update

Hmmm...seems that it has been a while since I last posted. My bad. Honestly, I have made numerous attempts to sit and plunk out my blog, but have failed miserably until today.

By way of personal update, I officially finished another 3-credit 3-week intensive course at the Maxwell School. This time, rather than punching in numbers and working out budgets, I was in the middle of debates about the true meaning of democracy and what kinds of implications working in our form of democracy has on public administrators. With my personal international preference, it was often difficult to maintain a constant focus in the class though the dialog was a nice change.

I then had a week off which I blissfully spent doing just about nothing. Well, I had orientation for the International Relations side of my studies and so I got to make some great contacts and meet some new faces in the program. I went on a couple sidetrips familiarizing myself with some more wonderful country towns of the Finger Lakes region, started a Guatemala scrapbook (which is going to take me a year!), and revived my love for Yoga and Pilates.

Then, on the 25th of August, I started back into the swing of being a full-time student. With a mix of 4 classes (Managerial Economics, Intro to Statistics, Public Organizations and Management, and Global Information Technology Policy), one additional audited class in Business Spanish, and my time as a TA for an international relations introduction course, my time is flying by.

Finding the balance between class, homework, church, sleep, food, transportation, hygiene, and personal life is definitely a challenge. I was somewhat converted to the easy flow of South America and the general "tranquil" attitude of taking things as they came rather than trying to jam-pack every minute with challenging and stimulating activities. Somewhere between the hemispheres I lost my love of juggling and so I'm having to reteach myself how to work everything in.

At the same time, there are a lot of wonderful things going on around campus, with institute and the singles branch, and in life in general. After making brownies and a cake for my friend's birthday, I now have the reputation of a "baker" in my house. I whipped out my classic root-beer chicken crock-pot masterpiece and felt quite accomplished to actually cook a full meal for a potluck activity. I went tubing out on Lake Owasco near Auburn, NY where I was stung by a wasp for the first time in my life. As I agonized about the pin-prick-sized hole that was causing a giant welt on my foot, I learned that baking soda and water makes a miraculous compound for wasp stings.

What else...lots of casual friend outings, getting to know local restaurants, bars, and even the karaoke joint. I went through a great Michaelangelo exhibit here on campus, attended an Irish Fest where I got info for participating in a Feis in April, and went to my first on-campus Lecture by a Professor Vanden from Florida about social movements in Latin America.

So, really quick and not that informative I'm sure, but that's my life in a nutshell since I last reported.