Last on Campus

Prior to this very finals week, I have never before stayed through the entire period of alternating reading days and exam days. As an English major, generally papers substitute the traditional sit-down exams, so I have not had an exam that keeps me on-campus for finals time. However, this semester is different, not because I have exams that force me to be on campus. No, I still mainly have take-homes and papers. I will be here to the very last second of semester, after 12pm on the 21st when everyone else is meant to be gone, because I am a Resident Adviser.

Being an RA this semester has been probably one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life so far (admittedly, 19 years is not really a long period of time). From my daily interactions with residents to fire alarms and lock-outs, from loads of paper work to incidents that make you just want to bawl your eyes out, everyday brings something new. I have learned more about myself and other people than I ever thought I could in a job. It is admittedly sometimes a difficult job, but I feel so well-suited to it that it has become a part of me. Part of it means sacrificing somethings, like time with my family and the ability to leave before the very last second, but it also means infinite rewards. So in the season that is all about giving, I will leave you with this:  I have seen the returns tenfold of giving a little bit of my time each day.

Finals? Can't wait!

After high school, I decided to take a year off before coming here to Clark University. During that time, I worked a full time job in a packaging company during the Graveyard Shift. I was on my feet all night for eight hours with only two ten-minute breaks, running back and forth while operating the printing machines. The company printed, cut, stuffed, and shipped announcements for non-profit organizations. You know the envelopes filled with labels that have your name and address on them with cute little pictures of endangered animals or religious iconography next to them?

I printed those every night for months.

The holiday season was particularly one of the worst times of the year.

The non-profit organizations (particularly the religious ones) always submitted glitter filled designs for labels that they wanted to be printed. The silver and gold glitter rubbed off quite easily. Virgin Mary labels repeatedly got stuck to the inside of the printing machines, causing the ink to smear on possibly hundreds of other labels before you got a chance to notice. Everything would have to be stopped and redone.

Machines in constant need of cleaning and fixing. Light switches to call mechanics over, always on. Paper cut fingers and toner-black hands. New people who needed training to increase production rates. The main collator broken, meaning every envelope needed to be hand stuffed, taking hours longer than it usually would.

And Christmas Eve approaching…while everyone knew that they had to work that day anyway. Parents were worried that they wouldn’t be able to find babysitters—or worse, that they wouldn’t have the money from the minimum wage job to get their child that new toy that was being advertised on TV.

My friends were all home from college having just finished their exams, looking forward to a month off.

More than ever, I envied the college lifestyle. Sitting down for an hour and a half every week, listening to someone talk to you about a subject you were collectively interested in? Having them also suggest further readings, giving you the chance to research even more about the topics you loved? Being given a chance to express your thoughts and ideas someone who had a degree in that area?

This year, more than ever, I’m excited for finals week. Bring it on University, do your worst. I know the alternative holiday season I could be having right now, and I gladly accept your challenge. I will always appreciate my time here at college and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to greet finals this week!

What's getting you through finals week?

Finals are my least favorite time of the year. So much stress so much work. But Finals are almost over and my favorite time of the year is fast approaching. Christmas break! Thoughts of the sleep and food I will get during the upcoming month are the only things keeping me sane. Like I said before Thanksgiving is my holiday, but after the two hellish week of finals the month off to let my brain recuperate and my eyes stop twitching. And this year my break is even more exiting that normal, I am not spending my holiday cooped up inside looking out at the snowless, yet none the less freezing street. Oh no! I will be in sunny and warm Colombia. Ok so to most people Colombia is not the vacation destination to be desired. But to me it’s not only the home of my heart, but one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Don’t believe me? Here are some examples!

Amazing huh? Yes as a third world country not all of it looks like that, but still. I can’t get enough of looking at all the places I get to go when I’m there. Here’s another one for you all.

Enough pictures for now. When I come back I will post the pictures I take! Don’t tell me you’re not looking forward to it. Most of my time I will be spending in Bogota (Second collage picture on bottom left) or in my family’s ranch in the plains which looks pretty much like the greenery shown in the second collage. Its flat grass as far as the eye can see. You wouldn’t think that it’s quite as breathtaking as it is. I am so excited to go see my family and get away from the winter chill. I might even get tan! Or do this:

Colombia has had decades of conflict and downturns in its economy, but now finally I am glad to say Colombia is back. The government is doing everything they can to keep everyone safe, and various treaties and agreements have really made a difference. It is still a country in development so common sense is needed, but I hope a lot more people go and see how truly amazing this nation is! But now to get us all through the rest of finals week here is the cutest thing you will ever see! Also taken in Colombia!

Happy Holidays, Good Luck on surviving Finals and I hope all of your vacations are filled with rest, laughter, and lots of holiday cookies!