Wow. What happened? I'm leaving Luther tomorrow. I think I'm experiencing shock. I can't believe my first year of college is literally over. Minus the two finals I have yet to take, this year is gone. There are so many things running through my mind, and yet I don't know what to write. I could tell you about all the firsts and lasts my friends and I experienced this weekend, but that seems trivial in comparison to the looming departures I'm being faced with. I could tell you about how much I've changed this first year, but that seems silly. I don't know, maybe I'll do some random train-of-thoughts in order to give you a taste of everything.
This past weekend has been one of my favorites! It started out with Reading Day on Friday, in which the whole campus is basically shut down so that no student has an excuse not to be studying. So after being good students all day long and cramming information into our brains, four friends and I decided to go to Rochester for some well-deserved Buffalo Wild Wings and Starbucks. As we were coming home, we wondered why we had never done that before. It was so much fun! So college tip #1: take a mini road trip with your friends for some good food one random weekend. It doesn't matter if it's to LaCrosse or Rochester or just to Cresco (it's a small town about 20 miles away) just get in the car and go eat! Saturday was my roommate's birthday, so a bunch of us went out to Rubiayt and had dinner. It was so much fun! Most of us had never been there before, so it was a new experience, and the food was delicious! College tip #2: don't neglect the downtown! There are a ton of cute shops and places to eat and things to look at. Go into any store, and I guarantee you will end up having a great conversation with someone there, simply because there is no sense of time in a small town, and everyone is so darn friendly! Then to finish up the weekend, eight of us walked down to the canoe/tube landing and went canoeing all afternoon! It was so peaceful, just paddling down the river, looking at the trees and bluffs and listening to the birds. Then we went and laid out on the library lawn while studying, so we were not only outside in the glorious sunshine, but we were also getting work done. Talk about the perfect multitask :-) College tip #3: get out and have fun! Yeah, it was the weekend of finals and we could have been studying all day, but studying isn't what makes memories. You need to take a break, get outside and enjoy life! I know you're at college to get an education, but there is absolutely no reason you can't also have an unforgettable time with your friends while you're at it!
I was thinking the other day about how much I've grown since I left home last August. I'm not so sure that my outward appearance has changed as much as my mind and who I am, although I do think I look more sophisticated :-) But really, college expands your horizons like you wouldn't believe! I've gone from reading fun romance novels to reading C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen for fun! While watching chick flicks and comedies are a good time, I've also grown to like documentaries and films that make you think about bigger questions than any comedy can offer. I started school as a Biology major Spanish minor, and now am an English/Africana Studies major with a History minor. Who would have thought that Allison Croat, the girl who hated grammar and history in middle school would want to learn more about them in college? I certainly didn't think I would! I've learned to like to eat different types of food, and yes, I even drink coffee now! What?!?! I know, crazy. But it's just what happens when you decide to expand your horizons and try new things. College tip #4: don't be afraid to let go of who you were in high school. College is a time for you to grow and to change and to create the person you want to become. You don't have to be fake anymore; if you don't want to do something, you don't have to do it! Or if you really want to be someone else, there is no one telling you you can't do it because that's not the role you fit into. You get to be the best person: YOU! And while that is an extremely scary thought the first few months of school, you gradually become more comfortable with it, and by the time you get to where I am right now, you are finally fitting into the skin that was meant for you. And once you get there, your life seems to open up before you.
In closing, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me this year, through the random posts, the rantings and the bliss I've gone through these past nine months. Whether you are a senior in high school, already in college, or long done with your 'typical education' I want to wish you all the best. Take whatever opportunities life gives you and run with them. After all, we only get to live once, so you better do it right the first time, and there's no better time to start living than right now. As for me, I'm
Always
Allison
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The time, has anyone seen the time?
Can someone explain to me how I have less than one week left of classes? I have TWO DAYS of each class left of my first year of college. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I could swear that someone has turned the hands of time ahead on me for a practical joke. Well let me tell you: NOT FUNNY! I feel like this year has disappeared; it's gone too fast. But alas, I'm sure you're not here to listen to me complain about how fast life goes and yaddah yaddah yaddah. So let's find something interesting to talk about.
The Shakespeare in Performance class put together a performance, for lack of a different word, of a play that is gaining popularity Measure for Measure. A few friends and I went to see this performance, and let me tell you, it was hilarious! I've always had some problems understanding the way Shakespeare writes, meaning in Olde English, but after hearing it spoken for about 15 minutes, you kind of get the hang of things and can better understand what is being said. I think the class did a wonderful job! They took the original play, about 2700 lines, and cut it down to 1200 so it would fit into an hour-long performance. And they were incredible! The play was humorous, the acting was great for folks who aren't majoring in theater, and the audience was thoroughly engaged. I think this is something rare at Luther; then again, I feel like that's all I ever say about this school, that you can't find such and such anywhere else, but I really think it's true!
Oh, what else to say? This week the weather took a turn for the worse, so it wasn't as nice as it has been previously, but we're all holding our breath for this last weekend, as we have plans to go picnicing and canoeing and hiking one last (or first) time before summer. I must say, the less time you have, the more things need to be crammed in. I feel like there is so much that I want to say, but I think I'm going to save it for next week, and have a final hurrah, one last Luther cheer for this glorious first year at college.
Always,
Allison
The Shakespeare in Performance class put together a performance, for lack of a different word, of a play that is gaining popularity Measure for Measure. A few friends and I went to see this performance, and let me tell you, it was hilarious! I've always had some problems understanding the way Shakespeare writes, meaning in Olde English, but after hearing it spoken for about 15 minutes, you kind of get the hang of things and can better understand what is being said. I think the class did a wonderful job! They took the original play, about 2700 lines, and cut it down to 1200 so it would fit into an hour-long performance. And they were incredible! The play was humorous, the acting was great for folks who aren't majoring in theater, and the audience was thoroughly engaged. I think this is something rare at Luther; then again, I feel like that's all I ever say about this school, that you can't find such and such anywhere else, but I really think it's true!
Oh, what else to say? This week the weather took a turn for the worse, so it wasn't as nice as it has been previously, but we're all holding our breath for this last weekend, as we have plans to go picnicing and canoeing and hiking one last (or first) time before summer. I must say, the less time you have, the more things need to be crammed in. I feel like there is so much that I want to say, but I think I'm going to save it for next week, and have a final hurrah, one last Luther cheer for this glorious first year at college.
Always,
Allison
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Oh what a night...nope, oh what a weekend!!
This weekend was one of those that just makes you happy to be alive! Life at Luther doesn't get any better than this! It started on Thursday, when some friends and I went to cheer on our friend in the world-premiere of Camille's Carnival, which is a play that is written based on the songs of Camille Saint-Saen's Le Carnaval des Animaux. It was basically written by a professor at Luther, and was a lot of improvisation while writing from the students who were in the play. It was wonderful! The set was amazing (thanks to one of my friends who is on the set crew) and the play was magical.
Friday night was the Aurora/Norsemen choir concert and Relay for Life, which is a walk that raises money for cancer. The concert was great! I never cease to be astounded by the talent that Luther has, especially in it's choirs. It is simply amazing! And Relay was incredible! It started at 6pm and ended at 6am. I only made it until 2:45, though. But the sheer number of people walking around the track in the SRC (Student Recreation Center in the gym) was stunning. It's amazing to see that much support and effort given by a bunch of college kids. It was overwhelming; it's times like that that really remind me that there is good in the world.
Saturday, after sleeping in ;-), I wrote my last first draft for Paideia, and then joined the Brandt BBQ. It was a great time, the RA's (Resident Assistants) grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and had fruit and veggies and chips, the usual picnic foods, and anyone from Brandt could come and eat dinner outside. It was a great time! After dinner, we got a bunch of people in a circle to hit around a volleyball, then threw around a Frisbee. At 8 o'clock, we started the annual East v. West Capture the Flag game!!!! It was so much fun! West has won the past two years, and so we were hoping for a three-peat. It ended in a draw, as both teams crossed the line with their flag at the same time, after both teams cheated by throwing the flag from person to person. It was so much fun, because the grass was getting slippery with dew, so it was kind of like a big slip-n-slide :-)
Today was a glorious day! A friend and I rented "banana bikes" from the Luther Bike-Share program through the library. Let me just say that those yellow bikes are great! We went to the Decorah Fish Hatchery, where the DNR raise trout to stock the rivers. It was great! Then we stopped at the Sugar Bowl, which is an ice cream place downtown. It was so nice! We came back and went outside to join friends in doing homework on the lawn. But that didn't last too long before the Frisbee somehow appeared, just begging to be tossed around. So I took multiple breaks from my Spanish homework to please the disk.
This weekend has really made me grateful for living in Decorah, going to Luther College. I am positive that there is no where else that you can get a bike, ride for 30 minutes along the river and see the most beautiful bluffs anywhere. Everywhere we went today, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining. I don't think I could ask for not only a better day, but a better weekend or a better school!
Always,
Allison
Friday night was the Aurora/Norsemen choir concert and Relay for Life, which is a walk that raises money for cancer. The concert was great! I never cease to be astounded by the talent that Luther has, especially in it's choirs. It is simply amazing! And Relay was incredible! It started at 6pm and ended at 6am. I only made it until 2:45, though. But the sheer number of people walking around the track in the SRC (Student Recreation Center in the gym) was stunning. It's amazing to see that much support and effort given by a bunch of college kids. It was overwhelming; it's times like that that really remind me that there is good in the world.
Saturday, after sleeping in ;-), I wrote my last first draft for Paideia, and then joined the Brandt BBQ. It was a great time, the RA's (Resident Assistants) grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and had fruit and veggies and chips, the usual picnic foods, and anyone from Brandt could come and eat dinner outside. It was a great time! After dinner, we got a bunch of people in a circle to hit around a volleyball, then threw around a Frisbee. At 8 o'clock, we started the annual East v. West Capture the Flag game!!!! It was so much fun! West has won the past two years, and so we were hoping for a three-peat. It ended in a draw, as both teams crossed the line with their flag at the same time, after both teams cheated by throwing the flag from person to person. It was so much fun, because the grass was getting slippery with dew, so it was kind of like a big slip-n-slide :-)
Today was a glorious day! A friend and I rented "banana bikes" from the Luther Bike-Share program through the library. Let me just say that those yellow bikes are great! We went to the Decorah Fish Hatchery, where the DNR raise trout to stock the rivers. It was great! Then we stopped at the Sugar Bowl, which is an ice cream place downtown. It was so nice! We came back and went outside to join friends in doing homework on the lawn. But that didn't last too long before the Frisbee somehow appeared, just begging to be tossed around. So I took multiple breaks from my Spanish homework to please the disk.
This weekend has really made me grateful for living in Decorah, going to Luther College. I am positive that there is no where else that you can get a bike, ride for 30 minutes along the river and see the most beautiful bluffs anywhere. Everywhere we went today, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining. I don't think I could ask for not only a better day, but a better weekend or a better school!
Always,
Allison
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