Tag Archives: Intervarsity

Fall Conference with Intervarsity

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Hello again! This past weekend, as I said, I went on the trip with Intervarsity to Fall Conference. It’s just a weekend event that was held at River Valley Ranch, which is about half an hour from here, and there were a lot of different activities. If you are interested in Intervarsity or maybe you are not completely sure about it, this weekend was a lot of fun and it definitely made me feel more a part of this group than before. Honestly, I would recommend giving Intervarsity the chance and becoming at least a part of it, if you are Christian. It is nondenominational, so you do not have to worry about being Episcopalian, Catholic, or any other denomination (because really, there is a heck of a lot).

During the weekend, we did have a schedule, but don’t let that discourage you! There is free time and there was a lot on Saturday. We did have early mornings, but thankfully we left around 12:00, so there was time on Sunday for a nap and doing homework. Basically, Friday we settled in to our campsite and had dinner after we arrived. Then we had worship, which is with music, and a speaker session. This year Michael Koh was the speaker and he discussed a lot about faith and how it can heal lives. That was followed by campus time, which we spent playing the game “Never have I ever” with a circle of chairs. Someone stands in the middle and says something that they have never done and if you have done it, then you have to run for another chair, but if you don’t get a seat, you get to stand in the middle and say something that you have never done. It was a lot of fun. Then we had free time, which people could spend in the gym, playing soccer or basketball, or playing different games, especially card games. I ended up playing soccer, until someone was injured and then we played the card game “Drug Dealer,” which I have to admit is one of the funniest and most awkward games I have ever played. The next day was breakfast, a speaker session, worship, lunch, free time (I went with my friends to a corn maize, which was a lot of fun) , and seminars (they had five choices for which seminar to attend). Then Sunday was a little depressing because most of us had so much fun there that we didn’t want to leave and go back to our homework.

So, this past weekend was a lot of fun because I went on that trip. If you ever consider going to Fall Conference, I would recommend going. They do offer scholarships if it is unaffordable, but it is a little over a hundred dollars. I was able to get a scholarship to go, thankfully. Thank you  for reading once again!

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Pigeons are Silly

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Hello! This week has been just as busy as the last, but I do feel productive. I was not planning on going home this weekend, but my great-aunt passed away Saturday morning. I’ll be leaving Thursday after my 7 to 10pm class, and then driving up to Philadelphia to see my family. Sometimes things happen during the school year that you can’t control and you have to deal with them the best you can. If you don’t think you can complete an assignment or assignments, or you don’t think you’ll be able to make it to class, then notify your professor for that class as soon as possible, so that they can understand and work with you to get the assignment or assignments completed.

So today in my animal lab I had to take care of the pigeon that the other person had during my lab hour. That pigeon was really aggressive and kept trying to bite me through really thick gloves. It really made me appreciate how gentle my pigeon is, despite the fact that he hates going in the pitcher (which we use to weigh them). It took longer than usual, but the person who had this pigeon had pinched a nerve in her back and her partner could not make it. As strange as it was, I felt awkward being alone with the pigeons, so I talked to them. Don’t worry, they didn’t respond. I have three dogs and a cat at home and I’m used to talking to them and my family took care of a small baby for a while, who couldn’t talk.

I found out yesterday how helpful it is having a German student living in our apartment when I asked her if she could review my essay for German and explain her corrections to me. I get very intimidated with native or fluent speakers, so it took me a while to actually ask her for help.

I know I am constantly talking about doing homework, but that’s not all I have done this week. I did go to a sophomore girls’ Bible study and everyone there was super nice. We made collages using old magazines and made it relate to the lines that we had discussed from the Bible. McDaniel has a lot of activities for Christian students to get involved in, but there is also a Jewish Club. There are also classes for learning about other religions, like Buddhism, which I took last semester and I found it really interesting. Honestly, last year I wasn’t involved in really any clubs, including the German club. I took the time to put into my assignments and now this year, I hope to be more involved and just as hardworking with my assignments. A good goal to keep here is to constantly improve. Despite it being difficult, you can always improve. Anyways, thank you for reading again!

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Labor Day Weekend

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I guess you could say I had the best of both worlds this Labor Day weekend; I spent Friday evening and Saturday on campus while returning home for Sunday and Monday.

After class wrapped up on Friday afternoon, I went to hang out with my friends in Forlines house, where my one of my friends graciously let me paint my nails with a bottle of polish from her very extensive nail polish collection. Soon after, I went to the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship cookout on the quad between DMC and ANW, another residence hall. The cookout was open to all students and I had a great time catching up with people I know.

If you’re interested in religious life on campus, InterVarsity may be for you. IV is a campus ministry found on over 550 campuses nationwide. McDaniel InterVarsity meets once a week for worship in Little Baker Chapel and holds student-led bible studies throughout the semester. They also host campus-wide events (like the cookout) and go on retreats. I’m not a member of IV, but I really admire what a tight-knit and fun group they are.

After going to the cookout, I returned to my dorm to rest up before the outdoor screening of The Avengers, sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement. The first movie of the year is always screened outdoors (weather permitting), and it’s a lot of fun to grab some blankets and towels and sit out in Red Square with old and new. And did I mention there’s free pizza?

Saturday for me was mostly a homework day, though one of my suitemates went whitewater river tubing with the Outdoor Club. (I’m a little jealous, but I needed to get things done!) I still had some fun though, because in the evening, some of my friends and I drove to the nearby IHOP. IHOP is one of my favorite places off campus to eat and socialize, and it’s easily within walking distance, making it very accessible.

I spent the rest of the weekend at home because my poor little fan was no match for this weekend’s heat! I hadn’t planned on going home this weekend, but I was glad to get to see my puppy, Lily, who my family got last month. It’s tough to be away from pets at college, but there are dogs to be found on campus. For example, Canine Companions for Independence, more commonly known as Puppy Club is in the process of training a service dog, a black lab named Hudson, who can be seen at various campus and Puppy Club-sponsored events.

I’d have to say that my Labor Day went pretty quickly, and fortunately, so did my day. This evening, I’m off to the first Free Press meeting of the semester, and if I’m up for it, I’ll go see comedian Adam Ace in the Forum afterwards. This week is going to get busier as it progresses, so I’m glad it’s a short one!

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Day Two

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I didn’t expect to be so tired by day two, but considering that I had an evening class and a pretty busy last three days, I guess I’m not surprised. It takes a lot of energy to get readjusted to being at college, but I guess if I weren’t at least somewhat tired, it would probably mean that I’m not having enough fun.

This morning, I didn’t do much, but I eventually went the poster sale to look through some of the posters one last time. I didn’t find anything else I liked, but that’s not so bad because I bought three yesterday. (And if I ever need more, Amazon is just a few clicks away and very reasonably priced.) Then, I chatted with more people I hadn’t seen yet and had a pizza lunch at Glar before going to my 1:00 class, Approaches to Everyday Discourse with Dr. Kate Dobson. The class is offered by the English Department and can be applied toward the English major or writing minor. It’s my first 3000-level class, so I’m definitely a little intimidated by the workload and the degree of difficulty, but I’m happy to be taking it because I love the subject matter. Essentially the course looks at and requires us to analyze discourse (verbal and non-verbal communication) that we encounter in our everyday lives—what we read, watch, and even wear. Also, I’ve never had her for a class, but I think Dr. Dobson is pretty awesome. When I was a senior in high school considering coming to McDaniel, I got to meet Dr. Dobson, who helped me learn enough wonderful things about the English Department and McDaniel itself that the choice to come here was obvious.

Immediately after Everyday Discourse, I went to my science class, The Nature of Science. While I like science, I’ve never been a fan of science classes, so I’m a little intimidated by this class too. What I think is interesting about it though is that it focuses on how science is done, how scientists think, how science interacts with society, and what science is and isn’t. According to Dr. Marx, the professor, the course is unlike any other college science course he’s encountered, making the course unique to McDaniel. I hope the class is interesting and that it goes well for me!

It’s nice not to have an evening class tonight, since I got to spend more time relaxing and socializing than I did last night. I spent a nice chunk of time sitting and talking with some of my friends on the Quad and even got a couple of pages of reading done while I was out there. After that, my friends and I went to dinner, and from there, we went to Red Square, the center of campus, for a free root beer float event sponsored by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. I also took a moment to pick up a few copies of the McDaniel Free Press orientation issue, since I wrote an article about the resources at our Hoover Library for it.

Eventually, I moseyed my way back to my dorm, where I now hope to accomplish some homework and continue to unpack and clean my room before I go to bed—hopefully earlier than I did last night!

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