Ugh. I don't really have much to update you all on, since life has just been incredibly busy but also incredibly uninteresting. Buuut I don't have any immediate homework due, and I've been sitting in the office for my office hours for about 4 hours now, with another one to go, and I'm incredibly bored. And thus, a boring blog post was born.
I've really just been bopping around, finishing up some assignments and prepping for the end. Which is in about 3 weeks, including finals (of which, I have few- a paper and a possible oral exam). Other than that, I have a lot of senior things to do, such as an awards thing for the Business School, a senior Honors banquet, a Beta Gamma Sigma thing, and another awards thing. All by next Monday.
In other fun news, I had to physically call my Italian professor, Marella, for an oral presentation on Monday. At 9 am. I hate talking on the phone in English, so Italian is rough. I also was supposed to be arranging English lessons for her (she was gonna be my student) and I mistakenly said English isn't my mother language and that I was Italian. Which Marella subsequently made fun of me for. Meh, you win some, you lose some.
Other things. Well, I'm visiting Cesca this weekend for her Spring Weekend, then coming back and seeing my parents, who are coming to the Beta Gamma Sigma induction ceremony (I'm already a member, but am being honored as a graduating senior).
I'm looking at my list of assignments that are left, and it's winding down rather quickly. I'm a few presentations and papers away from being all done, and I can't believe it.
Tonight I'm going to see a play, An Enemy of the People, because my freshman year roommate, Alyssa, is the stage manager for it, and I want to be supportive, as its her final theater endeavor here. I want to see all her hard work come to fruition. Maybe after this weekend she will finally have time to have a coffee date with Sarah and me! We've been trying to arrange it for months, and have thus far been frighteningly unsuccessful.
I also seriously need to work on my list of restaurants I want to eat at in Ithaca, because I'm a fail and haven't done that yet. But ugh. Spending money. Waaah.
I'm being all over the place, but Cesca and I just got the most awesome Mother's Day gift for my mom and we can't wait to give it to her. So much so that I'm facetiming cesca while my parents are here on Sunday and we are giving it to her then. I LOVE giving gifts, especially unexpectedly. Can't wait to see her face!!!
Well. I'm out of things to talk about- see? Busy but boring life. Oh well. Hope you all enjoy your day/night/life. Ciao for now!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Decisions, Decisions
So I haven't updated for a while because I've been busy with life, the universe and job searching. I received an interview from the EPIK program and I didn't want to jinx it, so I didn't say anything.
BUT I GOT IT!!! I'M IN!!!
I'm currently gathering up all of my documents to send over to Korea so that I can officially be recommended to the department of education and officially get a contract.
Now I know that going to South Korea still sounds crazy at the moment, but a friend of mine sent me a notice that the US Embassy in Korea still sees no reason for concern or evacuation. Hopefully by August, things will have calmed down and war will have been avoided.
Sarah got in too! Which is really exciting, cause that means we will be able to be travel buddies again! I want to see tons of things in Korea, and try to get to the Great Wall of China and some parts of Japan too. I know I'm going there to work, but travel isn't far from my mind.
To think, I'm only 22 and I'll have lived in 3 different countries! I'm extremely nervous, but very excited. Now I just have to get all the paperwork in.
I'm having a slight dilemma, as there is another opportunity I want to take part in. Cornell has an internship program called tthe AIESEC Cornell Internship Program which is a global community in over 100 countries that has lots of business internships, including teaching abroad. I could join their database and look for an internship through them, or I could stay with the EPIK program and go to Korea like originally planned. I apparently can join the network at any time, so I was debating joining it before the end of my year in Korea to look for a job when I get home (another job abroad, that would be really awesome, wouldn't it?) and go through there, hoping that the internship turns into a full time job, or just a great springboard into new things. But I'm really excited about the EPIK program. I'm not sure what to do.
I guess if things go poorly in Korea in the next few months, I would still have the option of searching for a job through AIESEC... Meh, time will tell, but it's nice to finally have some options!
BUT I GOT IT!!! I'M IN!!!
I'm currently gathering up all of my documents to send over to Korea so that I can officially be recommended to the department of education and officially get a contract.
Now I know that going to South Korea still sounds crazy at the moment, but a friend of mine sent me a notice that the US Embassy in Korea still sees no reason for concern or evacuation. Hopefully by August, things will have calmed down and war will have been avoided.
Sarah got in too! Which is really exciting, cause that means we will be able to be travel buddies again! I want to see tons of things in Korea, and try to get to the Great Wall of China and some parts of Japan too. I know I'm going there to work, but travel isn't far from my mind.
To think, I'm only 22 and I'll have lived in 3 different countries! I'm extremely nervous, but very excited. Now I just have to get all the paperwork in.
I'm having a slight dilemma, as there is another opportunity I want to take part in. Cornell has an internship program called tthe AIESEC Cornell Internship Program which is a global community in over 100 countries that has lots of business internships, including teaching abroad. I could join their database and look for an internship through them, or I could stay with the EPIK program and go to Korea like originally planned. I apparently can join the network at any time, so I was debating joining it before the end of my year in Korea to look for a job when I get home (another job abroad, that would be really awesome, wouldn't it?) and go through there, hoping that the internship turns into a full time job, or just a great springboard into new things. But I'm really excited about the EPIK program. I'm not sure what to do.
I guess if things go poorly in Korea in the next few months, I would still have the option of searching for a job through AIESEC... Meh, time will tell, but it's nice to finally have some options!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Remember Your First Time? 10 Years of Phantom
Well, the weeks are winding down and I'm losing all motivation to study or do work. Especially when it seems that we are in a winter that stretches for ages (a la Game of Thrones, maybe?). I'm starting to get nervous/excited for my future, especially since I have an interview for the EPIK program in Korea next week. I've also happened upon some other backup opportunities, should that one fail. Hopefully I'll still be able to go live and work abroad. Time will tell.
Anywhooo, I wanted to talk about last weekend, as it was a really special day for me. I had gone to visit Cesca and see her new apartment, but Saturday was a very important day. You see, March 23rd is my Phanniversary. Well, it's OUR Phanniversary, meaning it's the first time my mom, sister and I saw the show. Waaaay back in good old 2003. Which was for my 12th birthday. Which means it was my 10 YEAR PHANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!
This is abnormally exciting to me, because that's a pretty long time to be in love with something. What's also funny is that I didn't even want to go to the show in the first place. We had gone to see Jesus Christ Superstar with our youth group, and I had seen an advert for Phantom in the playbill. I think I pointed it out to my mother and said something like "we should see this" without actually meaning this, because most 12 year olds didn't know much about Phantom, only that it was really popular and famour. I don't actually think I was serious.
So a little while later, I'm watching TV and mom waltzes into the room, informing Cesca and me that we have tickets to the show for after our birthday, as a birthday gift and partially Christmas too cause they were expensive. We were not amused.In fact, March 23rd came, and I was so annoyed that I had to go because I thought it would be a waste of a day. What a fool I was.
My mom was also visiting that weekend (we had to help cesca set up her new furniture) and said that she didn't want it to be her fault that I'd become so obsessed. Cesca replied that of course it was her fault, we were 12 and weren't making conscious decisions about shows to see at Sheas in Buffalo!
Gotta agree with Cesca on that point. But seriously, if my mom hadn't gotten tickets to the show, I don't know if I ever would have gotten into Phantom like I did. I can't even tell you the specifics about the show (besides the cast, I obviously know that) because it is so far removed from my memory, and I've seen it so many more times, that it's hard to tell what I remember and what I think I can remember. I know for a fact I had to lean forward in my seat to see the catwalks above the stage, but most other things, I can't recall. For the life of me, though, I cannot find the ad in the JCS playbill that led me to point it out to my mother. It vanished, fell out or I imagined it. How bizarre is that? The ad that started it all, and I can't even find where I saw it!
Cesca and I got to see the 25th Anniversary show this year, and that was as good a phanniversary present as anything could have been. Winning those tickets was amazing. We didn't do anything crazy. We watched a couple of my favorite bootlegs (analyzing them, of course, for quality of picture, performance, clarity, etc) and toasted to our phanaticism. Spending my Phanniversary with someone who loves the show almost as much as I do was the perfect way to celebrate.
Now, 10 years, a tattoo, backstage tour, a birthday card from a star, 17 live performances and at least as many bootlegs later, I can say that I will always remember and celebrate my first time.
Anywhooo, I wanted to talk about last weekend, as it was a really special day for me. I had gone to visit Cesca and see her new apartment, but Saturday was a very important day. You see, March 23rd is my Phanniversary. Well, it's OUR Phanniversary, meaning it's the first time my mom, sister and I saw the show. Waaaay back in good old 2003. Which was for my 12th birthday. Which means it was my 10 YEAR PHANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!
This is abnormally exciting to me, because that's a pretty long time to be in love with something. What's also funny is that I didn't even want to go to the show in the first place. We had gone to see Jesus Christ Superstar with our youth group, and I had seen an advert for Phantom in the playbill. I think I pointed it out to my mother and said something like "we should see this" without actually meaning this, because most 12 year olds didn't know much about Phantom, only that it was really popular and famour. I don't actually think I was serious.
So a little while later, I'm watching TV and mom waltzes into the room, informing Cesca and me that we have tickets to the show for after our birthday, as a birthday gift and partially Christmas too cause they were expensive. We were not amused.In fact, March 23rd came, and I was so annoyed that I had to go because I thought it would be a waste of a day. What a fool I was.
My mom was also visiting that weekend (we had to help cesca set up her new furniture) and said that she didn't want it to be her fault that I'd become so obsessed. Cesca replied that of course it was her fault, we were 12 and weren't making conscious decisions about shows to see at Sheas in Buffalo!
Gotta agree with Cesca on that point. But seriously, if my mom hadn't gotten tickets to the show, I don't know if I ever would have gotten into Phantom like I did. I can't even tell you the specifics about the show (besides the cast, I obviously know that) because it is so far removed from my memory, and I've seen it so many more times, that it's hard to tell what I remember and what I think I can remember. I know for a fact I had to lean forward in my seat to see the catwalks above the stage, but most other things, I can't recall. For the life of me, though, I cannot find the ad in the JCS playbill that led me to point it out to my mother. It vanished, fell out or I imagined it. How bizarre is that? The ad that started it all, and I can't even find where I saw it!
Cesca and I got to see the 25th Anniversary show this year, and that was as good a phanniversary present as anything could have been. Winning those tickets was amazing. We didn't do anything crazy. We watched a couple of my favorite bootlegs (analyzing them, of course, for quality of picture, performance, clarity, etc) and toasted to our phanaticism. Spending my Phanniversary with someone who loves the show almost as much as I do was the perfect way to celebrate.
Now, 10 years, a tattoo, backstage tour, a birthday card from a star, 17 live performances and at least as many bootlegs later, I can say that I will always remember and celebrate my first time.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Spring Break, in Which I Was Christine for a Week
So I am sitting here, moderately rested after a 20 hour drive home from Florida, thinking about packing. Packing is interesting to me because I realized today that packing/unpacking always has 2 meanings, either an ending or a beginning.
You pack before the start of a trip, ready to go on an adventure and have all sorts of fun experiences. You unpack when you get there (or, if you're like me and you aren't staying long, your suitcase kind of just explodes all over the place with no rhyme or reason... still unpacked tho), and you're ready to begin and see what this trip holds.
But you pack up at the end too, often solemnly and sadly, wondering how the week went by so fast and wishing you could stay. And then you get back, and you have to unpack the vacation clothes and the travel sized toiletries and put it all back and start living your life like normal again.
Packing and unpacking. The beginning and the end of any journey.
Now that I've gotten that philosophical discussion off my chest, here are some pictures of Spring Break!
We stopped in North Carolina for my cousin's wedding. This is what we saw:
The next day we moseyed on over to Florida, relaxed, then on Monday hit the beach. Andrea's grandpa knew lots of places to go and is crazy active. He bikes like 12 miles a day. Uuhhh, that's nuts. Also, he thought my name was Christine for the entire week. It was kind of cute so I didn't mind.
Then we tried to see some manatees
It didn't work. But more on that later
We also got to hang out with Andrea's Grandpa's dog, Smokey.
Then we went to the beach again
We also went on a river cruise of the St. Lucie river and saw tons of animals.
Lastly, we decided that WE HAD TO SEE MANATEES. So we drove down to the manatee observation center with hope in our hearts.
Then I got this random shot of Liz at the Golden Corral.
Overall, it was an amazingly relaxing spring break. Andrea's grandpa was so nice and knew a lot of places to take us, and we just had a great time (despite a 20 hour drive back on my birthday that ended at 6:30 am). I'm so glad I got to go on a road trip with my wonderful, awesome friends.
You pack before the start of a trip, ready to go on an adventure and have all sorts of fun experiences. You unpack when you get there (or, if you're like me and you aren't staying long, your suitcase kind of just explodes all over the place with no rhyme or reason... still unpacked tho), and you're ready to begin and see what this trip holds.
But you pack up at the end too, often solemnly and sadly, wondering how the week went by so fast and wishing you could stay. And then you get back, and you have to unpack the vacation clothes and the travel sized toiletries and put it all back and start living your life like normal again.
Packing and unpacking. The beginning and the end of any journey.
We stopped in North Carolina for my cousin's wedding. This is what we saw:
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| beautiful beach |
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| love |
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| Pics |
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| The beach house |
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| grandpa bein grandpa while my friends help set up the wedding |
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| CUTE |
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| Isn't Andrea SO ATTRACTIVE |
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| Kiss! |
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| Family |
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| The DiCillos (minus dad) |
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| Lovely Ladies |
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| Yup, Nick got caked |
The next day we moseyed on over to Florida, relaxed, then on Monday hit the beach. Andrea's grandpa knew lots of places to go and is crazy active. He bikes like 12 miles a day. Uuhhh, that's nuts. Also, he thought my name was Christine for the entire week. It was kind of cute so I didn't mind.
 |
| Massive waves. Liz trying to save Andrea |
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| They both fell |
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| Getting pummeled |
Then we tried to see some manatees
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| that grey blob is one |
It didn't work. But more on that later
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| But we saw a bald eagle!! Props to Andrea for catching it on camera |
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| ya we are so pretty |
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| Lighthouse. AND PHOTOBOMB LADY |
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| Liz made it to the top! |
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| the view out to the ocean |
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| We are the most attractive people ever. |
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| Andrea's uncle's dogs |
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| This is Penny. She has no hair on her body. which is weird. But she's friendly |
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| Boating! |
We also got to hang out with Andrea's Grandpa's dog, Smokey.
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| Walking him. Or rather, he's walking me |
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| cute |
Then we went to the beach again
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| Fun! |
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| practicing my flying skills |
We also went on a river cruise of the St. Lucie river and saw tons of animals.
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| Blue heron |
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| great blue heron |
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| uh these are rare night something birds. |
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| GATOR!!!!!!!! |
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| This is some rare split tail kite bird something that we apparently will probably never see again in our lifetimes |
Ok, so I was more absorbed in looking at nature than remembering the bird names. SO SUE ME
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| lovely |
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| great blue heron in flight |
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| Mr. Pelican |
Lastly, we decided that WE HAD TO SEE MANATEES. So we drove down to the manatee observation center with hope in our hearts.
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| found some pretty flowers |
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| AND THE MANATEES |
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| hard to see, but they're there |
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| Mamma and baby! Props to Andrea's awesome camera again |
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| These guys |
Then I got this random shot of Liz at the Golden Corral.
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| she was so excited that they had cotton candy |
Overall, it was an amazingly relaxing spring break. Andrea's grandpa was so nice and knew a lot of places to take us, and we just had a great time (despite a 20 hour drive back on my birthday that ended at 6:30 am). I'm so glad I got to go on a road trip with my wonderful, awesome friends.
Back to the grind! 7 weeks left. Oh my.
Friday, March 8, 2013
March already?!?
Again, I'm going to point out that I'm horrible at blogging, but I'm going to stand by the fact that I kind of changed it to a travel blog and this semester I'm not nearly as much of a traveler as when I'm, you know, living abroad and traveling like EVERY WEEKEND (and sometimes during the week!)
So, there are two things to mention on that note. One is that I submitted my application to the teaching English in Korea program that Sarah and I are applying to, and they responded and said they will be processing the apps and doing interviews in late March, so I won't know anything about that for at least another month, which makes me nervous but I'm also trying to stay confident. Even though it isn't formal experience, I'm a tutor and a foreign language TA, AND I've lived abroad already, so I am hoping I have pretty good prospects. I decided that if SK doesn't work, I'm going to either China or Thailand. Liz and I went to a senior class workshop/conference last weekend and we went to a presentation about gap years, and I decided that I'm 100% committed to teaching abroad. I'm not ready to go to grad school or to start corporate ladder climbing. I still want adventure and new experiences and to see the world. School and capitalist America will be here when I get back.
Two, spring break starts in T-minus 9 hours. And by spring break I mean the drive down to NC and Florida, where we will be spending our spring break. First, we are stopping by my cousin's wedding in NC and then continuing on to Andrea's grandfather's house in Florida. I haven't had a normal spring break in like 3 years, so this will be fun and another new experience- a typical college spring break! The beach! The sun! MANATEES!!!!!!!!!
Midterms week has been relatively easy, which is to be expected of a 12.5 credit semester. I, in my overzealous overpreparedness, had a bit of a OMG SO MUCH TO DO moment last week, so I got ahead on all of my work. Turns out I didn't actually have that much, so I've been pretty much done since Wednesday. Which has been lovely.
So, I am very, very excited to see my family, spend time with friends, and mostly SEE THE SUN!!! I love you Ithaca, but your sunless stretches are tough sometimes. Oh, I cannot wait. Just work and 3 classes to go till FREEDOM!!!
So, there are two things to mention on that note. One is that I submitted my application to the teaching English in Korea program that Sarah and I are applying to, and they responded and said they will be processing the apps and doing interviews in late March, so I won't know anything about that for at least another month, which makes me nervous but I'm also trying to stay confident. Even though it isn't formal experience, I'm a tutor and a foreign language TA, AND I've lived abroad already, so I am hoping I have pretty good prospects. I decided that if SK doesn't work, I'm going to either China or Thailand. Liz and I went to a senior class workshop/conference last weekend and we went to a presentation about gap years, and I decided that I'm 100% committed to teaching abroad. I'm not ready to go to grad school or to start corporate ladder climbing. I still want adventure and new experiences and to see the world. School and capitalist America will be here when I get back.
Two, spring break starts in T-minus 9 hours. And by spring break I mean the drive down to NC and Florida, where we will be spending our spring break. First, we are stopping by my cousin's wedding in NC and then continuing on to Andrea's grandfather's house in Florida. I haven't had a normal spring break in like 3 years, so this will be fun and another new experience- a typical college spring break! The beach! The sun! MANATEES!!!!!!!!!
Midterms week has been relatively easy, which is to be expected of a 12.5 credit semester. I, in my overzealous overpreparedness, had a bit of a OMG SO MUCH TO DO moment last week, so I got ahead on all of my work. Turns out I didn't actually have that much, so I've been pretty much done since Wednesday. Which has been lovely.
So, I am very, very excited to see my family, spend time with friends, and mostly SEE THE SUN!!! I love you Ithaca, but your sunless stretches are tough sometimes. Oh, I cannot wait. Just work and 3 classes to go till FREEDOM!!!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Harry Potter and Poutine
So I forgot to blog about the amazingness that was the Yule Ball that the Harry Potter Alliance had at Ithaca last week. Here are some pics of the awesome (and yes, there was butterbeer).
It was a wonderful, dorky night.
This weekend, the awesome continued with a trip to Ottawa with the honors program for the Winderlude festival!
Ok and at this restaurant we really honest to god did not know if we were supposed to tip in Ottawa, and we asked our waitress. She looked pretty perplexed and asked, "Is this a trick question?" to which we replied that no, no it wasn't. We were 100% serious. So she explained tipping to us (5% for meh, 10 % for ok you did your job and 15% for AWESOME!). She deff earned her 15%.
It was an exhausting day (5:45 am alarm and later than midnight arrival back at IC) but it was really fun to see Canada's capital! Shout out to my Aunt Monica and cousin Tessa for giving me my amazingly warm and wonderful coat. It probably saved me from frostbite.
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| off to hogwarts! |
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| my house. Obviously |
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| Entering the great hall |
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| Floating freaking candles |
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| Sarah and Liz, my lovely wizarding world pals |
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| Live twitter updates! That's my tweet! |
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| Playing around |
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| This is my evil witch face |
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| This girl had hermione's actual Yule Ball gown! |
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| crafts at the market |
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| There was a Korean section |
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| uh |
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| Liz and Andrea's first POUTINE experience! |
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| on the world's largest ice skating rink (the Rideu canal) |
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| in front of parliament |
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| lol |
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| POUTINE OM NOM NOM |
Ok and at this restaurant we really honest to god did not know if we were supposed to tip in Ottawa, and we asked our waitress. She looked pretty perplexed and asked, "Is this a trick question?" to which we replied that no, no it wasn't. We were 100% serious. So she explained tipping to us (5% for meh, 10 % for ok you did your job and 15% for AWESOME!). She deff earned her 15%.
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| eating a beavertail |
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| Notre Dame |
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| This one was my favorite |
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| The Korean part was lit up at night! |
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| Polar Bear! |
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| tunnel of lanterns |
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| playin the drums |
It was an exhausting day (5:45 am alarm and later than midnight arrival back at IC) but it was really fun to see Canada's capital! Shout out to my Aunt Monica and cousin Tessa for giving me my amazingly warm and wonderful coat. It probably saved me from frostbite.
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