Around this time of the year I always see some of my peers walking around so strangely as if they are in a battle field hiding from someone,  I noticed this last year and again this year. I never really understood it, some of them would be in full gear as if it’s a costume for Halloween others would walk around with huge toy guns, darts, and even rope sometimes. It all seemed so weird to me, I wondered last year what was going on? I never really paid too much attention, but the only thing I knew was whenever I saw someone running for their life, I knew that they were playing Human vs. Zombies, and I knew to get out of their way fast!  I thought wow, where do college students find all this time to have so much fun to run around the campus from each other. From the outside the game looks like an intense man hunt (if you ever played that game you would know exactly what I am talking about). One day I was walking through the campus center and I noticed that there was a sign that said:  “Sign up table for Humans vs. Zombies” In my head I was thinking “are you serious? Again I have to see my peers running around on campus having all the fun in the world! My goodness, I have to admit watching them play this game makes me so jealous, I mean this is intense, it is serious.  In between classes I see some of them running for their lives, hiding, and even hunting their next victim. As crazy as it seems I wish I was a part of it, what a way to have some fun! I had to blog about this because I was thinking to myself today if I was playing I would be a zombie for sure!  why didn’t I sign up?  It just looks so fun I could imagine myself playing this game with a bunch of my friends I could imagine how much fun we will have. Besides what other time in the world will you ever get to be a zombie on a college campus? I can’t believe I missed out on the opportunity to become a zombie! 🙁

So this week was pretty normal…except I started another class this week.  It is called Interculturality, studying cultural differences between France and the United States.  Already it has been my favorite class, it is so interesting.  In my Education of Non-french speaking students class, I realized yet another cultural difference between France and the US.  Since the history of the USA is so short, we learn a lot about how our county was started through immigration and the effects on the industry, the effects on the citizens of the country and the struggles that immigrants face.  Although, immigration is minimal in France’s long history, and in high school students don’t learn as much about immigration.  So we spent a whole class learning about immigration and I was so bored, but I am in a class with graduate students and we actually needed to spend a whole class learning about immigration.  Talk about major cultural differences.

Erica Shapey, one of my hockey teammates who is studying in Barcelona this semester, came to visit Paris this weekend.  She arrived on Thursday night, it was pretty late so we just went back to my apartment for the night. 

On Friday, I gave her a tour of Paris.  We started near my apartment and went to Montmartre and the Sacre-Coeur. 

 It wasn’t as busy since it was a Friday, but it was beautiful as always.  Then we walked down the street to the Moulin Rouge, it is always fun walking from Montmartre to the Moulin Rouge and walking through the Red-Light District during the day.   

After that we took the Metro to the champs-elysees and the arc de triomphe. (see below) 

We made our way down the champs elysees stopping at some stores and getting little tartlettes with raspberries.  We walked all the way to the place de la concorde past the obelisk. (see below)

 and the madeleine

to the Opera Garnier. 

After we did some sight-seeing we did some shopping.  Of course in paris one must shop and eat yummy food.  Later that night we went to a birthday party that my French friends were having for one of their friends.  It was so fun and we had a great time. 

Saturday we went to the eiffel tower, Twice!  haha We had to go during the day and at night because it is very different both times!

(Note to self: Instert Pic of Tiff and Shapey at Eiffel Tower) 🙂

Take a look for yourself:

So awesome, but so crazy how the same thing can be so different!

And of course the view from the tippy top of the eiffel tower, sorry its a little blurry:

We are very far from home…

So besides the eiffel tower on Saturday we did more shopping and we saw the Louvre and we went to dinner and it was so french and so fabulous!!!!!!!! Later we hung out with one of my French friends at La Batorfar, its a club on a boat! It was really fun and of course so European! 

Before Erica left on Sunday we took one last trip to Montmartre to get one last Crepe before she left and enjoyed eating them on the steps of the Sacre Coeur!  I had such a fun weekend and it was so nice to see a familiar face, but it reminded me of how much I miss hockey and Oswego!!!!

Oh big news for me, I had a job interview for babysitting a little girl here in paris and I got a phone call today and I got the job!  I start tomorrow and I am so excited to be working and going to school in Paris!  What an experience!

Well that should do it for now.  This week seems to be more about pictures.  But what use is telling about all the sights we saw if I didn’t include pictures.  Enjoy!!!!

So, I just realized how long it has been since my last post.  TOO LONG!  I’ve been uber busy with classes, work, SA, and just life in general.  I am the type of person who prefers to be busy rather than have a lot of down time.  My days usually start at about 8am, after getting ready and such, and go until at least 9 every night.  I can’t remember the last time I actually cooked a meal at home, but I have grow accustom to the Pesto Burgers from Crossroads in the campus center.  It makes me feel like I’m eating healthy, even though I consider it fast food.  I don’t know what I’ll do when I have a real job and am working 9-5.  Oh wait, I’m going to have my law degree and be working in Higher Ed…I’ll probably have the same amount of work.

So that’s something new…I have recently decided that I’m going to get my JD and MA in Higher Educational Policy.  I’ve started looking at graduate programs and I really think this is the direction I want to go in.  I’ve been interested in Higher Ed for the past few years.  Working in the Admissions Office, Judicial Affairs, and now Student Association has given me so much experience and I know I can go further with what I have learned.  Recently I found out there is a clause in the student handbook and academic policy that allows students to create their own program of study.  I’m going to be one of the students to do this.  It’s going to be some work, but I’m pretty sure I can be successful.  It’s going to be an adventure, and you can be sure I’ll keep everyone posted.

So let’s see what I can talk about.  I had a very busy week.  The Admissions office Open House was on Monday.  We had over 380 students and their families register for the event and I’m sure over 1000 people came to see Oswego.  It was a very eventful day.  We had presentations, open classes, over 30 tours, and an expo of tables and booths staffed by representatives of many departments and offices on campus, including student organizations.  It was a hit! Next up is our Saturday Open House, this Saturday, October 24.  You still have time to register if you want to visit Oswego.  You can go to www.oswego.edu/visit and cho0se Open Houses for more information.

I will definitely be posting more, I promise. (Tim Nekritz, I hope you see this!)  Have a great Sunday everyone!

     This past summer I was a costume intern for the Sterling Renaissance Festival and now I have the pleasure of working in the costume shop this semester. We have a mass amount of costumes in storage, and our costume shop supervisor Judy McCabe, costume designer Kitty Macey, and costume students have been doing a large amount of downsizing over the past few weeks. What will we be doing with all of the costumes? The Theatre Department is having a Costume Sale just in time for Halloween! If you are looking for unique costumes, masks and hats that are all one of a kind (and under $20) then come out to our costume sale. It starts October 20^th and goes to the 22^nd. If we have any costumes left we will be having the sale again the 22^nd of October to the 29^th.

     The sale will take place in Tyler Hall’s lower lobby. Hours on Tuesday and Thursday are: 9:15am-11:00am, 1:00pm-4:00pm. Wednesday it is 1:00pm-5:00pm.

SO, last weekend I was in California for my boyfriend’s brother’s wedding in Ventura. It was so beautiful! They got married on top of a hill overlooking the city and the ocean. There was a big cross at the top of the hill and tons of rose petals spread all around!!! So beautiful. And Lauren, the new Mrs. Houck, looked like a princess. Overall it was a great time! That being said, I didn’t write a blog last week, so I’m making up for it with a double dose of information.

The first thing I’d like to talk about is the weather! Here in Oswego, it’s starting to get a lot colder, forties in the day and thirties over night. We haven’t had snow yet, but I was sure we were going to this week. My parents said that it snowed a little down in the Southern Tier this past week. Soon enough, Oswegonians, we’ll get blasted.

I spent my freshmen year in the Adirondacks where it got down to -26 degrees some days, and we still had to go to class. That was brutal. When I transferred to Oswego the following year, I didn’t think that the winter could be worse than the Adirondacks. Well, the temperature here in Oswego hardly gets as low as negative 20s, but there are other factors that make it hard to handle. When it’s snowing and the wind’s blowing 20-30 mph and you have to walk to class in a blizzard, that’s pretty intense and hard to handle. Last year, more than once, I was lifted up by the wind up onto my toes and pushed by it. There are smaller girls who walk around and you can see them getting buffeted by the wind.

It’s pretty crazy, but there are some precautions you should take to weather the weather, if you will. When you go outside, wear a hat that covers your head, ears, neck, etc. You may not want to mess up your hair or look weird wearing a beanie, but trust me it’s definitely worth it. Next, wear a scarf! These things save so much heat by covering up the nape of your neck front and back. They can also double as mouth/cheek covers if you pull them up far enough.

Another thing you should invest in is a good pair of boots. I’m not talking about the fashionable high heel boots or Uggs that freeze your toes as soon as they hit the snow. Invest in a pair from Dick’s or something. They have cute, well-insulated boots for less than $40. I’d say risk the fashion faux pas by keeping your feet warm from frostbite. And boys, steel toe boots don’t cut it. Wear some hunting or hiking boots that have insulation in it to save your footsies. IF you don’t want to invest in high-end weather boots, invest in some wool socks. I have a pair of impractical but very cute boots that I love wearing, and I always wear my wool socks to keep my toes from freezing when I’m out walking around in the snow that gets blown onto the sidewalks.

And please, don’t wear just tights as pants! You’ll freeeeze! If you want to dress nice or have to for a practicum or presentation but you don’t want to freeze, put on some Long Johns (thermal underwear) under your dress slacks. Fashion doesn’t have to be a sacrifice! My overall advice for dealing with an Oswego winter is – dress for the weather and not the fashion, stay covered up, change your background on your computer to a beach scene to remind you of brighter days to come, and go out and play in the snow! We don’t want to get cabin fever do we?

And now, for the second aspect of my blog. I’d like to add another tidbit of information on GHANA!!!
(the following information comes from The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture – Ghana by Ian Utley – 2009 – Kuperard – Random House)

In Ghana, it’s proper to greet someone when you see them anywhere, if you don’t it’s an insult (p 78). They’re more apt to hold grudges for one missed greeting than people in the U.S. would be. We’re more used to walking down a city block, not knowing anyone, and not even acknowledging other people’s presence. It’s an American thing that would fly in Ghana. It’s important to say it even before buying something. Utley writes that there is a difference between “Good morning. Please, do you sell cigarettes?” and “Please, do you sell cigarettes?” (p 79). There’s a good deal of respect inherent in conversations in Ghana that also is different than American culture. In the South, students still address teachers as Ma’am and Sir from time to time. It’d be the same in Ghana.

I also learned that you’re supposed to use your right hand to eat and greet and all that. It’s considered rude to use your left hand because what is implied is that you use your left hand for bathroom duties, so to use it to eat or shake hands, even if you washed or not, is considered more or less gross. That’ll be hard to get used to because I’m used to using both hands to eat, switching the utensils. SO, we’ll see how I fare at this!

That’s all for now… thanks for your patience! Take care and have a great weekend!

Family and Friends weekend! My mom’s coming to visit:) yay!

So many events under way for SA! I’ll keep you posted 🙂

Media Summit all day tomorrow:) Great panel this year, I can’t wait!

Meet and greet with president stanley and other professional staff! How exciting!