Saturday, December 22, 2012

End of the World

Well, since I am making this post- it is obvious that the world did not end yesterday as "predicted" by some. Which is a very good thing- because there is way too much to look forward to next semester!

To begin with, I will be traveling to Barcelona on January 1st (which is sneaking up quicker than I thought possible) to take a class titled "Global Business- Issues/Culture".  Specific, huh?  But the trip will last two weeks (from the 1st to the 14th) and will be my first ever trans-Atlantic flight! I intend to keep updates going during that time to share more about the class.

In other news- finals are all done!  I completed the semester, which is all I can ask for.  The first few days of break did not go as planned- with a broken down new vehicle that delayed my return home, but it all ended up working out so that I got home safe and sound before the big blizzard hit Western Kansas.  My Christmas present from my boyfriend was tickets to see The Nutcracker at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.  Since they started construction my freshman year, I have been dying to see a show there, so it was a perfect opportunity to discover even more about KC.

A picture from online of the center-- my camera's quality leaves much to be desired.

Otherwise, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas- I look forward to spending time with my family and friends here in Western Kansas for the next few days.  I hope everyone stays safe and enjoys this holiday season as much as possible!  

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Traditions

We're coming to a close of the semester!  The best part about coming closer to the end is all of the traditions that go along with the end of the semester at Rockhurst.  One tradition for Student Senate, is our annual dinner at Dr Quick's house.  Dr Quick is our Senate adviser in addition to the Vice President for Student Development and Athletics for our university.  Every year (to my knowledge) he and his family has welcomed our rowdy group of college students into their home for a holiday dinner.  It is often such a relief to have an evening off campus to just think about being with friends, and what is considered a part of your Rockhurst family.  Driving to a more residential part of Kansas City also gave me my first glance of Christmas lights displays rivaling those back home.  This reminder that the holidays are near also put classes into perspective, which is exactly what we all need going into finals week.

Senators enjoyed taking pictures around the fire and the Christmas tree in the beautiful home of Dr Quick


Another tradition I'm looking forward to is Senate Midnight Breakfast.  Every year, we sponsor breakfast from 10pm-midnight in the caf, right before finals week.  Rockhurst students fill up on food to energize them for the coming week (or night of last minute studying)  Senate only asks for $1 or a canned food item to fill up on all the breakfast food you can eat, and we donate the money and canned foods to St Francis Xavier church- across the street from Rockhurst.  Its a great way for students to hang out and enjoy a meal as the semester comes to a close!  


Some pictures added after the event.
The whole Senate group ready for breakfast!
Collecting the cans and donation money for SFX

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

What happened?

You can tell the level of this week just based on the fact that this post was evidently saved as a draft last Saturday instead of submitted for you to view!  So now here it is.
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I have been overwhelmed by all the support and attention my team's recent success at the Grundfos Challenge has received from faculty, staff and students alike at Rockhurst.  So anyone reading, I'd like to thank you for that!  An experience that began as a project for class credit has become a new life experience that I will be able to learn innumerable skills and contacts to be useful in the future.

Staying in KC for Thanksgiving resulted in a lot of hours on my feet- 34 hours in 4 days- working at a restaurant on the Plaza.  The 'break' that I expected by having all the time I could want just focusing on my own well-being seemed to disappear with my hours at the restaurant, and the projects I planned to finish only obtained a half-hearted first draft of a few papers.  Oh well, the best break prepares you for the coming weeks, and I was definitely ready to get back to class!

The closing of the semester comes with it plenty of stress, but also plenty of opportunities for fun activities.  Social Mentors had their annual ice skating event on Friday night at Crown Center.  It's always fun to watch the freshmen as they have developed new friendships and become truly at home at Rockhurst as the year goes on.  The gorgeous Christmas display in that area of Crown Center always produces a few gasps and plenty of photo ops for every social media enthusiast.
It's always necessary to pose for a roomie-pic, even if its only 3 of us pictured... with a different 4th person...

I ended up going back to the same area the following night with less of a time constraint and fewer people. (My boyfriend visited me for the weekend)