Catch-up!

Wow!
It's been quite sometime since my last post at the beginning of the summer. I had intended to blog over the summer, but obviously that didn't happen.

It's mid-September now and I just finished the fourth week of fall semester for my junior year! At this point I've figured out a routine for myself and am starting to really enjoy my classes. Aside from classes, I have a weekly tour spot again this semester and got hired as a peer tutor for Latin. As I'll be spending next semester in AFRICA, I want to work as much as I can (and save as much as I can, too!) so that I have some spending money for my trip abroad. As of earlier this week, my tickets to and from South Africa have officially been booked so I can rest easy knowing that I have transportation covered! All that's left to do now is apply for a visa, get my shots and medicine taken care of, buy clothes, supplies, and gifts for my host families, and pack! Thankfully most of this won't be done until much later in the semester or while I'm home for Christmas break, so I can breathe easy and focus on my classes and work. 
This semester has been really different for me. For one, I'm living on my own in a single apart from my friends. As they're all in townhouses, they do not have meal plans, meaning I'm on my own for meals. Initially I was pretty upset and not looking forward to coming back to school. Now that I'm here and have survived four weeks living on my own, I can honestly say that I am actually enjoying myself this semester! As much as I love living with my friends, living apart has given me an opportunity to become more independent. I can choose when I want to study, eat, sleep, etc. and decide if I want to eat alone or make plans with someone to get lunch or dinner. Living on my own has also forced me to go out of my comfort zone a lot, which has made me a stronger and more confident person. I really think that living apart from my friends has strengthened our friendships as well. In order to see one another we have to make plans and make time to get together. I think that this has really shown me who my true friends are.
Something else that's different this year is that my sister in now living in Burlington! She's a first year student at UVM and it's so cool to have her close by. I definitely think that this has brought us much, much closer together. We try to see each other as often as possible, usually once a week, and it's nice to have a little piece of home up here in BTV!
Well, that's all for the moment. I'll seriously try to keep this blog updated throughout the semester...

Summer Update!

I just realized it's been almost a month since my last post! Here's a quick update of what's been going on in my life since then:

- P-Day (the best day of the year!)... this year's P-Day was quite epic. After a rough semester, it was nice to have a day to just relax and have fun with friends!

- End of classes and finals... one project, two papers, and two written finals!

- Move-out of 226... I've had such an amazing year living with my best friends in 226. We were all close last year, but living together has brought our friendship to a whole new level. I love you Mary, Marci, Katie, Allyson, Kate, Taylor, Alex, and Kayley!

- Officially accepted to study abroad with SIT in South Africa spring semester 2013! The official acceptance came a week after all of my application materials were submitted... much quicker than I had expected to say the least! After much stress and running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, I've finally submitted all of my confirmation materials as of Thursday. Now it's time to start applying for study abroad scholarships...

- Start of summer jobs... I'm back working for the motorcycle safety program and the berry farm. Dad and I are also launching our summer eBay sales today!

- Catch-up with high school friends... all of my friends are living away from home this summer so I've had a very small window of opportunity to see them before they leave for their various jobs (Emily at West Point, Alyssa in NYC, Missy in Middlebury, and Liz and Morgan at sleep-away summer camps). Luckily I've been able to see all of them! We've all made plans to meet-up later in the summer... Emily, Missy, and I are hoping to spend a weekend with Alyssa in NYC and Emily and I have plans to explore the Boston area when she's home in August.

- Put the jetski in the lake... Dad and I brought the jetski to the lake on Memorial Day and we took a spin with Allison later that day. So much fun! Turns out Allison is quite the daredevil on the jetski... she almost threw me off on several occasions!

Well, that's it for now! I'll try and keep the blog updated more now that I'm home for the summer.

Ta ta!

Friday Update

Here's a quick update of what's going on in my life:
As of today, I have exactly 8 days left of classes! I'm feeling a whole slew of emotions... happy because my rough semester is almost over... nervous about papers and finals I have to complete in the next couple of weeks... sad because I won't see many of my friends again until August... and excited for summer!
Today we didn't have classes as it is "Student Research Day". Unfortunately I didn't get to attend any of the presentations I wanted to because they were all at the same time as my weekly tour... bummer. However, I did get a lot of homework done and went shopping at Plato's Closet with Taylor and Kayley. I got a cute new pair of sandals for $6.00!
I also got an e-mail from SIT confirming that they received all of my application materials and that they've started to view my application. Yikes! They review/decision process can take up to 3 weeks, so I'll find out my destiny during finals/move-out week... at least I have finals to take my mind off of it!!!
Shout out to my number 1 blog follower, Alyssa <3

Sunday

Today marks the day that SIT begins accepting applications for the Spring 2013 semester! I've completed 80% of the application and am hoping to finish and submit it today.

In order to pump myself up, I'm listening to this song on repeat. I heard Akon's Oh Africa for the first time in a while last night while hanging out with my new American friends at the Center for Women and Gender. And now I'm obsessed!

Photo A Day April: Day 10

Day 10: cold

passion tea lemonade + ice

Photo A Day April: Day 9

Day 9: younger you

Photo A Day April: Day 8

Day 8: inside your wallet

Photo A Day April: Day 7

Day 7: shadow

My pup, Luke.

Photo A Day April: Day 6

Day 6: lunch

I had lunch with my mom today and as soon as I pulled away from the hospital, I remembered today's challenge. Oops!

Here's a picture of dinner instead.

Mmmm, grilled salmon.

Photo A Day April: Day 5

Day 5: tiny.

Tiny Thai!

Today my best friends Marci, Taylor, and I met up for lunch at Tiny Thai to commence the beginning of Easter Break! This restaurant in the Winooski Circle is one of my favorites and they have a fantastic lunch deal: a drink, appetizer, and entree for $7.95! As you can see by my plate, they give you a lot of food, too. Marci and I couldn't finish ours so we got the rest wrapped up to take home with us.

Speaking of home, I actually have one more class this afternoon before heading home. Even though I was home this weekend with Taylor, I'm looking forward to get a break from school and spending time with my family who I really didn't get to see over the weekend.

Photo A Day April: Day 4

Day 4: Someone who makes you happy.

Can't wait to see my little woof tomorrow!

Photo A Day April: Day 3

Day 3: mail.

Surprise, surprise! I actually got mail today! Not only did I get a cute card from my mom and dog, but I also got a letter from the college saying that I have been accepted to study abroad spring semester 2013!!!

One step closer to South Africa!!!

Now I just have to continue working on my SIT application... 

PS - Quick shout out to my best friend Kayley for being accepted to study abroad in Paris, France this summer!!!

Photo A Day April: Day 2

Day 2: color

In honor of this challenge I decided to wear bright colors today.

Photo A Day April: Day 1

My friend Taylor sent me this great photo challenge for the month of April and we have both decided to participate. You can find the details of the photo challenge here.

Day 1: your reflection.
Here are three [awkward] photos of my reflection:

Happy April 1st!


P.S. - A quick update on my study abroad application process: I have completed and submitted my Saint Mike's application as of Friday, March 30th! Now I have to wait patiently for the study abroad committee approval while finishing up my SIT application. My hope is to turn the SIT application in by April 15th, the first day they begin reviewing applications for the Spring 2013 semester (so long as I am approved by SMC). Very optimistic, I know, but hopefully I can do it! I forsee a few sleepless nights in my future...

Current Celebrity Obsession

JOSH HUTCHERSON

Yes, just like every other girl in the world I am currently stalking Josh on twitter and instagram. I cannot wait for the Hunger Games to come out a week from tomorrow!!!

#TeamPeeta

Quick Mid-Semester Update!

Wow! It's been quite a while since I last updated my blog. This semester has been a lot more challenging than I had originally thought so I've gotten way behind on my blogging. Here's a quick update thus far on what I've been up to:


- MOVE Extended Service trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah

Me in Zion National Park!

FLORA! We took this sweet, deaf puppy for a sleepover at our townhouse. I'll never forget this adorable pup. I miss her terribly and wish I could have taken her home with me!!

- I've completed seven weeks of the spring semester... my courses are challenging and have a large amount of outside work. Unfortunately because of this I haven't implemented my New Year's Resolution of exercising every day into my routine. Spring Break starts next week though so I'm hoping to start an exercise program at home and attempt to work it into my routine once I'm back at school.


- Weekly Tour Friday at 11:30am! I was luck enough to be given another weekly tour guide spot this semester, so I've been able to earn a little extra cash at school for gas money and Dunkin' Doughnuts runs. Plus, I've been able to share my love of SMC with some awesome prospective students!


- Applying for study abroad spring semester 2013! After much research and a few late nights, I have finally chosen a study abroad program and location for next spring 2013... CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!

I'm applying to go with SIT to study "Multiculturalism and Human Rights". While abroad, I'll be staying with four different families from many different backgrounds, plus learning Xhosa, one of South Africa's 11 national languages, and doing my own research project! Needless to say, I'm absolutely excited and terrified at the same time! I can't wait to finally go to the continent I've been dreaming about since I was a small child.
Today I met with my adviser to work on my plan for graduation and get his approval for the courses I'll be taking abroad. Once my paperwork comes back from the registrar, I need to write a letter of intent and get a letter of recommendation from one of my professors. Then I will hand over all my paperwork to the study abroad office which will (hopefully) approve me to study abroad! After I get the okay, the next step is to apply to SIT. I thought applying to SMC was a drag... SIT looks like even more work! Especially since it asks a lot of deep, thought provoking questions... yes, I'm terrified. I never thought I'd say this, but applying for study abroad might be even scarier than applying for colleges!!!
I'll try and keep my faithful readers (Alyssa, Taylor) updated as I continue through application process continues. 


Goodbye for now,
Megan

New Year's Resolutions 2012

1. Eat healthier.

Although this past summer and fall semester I've worked hard toward eating healthier, I really could have done better. There have been a lot of instances where I've made excuses such as "There's nothing good for dinner so I might as well have fries" or "I'm so stressed, I really need to eat a candy bar or two or three..." My goal therefore is to not only eat healthier by not eating fries or desert in the school cafeteria, but to also refrain from eating unhealthy food, especially sweets, in my suite as well. I've always had a big problem with self control, but hopefully I'll be able to work on reining myself in more this year.

2. Exercise daily.

Again, I've worked really hard on staying in shape this past summer and fall semester after gaining the freshman 15 last year. From August to December I ran three days a week and also went to the gym, walked around Colchester, Winooski, and Burlington with friends or solo, and did some yoga with Denise Austin. However, I also found myself making lots of excuses not to exercise, hence I stopped exercising on the weekends once October came along and only did my yoga DVD twice. My new goal is to stop making excuses by exercising daily. This goal is inspired by an article I read in a health magazine a few months ago. The article said that those who exercise daily find less opportunities to make excuses not to exercise because they've scheduled time to perform this task. I know it's going to be tricky the first couple of weeks of spring semester to work out a schedule for myself, but hopefully by the end of January I'll find an exercise schedule that works for me!

Another component of the goal is mixing up my exercise. I know another big problem for me is that I get bored very easily. Running is the one form of exercise I absolutely love to do but even running the same route feels repetitive after a month or two. I'm hoping that I can solve this problem by running 3 or 4 days a week but choosing different routes and/or mediums (indoor vs outdoor, treadmill vs running track). For example, if I decide to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday like I did last semester, perhaps I could run on the treadmill for 1-3 miles on Monday, on the indoor track on Wednesday, and outside to North campus and back on Friday. I also want to alternate running workouts with lifting, Zumba, or yoga classes to not only mix things up but also to give me a different workout to look forward to each day. One neat app I'm going to try is the "Nike Training Club" app. This app is like having your own personal trainer in the palm of your hand! I know another one of my many problems is that I never know what exercises to do. Hopefully this app will both educate me on some cool, effective, easy exercises and inspire me to get my butt to the gym everyday!

3. Replace the word "hate" with the word "dislike."

One thing I've observed over the last few weeks is how much I say the word "hate." The word hate is such a negative word, though, and has a very extreme meaning. I've also observed that when I use the word hate, ninety-nine percent of the time I actually mean that I dislike something. For example, after this summer one phrase I said constantly was "I hate working." In this case, I don't intensely or passionately dislike working, there are just things I'd rather do like read a book for fun or watch TV. Therefore, in order to work toward being more positive, I'm going to work on replacing the word hate with the word dislike.