the time's flying by...

So it's hard to believe that we have already been in school for a month. Everyone has exams coming up either this week or next week - I can't believe we have actually been in classes long enough to be able to have an exam. Tomorrow is the first day of October - can you believe it? When my parents dropped me off that last week in August, it seemed as though the weekend that I would see them again was so far away. Now that weekend is almost here, and it's kind of scary to think how fast the time has gone by.
I have talked to one of my friends from home who is in college up in Massachusetts, and she just hasn't been happy at all. She is having issues with her roomate and hasn't really found those few people who she can hang out with all the time. I feel so lucky to have met so many great people who I get along with and can share some crazy times with, and I know that this year is going to be great!

Yankee's Fans?

So tonight is the last time that the Yankees will play in the historic Yankee Stadium...and I hope that they win! I have been a long time Yankee's fan so a final win in the stadium would be a great way to end an era. At this moment, they are losing by one run to the Orioles, but it's only the 2nd inning so they definitely have a chance for a comeback :) . Anyway, I have met quite a few football fans but not too many baseball fans. In Connecticut, there are a ton of baseball fans...mostly Yankees fans too. I just hope the Yankees win tonight!

Roomate Issues...

So we have been in college for a little less than a month now, and I can honestly say that the only issues that my roomate and I have are that she hates the airconditioner to be set at an uneven number. We have actually been getting along really well, and we have the same group of friends. Many people that I have talked to are getting along with their roomates, but haven't become really good friends. We have so many things in common, so I think that allowed us to get along so well. We have the same major, we both ride horses, we listen to the same music, and we both have the same sense of humor. I am so happy that I was placed with a roomate who I know I will be friends with in the future. We have to complete these roomate agreements, and we were laughing looking over the different catagories because we really don't know what to put in it. Anyway, I just feel lucky to have an awesome roomate!

Narrative...

Walking through the Stamp to go to class, regardless of the time of day, there is always somebody in line for McDonald's. Sure, stopping for some fast food may be convienent, and you may actually enjoy what you are eating, but have you ever stopped to think about the process that brought that hamburber, those chicken nuggets, or that egg sandwhich to your table? The production of animals for human consumption, espescially in the fast food industry, is usually poorly regulated in conditions that are less than favorable for both the animal and the employed worker.

Camping...

Over the weekend I went on a camping trip with the Life Sciences Scholars Program. We left around 6:00 on Friday night and didn't arrive at the camp ground (which was in Western Maryland) until about 11:30, due to traffic and the fact that we had to stop for about an hour to eat dinner. So we didn't get to bed until about 1:00 in the morning, and they decided that 6:45 would be a good time to wake us up in the morning - with pots and pans no less :( . Even though everyone was tired, Saturday turned out to be a fun day. First we traveled to a resorvoir where we collected different insects and tried (unsucessfully) to catch some fish. After wading through the river (and almost falling into it many, many times) our group got in canoes and rowed about 45 minutes down the river. The views were amazing, and it even rained as we paddled along-which was actually quite peaceful. One of the coolest parts of the trip happened once we finished canoeing and were loading the canoes back onto the truck to return to camp. We hearn rain starting to fall, and then we saw that a wall of rain was coming toward us. It was amazing to watch the rain come towards us, then over us, and then continue on over the resorvoir. After our canoe adventure, we returned to camp and hiked for about 30 minutes up to a bog. After wading through the bog, which is essentially mud up to your knees, the sophmores on the trip started a mud fight and chaos ensued. Everybody got ridiculously dirty, and upon returning back to camp we all jumped in the lake to try and get clean (well, mostly to get less dirty). Our day ended after dinner, when we sat down by the camp fire, made s'mores and also made apple crisp up in the kitchen. We left the campgrounds Sunday morning and I think that everybody crashed once we returned to our rooms in Cumberland. It was an exhausting weekend packed with activities, but I met some new people and shared a great experience with many of the people in Life Sciences.

A Reminder of Home...

One of my all time favorite things to do is horseback ride. I started riding in 8th grade with my best friend, and though she has since stopped riding, I have never stopped absolutely loving it. So the fact that the University has both an equestrian club and team was quite a selling point : ) I am lucky enough to have a roomate that loves horses just as much as I do, so last week we both attended the meeting for the UMD Equestrian Team and realized how excited we both were to get back to riding. Last night we had our first lesson with the team and it was wonderful! It just felt great to be doing something so familiar during a time when everything around me is in a constant state of change. We rode with four other girls at a barn called Waredaca, which is about 45 minutes away (I have no idea what town it's in-i'm from CT and have absolutely no sense of where this campus is in relation to,well, anything...). All I know is that knowing that I will get to ride is going to make getting up on Monday a little bit easier. And I am also hoping to join the equestrian club (i'm headed to the meeting now)-they take care of the horses that are here on campus (you should visit them!-they are pretty cute...). With all said and done, I am just happy that I don't have to give up horses or riding for any length of time, because I don't know what I would have done otherwise!