the weekend is finally here!

Ahh! It’s finally the weekend!! And thank God for that! I had an anatomy exam this morning, so I've been dying to get that over with. Plus, I’m about to leave in an hour or two for Charlotte for the Gravediggers Ball. It’s just a big Halloween costume party that a radio station in Charlotte puts on for anyone who wants to come. The best part is, the Backstreet Boys will be there! I know, it may seem strange that I still like-no, let me re-phrase that-love them and that they can still book shows but they actually have a new CD coming out soon and I am a dedicated fan. Their new music is just as good as their older stuff; the only difference is that they’re kind of burnt out now so they had more fans way back when... Michael Jackson’s tribute band will also be there, and I loved him just as much! So this should be a very fun night.

I had originally bought the Daphne costume from Scooby Doo, but it only came in a standard size and it was about 6 sizes too large for me; and the wig didn’t fit right, you could see my brown hair through the orange. Anyway, I sent that costume back and I threw together a different costume from my own closet. I didn’t get the Daphne one until this week so I had no time to go look for a new costume with all the studying I had to do. Now, I will be going as a hippie. It’s not the best, but it was very easy. And cheap too! I guess I’m happy enough with it.

My best friend from home goes to school at UNC-Charlotte so I’ll get to spend some time with her, and go to this party! I’ve been waiting for this weekend for quite some time now. I don’t get to stay for very long on Sunday though; I have a Cru community team meeting at 5pm that I have to get back for. But I don’t mind, I love that as well. I’m supposed to go see some scary movie with a friend on Sunday night, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that because I need to work on my outline for our research papers. I wanted to get that done this week before I left, but I just haven’t had time because I’ve been studying for anatomy. So, I guess my Sunday night will be filled with research and outlines. But I guess I don’t mind that either, I finished the rest of any homework that could be due so I won’t have anything else to do but relax and have fun the rest of the weekend!

Africa?

I believe a few weeks ago I mentioned something in one of my posts about going to East Asia this summer for a summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ. But, OH so much has changed since then...

While at Fall Getaway, I definitely felt the calling to go somewhere this summer; at the time, I thought that somewhere was going to be East Asia. So, of course, I’ve been praying about it. Lately, though, I’ve felt like that’s not where I should go this summer....I just have no idea where. I knew I wouldn’t be in my hometown, but I didn’t know if I should go somewhere or stay and work in Wilmington.

I want to back-track a little: This past year, I have been thinking a lot about moving to Africa when I finish school. I love helping others as it is, but especially those who are less fortunate and can’t always afford help themselves. I plan on becoming a Nurse Practitioner and either starting my own hospital/clinic like place in Africa or just going wherever other organizations will need me.

Now that that’s covered, let’s fast-forward again: I was thinking to myself a few weeks ago, why would I go to East Asia if I’m considering moving to Africa? I was talking to the most amazing guy ever the other day who went to Africa this past summer for a few weeks and said it was amazing. He said seeing the joy on the children’s faces and in their hearts is like nothing in this world. He told me all about his trip and explained what organization he went through (Empower a Child); he is even thinking about full time missions work after graduation.

I can finally feel it all coming together. I hope and pray that it works out, but if it doesn’t then I know that God will have me somewhere else that I can be used. I can’t wait to figure out where that will be!

Stressed to the max.

This week has been absolutely ridiculous. I only had two exams, but one exam was in microbiology, which is a very detailed course. The class is about the many different pathogens and their strains and which diseases they cause. Although the professor doesn’t go too far into detail during lecture, the book is very detailed and he expects us to know everything in the book as well. There are so many things to learn with each bacteria and so many different bacterias to know that you end up having to study nonstop for about a week, if not more. The problem is, I have other classes that each have their own assignments and exams to study for as well as other obligations throughout the week and I would like to be able to enjoy most of weekend seeing as how I don’t get any breaks through the week.

Needless to say, I’ve had a very stressful week filled with many hours of studying. I like to work out, or at least run, a few times a week, but this week I didn’t have time to except on Tuesday night. In my psychology class, we learned that our brains need a break from learning and studying all the time and that the best break is something close to exercising, especially in nature. I had been studying so much that by mid-day Thursday, I really thought I was going to go crazy. I hadn’t had much sleep at all, hadn’t had a break from studying or doing other assignments, and I felt like my brain was going to explode. I didn’t have any time to exercise but I did manage to ride my bike around campus a few minutes before one of my classes. And right before the exam at 5pm, I lied down outside of DOBO Hall and just soaked in the sun. It definitely helped me to relax before taking the exam.

But now, the problem is that I’m not sure if I got the A I wanted. Apparently, I’ll have to study for more than a week if I don’t want to settle for a B. I’ve figured out a new way to approach the class so that should help for the next exams; too bad I didn’t do this sooner though, we’ve already taken two exams. But I will definitely have to make sure I leave room for exercising before the next exam so I don’t overload my brain again. I’m just so glad to have that exam behind me, so I can quit thinking about microbiology for a day or two.

no football! seriously?

I just realized I never did the assignment from a week or two ago about our UNCW complaints.

So, I’d have to say my biggest complaint about the school would honestly have to be that there isn’t a football team. That may sound kind of strange…and it is. There are plenty of things I could complain about but this is one thing I find myself thinking about often. I grew up in a town near Boone, so when ASU’s football team started to improve and win national championships, I of course went to the football games with my brother and his friends who attended the school. I even took some of my friends many of the times I went. At these games, I realized there’s nothing that could bring the students together as good as school spirit does. Everyone at the games obviously wants their team to win so it creates a bond with people you wouldn’t normally bond with. It also brings out the school spirit; to have a team that’s actually good at the sport and to be able to cheer them on. I’ve learned that there’s not much school spirit on this campus. Yeah, people wear teal on Tuesdays but it pretty much ends there. We don’t really have any sports teams that are ridiculously good (baseball apparently wasn’t too bad last year). Since I don’t think they’ll be starting a football team anytime soon, I would say the best solution is for our sports teams to get better so people will actually want to come out and support them. I know that sounds a little ridiculous, seeing as we can’t really control who comes here to play sports. But on the other hand, the school could try to hold more pep rally-like events to pump up the spirit. Midnite Madness is coming up this weekend, and although I don’t think the basketball team will be any better this year, I’m still going to support the team and hope for a better season! Maybe they can arrange some more events like this to bring the university together.

Break

This past weekend was Fall Break. It’s supposed to be a time where we get a break from all the studying and stress from school and get to relax. While I did have a break from the studying, I wouldn’t say this past weekend was any less stressful or more relaxing than usual.

This summer I interned at my church at home and worked mostly with the youth group. The youth girls were taking a trip to Charlotte Friday and Saturday for the “Revolve Tour.” It was a retreat for girls that involved a few bands and many great speakers. After stressing over an anatomy exam all week and not sleeping very much I had to drive to Charlotte to meet my youth group girls. (I had promised I would help out during the retreat) Saturday afternoon when the retreat was over, I went on home, which was another hour drive. Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon I was able to spend some time with my family, which was nice since I hadn’t seen them in over a month. It was nice to relax with them after a stressful month at school and weekend with the girls in Charlotte. Monday, however, quickly became stressful again. I had so much to do and I didn’t hardly get anything done. And now, I’m back in Wilmington, with so much to do. Every time I go home, I never get anything done. I should know this by now, but for some reason I always think it will be different and I’ll actually do something. But I never do. So here comes another stressful week…bring it on.