Experience of a Lifetime

Hi Everyone

For the past two weeks it has been nonstop homework and studying, but now that I have started to meet different people on my floor they have been able to help me with the problems I have been having with my homework. Winter term has flown by also, in just three weeks we will be going home, and once again be reunited with our families. I have missed mine so much and this term has been tougher than the last. This week I attended the 20th annual recycle fashion show. If you ever attend Oregon State University I think it is an event that everyone must go and see. They had all kinds of awesome and very well designed outfits and dresses. There was a large spectrum of how the designs were made. They ranged from a Caprisun dress to a bridal gown. My personal favorite was the bridal gown, which was made from dryer sheets! The designer used the dryer sheets to make origami roses to make the bottom of the dress and made over 500 of them. It was a well-organized event and I enjoyed it a lot. As I am writing this write now tsunami waves are hitting Hawaii and I hope everyone makes it out ok. Have a good weekend!

Lizeth

Hi everybody!

I can’t tell you how much this weekend is needed! This week was very stressful. I had a ton of homework, which is never ending and is piling up as I type. It is scholarship time again and I have not started any yet. It puts a lot of stress on you because on top of having that on your mind you have your schoolwork, meetings, and work on your mind. Don’t let all this work scare you though because at the end of the day this is an opportunity some people in the world would kill to have. This chapter in your life is also where new experiences happen and where you will make relationships that last you a lifetime. I am very fortunate to have met people that will help me in anyway they can. OSU is a very “homie” place where you feel welcomed and I know I say that a lot, but I can’t say it enough. This place has already matured me so much and has shown me that the things you want and desire in life are hard work and don’t come easy. While you are doing all this work the time flies by, without you even noticing, we are already half way through our winter term and I feel that we just arrived and started last week. This feeling is insane and sometimes makes me feel emotional because to think that I am actually doing this, going to college, and am going to have a degree someday just makes this experience a thrill and a ride of a lifetime. I hope you all decide to go to college and have the same opportunity I had. Well, I hope you all have a good and safe weekend.

Lizeth

I had a busy week this time, and even overwhelming. But I think it’s good because that means that I’m working and maintaining myself busy.

I had my first midterm on Monday for my chemistry class. The test was pretty intense but I felt confident doing the test.

Even though I felt confident about that test, when the result came out, they were different than my expectations. Because of that I was questioning myself of why did that happen? I felt ready for that test, and I felt that I did well. But it turns out to be the opposite.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a really bad grade but I was expecting a higher grade. When I was eating lunch at McNary dining with a friend of mine she was talking to me about how she was facing the same problem as me.

She got a poor grade on her midterm even though she wasn’t expecting it.  She studied a lot, and at the end it happen all the opposite. In my opinion, it happens, and sometimes the things aren’t always the way we expected; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

But I think the key is to never stop trying, and that what will help us to prevail here at College.

I remember every time went to bed, I was exhausted, and the good thing was that my bed in Callahan was soft and comfortable to sleep.

That’s the good thing about living in dorms.  I like my room, and I think it’s a good option to live in dorms.

Also, during this week I had to write my first paper which was very frustrating  because I didn’t know how to start my paper, and I was confused. When I realize that I didn’t know what to write about I just start to watch some episodes of Dragon ball GT, my favorite cartoon, on YouTube. That might sound funny but I got kind of relaxed after watching  that program and I then I felt less frustrated when writing my paper.  That’s my way to get relaxed, and everyone has their own ways too.

Its been a tired week like all of them because I have to do my homework, take care of my internship and try to stay on top of everything.   This coming Monday I’m having my first midterm for my chemistry class, and so I have to study a lot, and get ready for that test.  It’s my second term here at Oregon State University as a freshman student, and it has been two weeks since I just started my Winter term. Unfortunately, I didn’t begin the term the way I was expecting; however, I would say that I’ve learned my lesson. I think that even  though everybody makes mistakes; the good thing about it is that we can learn from them. I started to get behind on my math class for I did my math homework on the same day it was due. I didn’t have enough time to do it, and today I got the results which were not that satisfying. I think it happens, and I have to learn from this lesson.

These days, I’m starting to catch up on my homework. This experience totally woke me up and I will try not to procrastinate.

Now that I have a time to think about why I chose to live on campus, I would say that one of those reasons were because I wanted to live in place close to my classes so wouldn’t have to travel that much to get to my classrooms. Back when I lived in Hillsboro, I remember when my older brother Gregorio who goes to Portland Community college in Portland, traveled for about half an hour to get to school.

Traveling took a very huge part of his time. I saw how he struggled to woke up early in the morning to go to school and I realized that the best way to save time was by living on campus.

The first time I move to Corvallis, which was about 6 months ago, I remember I felt nervous, scared and excited at the same time. I didn’t know almost anybody, except my friends from the CAMP program.

Every place I went, I saw orange colors all around, and I realized that Oregon State colors were very popular. Also, I felt so keyed up to begin a new stage of my life, and knowing that I was going to meet a lot of people and take very hard classes. Today I can say that I was right, because in the Hall where I live which is Cahalan Hall, I have met a lot of nice people and especially my floor.  When my parents came to visit me during the second month after I moved, they were so surprised that almost everyone in my floor knew me. Even my mom told, ?Ya te volviste bien famoso?, ?You have become very famous?  Hearing that made me started to laugh, and I was happy to realize that I wasn’t a stranger here at OSU anymore.

I totally like the dining Halls, and my favorite place to eat is McNary Dining because the food there is good and above all, it is right in front of Callahan. That means that don’t have to walk very far to go to eat, because the food is right in front of me. As well, inside McNary I love to go to eat to the Boardwalk place, and my favorite food is Chinese food, especially Teriyaki beef with brown rice.   I love that plate and it makes me happy after eating it for like my grandpa says, “pansa llena, corazon contento”– “stomach full is a contented heart.”  One final thing, have you realized that the time is passing by so fast? The answer is yes, and we can’t waste our time doing nothing. That’s why my goals for this term are to stay on top of homework, and  enjoy life here at college in every way I can, like going to church, and get involved in school and do all the things that will shape my life.

Hi everyone:

The upcoming week is going to be my fourth week back, since the winter break, and the start of midterms once again. Last term was very stressful trying to balance all my time with the activities I was doing and the amount of homework I received. This term I think is going to feel less of a workload, although it is not, because I now know what to expect and have found the way to manage my time wisely, while still investing a large portion of time into my studies. I feel like I belong here at OSU and for the next four or five years this town is going to be the place I call home. When I went home for the winter break I felt more matured and that I connected more with my family and the friends who didn’t have the opportunity to go to college. I feel I understand my parents more and why they make the decisions they do. I am really grateful for them and am so happy they pushed me as hard as they did, so that I could do the best I could in school, to get me where I am today. I am excited to see what this term is going to be like and hope for many new adventures and experiences. Have a great weekend,

Lizeth

(Lizeth & Tay, before “The Event”)

Hi everyone! This week has been a very stressful one, but also has had some exciting activities occur. DEAD WEEK is what OSU calls the week before finals. During dead week there is no time to waste because studying, homework, and meetings take over your life. Everyone is tired and stressed by Friday. The semi-good news is that the upcoming week is the last week of the term and the following week you get to go home. Also, during this week, there were a couple of events, which were really fun. The first was called “The Event” it was a dance, put on by our hall council, which is similar to a high school homecoming. It gave us the chance to relax and not think about finals or homework and to let us dress up and not forget that college is not always about work. It is also about finding new friends and new experiences. The other event I went to was cultural, but reminded me of home. It is called “Posada Night” and in Mexican culture it is a tradition to sing, eat, and pray during the last two weeks of December. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys the Holidays.

Lizeth

Hello everyone!

I wanted to apologize for not updating my blogs. It has been really hard for me trying to get into the rhythm of school, but I have figured out how to manage my time wisely and balance my school, friends, and family. Well, today I wanted to talk about going home and how it has affected me to not get to go home since I first arrived at OSU.  Today, November 24,2009, is the first day I am going to be home since September 12, 2009. You might not think that is a long time, but the longest amount of time I had spent away from home was two weeks, I have been away from home two months and twelve days and am now starting to feel the effects of being away from my family, friends, and the stability I once had at home. At the same time I now know that I can make it on my own. Independence is a trait everybody has to challenge at some point in their lives and going to a university, community college, trading school, or any other type of commitment that takes you away from where you are comfortable, is a fear a lot of people have. I am happy that I got this opportunity to be away from home and to see how I overcame this challenge and how it built me up and made me become a person. During the time I have been at Corvallis I have learned to be patient, confident, and optimistic when things don’t go my way. You always have to keep on going forward and looking ahead. The past cannot be fixed, but the future can always be molded into your dreams and desires. I wanted to leave all of you a quote to think about over Thanksgiving Break: “Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”- Author Unknown. Have a good Thanksgiving Break, eat a lot of turkey, and spend a lot of time with loved ones.

~Lizeth

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone had a good and fun Halloween weekend. College has really been going by fast. I am already looking for my new classes and seeing my advisor to talk about my career path. My life in Finley Hall has been really fun and has been a whole new experience. Living here is like gaining a whole new family, who helps you through the ups and downs of college. The resident director, J, and the resident assistant’s have really done a great job putting on events for us.

During the weekdays they have two separate rooms where we can hangout, do homework, play ping-pong or pool, or just watching some movies. They also have a piano, who some people decide to play and helps relax you during stressful times, like midterms. For academics and knowledge about global issues they hold tutoring sessions, awareness talks, and many other resources where you can get the most from your college.

During the weekends the hall council, who are students, makes decision on what happens during the weekends. There are Halloween and Southside dances, sport events, movie nights, and this weekend they are making all sorts of pancakes, which we get to eat watching cartoons J. It can’t get any better than that. It is just like home sweet home. Events like these also provide a chance for you to make new bonds with people whom you have not met yet.

Well I hope you all have a good weekend!

-Lizeth

I live on campus in Callahan Hall; I like that everybody is real social and friendly. Corvallis is way different than from where I grew up. The weather in Corvallis is different because it rains a lot. Where I come from, Nyssa, it is hot and dry in the summers and in the winter it is really cold. In Nyssa it doesn’t rain often, I guess rain in Nyssa is like snow here in Corvallis. When it snows here in Corvallis people’s reaction is like “Oh it’s snowing? WOW!” and rain in Nyssa is vice versa. I miss my mom’s cooking, Mexican food.  I found a good place that is on fourth street called “La Rockita,” I eat lunch there on Saturdays. I usually order a chicken Chimichanga, that place is good. If you’re feeling like eating Mexican food you should definitely consider going to La Rockita.

What excites me about being in this new place is that I’m setting myself up for a good future. I’m excited to get a degree and finish school so I can get a good job. I’m excited that I’m attending a university and not a college because there are so much more people I can meet here. Maybe the basketball players I meet today will be NBA superstars in five years. I’m not just excited for me, but also for the other students because later in the future I can say, “Oh I know that Doctor or I know that football player”. I’m excited to see what the outcome of my generation will be.

Well now it is about to be my fifth week of college and understand why people get really stressed out during midterms. Living on campus has really helped me out this week. You might be wondering, “how does living on campus help you with midterms?” Living on campus you can get a support and study system that you could have difficulty finding off-campus. Last week I studied with my friends and when I was stressed they would always cheer me up and push me to keep going. The campus also provides a sense of safety, stability, and getting to know places around campus. Oregon State University has many faculty members that are willing to help you whenever you are feeling lost and homesick. The campus might look big now but once you are here and walking around, it will feel just like any other school.

My transition to OSU has been really smooth. I feel welcomed and to be honest I don’t feel homesick at all. Everyone welcomes you with open arms. A big part of that is because I am living on campus. If I lived off campus I would still be getting lost and would have to worry about transportation and meeting new people. Since I live in the dorms I have many friends that are taking the same classes or have taken them already. We form our own study group and help one another. It helps a lot when we have questions on the homework or for some reason we couldn’t make it to the class we can rely on getting the notes from each other. Transportation as we all know is annoying, but on campus it doesn’t matter because all the dorms are within walking distance to classes. I live in the farthest dorm and I can get to Kidder, which is across campus, in ten minutes. Everyone is walking or riding their bikes too so you don’t feel left out either. Off campus you have to use a car, which depending on the type of vehicle, spends a lot of money on gas. The bus sometimes can be reliable but sometimes things come up and you’re late to the bus stop and miss it. Then you are stuck on what to do and on top of that you missed your class.

I know from personal experience that if you live on campus your transition to your college is going to be better and your worries are going to be less than if you live off campus. I hope you all have a wonderful week and have a Happy Halloween.