Again, But Better

VCW 237, finally decorated after being occupied for three weeks

Robin the kitten in a friend's backpack

“There is a kind of magicness about going far away and then coming back all changed.”
― Kate Douglas Wiggin

Hello again, dear readers!

I have been back on the Hilltop for a little over three weeks now. I'm living in Village C West again, this time as an RA (resident assistant). I have thirty residents, who are all lovely and will likely be extremely successful here at Georgetown. (None of them is friends with me on Facebook and therefore none of them knows this blog exists, so I'm not just saying that!)

Classes just started last Wednesday, and they're picking up slowly. I know I should cherish the free time while I have it, but I'm getting antsy without that much to do. I am currently enrolled in four classes and on the waitlist for a fifth. I might actually get off the waitlist for the theology course, which would be fantastic; I had the professor last semester and loved her, so I'd probably enjoy taking another of her courses. All in all, I have a decent academic workload this semester! I have Tuesday afternoons entirely free, Monday and Wednesday from 11 to 3:30 free, and Fridays after 12:15 free. It's a solid schedule, and gives me plenty of time to attend to my many obligations. Below are my classes for this semester!

1. Linguistics: Grammatical Analysis
2. Linguistics: Language & Social Justice
3. Justice & Peace Studies: Peace Is Possible
4. Spanish: Gateway to Linguistics
5. Theology: Judaism & Gender

So far I really enjoy being an RA. I've been able to meet such incredible people that I otherwise would not have known, and I love being a resource and support for first-year students. My residents seem to love my cat, so hopefully that means I'm actually helpful to them in some way, even if it's just by providing some relaxation through kitty play time.

My kitten Robin is adorable and wonderful, and he is learning not to attack my legs, so overall, he and I are getting along well. For the most part he seems happy in the dorm room; he does get annoyed when I spend a lot of time outside of the room, but I try my best to give him enough attention and let people come over to play with him when I have to do work.

It's interesting to be back at Georgetown after three months away. In those three months, I visited Spokane, Washington, and met students from other Jesuit universities around the country. I spent many long days helping my family or avoiding do any work at all. I missed my friends and my cats, but I got to see many friends as well. I sang Outkast's "Hey Ya" at the top of my lungs with my best friend, in her car with the windows rolled down, and a woman in the next car over smiled at us. I spent time in Kraków, Poland, an experience so incredible and extraordinary that I struggle to fully describe it. While in Poland, I formed relationships with fellow Hoyas I had never met and/or spoken to before, people I now eagerly spend time with back on the Hilltop. My relationship with God entirely changed in Poland; my relationship with myself entirely changed in Poland.

I'm glad to be back, I'm excited for a new year, and I'm blessed to have more opportunities to love, to learn, and to change in this school year.

Take care!

Home

The Lantern Bookstore on P Street

I have a few new goals for this semester, all working toward one big goal: feel at home in DC. I want to go out and explore much more—find the cool little shops around the city, beautiful study spaces for when I need a change of scenery, and the best places to get a smoothie. I want DC to feel like home. Right now, my home is still Johns Creek, but my family won't live there forever. Ever since I was a child, my parents have talked about wanting to move back to Nebraska, and now that I live in DC, there's very little stopping them from finally moving. I won't always have Johns Creek to come back to, so I need to make DC my new home. Living here, it seems, isn't enough. I have to get to know the place, too.

Today my friend Julia and I walked down P Street toward the public library, and we found a cool shop that sells "Used & Rare!" books. I'm considering making every Sunday my day to get off campus and find something cool and new. I would say I like DC, but honestly, I don't know it well enough yet. We've only just met.

Blizzards?

Last weekend DC, along with much of the East Coast, was hit with a large storm. Along the southern coast was mostly rain, but the DMV area was hit with more snow than I've ever seen in my life. There was a frankly horrific amount of snow. Growing up in Georgia, I didn't see much snow. In two days, 22 inches of snow fell on DC, and I was overwhelmed. During the snow storm a few friends and I walked about a mile to deliver food to a soup kitchen; the streets were deserted and everything felt eerily apocalyptic. Classes were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday, and then I became very sick and missed class on Wednesday and Thursday. There is still snow on the ground everywhere, but the roads and sidewalks are (mostly) clear. 

Today is a beautiful, sunny 57 degrees. I'm mostly healthy again, although I still have a bit of a stuffy nose, and Jesuit Heritage Week begins this evening. Jesuit Heritage Week is essentially a week-long celebration of the Society of Jesus, and Georgetown celebrates with Jesuit-student volleyball matches, special prayer services and religious services, and a number of talks and events. Tonight I'll be attending puja, the Hindu religious service, as part of Jesuit Heritage Week and also to complement my readings in my theology class. (Aunt Judy, if you're reading this, I'll be sending a few essays on Hinduism your way very soon!) 

I'm excited to start a new week, a new month, a new and sunny phase of life. Be well and happy, my readers! And let me know if there is anything I can do for you, such as writing about specific topics or even just including you/your intentions in my prayers.