College Survial Guide: Making it Through Finals in One Piece

Anxiety, stress, lack of sleep is the best ways to describe how most college students are feeling about their upcoming finals.
There is so much work to do, from last minute papers, to going all out to trying to secure that final grade we've been working for all semester.
A bit of advice I have come to realize is that you are going to need to take breaks between studying for your finals.
It is the best way to dim the stress between studying.
During these breaks I suggest that you do something that you are passionate about.
It hobby or it could be something as simple as watching a movie that you love.
Now I know what you are probably thinking.... that finals are more important and that the more time you spend studying the better off you will do.
While it is true that the more you prepare for them the better grade you will receive, by studying you are causing mental wear and tear on your body.
As a result this can cause stress, anxiety and for some people a lack of sleep.
By taking a simple hour out of your day to do something that makes you happy, will not only give your mind some much needed rest, but it'll also allow you to decompress, even if it is only for a brief period of time.

Going Abroad

While there are a multitude of things that happened this year that I am thankful for the biggest has to be getting to go  study abroad in London.
I've been waiting for this opportunity for a while now, I applied back in May of my freshman year.
At that time it seemed like it was like a distant fantasy, but now that it is happening for real it seems all to surreal.
Excitement is the best way to describe it, several weeks from now I will be beginning a life altering experience.
I will studying at the Richmond International American University.
I will live at the Richmond Hill Campus, but a bulk of my classes will be at the satellite campus in Kensington.
I am studying primarily public relations and intercultural communication while over there, however I do have a politics and History of London class that I will be taking.
As for traveling to other places, I know for sure that I will be visiting Rome, Italy and I am currently doing research on a few other places like Berlin, Germany, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Paris, France.
While abroad I plan to be writing a series entitled "When in Europe: The U.K. and Beyond" look to my blog in the coming weeks to stay up to date on what I have been up to.
   

Shoes

Her shoes were worn and ragged yet she seemed not affected by them at all.
Sure her toe would be sticking out a little bit from each shoe, but these shoes were special to her.
These shoes had taken her too many places in life, as she had walked everywhere she wanted to go.
She walked across valleys and plains, climbed mountains and hiked trails.
She walked across the desert and along the roads.
Her shoes became faded over time, but she didn't see these shoes as anything less after they became worn out.
Many people who encountered her on her journey would say that she needed new shoes, some even insisted that they buy her a pair but she would refuse.
She would tell them "Shoes are shoes no matter their condition, they still will help you go to the places you need to."
So on she went for years, walking and walking with the same pair of shoes until one day the shoes became beyond disrepair and she could no longer walk in them.
She took the pair of shoes off and kept walking until the day she died.
When her body was found the pair of worn out shoes were found clenched in her hands.  

Veterans Day

Today is the day that we salute those who have and continue to serve our country.
They have risked their lives to protect an ideal known as freedom.
We salute you for your bravery and courage to take on such a daunting task.
To those whom we have lost we will never forget what you have done for our country.
May you rest in peace and may God Bless your soul.

Oh Starry Night.....

Oh starry night how I gaze upon you with wonder and delight.
I often wonder if you too are looking back at me.
Your constellations tell me stories of heroism and bravery.
They can also reflect objects that may seem simple but you make them extraordinary, for your beauty is a one of kind treasure.
When I am lost all I must do is look to the night sky and your North Star will guide me home.
Oh starry night how I gaze upon you as you fade away into the light day, may you come back some other day...   

The Night Sky

Standing erect upon the balcony of his apartment building, a man gazed upon the cities lights.
Their luminescent glow tickled the night sky as they reached for the stars.
The city below was but an endless stream of moving lights going every which way that the eye could see.
The people on the streets walked with no sense of urgency, yet ignored one another.
In the east the man could see the ocean which was vast and open.
The moon light reflected off the water casting an eerie appearance.
The ocean breeze could be felt from atop his balcony.
The man convinced himself that if he listened closely enough, that he would be able hear the sounds of the waves arriving onshore.

Every night the man would go out onto his balcony and stand there for hours, no matter the weather.
He stood there because no night was like the other.
He found a certain intoxicating beauty and pleasure in watching over the city on his balcony.
Through all the darkness there was a hidden beauty and tranquility.
When he was on his balcony he felt infinite.
His mind would be open and free from worries even if was just for a few brief moments.....

"One Pack, One Family"

Towards the end of last year my friend Jack and I came up with the idea of starting up a running club on campus.
Rather than having the commitment of being a cross country team, we wanted to create a club dedicated to the love of running.
It is not about how fast you get to the destination in which you headed, instead it is about the feeling of making that distance.
It is about the feeling of the ground underneath your feet and how each step carries you further.
It is about seeing and being in places that you have not been.
It is about pushing yourself to go that extra mile that you have not yet been able to achieve.
Community, family and passion for running is what drives this club.
For we are one pack that runs together no matter the distance or the time.