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 My essentials for writing a paper: computer, notes, and tea (in my Edinburgh Dungeon mug). One of the wonderful things about sending your ideas to conferences to see if you get to present them is that they usually want an abstract or a proposal and not the entire paper. This, of course, means that it’s really easy to write an abstract about an idea that hasn’t been turned into a paper. For me, that meant focusing on an aspect of an earlier paper, but not having a full paper written about it.
Then I found out I was accepted, and that was, for me, when I was excited, terrified, and panicked. After all, it’s awesome that I get to present at a conference as an undergraduate. On the other hand, I have to speak to strangers, hope the things I say make sense, and actually write the paper.
This occurred last week, so I’ve had plenty of time to relax and simply get to work. It’s not super easy to do on top of my end of the semester work, but so far, it’s been nothing but rewarding. I have a draft done and I’ve settled into excitement about the conference. The two other people from the school going are presenting at different times than I am, so I can watch them present and Dr. Wronski, who has been instrumental in getting us into the conference, can see all three of us.
I know the nerves and panic will kick in at some point, but I’m ready for them, and I know that just means I’m doing something daring, something that requires some courage. To me, that alone is worth it.
For now, I’m going to focus on writing the paper in a way that won’t sound weird when spoken aloud, which means I don’t have to worry about punctuation, not using contractions, and sounding strictly academic. That in itself is a gift. All I can do is take this one step at a time and keep requesting feedback from a professor who is being more helpful than I ever could have expected from anyone.
One of the best things about this conference is that it’s the only thing I’ve done for college that has been within an hour and a half of my house, and I am so happy my family has the opportunity to see and hear something I’ve done in the last year. I’m almost positive they haven’t read Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Legend of Good Women and might not understand half the paper or more, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they can support me and I have the knowledge that they believe in me.
That in itself eases some of my stress.
 Cream puffs on a chopstick Last night, we had an international dinner in my dorm. Lots of my residents came and tried food from all over the world. We had cream puffs which are a French dessert. We had Chinese and Japanese food as well as beef empanadas. Amusingly, one of my residents took the cream puffs and put them on a chopstick like a kabob.
We also played a game that had fun facts about other cultures. I think it also taught us about our own cultural perspectives. I had tons of fun bonding with them! Being a part of McDaniel College’s Residence Life Staff has been such a great experience for me. I love trying to make McDaniel everyone’s home away from home!
 Turkey carving station on the porch There are a handful of events that McDaniel students look forward to when it comes to Glar, our dining hall. Death by Chocolate night is always popular (because chocolate) and late night pancake breakfasts during finals week are always a hit. But I would argue that the most exciting day of the year in Glar is the annual Thanksgiving lunch.
Thanksgiving lunch is always held prior to Thanksgiving break, and it’s a chance for students, staff, and faculty to cram into Glar and eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and more. The food is always extra good, and so is the company.
To make room for all of the people, the food is always served on Glar’s “porch” (which is normally filled with seating), and the event has become so popular that on Glar Thanksgiving, faculty now eat in the Forum, a large room not far from Glar.
 My plate of yummy Thanksgiving joy
I made sure I filled my plate with all of my favorite goodies. The turkey was especially good, and now I’m even more excited for the real Thanksgiving dinner that I’ll get to enjoy with my family next week!
But for this week, I was able to enjoy a nice meal with friends I’ve made in Glar this semester. I’m thankful that even as a senior, at McDaniel, I have the opportunity to continue to meet new people and create fun new memories.
 McDaniel’s delegation representing Ireland. Hey guys!
This past weekend, I went to Washington, D.C. for the Mid-Atlantic region’s Model European Union simulation with ten other students and a professor who teaches the Politics of Europe class. This was my second time participating in the simulation, and I went in with a lot more confidence than I did last year. I felt very prepared to fight for my party’s interests and my country’s interests.
While last year we represented Greece, this year we represented Ireland. I was in the Green party and got to argue about a lot of environmental things. I also knew all of my parliamentary procedure a lot better than last year, so I ran for chair of my committee, and when I lost, raised a lot of points of order to keep things on track. On the final day, I ran for and won vice-president of the Parliament.
I always enjoy getting to hang out with people I don’t generally, so the entire experience would have been fun even without the intellectual simulation. I knew all of the McDaniel students previously except for one, but meeting people from the Mid-Atlantic region was really cool. It’s amazing seeing how much I’ve changed in the past year, too; I’m much less timid! I was really surprised but happy to win the best parliamentarian award for the committee I was in.
Ema
Tonight I went to and participated in the Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County’s performance, Baroque Beginnings: From Palestrina to Praetorius. College Choir was featured in the performance, so I got to see the show as well as sing in it. The other choirs sang very well! The Maryland State Boychoir sang some songs we have sung in choir before, so it was nice to hear an all-male take on them.
 Maryland State Boychoir This was the first choral concert I had been to in a while that was not my concert. I forgot how much fun it is to just relax and listen to music. Because it was in Big Baker, the larger of two chapels on campus, the acoustics were amazing! It makes me feel like I’ve been enveloped in the sound. It’s such a cool experience.
 The Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County My favorite part of the concert was actually the organ solo played by Mr. Ted Dix. I had never heard that particular song before. However, the motifs in it are actually in a Disney song that I like, so the song allowed me to make some more musical connections — I always find that fun! Now, I will probably continue to listen to this song while I finish up my studying.
 Two fabulous College Choir members! The concert was awesome, and I cannot wait to see the Masterworks Chorale perform again!
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