will really pick up so I need to use this week to get ahead. Yes, I think that is what I will do.

Posted by Nancy at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, I’m still here even though Nancy attempted to wear my legs out to the point of uselessness on Halloween. Really, once I checked how far we had gone without meeting with any trouble, I was amazed. Somebody must have been praying for us. Now that I think about it, a bit removed from Nancy’s tendency to romanticize it all, I see that on a normal night, I never would go out walking in streets without lights, completely vulnerable to predators. Or maybe I’m just paying too much attention to Tony’s exaggerations. You see, once I told him (he’s my boss) he went crazy spouting off about rapists and what-nots that lurk in the shadows. All we met with were tiny baby pumpkins and skeletons (the cutest costumes for toddlers, I swear!), so I think he must have been talking about some other, less safe part of the city. There’s a reason they call it the Trinity bubble…Sometimes Nancy and I joke that it’s kind of like the Truman Show. All the gardeners are constantly working so that the campus looks immaculate and ever the same.

Can you believe it? It’s almost Thanksgiving! I’ve been fantasizing about all the food I’ll get to make and eat. I’ve decided that this year we will have Thanksgiving as a brunch – that way you can eat again if you’re still hungry at dinner time. I think my family will agree with this plan.

Oh, I meant right here, for this exact section of the blog to be full of pictures of baklava. Sadly, that will not happen. Nancy and I were planning on making it this past weekend – we weren’t even daunted by the elaborateness of the recipe. We knew it would require fortitude to sit by and let it set and thaw and sit some more…and so we went to Central Market to pick up the ingredients, which would have totaled $25, when right there, next to the phyllo dough, sat the reason for the end of the plan. Pre-made baklava. 10 pieces, tiny. $5. So, you see what happened…

Anyways, I’ll make up for it. I’m making it (really making it) on Thanksgiving. I’m also cooking the stuffing. If I had it my way, that would be the entire menu – desserts, bread and stuffing. There’s no need for the turkey – it’s so filling I find it a detriment to my enjoyment of the rest of the food and it is ignored as any decoration would be when there are sweet things around. Fortunately, there are other members of the family coming around so they can cook everything else.

But let us not forget…I have a multitude of assignments due before then. One of them is a presentation for the PoliSci class I complained so much about last blog. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like their grade. So, since Trinity professors are fair and accommodating, he gave us all the option of giving a presentation on one of the countries we’re next discussing. The grade there will balance out the other, meaning your class grade is now determined by four grades instead of three. Whew! The other assignments are history essays. Long and time-consuming, but fun too.

So now, I must depart…I believe it is pie night at Mabee…

Posted by Bianca at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last night, a gypsy and a princess went on a grand adventure. They wandered far away from their castle (Trinity) in order to fill their bags with precious sweets. This year, unlike years past, fewer people were giving out such sweets so they wandered very far indeed. They met ghouls and beasts of all shapes and sizes and wandered to strange homes where witches were brewing something wicked in their cauldrons and pirates danced to ghostly tunes. They continued through woods and walked up and down hills and even walked the last part of their journey with no shoes. It was all worth it for the sweets we call Snickers, Reeses, 3 Musketeers (which Bianca loves, we came away with 2 large, whole bars!!), and M&Ms. We (princess and gypsy) got so much candy! Bianca and I love sweets, especially gourmet chocolates (Godiva, Dagoba, Lindt, etc, which no one was passing out) but we also like normal candies once in awhile. Once in awhile means Halloween, which only comes once a year, so we got dressed and went out for this candy.

Bianca’s mom bought us shirts to wear throughout the day, before we morphed into our alter egos at night (Snow White and the Gypsy). Isn't that cool of her?

We met someone along the way who said to us, “shouldn’t you guys be at a party?� Actually, I have never been to a Halloween Party. I know those things exist but I have never been. You know why? Because people give you free candy on Halloween. Free candy! You can also be whoever you want to be (Princess, knight, vampire, etc). Perhaps you think I can do both in one night? No serious trick-or-treater would ever have the energy to attend a party after trick-or-treating. Bianca and I were exhausted by the time we got back. Bianca’s shoe broke and my flats got assaulted by the rocks and fallen acorns on the streets. The houses we went to had a lot of lawn but no sidewalk, so we had to walk on asphalt and cross some dangerous streets. Of course, large old houses also means a lot of quality candy, so it was all worth it. We set out at around 7:00pm and came back at around 10:00pm. 3 hours of walking, knocking, and lugging around a bag that steadily grew heavier. I really only want to go back home when my candy bag breaks, a really good indicator of when to stop.

The loot.

Initially, Bianca and I went with some friends. They were good to have but we broke off later in the evening because they were worried they would not be able to find their way back. Someone wanted to drive a car and drop us off. I think driving on Halloween is a horrible idea. There are little monsters running around and parents shuffling large packs of kids. Bianca and I parted with our fellow-trick-or-treaters because we were unsatisfied with our candy loot at that point. Among the group was my suitemate, Meerin (from Korea), who has never gone trick-or-treating. She was initially confused at the idea of knocking on a stranger’s door and asking them for candy while dressed up as a monster. I won her over eventually and she donned on a lab coat and goggles and toted a plastic pumpkin. Among the friends was a Ninja, a celebrity, a diva (or prostitute??), an angel, a scientist, a crazy vagrant, and of course Bianca and I were gypsy and princess.

Me and my friends right outside of my dorm, McLean.

My costume was Snow White. I put together some accessories which were really fun. I had a crown ring and crown bracelet, red headband, red flats, and of course Macintosh Apple (a beautiful, shiny apple that tastes absolutely horrid). I think attitude also helps carry your costume. I am a princess so I wanted to be a princess for Halloween. Now, I have never made my own costume. I am under the impression that handmade costumes are often considered “cool� and store-bought ones are “lame.� So, I was lame and bought a costume from the Disney store. I think that my costume looked much cooler than any “Cat� or “Night� I saw walking around. Bianca's gypsy costume was too cool. She already had a lot of bangles and other gypsy type clothing so it was easy to put together. Of course, Bianca also had the confident and wise air of a gypsy, so that made her costume. Walking barefoot made her even more gypsy-esque. Somehow we managed to walk barefoot back to school. We think we must have gone at least 5 miles (quick update: Bianca checked Google map. It turns out we walked a little over 6 miles!) and when we saw the Chapman fountain at Trinity, we had never felt so happy to be back before. We stopped to dip out feet in the water. I am not even sure if that is ok. The cool water just felt so nice!

Here is the gypsy, taking a break at the fountain.

So, college students do trick-or-treat. They also go to parties. You can do whatever you want and no one will judge. It is totally cool to go trick-or-treating with your friends. It is also cool to go to a party. It is coolest to do what you want to do and most importantly, to have fun. So, don’t be afraid to put on that Frodo Cape you have in your closet or take on the persona of the Jedi locked deep inside you. After all, Halloween is a time to have fun. Trust me, you will want to have fun because after Halloween is November 1st. It is the beginning of the end, term papers, finals, projects. Anyway, I hope you spent your last Halloween as a high school student (prospective student) doing something really fun and memorable with your friends.

Posted by Nancy at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)