Performance

The preparation for Denmark is coming into its final stages.  I have four more days before our flights will depart from North America for the second time this semester to arrive in a new country.  A large part of the preparation process this week will be packing- but this last week, the chance to go back to my hometown and spend time with family was also important.  There were a few events that I absolutely loved attending while I was there.

The program from the show

On Thursday night, our small town welcomed the Navy Band Sea Chanters for a phenomenal performance.  This performance became their last due to the budget cuts within the national government- they could not continue their tour for the final 5 days throughout Kansas and Missouri.  Therefore, this became the final performance for one Georgina Todd, a woman who was an active part of the Sea Chanters for 20 years.  Her retirement was obviously an emotional event for the whole group- and the fact that it was forced to be early could not have made it any easier.  Their performance was absolutely phenomenal- you could see the passion in their performance for what they do.  They had some fun performances and also some patriotic performances (both are links to some performances that had been uploaded in the past of other performances) which made it fun for everyone.  By representing a part of the military that they obviously feel strongly for, it became a chance for the audience to really see the devotion of this group.  I would love everyone to have a chance to see this group perform, but that can only happen by letting your representatives know.  Here is the link to find out who your elected Representatives are- just type in your zip code and it provides a link to send an email- its always encouraged to send emails to let them know what you would like to see happen (it is their job)- there's no other way for them to know!

I also enjoyed spending a lot of much needed quality time with my family and my community, for instance, at our church's Lenten Fish Fry on Friday.

But now I only hope to finish up these last few days and get my bag packed!  Enjoy the week- I'm sure I'll be back to share my stories throughout my journey to Denmark on Friday!!!!  

Spring Break

Its finally here!  Or should I say Winter Break (round 2)?  With all the snow on the ground, its hard to tell.  This week was very busy indeed- (3 day school weeks are just difficult) :P  But overall, trying to finish up everything before another week away from the Rock is definitely a struggle.  

With the start of Spring Break, my Facebook feed has been flooded with everyone posting pictures and statuses regarding their travels.  Rockhurst provides a chance for students to apply for several Spring Break service trips all over the place- from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and trips within the states.  There are also plenty of people venturing back home to St Louis, Nebraska, New York or wherever they are from to enjoy time with family and friends.  I'm looking forward to spending a few days here in Kansas City (including this weekend) to work at my internship.  Then, I'll spend the weekend back home!!  I'm excited to see family, since I haven't been back to western KS since December, before I left for Barcelona.  

This first weekend back though, I've already gotten to enjoy a friend's birthday celebration at Power & Lights last night, and an afternoon at the Kansas City classic cafe, the Roasterie here in Brookside.  This snowy, sunny afternoon is best enjoyed from indoors, with good music and a great companion (my boyfriend has come up for the weekend to visit me)  :)  we might catch the huge Oscar-winning movie, Argo at the Cinemark on the Plaza later tonight.  

Hope everyone enjoys a little time away.  :)  

This is actually the Roasterie factory image-- but it includes a great view of Kansas City

SNOW

What a busy week for having several days off!!  Monday, I began the week by celebrating my birthday with a few close friends.  Then after several stressful days- I continued furious work on the various papers and tests due throughout the week.  Last week was also my first full week at my new internship with an accounting firm in Overland Park.  Its been an awesome opportunity to learn more about the accounting processes in real life situations.  Also this week has been "Winter Storm Q" that gave us two days off from classes!  We were all as happy as 10-year-olds with the Rock@lert telling us of the cancellation of Thursday's classes!  Although I had hoped to achieve an unattainable number of tasks and movie-watching, I only achieved a full day and night of sleep.  While most people had classes cancelled on Friday, I went into work for the day- but got a lot accomplished there!  The weekend came and went as quickly as imagined- I enjoyed a full day of work on Saturday (two jobs) and then a full day of homework on Sunday- the plaza library has over and over again been my favorite place to study and focus on all of my impending tasks.

Now today, I have gotten to thoroughly enjoy the same feeling again, with the announcement of school cancelled tomorrow for our next round of storms!  So I will sit here and enjoy the possibility of another day full of movies, (maybe a little less sleeping) and the ever-present thought of the papers and other homework I should accomplish.  With any luck, this snow day will rejuvenate me for the last 2 days of classes before Spring Break (rough life, I know)  :)



Stay safe out there!!

Mid- February

This week has been yet another whirlwind.  On Thursday however, my International Economics class welcomed yet another special visitor.  Ronald Reagan Okumu, a member of parliament from Uganda visited our class to talk about International Economics through his perspective and discuss some of the issues that he has faced during his last 17 years in office.  His experience with the changes that Uganda has seen over these years is absolutely amazing.  He has been the youngest member of parliament- since he began his term the first year following his university education.  He still has many years he may influence the future of Uganda as he looks forward to moving up in the world of politics.  I was amazed at the ability of our school to have such an honored guest visit our small school.  I learned a lot about the trading of goods across national lines in that eastern region of Africa, in addition to the developments that have taken place in that region in recent years.  It was such an amazing opportunity to really learn about the international side of what is going on.

This week has also held plenty of celebrations around campus- whether it was for Mardi Gras, the beginning of Lent or Valentine's Day was all determined by the solemnity and color theme for the evening.  (Tuesday being green and red, Wednesday being much more solemn, and Thursday being all shades of pink and red)  I can't say many people minded the extra excuses to bake and bring snacks to multiple meetings or just for everyone to enjoy- I would hope Thursday didn't ruin anyone's declarations from Wednesday's Lenten promises.

Oh, and this week I discovered a few more articles/ videos from the Grundfos challenge-- coming up in less than a month now!  I'm shown a little bit at the end of this video and briefly mentioned in the article in this KC Business Journal on page 16.  Getting excited!!

Visitors

We've had some exciting events and visitors here at Rockhurst this past week!  To begin with, on Thursday, both the CEO of Dollar General and the senior vice president of global strategic sourcing, Richard Dreiling and Jim Kopp, visited campus and came to several classes, one of which was my International Economics class.  As alumnus of Rockhurst, they made a special visit to Kansas City to visit EMBA classes in addition to some undergrad classes for the Helzberg School.  Mr Dreiling was the one who mostly spoke through our class.  I was absolutely delighted to get to hear all about his journey from Rockhurst in Kansas City, through each of his promotions to end up at the top of Dollar General.  He was very down-to-earth, speaking about everything from his corporate jet and Mike's to their recent phenomenal sales and how to keep their growth reasonable.  Hearing about his journey to his current position was inspiring- as I hope that each step that I take will lead me to a place of success, its encouraging to hear of someone who truly has.  

Richard Dreiling, CEO of Dollar General

Another exciting event on campus was the annual Competitive Scholars Day for high school seniors.  The day includes a chance to see the university, but most importantly, they are given a chance to interview for full tuition scholarships offered by Rockhurst.  This year, there were over 300 applicants for 30 full tuition scholarships.  To show you how much Rockhurst has grown, the year I interviewed, three years ago, there were 160 interviewees for only 9 full tuition scholarships.  This day is a huge chance for Rockhurst to attract potential new students, as I know many people I currently talk to also attended Competitive Scholars Day.  I hope to see plenty of these potential new freshmen around our campus next fall.  

Rockhurst pulled out all the stops with classy lighting,
a jazz band, and  KC slideshow for the social  part of the event

Parks, travel, and to-do lists-- oh my

This week has provided a representation of all four seasons here in KC.  We had fall on Sunday- a day where I enjoyed a gorgeous day in a Topeka park with my boyfriend.  Then on Monday came summer, which I enjoyed with my roommate and a run along a trail near Brookside, called the Trolley Track Trail.  We conquered the tail end of it from 55th to Volker, then went along Brush Creek for a gorgeous day.  Tuesday was definitely spring with the amount of rain, but you know what they say, January showers bring February flowers?? (for Valentine's Day, right?)  Finally, Wednesday and today, winter has finally decided to arrive.  Bringing with it snow, frozen sidewalks, and freezing wind to just make it that much easier to wake up and go to class.  Oh, Midwest weather, you always win.

In other news, I am very excited to report that I have officially booked hotel rooms for Amsterdam!  For being a part of the Global Grundfos Challenge- see my earlier posts about this event here and here- the company decided to pay for our plane tickets to and from a few select European cities.  While I wasn't intending to do so originally, Sarah, one of the other competitors invited me to join her to go to Amsterdam for a few days following the competition in Bjerringbro, Denmark.  With someone to join me, I am very much looking forward to our relaxing trip to another European city following a stress-filled week of competition.

Additionally, this week has held a surprising amount of stress due to a very long to-do list that I've compiled throughout the week.  The cold and flu season also seems to be making its rounds at Rockhurst as many people are missing class.  However, today proved to be LITERALLY the most productive day I have had in... probably a year.  So I have prevailed and everything seems to looking good :)

Hope all you readers have a fantastic week, and enjoy the clips from one of my favorite shows (click on the word LITERALLY)!!

January day

Kansas City has proved itself to continue to be a chilly reminder of the winter I was hoping to avoid.  But nothing can keep class away.  Just a few things on my mind this afternoon- I finally got to see Les Mis earlier today- I love afternoon movies on the Plaza-- they're the perfect way to start the weekend!

• I can already tell with the first week of classes that I will be plenty busy this semester, even though I will have fewer meetings than in the past.  While this is the third semester in a row I have had a full class schedule of 18 hours, I know that my homework level will definitely be increased-- junior year everyone!  
• Yesterday, I went with my roommates to Yogurtini on the Plaza for the first time in quite some time.  I remember when I went to Yogurtini for the first time my freshmen year, with Social Mentors.  The whole school had been buzzing about the "froyo place on the Plaza" that everyone just had to try!  And recently, Rockhurst got something similar in P-Sub: a froyo machine with different flavors and toppings to add on that are weighed just like at Yogurtini!  (I have yet to try it- but one of these days, that'll be just what I need between classes)

• I can't believe how quickly time has passed since I began at Rockhurst!  I'm not even a senior, and I can already tell that my time in college is fleeting.  This isn't all bad though- it makes it easier to enjoy all the little things.  :)
• I have several friends celebrating birthdays this semester, (including mine!) so I'm looking forward to lots of excuses to make cake and enjoy dinners out all dressed up.  (at so many of KC's amazing restaurants)