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 On Thursday, September 11, I went to the Global Fellows Colloquium. The guest speaker was Dr. John MacAloon from the University of Chicago, and we debated the Geopolitics of Olympic Host Cities. This was the best colloquium we have had so far! It was really interactive, and it gave us the chance to show all of the hard work we had done.
Now, I would not consider myself to be an Olympic fanatic, but this colloquium really put into perspective for me all the benefits of having the Olympics. It is a way to bring people of different cultures together in sport. It is very unique in that respect; I cannot think of anything that unifies us in this way except the Olympics.
Through thorough research, we were able to formulate our opinions and simulate being members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to choose the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Lots of people contributed and debated, but all in all, we voted to have Almaty, Kazakhstan host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
I am so proud to be a member of the Global Fellows. Every experience has brought me closer and closer to gaining cultural understanding, and it has inspired me to become better and to do better.
 I spent this past summer here at McDaniel. Reason being… I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work here! But that’s not even the most exciting part about the summer. What was best is I spent this summer visiting so many different places along the east coast. But I just want mention my favorite, only because I was something that was off my bucket list.
It was a baseball game, professional baseball that is that is. For most people here at McDaniel it was not their favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. But it was a Philadelphia Phillies game with my best friend from McDaniel.
There were many fan citing things about the trip. First thing great about the trip was it was my first time on a train. I always have wanted to ride one since watching Harry Potter as a kid. Another thing was it was Philly, so what’s Philly without cheesesteaks? Yeah, I got one of those, but the game was incredible. Although Philly fans are harsh, they made the game more interest.Overall, it was the best thing I did this summer. I enjoyed it more than Sea World San Antonio, going to the Jersey Shore, and even attending a Ed Sheeran concert.
 This flyer for SPX had been reminding me since July of the excitement to come. A typical Saturday for me is typically spent on campus or at home in Pennsylvania, but this yesterday, I got to switch things up a little and attend SPX (the Small Comics Expo) at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland for the afternoon!
I enjoy reading web comics (particularly ones found on Tumblr), and over the past year, my interest in comics has evolved from something casual into something academic–this fall, I’m writing my senior capstone paper on autobiographical web comics and mental illness. So when I first heard about SPX at the end of July and learned that it’s in Bethesda, which is only an hour away from campus, I knew I had to go.
I’m not a morning person, so I didn’t arrive at SPX until the afternoon. The convention room was packed with exhibitors and attendees, so I was glad that I had done a bit of research ahead of time to get somewhat an idea of what artists I wanted to seek out and what comics and graphic novels I might want to buy. But I also spent a lot of time just walking around all the tables and I even found a few things I hadn’t planned on buying.
Even though I arrived later than I had planned, my timing wasn’t bad. Within two minutes of walking into the convention room, Lynda Barry, a pretty famous cartoonist, handed a drawing to an artist I was in the middle of buying a bag from–I was a mere few feet away from Lynda Barry! About an hour later, I went downstairs to listen in on a Q&A session with Barry, whose real-life persona is even funnier than the one in her autobiographical comic books. Barry talked about her experiences teaching creative writing/illustration classes at the University of Wisconsin–I hope those students realize how lucky they are to have Barry as a teacher. Luckily for me, in an indirect way, I’ve had her as a teacher too–my advisor and rhetoric professor, Dr. Dobson, uses Barry’s work in her own classroom, which is where I was first introduced to Barry. (Dr. Dobson has also been known to attend SPX on occasion, and if she was there yesterday, I didn’t see her 🙁 ) Barry’s newest book is called Syllabus, and since I didn’t manage to nab a copy yesterday, I’ll have to wait until it comes out in October–but I did get to see some pages from the book in slideshow form at the Q&A and I liked what I saw.
Overall, SPX was kind of overwhelming, but I enjoyed myself and the opportunity to dive a little deeper into the world of independent comics. In all likelihood, I’ll be going back next year!
 Here’s some of the comics, postcards, and business cards I picked up at SPX.
What do McDaniel Budapest study abroad students do with their three-day weekend? Go on a study tour of course! Not only were we able to take a three-day trip to the gorgeous Balaton region in Hungary, but we also receive credit for our trip! Adventuring in Europe is great, but what makes study tours even more fantastic is that the college organizes every step of the voyage–the transportation, meals, entrances to the museums and sights, and the hotels. Although there was a torrential downpour for a good portion of our time in the Balaton region, our entire trip was outstanding. Here are my top three adventures that occurred over the weekend.
- Boat ride on Lake Balaton: On the second day of our tour, we were able to have an hour long boat ride on the lake. Lake Balaton is one of the largest vacation spots for families in the region, and it was exhilarating to have a view of the gorgeous lakeside and clear water. While we were able to explore a couple of towns on the lake, the boat ride gave us a nice panoramic view of the area.
- Helikon Palace Museum: This palace belonged to the Festetics family and was built in the middle of the 18th century. The palace was absolutely stunning with beautiful details in each room (my personal favorite was the grand library, home to over 80,000 books!). There were three other museums surrounding the palace including a carriage museum which featured over fifty coaches and sleighs- definitely a unique collection.
- Herend tour: To conclude our study tour, we visited the Herend porcelain manufacturers. The pieces of porcelain produced at this sight look impressive, but after the tour, I have an entirely new appreciation for the gorgeous sculptures, plates, and cups that Herend produces. Each Herend piece is hand manufactured and hand painted. During our tour of the Herend facilities, we were able to see each step of the process and learn about the Herend Company. The craftsmanship astonished me and it was exciting to learn about a craft that I had no knowledge of before the tour.
I enjoyed exploring another part of Hungary while also escaping the city for the weekend. And while the Balaton tour was unforgettable, it is comforting to be back in our apartment and out of the cold, rainy weather.
Thank you to the professors who acted as our expert tour guides! I am counting down the days for our next study tour–our five-day trip to Venice and Vienna!
 
Why McDaniel?
I chose McDaniel in the spring of my senior year of high school–it feels like so long ago now. However I am so lucky to have found out about this college. It was the last of six colleges I applied to, and I only found out about the college through a newly-hired guidance counselor. I read the chapter on McDaniel in the Colleges That Change Lives book and I was hooked.
I visited the website to learn more, started a dialogue with an admissions counselor, and I came to visit after I was accepted. The tour is what finalized my decision to be here on the Hill. To put this into perspective, I applied and was accepted to six schools and this is the one that won my heart.
I came to the college and was welcomed by the admissions office warmly. When I went on my tour I was a prospective biology major and so was the other student who was on tour with me. Professor Repsher came out of his office when he heard us come past. He asked us what we were looking to major in, and when we both said biology, he took us into the lab and showed us around the lab and talked to us. When this happened, I felt like this was a school where faculty actually feel like the students are worth something and make relationships with the students. I also saw some students and talked to the tour guides and they all seemed like normal everyday people. Some of the other schools I toured were so big, the faculty did not have time to talk to prospective students, or the students seemed like they had to have the nicest, newest clothes and the newest technology. That is not what I wanted. I wanted someplace I could make a home for the next four years of my life.
McDaniel has been my home for the past three years and will be for another year. I have found so many faculty members that care so much for the students. I have also found some wonderful friends. I am sad that I will be leaving a place that I have loved for so long, but I will come back to visit when I am an alumna.
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