Goodbyes are always a tricky thing. They may be the last time you see someone for a while, a long while, or ever. Richard Bach (whoever that is) once said, "Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends." I usually don't try to place too much emphasis on goodbyes. The time you have spent with a person, the memories you share, the conversations you've had, that's what truly matters and that is most often what you'll truly remember while you're away from and missing that person. That last hug or shared conversation is meaningful in the moment, but then it is gone and what holds you tied to that person is your love and care for one another.
I've never really had to say goodbye to people like I have had to this past week and will have to in the week or so before I leave. It's almost like a mourning process. I will not be living in the dorms next semester with all of my friends. 114 Gilchrist Hall will no longer be mine. That will not be my place because I will have left it. And while I will be returning next year, things will never be the exact same as they were when I left. Something that seems so trivial, a last shower in the dorms, is really so important because it represents how at home and happy and blessed I have felt during my time thus far at MSU. And this home is what I will most be missing during my time abroad; the feeling that everywhere I turn there are people to take care of me and love me and laugh with me and eat with me and share with me and care about me and talk to and listen to. It is this experience of shared living that I love so much about my GFG family. While I will not be returning to the dorms as a resident, there are new and exciting things to look forward to about next year. A HOUSE! Living off campus is something I have been looking forward to ever since we started house-hunting in September. Caitlin, Colleen, Andrew, & I are going to have a blast figuring out how to live in and take care of a house together and I am so excited to do that. I'm excited to have my own room and dishes and just so much more personal space than in the dorms. I'm so excited to be able to return to State of Fifths. This semester they will be competing at ICCA without me, which is sad, but I am overjoyed to be able to hear of their successes and cheer them on from afar as they face their competition. They are another family for me that makes me feel loved and cherished and important, and I am excited to return to sing with them and audition new family members.
Leaving MSU for a semester is a very hard thing for me to do because of how in love I am with it, but I am confident that this semester will be more than worth it.
-EM
P.S. Check out this virtual tour of the USFQ campus: Virtual Tour
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Classes
I am now registered in classes and have them approved by advisors here at MSU!
I'm enrolled in 6 classes, but will be taking only 4 or 5 (12-15 credits). I'll drop 1 or 2 after seeing how they are. These classes are...
HIS 211--Historia Del Ecuador Republicano (Transferring back as SPN 452)
HIS 234--Historia Contemporanea (Transferring back as IAH 221C)
EPE 307--Español Avanzado (Transferring back as SPN 320)
EPE 302--Introducción a la Cultura Ecuatoriana (Transferring back as SPN 412)
SIC 203--Siciologia Del Desarrollo (Transferring back as PSY 244 for my Gen Ed replacement)
POL 310--Política Ecuatoriana y Su Pensamiento (Transferring back as PLS GCU for my Gen Ed replacement or SPN 412 or SPN 452)
It's all seeming very real! AH!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Visa-Obtaining Excitement
On Tuesday, November 30 the delightful Kaylee Storey and I headed out to the great state of Illinois in the hopes of obtaining my visa from the Ecuadorian Consulate. Spoiler Alert: We got it. :)
We headed out of East Lansing early in the morning, after obtaining our coffee from Bigby and chatting up one of the customers, forgetting only the chapstick. With our road trip CD blaring and the dreary Michigan paisaje (landscape) passing us by, we made it to Chicago. We never even freaked out. Except when I was driving over the bridge. Because I hate bridges. Especially driving over them. We found the consulate no problem and while it was frankly a bitch to figure out parking, we did it. I dropped off my paperwork while Kaylee drove around the block, then we parked the car, found our way back to Michigan St, passed by the Bean (which I had never been to before and was just as touristy and nifty as I thought it would be), got some sammies at Cosi, went back to the Consulate to get my passport and visa papers, went back to the car, and then drove home. WE NEVER GOT LOST ONCE! Yay for us! Also, Ecuador thinks I'm good enough to be in their country for over 90 days so that's definitely a positive. :)
All in all, collecting the right documents and forms and photos and such for obtaining my visa was quite cumbersome, but the OSA staff and USFQ staff were quite terrific and I didn't really have any troubles with it.
Here in East Lansing it snowed for the first real time on December 1st! It was exciting, but it really made me realize how near I am to the end of my time in the dorms. Living in Gilchrist has been a ridiculously important aspect of my life and my growth into the person I am today, and in 2 and a half short weeks I will be moving out forever. This is sad. I will really miss living in the same building as all of my friends, not ever having to worry about cooking food or receiving packages or the heating bill. Ground/First Floor Gilchrist is a very unique place and it will always take up space in my heart.
It feels like I'm running out of time here. While I feel very comfortable with the idea of leaving in about a month, I am not so comfortable with being done here at MSU in about 2 weeks. I'm sure the idea will grow on me and I'll become more accustomed to it, but right now I feel rushed and stressed out about it. I need to work on projects and study for finals and do homework for classes and all I really want to do is soak up my last few days living in 114 Gilchrist Hall. I love all of the people here and so many things about MSU and I will miss them greatly, but I'm also really excited to find out what I'm going to love about USFQ and the people in Ecuador.
:)
-Em
We headed out of East Lansing early in the morning, after obtaining our coffee from Bigby and chatting up one of the customers, forgetting only the chapstick. With our road trip CD blaring and the dreary Michigan paisaje (landscape) passing us by, we made it to Chicago. We never even freaked out. Except when I was driving over the bridge. Because I hate bridges. Especially driving over them. We found the consulate no problem and while it was frankly a bitch to figure out parking, we did it. I dropped off my paperwork while Kaylee drove around the block, then we parked the car, found our way back to Michigan St, passed by the Bean (which I had never been to before and was just as touristy and nifty as I thought it would be), got some sammies at Cosi, went back to the Consulate to get my passport and visa papers, went back to the car, and then drove home. WE NEVER GOT LOST ONCE! Yay for us! Also, Ecuador thinks I'm good enough to be in their country for over 90 days so that's definitely a positive. :)
All in all, collecting the right documents and forms and photos and such for obtaining my visa was quite cumbersome, but the OSA staff and USFQ staff were quite terrific and I didn't really have any troubles with it.
Here in East Lansing it snowed for the first real time on December 1st! It was exciting, but it really made me realize how near I am to the end of my time in the dorms. Living in Gilchrist has been a ridiculously important aspect of my life and my growth into the person I am today, and in 2 and a half short weeks I will be moving out forever. This is sad. I will really miss living in the same building as all of my friends, not ever having to worry about cooking food or receiving packages or the heating bill. Ground/First Floor Gilchrist is a very unique place and it will always take up space in my heart.
It feels like I'm running out of time here. While I feel very comfortable with the idea of leaving in about a month, I am not so comfortable with being done here at MSU in about 2 weeks. I'm sure the idea will grow on me and I'll become more accustomed to it, but right now I feel rushed and stressed out about it. I need to work on projects and study for finals and do homework for classes and all I really want to do is soak up my last few days living in 114 Gilchrist Hall. I love all of the people here and so many things about MSU and I will miss them greatly, but I'm also really excited to find out what I'm going to love about USFQ and the people in Ecuador.
:)
-Em
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)