First Thoughts For 2008
Happy New Year, everyone!
I hope you had a great time during the holidays – I know I did. In my last entry I mentioned that I was staying with one of my friends and her family for the first two weeks of break, while the campus was closed. Well, I’ve been back on campus since it reopened on Jan 2nd and I’ve been working full-time at the library. After almost a month of break I have my batteries fully recharged, I’m anxious for school to start, and ready to fill you in on the last two weeks of 2007!
So, I left campus after my last exam during the last week of school. The drill is that each student has to check out of his or her room before 8 PM on the day of his or her last scheduled exam. The first two weeks of winter break are the only ones when the campus is entirely closed and no one can remain here. So, since traveling back home to Romania wasn’t exactly an option on such short notice and for only a couple of weeks, I went home with Caryn, a friend who lives in Milford, New Hampshire (about an hour and a half away from UNE). We were in the same bio and philosophy classes and since we did such a great job growing mustard plants in the bio lab together and all that, it seemed like a good choice:)) I have to mention that a number of other people offered to take me in during that period, which felt really nice. So, thanks to all of them.
I got luckier than I could have hoped with Caryn’s family. They received me as if I were a member of the family, including me in all the holiday traditions and activities. I had never stayed with a family other than mine even back home, not to mention in another country, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But I ended up having a great time, so this experience is another one on my list of rewarding “firsts.”
Among other things, we went to Caryn’s younger brother’s basketball games and if you recall my entry on the USM international event, you’ll remember that I declared to be parallel with any and all sports. Well, this holiday it was down to either growing insane with boredom during the games or actually paying attention and trying to figure out what was going on; I opted for the second choice. And now I can proudly say that I no longer gaze in wonder at a basketball game, steeped in ignorance. So that’s one sport crossed off of my “to-do list.” And if you count the “highly professional” ping-pong “tournaments” we had in the family garage, that makes for two sports in one break! (If the holiday spirit hasn’t yet left you altogether, please pretend you share my joy and enthusiasm:) ).
 |
 |
Of course, we did all sorts of other things, like shopping, going out for dinner or a movie. One night we all went to dinner at a place called Giorgio’s. It’s quaint and cozy, with a really pleasant atmosphere – try it if you never have.
A really fun day for me was the one we spent “slaving” in the kitchen, baking and cooking (we’ll stick to these terms, even though they gained new meanings at some points). We made sugar cookies, ginger-bread… figures, muffin cakes… The whole thing led to an “obsession” for detail, so we ended up picking out each individual sprinkle out of the jars in order to design specific patterns on the frosted cookies… hours of hard labor and “intellectual effort,” of struggling to come up with new and ingenious designs and ideas… all so that a small number of people could eat the cookies in only a few short minutes the next day:)
 |
 |
 | |
Anyway, after all that display of artistic and culinary skill, we still had to come up with dinner and clean the kitchen. And we wanted to make it to a movie that evening, so we ended up eating what we had “cooked” for dinner in the car:)) Don’t worry, everyone survived and there were no casualties.
A very exciting day was when we went to Boston (an hour’s drive from Milford) to the Museum of Science. I’m very keen on anything and everything science-related, so I was in my element. There are so many things to see, so many departments, exhibits, and even live presentations. We were there from 9 AM till 7 PM - it was a marathon and by the time we left, we were worn out. The great part is that many of the activities and presentations are interactive - there are all sorts of "gadgets" that the visitors can test out or "play" with. For example, you can weigh yourself on the Moon or on Jupiter; or you can measure your blood pressure; or during the live presentations, the person holding the lecture can select volunteers from the crowd; and many, many other things. A really amazing part of the museum is represented by the so-called OMNI theaters: basically enormous dome-like rooms, where the screen is the actual dome-shaped sealing. The sensation is incredible; you feel immersed in the motion picture. And the lightning show is quite an experience, as well (it can do “wonders” for your hearing:)) ) It’s simply a place you need to fully experience, pictures and words can’t describe it the way it deserves.
Here’s the link to the museum’s website, if you want to check it out. I think it’s worth it.
| http://www.mos.org |
Anyway, one of the best moments of the holiday was the interval between Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning. The tradition in their family is that on Christmas Eve everyone gets brand-new pajamas that they have to wear to “look good in the next morning’s pictures.” I got a set of warm, fluffy pajamas, too – a warm gesture, don’t you think?
So, after freezing to the point where we thought we’d never recover sensation in our toes downtown at a caroling concert,
 |  |
Here I am with my X-mas outfit:
 |
The next morning, on X-mas day, we all got up bright and early for what would be a two hour “present opening ceremony.” Four days of rapping, all amounting to this:
 |
That day I received several presents. But my list of gifts began before that and I don’t think it’s ended yet… You might recall how some friends from my dorm went out of their way to bake me a traditional cake:
 |
And then, I got the chance to catch up with my family and some of my friends from back home. Given my hectic schedule this semester and the 7 hours time difference, keeping in touch was a bit tricky… I usually talk to my family through YM, by calling their computer, so we actually speak to each other. And the best part of it was on New Year’s. I got to celebrate it twice because Romania shifted to 2008 at 5 PM here. So I called my parents, they activated their webcam, we did the countdown together, and we basically had what my parents later called a “virtual New Year’s celebration.” And then, 7 hours later, as we passed into 2008 here, they called me (it was 7 AM over there).
All these essentially describe the same thing: caring and love. That’s perhaps the best gift: the feeling of being wanted, appreciated, and loved and doing the same thing for those around you. That’s been one of the lessons my time here has offered me.
And now I’m ready for new lessons, new experiences… I have a lot of plans and goals for this year that I’ll let you in on one at a time, as I come to them.
In the meanwhile, I’ll keep you posted on how the first days of classes unfold next week. Take care, everyone, and, once again, Happy New Year! Hopefully I’ll get to meat some of you during 2008;)
Oh, and since today is the first Orientation Day for new students coming in for the Spring Semester, I just want to welcome everyone. I hope you’ll all be as lucky as I am!
Best wishes,
Anda.
