This probably the last “normal weekend” of the semester and I could not have started it better than attending Casino Night with my buddies Friday night. It was not real money but you could win real prizes such as a TV or iPad. Though I did not win, hanging out with my buddies was nice. Even better that Butler University’s dance team worked all the tables. I might have enjoyed that part more than the fake gambling; no I am sure that I enjoyed it more. After that I went straight to bed because of my all-nighter the previous night.

For my birthday on Saturday I got to do some yard work for the Glee Club director Dr.Bowen. After a couple hours of that I attended Taylor Neal’s (who was also celebrating his birthday) Senior Composition Recital. Words will always fall short to convey the beauty of any composed piece of art. Having said that, I wish you could have listened to the compositions he shared. That experience reassured my decision to be Music major and I am fortunate to have attended. I am eager to begin my Independent Study with Dr.Hulen Junior year where I will begin to apply the music theory to composition.

 What an opening night for the cast of Stage Lights! Without exaggerating I am definitely going back Friday and Saturday night to watch it again. If you know anything about Charlie Chaplin’s character of the Tramp you know he is all about shenanigans and accidental humor. Patrick definitely brings to life the charming and captivating tramp that Charlie Chaplin created.

I was probably more excited then anyone I know about this play. Being the huge silent film and Charlie Chaplin fan that I am, I was not let done by this play. I am very excited for all those who participated in the play because they look like they had lots of fun.

I find it quite amusing that you will see a guy who is in your advisory be on stage and play a giant gorilla. It might be the fact that it is a small school but I do not think it is possible at large schools to be part of a production or an ensemble unless you are majoring in a fine art. That’s what makes Wabash great. You might even be a Spanish History double major and be part of one of the theatre productions or be on the football team and the Glee Club. Yeah maybe Wabash does not have as much as bigger schools to offer, but what we do have you can be part of no matter what you are majoring in. Small school means there is room to get around and try a bit of everything. I have never acted before and I am more than excited for my intro to acting class next semester and I am a Music Spanish double major. You can do a lot at Wabash no and it won’t really matter what your interest is.

I can barely wrap my head around the idea that there is only two weeks of freshman year classes left. Not really an “idea” but the truth. What I also find hard to believe is spending my 19th birthday away from my parents and brothers.

This will be my first birthday not at home with my mom and dad. It is not easy being away from home and though no one can replace a mother and father’s love, the friends I have made at Wabash make it a bit easier to deal with such things. At Wabash we are one team and we are one family. We stand next to each other trough thick and thin. It is true that you will make your best friends in college, at Wabash you make more than friends. The fact that there are no girls in classes helps form stronger bonds with your Wabash brothers. It is not easy to explain how these bonds are formed or strong they really are, but they are there and definitely tenacious.

This social aspect is definitely the green light and deciding factor of why I am coming back for another year. Going to college and graduating with a diploma means nothing if you did not enjoy the stay and ride to get there. Wabash is definitely a choice I would make over and over again. Coming back to Wabash for next year is just as important if not more important. Go to Wabash, you will not forget it.

  Glee Club this week has been bitter sweet. On one hand we have not been singing as much as I’d like to but on the other we have been learning about what we are going to be doing while in Ecuador for the month. Learning about our host families, the geography, and the culture and people of Ecuador is making extremely excited about this trip. What I am amazed about as well is that this time last year I would have never guessed that I would be going to Ecuador as a freshman.

Today I was interviewed to be  an orientation leader in August for incoming freshman and a question I was asked was “What study abroad opportunities are available?” among other questions. This was an easy one for because I know of upper clansmen who are in the process of applying and others that are currently studying abroad. Study abroad opportunities are very common and you can take advantage of them as a freshman. There are immersion trips where you can travel to Germany, Cuba, Washington DC during Thanksgiving break or spring break. These trips area available depending on what classes you take and when you take them. There is also your typical semester long study abroad programs that you apply for as sophomores and then travel as second or first juniors.

What is great about this is that you could even study in Ecuador as a freshman like I am. I get to be in Ecuador for a month, study about Ecuadorian culture, have the music director teach us Ecuadorian songs, and then travel with the Glee Club and sing in churches and schools. The best part is that the first two weeks of this trip are free except for lunch and the next two weeks are a very low subsidized amount.

The point is, traveling opportunities at Wabash are plentiful but to get to them you are going to have to look for them. Opportunities are not going to seek you out, you must find them, apply and want them.

It is that time of the semester where assignments are stacked higher than the B.S. coming out of a Mexican politicians mouth. That is a lot by the way.

I am not here just to moan about all that I have to do because even though it may be a lot, not any of my papers that I have due are uninteresting or boring. One of my papers for my Public Policy class is about obesity amongst the youth and how policies created by the FDA could push the youth to make better dietary choices. As much of a research paper that it may sound like, I get to tie it to economics and paternalistic policies. Basically it is a topic I am highly interested in that I got to pick and because of that, the paper is basically writings itself. (I Wish)

This semester I lucked out on having too many written finals because I only have to take one for my music class. The rest of my finals are papers on topics of my choosing. But even thought I only have that one final, it does not mean I wont be studying hard for it. I am sure I will be in the library like I was last semester working hard. Maybe not as hard I was in this picture. I am in three different spots if you didn’t notice. Going to be a stretch these last three weeks but there is no where else I would rather be for college. I have made bunch of great friends here and the culture and feeling of Wabash can not be matched anywhere else. No mistakes made in choosing Wabash. Got to get back to writing papers. Check back in tomorrow.