So I did end up going on the informal field trip to Castle Howard with my English Country House class and our instructor, Anthony. It was fun-wet and rainy-but still fun. Visiting Castle Howard with a “Professor of the History of Art, and Chairman of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain”-yes I copied that from his profile on the University of York website-was interesting. It was definitely more interesting to look at the building in person than to look at photos of it for a hour. I can (for sure) say that my second visit to Castle Howard was definitely more physically draining than the first visit. But what can you do when you get lost…other than covering lots of ground? We were there from about half past noon to maybe a little after 5. By the time the sun set around 3, I wasn’t really paying much attention to what time it was. I just knew that with darkness came the unforgiving coldness of night. I was so glad I broke out the heavy coat that day. My feet literally felt as if they were frozen in blocks of ice while we waited for the bus to take us back to town.

Hey all,

So you’ve probably heard about the terrorist attacks in Paris by now. I can’t even imagine how the families of those victims are probably feeling right now. It was just an ordinary night, just like any other-so unexpected.

The next morning, I got a call from my mother. She knew I was safe, but she called to tell me that she does not want me traveling Europe for winter break. Moms will be moms, they worry-I get that. They want their children to be safe. So instead of traveling with my best friend around Europe for a couple of weeks, I’ll be home come December. I’m excited to be going back to the states, but there’s still this disappointment inside me. There will be other times to travel though, and going home to see my family will be fun.

It was pretty chilly today, the wind was being borderline pushy. I seem to always underestimate the wind here. This morning, I went for a run. In shorts. After a mile, I told myself it was so not worth running farther than I already was from my flat, so I ran back and made myself breakfast.

Today, I also visited Castle Howard with other Holy Cross students studying in York. We went with our visiting student coordinator, Claire. I literally just wrote a paper about it for my English Country House class, so I was excited to see the building in person. I thought it was prettier than it was in the photos in the many books that I read. Here are some photos from today.

The front of the house:

The back of the house:

#NoFilter

The grounds were also as amazing as the house. It was a great experience, and I get to experience it again next weekend with my English Country House class.

Anyways, that’s all for now 🙂

Cheers

Hey all,

Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote, but there wasn’t much to write about in the past few weeks. I’m still a student-going to lecture, and getting some studying in.

I’ve started my usual running routine this week. Running here at the University of York is so different from running at Holy Cross. Well first, this campus is relatively flat. This Uni is also so much bigger- I don’t have to run off campus for a long run. I get up at the crack of dawn (so like 7 in the morning), and call me crazy, but I love running in the morning-it’s so quiet and peaceful.

On another note, I’ve noticed that the education system is very different from the one I know at Holy Cross. There’s definitely a lot more independent studying here.

Don’t get me wrong, my maths instructors are incredibly helpful during lecture, seminar and practical. It’s just that there’s a lot less turned in work, and more independent studying. The Brits (for sure) have more of a relaxed and easygoing schedule than that fast paced New England American schedule that I’m more accustomed to.

I was explaining to a few of my British course mates about my typical schedule in the states, and they could not even fathom about how much I usually have going on in my life at any given point during the academic year.

It’s pretty much two different worlds. I’m less stressed out here. But stress is the thing that gives me motivation to get things done, so I kind of actually miss being stressed all the time. I also do my best work when I’m stressed-so we’ll see how well I do on my finals in January. Oh yeah, did I mention everyone gets a month to study for their final exams? I get two days to study for my finals in the states…? Yup, this is a very different education system than the one I’m used to.

Anyways, I better get back to working on these problems…#IGot99Problems #TheyAreAllMathProblems

Cheers!

Hey y’all,

So these last couple of weeks have been a bunch of things-from stressful to fun. But I’m hanging in there. Life isn’t so bad in England. I could definitely see myself living here for the next 8 months or so-well like I kind of have to-but I mean I could see myself being happy here for the next 8 months.

I love my flatmates, who are mostly other international students. We’re all getting used to the UK education system together and helping each other out. For example, there was one day when I wanted to ask one of my instructors a question after class, so I approached him and said, “professor” to grab his attention. But he didn’t respond, and then I started to wonder if he had heard me or not. Eventually I got his attention. It wasn’t until much later when my flatmates and I were eating dinner in our kitchen when I learned that students don’t call their instructors “professors” here. We’re all on a first name basis with the instructors-which I have to admit is kinda cool.

My courses are interesting and engaging. It’s definitely been hard balancing school life with a social life though, let alone having enough time to sleep every night. But if I found a way to do it during my freshman year at Holy Cross, I can definitely find a way to do it here as well. Adjusting takes time.

A couple of days ago, there was an International Student Dinner where we all brought food that was typical of our home countries. I baked apple pie, and a couple of people told me they loved it…I was so worried it would turn out bad…

The dinner was really fun, and I met some cool people there. I always enjoy meeting people from all over the world and learning about their cultures. I also love sharing about my experiences, and seeing reactions to said experiences. I tend to pick up conversations with people around me, because you never know how a conversation will go.

Like just today, before one of my maths (I started saying maths lately…it’s a thing here, haha) practicals, I picked up a conversation with one of my course mates. Didn’t know him at all, but I thought I was lost, and I wasn’t quite sure if I was in the right place. It turned into a longer conversation than I had planned. After practical, we continued our conversation about Uni life and it was a great conversation. Just talking to a course mate made my day. I guess I just like the simple things in life…or I just love talking…

Anyways….

Cheers 🙂

Hello everyone!

I’m officially blogging from England for the first time since I’ve arrived. This first week has been draining, but I’m learning lots of interesting things about the culture here. As you probably know, they drive on the left here-weird, I know. But that’s alright, I’ve gotten used to it. What I do need to get used to is the time here. It’s as if I’m still on American time, because I can’t fall asleep until 2 AM on most nights…

But anyways, I’ve been enjoying my time. England is so beautiful. Here are some photos:

 Passing through Manchester to York

On my way to the Maths Department, because…

This week has been all about settling in and getting ready for classes. It’s called Fresher’s Week-basically a week long orientation, but less structured than the orientations at Holy Cross-as in every minute of the week is not scheduled. For example, instead of going on a tour in the city centre, you might have to attend a meeting with your supervisor or go to a welcome talk run by your department (usually students only study one subject here).

I’ve also been running around all over campus to register for classes. It’s so different from the process at Holy Cross. Please refer to: http://echen17.me.holycross.edu/2014/11/19/its-late-but-im-up-and-blogging/  where I loosely described the process in an earlier blog entry. At the University of York, I have to fill out a form of what modules I would like to take, and give it to my department for filing. If I want to take courses outside of my department, I have to go to that department and ask if I could register for the class that I want.

This week was also about meeting new people. I definitely enjoyed making new friends from around the world. My flatmates are pretty cool people. A few days ago, we were all in our kitchen learning how to say, “Hi, my name is…” in everyone’s native tongue. I’ve also met some other people studying maths. I even joined Maths society. Not sure what it entails other than it being a society dedicated to math, so more information to come.

Anyways, that’s all for now. I have loads of reading to do for my classes this week-wish me luck.

Cheers!

Hello, my wonderful readers!

In less then 2 weeks, I will be in England beginning my studies at the University of York! That’s right, this blog is going international. I cannot wait for classes to begin! A lot of my friends that are staying in the states for junior year are telling me that they wish their summer was longer, but I’m a nerd-I love studying…like put me in a lecture so I can take notes and learn, haha. #HolyCrossProblems?

Since Odyssey ended, I’ve been at home…pretty much doing nothing but getting ready to go abroad for the next academic year. There’s so many things that I need to think about-have I gotten my visa (yes), did I book my flight (yes), do I know how I’m getting to York from the airport (yes), etc. I have got to give props to all the international students out there! It seems like there are a lot more details for international students to carefully consider than students who decide to study in their home country.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to study abroad for more than a year. I would miss my friends and family too much. Fortunately for me, one of my close friends from HC is going to study at University with me. We met during Visions Weekend* before our first year, but he doesn’t remember… (I forgive him though, that was almost 3 years ago)

Anyways, the point is, we’re still friends, and…

We’re adorable, we know 😉

I also can’t wait to see our other friends who are currently studying abroad in Europe! Shoutout to my friends currently in León, Spain and Saint Andrews, Scotland! Hopefully you guys are having the time of your lives, I miss you, and I can’t wait to see you all in Europe! <3

So, the next time I’ll post will probably be from England…that’s a concept that has been so hard to wrap around my head TBH, but I’m ready for the next chapter of my life.

*Visions Weekend-When ALANA perspective students have the opportunity to stay at Holy Cross for a weekend with a student host to experience what campus life is like, as well as shadowing their host student to experience what a class is like on the hill.

Hey all!

I truly cannot believe that I am a junior in college! Where did the time go?! I know, I probably ask that question a lot…

This past summer, I decided to stay in Massachusetts-I usually tend to travel a lot during that time, but with me studying in England for a year, I wanted to stay home.

For the past two weeks though, I have been on campus working as an Odyssey* mentor (OM). I’ve always wanted to be a mentor for an incoming group of first years, because passing one’s wisdom down to others is how life keeps going. Everyone goes through similar experiences, so why not make it easier for others and share your knowledge, insights, and tips with those who don’t know as much?

I loved working with my Odyssey students! By the end of the week, I was so proud of them, I felt like a proud mom. #ProudMamaMoments They are definitely going to do great things in the future, and I cannot wait to see them contribute to our campus, as well as being their peer.

Top Photo: My Odyssey group two years ago. Shoutout to Meiling, my mentor!

Bottom Photo: My Odyssey group from this past summer. #YourMentorLovesYou!

After Odyssey ended, the OMs and Odyssey students transitioned to Fall Gateways. My students are now with their Orientation Leaders (OLs), and the OMs and I have been helping and participating in Fall Gateways as well. Yesterday was the Official Move In Day for first year students. Every year, multiple organizations on campus help move them in. Real talk: I was exhausted by lunch time-my legs were failing me haha-but the OLs’ energy and excitement kept me going.

The HC photographers were also going around campus taking photos to document the special occasion. More Real Talk: I don’t think they captured my good side, haha. Just picture this Asian girl wearing her glasses, moving heavy boxes up the stairs, with no warning that she would have her picture taken-my face was probably priceless. My picture was taken so many times yesterday that it got to the point where I did not feel comfortable. I wonder if my ALANA* friends felt the same? We could probably empathize with celebrities now.

They definitely wanted to take diverse photos. I know most schools probably want to paint an image that they are diverse, but perspective students may get a wrong impression of a school if they paint an image that really isn’t there. There are definitely more diverse schools out there, but fact: this school is definitely becoming more diverse. The student body is now about 23 percent minority and international students, which is a good thing!

Diversity was not an important factor when I was choosing a college, but it may be important to others. So, I decided that I wanted to share some personal experience of what it is like to be a minority on campus.

It’s just food for thought, I personally love Holy Cross and could not see myself at another institution. I’m also the kind of person who does not distinguish people by their race or ethnicity-all I see is the person in front of me. 🙂

* “Odyssey” is a one-week program open on a voluntary basis to all 1st-year ALANA and international students as well as American students living abroad, 1st-generation college students, and students for whom English is their second language. With a mixture of workshops, field trips, discussions, and volunteer and social programs, Odyssey will serve as an exhilarating introduction to your next four years at Holy Cross.

*“ALANA” refers to persons of African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American heritage.

Hello all!

I’ve been home for a couple of days now, and it has been so relaxing! Yesterday, I went to Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA with my friend, Devin. It was his first time going, so it was really funny for me when he said he hoped there wouldn’t be a lot of rocks-we weren’t exactly wearing the appropriate kind of footwear…But it was a lot of fun, and it was so nice outside yesterday!

Finals week was so draining, I was in Dinand every night, studying. Sleep was definitely the last thing on my mind. But I got through it alive, so there’s that haha. And thinking back, finals week was pretty fun, because I was with my friends.

Math Squad

We would go to midnight breakfast, and be up all night studying. After a certain point though, things would get weird/funny, because of lack of sleep-there was a three day period where I didn’t even see my roommate, because I would only sleep a few hours or I would wake up hours after she did haha.

I’m so excited to be home for the summer though, especially because I’ll be leaving for England in September! I’m not going to see my family for the whole academic year, so I really wanted to be close to home this summer. I will be working on campus at the Office of Advancement, and then at the end of summer, I’ll be working as an Odyssey Mentor.

I can’t believe my sophomore year of college is done; time flies by so fast when you’re having fun. 🙂

Hello all!

So last Wednesday, PRIDE* held its 1st Annual Drag Show featuring Shangela Laquifa Wadley. As secretary of PRIDE, I am so glad that the event was so successful. During the show, we had presentations on the history of drag, drag etiquette (which went really well by the way, haha) and why drag is important today. Below are pictures from the night. My favorite is the last one. It’s my best friend Keith, co-chair of PRIDE, and that was his reaction to Shangela during part of the show. It was priceless.

I’m really glad for him though. He worked so hard for the event to be approved. We literally had two weeks to plan for it, because the event was not approved sooner than it was. But I have high hopes for next year’s show. But sadly, me and Keith will not get to experience it, because we’ll be abroad…

Yup, I officially committed to the University of York in England for the next academic year a few days ago! I can’t believe I’ll be abroad next year, I’ve never been out of the country. It’s so crazy to think about it! I’m really scared, but I think it will be a good experience for me. Of course I’ll miss Holy Cross though! It’s been a great two years here!

I have so many great memories from the past two years. Some of my favorite memories from this semester alone: being on PRIDE E-board, studying with Math Squad with a bunch of my closest friends who also decided to major in math, going to the SGA leadership awards banquet (where PRIDE won groundbreaking organization!!), going on a Spring Break Immersion Trip to Mobile, Alabama, being a model for the BSU Annual Fashion Show, going to the Half-way to Some Day Dinner for Sophomores, and performing in ExplorASIAN.

This semester has been one of my favorites so far at Holy Cross as you can probably tell. I’m really going to miss my friends though, but I know they’ll be here come senior year…and I’m thinking about all the new friends I’ll meet abroad!

*a multicultural organization group dedicated to raising awareness about LGBTQ issues to the Holy Cross community.

So in my last post, I told you guys that I was performing in ExplorASIAn, ASIA’s cultural show, and it was so much fun! I really enjoyed being a part of show, especially because a lot of my friends performed as well.

We put a lot of work into the show. Just like for the BSU Fashion Show, dress rehearsals were long and tiring, but totally worth it! There were some times of stress when I felt so overwhelmed with rehearsals and homework, but my friends who did not perform were really supportive…

Here are some snaps that illustrate how some of my friends went about it…
         

On the right, you’ll see my friend Harry…his snap made me smile, and it definitely made me feel loved. And then on the left, you’ll see my best friend Keith…his snap definitely made me laugh. It was very unexpected of him, seeing how different it was from this snap from the BSU Fashion Show:

But anyways, here are some pictures from that night: