When the going gets tough...

The truth is - life as an international student can be pretty harsh sometimes. It can be tough to look around and feel a little alienated, or to find oneself in a crowd full of people one can barely relate to.

Fall break has been going on; and while for many students, fall break is synonymous with going home and spending four days with friends and family, for most international students, it just means staying on a deserted campus, and trying to find something fun to do.
I have had a rough weekend, and the fact that my family lives on the other side of the globe only makes it worse.
But the most amazing part about being in college is that somewhere down the road, we all find ourselves a family, and for me, my friends are my family!

So while I sat in the Dining Hall today, thinking about how mundane the past two days had been, my absolutely awesome hall-mate, Reilly Mahan, came up with the random idea of walking all the way to Traveller's Rest downtown and back...and that's where it all began -

•  TWO GIRLS ON A MISSION - 

It started out as a mere idea, grew into a challenge, and ended up with excruciating body pain.
Yes, that was our walk to the Travelers Rest downtown and back, and it approximately took us some three hours! By the end of the journey, Reilly and I couldn't feel our legs. Or any other body part, for that matter.
But on the bright side, we didn't die!

The journey we will never forget - Swamp Rabbit Trail

On our walk back from Travelers Rest , I received a text from this AWESOME international kid, Johnson, asking if we would like to join him to eat at an Indian restaurant called "Handi".
Now, that was the real challenge. We were sweating, we couldn't feel our legs, but we were definitely not going to miss the chance to eat some delicious food!

Johnson's message literally gave us the hope to carry on. I swear, if it wasn't for him, we would have passed out right there on the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

• DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE -

As soon as we got back to our rooms, we dressed up to leave for downtown Greenville.
We took a cab, hopped off at the Greenlink bus stop, and went to experience the 'Fall for Greenville' festival.

It was crazy! The influx of people only made it appear like a mayhem!
But it was really exciting for me since I had never seen that side of Greenville before.

With friends as fabulous as Johnson and Reilly, one can only expect to be entertained and have a blast, which, of course, I had.

• FALLS PARK

Since I hadn't seen the Falls Park, we decided to go there first, and it was absolutely beautiful!

Johnson & Reilly - the awesome duo!

•  PHOTO-BOMBING-

While I took pictures of the festival, Reilly and Johnson decided to photo-bomb!

 

• INDIAN FOOD-

Finally, we decided to sit down for dinner at Handi. We ate our hearts out, and Reilly and me consumed back all the calories we had burned, because that's just how we roll.

Keeping it classy

Honestly, I really don't know what would have I done without these people! While being miles away from my family can be agonizing sometimes, wonderful people like Reilly and Johnson keep reminding me of how I have found a family right here, at Furman, and how I can turn my day around with them anytime!

Thank you guys! You truly are awesome!

I hope you all have been having a wonderful fall break with your family back home or right here at Furman!

Until my next post,
Warm love
Bhavya

bhavya.sharma@furman.edu

Pancakes and Public Health.

Ahoy, Maties!

There is nothing better than coffee, and I believe Furman students consumed enough of it this past week to fill a couple swimming pools. Only kidding, but this week was midterms at Furman. Luckily, none of my classes had midterms this semester (which is pretty typical for freshmen). I tried to set myself up for a pretty easy week by knocking out most of my homework so I could keep it chill and not feel the mess of stress looming over campus.

The great thing about Furman is that no one let the overbearing nature of midterms destroy their experience at Furman. So many great activities happened throughout the week to alleviate any stress. There were some very interesting CLP's this week that students took advantage of from  movies about cheerleaders, to a lecture held by Eustace Conway, to a presentation on childhood obesity. Unfortunately, I could not attend those awesome CLP's. Instead, I attended one called "Hidden Pictures" which was a documentary about global mental health. I got there just in time as it quickly filled up one of the largest lecture halls on campus. Three Furman Professors, one from the Health Sciences Department and two from the Psychology Department, introduced and spoke about the film with a professional from the Greenville Area. The movie was absolutely eye-opening because I had never considered the ways in which the global community approached mental illness. To be able to see and understand how other cultures functioned (or didn't function in some cases) was very interesting and made me think a lot. I became a lot more appreciative of my experience here because when some people go to college, they are only taught science or history or art or english, but there I was, an anticipating chemistry major, talking about mental health with students and faculty that study psychology and psychiatry and social sciences. I mean, when it come down to it, i can almost feel myself becoming a more well-rounded individual.

I do not know if anyone has explained the CLP program on this yet, so I'll give it a go. CLP stands for the Cultural Life Program which host a very large amount of events throughout the year for students to attend. In fact, students must attend 32 in order to graduate. Believe me, 32 is much easier than it sounds. Im already up to 5. These CLP's range from a music recital, a viewing of a documentary, a unique lecture by professor, and I even believe there was an African step dance team at some point. Pretty much, it is Furman's way to engage students outside of the classroom and help them to not only develop a love of learning, but a wide variety of interests. It is honestly one of my favorite parts about Furman. I'll talk about it some more at a later time, this is just my brief explanation.

This week was chalk full of good foods. HOLA, a hispanic student group, took over the DH and covered head to toe in festive decorations. Festive food was prepared and eaten by Furman students and it was altogether a great time. I was partial to the churros and plantains, myself. I will say this, I had gotten my days mixed up, so I knew that this night had been coming, but I was not expecting it that night. So I was completely surprised when I walked in and it didn't quite look like the DH normally does, but it was a very pleasant surprise.

Also, anyone who knows me well knows that pancakes are my true love. Through thick and thin, pancakes have always proven to cheer me up after a long day. Well, Thursday night, a sorority (Tri-Delt) held an event late at night that was ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES! Can we just take a moment and appreciate how those five words can change your whole life. Okay, that might be a little drastic, but it was pure bliss. The 5 dollar admissions fee went to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Pretty much, scores of Furman students took a break from studying to come and enjoy scrumptious pancakes, socialize and listen to the wonderful sounds of the FUtones and the Bell Tower Boys, two acapella groups on campus. It was such a fun evening to enjoy with friends and I loved every part of it.

Now, Furman students are enjoying there fall break. I am currently sitting in my best friend's dorm room in Virginia, so it's time for me to sign off for this week.

Remember to email me with any questions, I'd love to answer them!

From the freshman who has held way too many automatic doors,
Sam McCoy
sam.mccoy@furman.edu

The First Marker

Since Fall Break, the first true demarcation of progress in our freshman journey, is fast approaching, I feel like I should take a moment to reflect on my first quarter of life in college.

I have to say, nothing has turned out the way that I thought it would, or even thought it should. I expected the idyllic college life- I wanted fast friends, good grades, and so many extra-curricular activities that I never had time to notice that my social life might not be the most active. I wanted to be happy and stay busy, but I wanted it to come easy. I wanted my schedule to perfectly align itself, I wanted those friends to just show up at my lunch table, and of course I wanted all of those extra activities to fit into my days- no conflicts allowed. But life is nothing if not messy and complicated.

I wish I had a brighter picture to paint for you. And truly, I am not trying to paint a dark one, I have loved my time here at Furman. But things have been harder than I expected. Everything does not align itself on its own. You have to work. It's something I am still learning and actively working on, being the force of action in my own life. I spend too much of it waiting for something grand to happen, rather than doing those grand things for myself. My roommate always laughs at me because when I go looking for my friends to see if someone wants to hang out- I will not knock on a closed door. I figure if someone was around and wanted to do something, the door would be open. I miss opportunities, and I know it, but I don't want to be a burden or a bother. But I never once consider that maybe the person sitting on the other side of that closed door (assuming that there is someone sitting on the other side) is hoping that someone knocks. And all of life is like that- there's always more than one possibility, but like Schrodinger's Cat, we cannot know whether or not something is worthwhile until we decide to actively engage it.

Ernest Hemingway has this quote: "Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough."

So I am trying to breathe deeply. Sometimes I forget to breathe. And sometimes those moments happen in the middle of Chemistry tests. My grade in my first chemistry class for science majors started out as a D. I panicked on my first exam, and I could barely even complete the test, let alone do well. I am one of those kids that did not come here expecting to lose that bright and shiny 4.0 she had in high school. But I might, and I know that now. So I work harder, and I breathe, and I pull my grade up slowly (fairly happily, it now resides at a mid B and climbing all the time). I find so much of my day is stressing about exams, about quizzes, about labs, about readings- some nights the pressure is overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be. Academics are vitally important to success, but not everything has to be flawless. It just needs to be my personal best, whatever that is for that day. If I do that- no shame, no disappointment, just deep breaths and a chin held high.

I am trying really to taste food when I eat. And I don't necessarily mean some of the less than savory options at the DH. I am just trying to enjoy my meals. I like spending meal times with friends, sharing in whatever the day has held thus far, and just making small talk. And maybe all we do that particular day is gripe about the food, but I feel like I will be more involved in my meal, and enjoy it more, if I have someone there to share it with. I love going out with my roommate and our friends for dinners on Friday nights- we attempt to try a new place or a new type of food, and on the cheap. Not only is it easy on the wallet, it's easy on us too. It gives us a chance to relax and enjoy the company around us. Especially in college, food can be one of those ties that bind.

I am trying really to sleep when I sleep. And that right there is plain and simple common sense good advice for any college student. When given the opportunity- pick sleep. And if you're tired and you know that whatever happens next isn't going to be easy or pleasant, or that you could potentially say something or do something that you will regret in the morning- don't pull a Ted Mosby. Go to sleep. I am not saying that I will be trying to sleep longer- I enjoy staying busy, staying up, and occasionally staying out late. I am just saying that I will try to sleep deeply, to take the opportunities for rest that I have been given and not squander them by pushing myself past my own personal limits of exhaustion when I could be living a healthier, happier life- well rested.

I am trying to laugh like hell when I laugh. I'm not the most outwardly reactive person on the face of the planet, and I will never be the person that laughs really loudly or really frequently, or adopts some giggle that permeates every one of my conversations with a member of the opposite sex. But I am trying to surround myself with people and things that bring me happiness. I laugh in theatre rehearsal almost every day. I laugh in flute lessons. I laugh harder than I can ever remember laughing when I am playing with the kids at St. Anthony's school. There are things that bring us joy- and sometimes we are tired or worried or in the throws of social unbalance or under the weather and it becomes harder to find those things. But I feel comfort in knowing that they are always there.

I am trying to get good and angry when I get angry. This isn't just because I need to be good and angry about plastics in our ocean for Pomp and Circumstance. Sometimes we all need to vent, we all need someone to listen. And that is okay. It's better than bottling things up and it's better than hiding behind jokes or sarcasm or even a fake smile. I know that there's at least one person right now who is good and angry with me, whom I have disappointed, whose friendship I have not given full respect. The fault is mine. These things, the harder things we don't want to deal with or own up to, are the things that give us the most opportunity to grow, to get good and angry whether it be with the other person or with ourselves. It is only through this that we can rebuild and move on, whatever that means. I am hopeful that my particular situation will heal. I know for my part that I am not going anywhere. But I also know that sometimes things never heal, and sometimes when they do they take on a new shape, and the friendship is never exactly the same. Often, it is changed in a way we wish it was not. That too is one of the things that it is okay to get good and angry about, so long as it leads to a better understanding, and eventually a mutual peace. 

I am trying to be alive. I think it's a good start that all my vital organs are in working order. But beyond that I think this quarter has been a better start. For all my more melancholic musings, I have met some incredible people here, I adore my classes (even chemistry), and I have become involved in a couple things that brighten my day.

So there it is. A little about what I have learned and what I intend to do with that knowledge going forward. And maybe it will all come to naught. Maybe I will decide I still wish everything came easy. But at least I am trying right? Because there is so much joy in life here at Furman to be wasted wondering what could be. At this point, that is the most important lesson I have learned.

Enjoy fall break, all. Until the next!

Not Just Your Average Wednesday Night

Most Wednesdays are full of classes, studying, and club meetings, but this past Wednesday was certainly memorable!  FUSAB (Furman University Student Activities Board) brought in country singer Brett Elredge for the fall concert at the Outdoor Amphitheater on campus!  FUSAB is a student organization that plans fun activities from small raffles to big concerts for Furman students.  Up and coming country star Brett Elredge gave a fantastic performance on Wednesday!  He sang his own songs such as "Don't Ya" and "Raymond" as well as some country classics like George Strait's "Check Yes or No."  Tickets were only $5 and seeing a concert in the middle of the week with perfect fall weather and your best friends was certainly a treat! 

Some girls from my hall before the concert

 

Brett singing his heart out

Brett came into the crowd for the final song, his hit single, "Don't Ya"

All the stood in between Brett and me was a body guard!

PS:  I took this picture of the Bell Tower at sunset on my walk from Blackwell to the Amphitheater.  I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

Until next time,
Laura
laurawoodside@furman.edu

Furman Family Festivities

This weekend was family weekend at Furman. I was lucky enough to have my parents and all three of my sisters come to Greenville for the weekend. Family weekend was everything I could have hoped for and more! It was so nice to finally see my family again and it was so exciting to show my family around my new home and introduce them to some of my new friends. For my two younger sister, it was there first time to Greenville. My family arrived on Friday afternoon. We kicked the weekend off with lunch in the Dining Hall so they could experience what I experience everyday on campus. My younger sisters, Anneka and Aleksia, were quite impressed by the DH cookies. I gave my family a tour of campus before we headed to downtown Greenville for dinner and ice cream. We met a group of my friends and their families at Spill the Beans. Friends, family, and ice cream make a great combination! I loved introducing my family to the friends I have been getting to know over the past month.

Saturday was a day full of Furman family festivities. We started the day with brunch at the Vista House, a house off campus run by the Mere Christianity Forum. After heading back to campus, we visited the book store, the library, the Trone student center, and attended the football game. Despite the fact that it's October, it was very hot on Saturday. We only stayed through halftime due to the heat, but it was great to show my family some of our Furman school spirit!

Here we are at the Vista house in the morning.

My Dad, Mom, and three sisters, Katja, Anneka, and Aleksia

After a leisurely walk around Swan Lake, we headed back to downtown Greenville to visit some of the famous shops like Mast General Store and Southern Fried Cotton. It was fun to see so many other Furman families shopping downtown. We had dinner at Brick Street Cafe in the historic district of downtown. We finished the evening with some of their famous sweet potato cake.

On Sunday I took my family to the church I have been going to in downtown Greenville called Trinity Lutheran Church. There was a Lutheran Student Association reception afterwards where my family got to meet many of the other students involved in the campus ministry. We spent the rest of the day at Haywood Mall.

My family has played such a crucial role in shaping the person I am today and providing me with the opportunity to be at Furman University. Although it has been difficult to develop my new life away from them, it was so exciting to show them all of the aspects of my life at Furman.

"Having a place to go is a home.

Having someone to love is a family.

Having both is a blessing."

-Donna Hedges

I am so blessed to have a home, a family, and now a home away from home. Family weekend 2013 was a huge success. I really enjoyed greeting new families, seeing my own family, and showcasing my school, and that's what family weekend is all about! 

Please e-mail me with any questions! 

kjersti.kleine@furman.edu 

Gifts, Bowling and Aunt Het's Festival!

Life at Furman has been crazy lately, and that is mainly because I had my midterms last week.

Can you believe it? We are already half way through the semester! It's October already!

It takes me a lot of time to come in terms with how quickly time passes by in college. 

But if all my weeks end just as awesome as this one, then hey, I ain't complaining!

This weekend, after having my last (and the most difficult) midterm, I decided it was time to party hard. My definition of "partying" might sound a little distorted to eveyone, but in my defense, almost everything seems fun after taking nerve-wrecking exams!

#1. Receiving Gifts :

Warren with the owl 

My week started on an amazing note! This extremely sweet guy - Warren James - bought me an adorable solar hoot owl! I have to laud Warren for his keen sense of observation and for knowing the way to make my week! 

The solar hoot owl sits on my table, and my obsession with owls makes me want to admire it all day.

Thank you for being such a sweetheart, Warren!

#2. Spending a day with my lovely host family:

     

Lunch at the Hevener's

 I am fortunate enough to have a host family in Greenville, and they have come to be my real family lately.
They make me feel loved and at home all the time!

T and Jing enjoying the feast

On Saturday, my friends and me went to my host family's house to eat lunch together! Not only that, we went to a small carnival in Fountain Inn called "Aunt Het's Festival"!

Aunt Het's Festival

I especially enjoyed watching little stalls selling fall decorations, and old ice-cream churning machines at work!

#3. Getting creative with pumpkins :

   It was wonderful to see how creative people got with pumpkins at Aunt Het's Festival!

But the one that won my heart was...

*drumroll*

And the winner is - the owl

      THE OWL!

(yes, I really am obsessed with them).

#4. Petting Animals :

Another highlight of Aunt Het's Festival were the adorable animals there!

Piglets

The piglets were only 2 months old! That was the time I could no longer hold my girly squeaks!
                                              

#5. Going bowling :

Bowling with upperclassmen

On Friday night, I went bowling with Sidney, Dante, Thomas and Zach, who are all upperclassmen. While 

I got a lot of street cred for hanging out with the coolest people around, I had an absolutely amazing time watching them bowl (since my bowling skills are rusty).

Whew! That was one long post!

I am looking forward to October, especially since it started on such a marvelous note!

Hope you all had an amazing week as well.

Until my next post,

Warm love,

Bhavya

bhavya.sharma@furman.edu

The Little Things

Yet again another busy week full of fun times, studying, and new opportunities has past. I can't believe it's already October. We're already almost halfway through our first semester of our freshman year!
While walking around this beautiful campus, I often think about how I ended up here at Furman. Just one small decision and my life could be completely different now. However, I'm so confident with my decision to attend Furman. Often I think it's the little things that make the biggest different. This past week, I have really come to appreciate the little things that Furman has to offer.
I had a big chemistry test on Monday, which meant that I spent most of the weekend studying. I definitely appreciate the multiple venues Furman has for studying. Whether you choose to study inside or outside, there are always ample choices on campus. I found a great resource this past week called CATALYST. It stands for Chemistry Assistance and Tutoring At Late (Yikes!) Stressful Times. Every Sunday-Thursday night from 7:00-9:00 pm there are upperclassmen chemistry students who stay in the science building to help answer questions and give feedback and advice to new chemistry students. I went on Sunday night to ask a few last minute questions before my test and I found it to be very helpful.
Another thing I appreciate about Furman is the fun opportunities on the weekends. Furman students are encouraged to participate in campus events and activities on the weekends. Last Saturday was a Dance Marathon that was brought to Furman by a few upperclassman working on a project through the Shucker Leadership Institute. The event lasted from 2:00 pm-1:00 am. Each hour there were different dance related activities and the money raised went to the Greenville Children's Hospital. I volunteered at the Shucker Leadership station and made pancakes for guests. The event was a lot of fun for everyone and it was for a good cause!

Shannon and I taking swing dancing lessons at the Dance Marathon

We did have one pretty rainy day last week. I woke up to leave for my 8:30 am chemistry class and noticed that it was pouring rain. By the time I got to class nearly everything I was wearing and everything in my backpack was soaking wet. However, the weather cleared up in the afternoon, and it turns out that Furman is still beautiful even in the rain.

In my opinion, one of the best things about Furman is the number of families that come to visit. Every weekend families from around Greenville come to share our beautiful campus. Children ride their bikes around the lake, couples walk their dogs, kids feed the ducks, and sometimes you will even see a bride taking wedding photos by the lake. Seeing how people come to visit our campus really makes me appreciate the fact that I get to live here for the next four years.
In addition to the families visiting campus, Furman also had a visit from Brett Eldredge this week! On Wednesday night there was a Brett Eldredge concert at the Furman Ampitheatre. Tickets were only $5 for students and the concert was a blast. The weather was perfect and Brett Eldredge made the experience very personal. He even complimented us on our beautiful campus.

Family weekend is just around the corner! I'm looking forward to showing my family my campus and everything I'm involved.

Questions? Please e-mail me at kjersti.kleine@furman.edu

Take a Deep Breath

Salutations, Brethren!

Welp, here we are again to talk about my week at Furman. I have one complaint: THE WEEKS GO BY TOO FAST! I feel like there is always so much going on, but so little time seems to exist. Each week is just as, if not more, incredible than the last and I sometimes find it hard to soak it all in. But this week, I made time to slow down and soak in some new and unique moments.

On monday night, I hurried from swimming to the P-den (Gotta have that chicken sandwich and chocolate milk... I exercised twice that day, no worries) and then to my first Forum for the Mere Christianity Forum. It was so much fun. It was a small group of students that met in a very pretty room in Furman Hall. A new professor in the Religion Department came and spoke to us for about 20 minutes before people began posing questions that really delve into the religion. Now, whether you are religious or not, it is so much fun to watch people discuss religion and philosophy as they really question each aspect of what they are being taught. The upperclassmen amazed me with the magnitude and complexity of their questions. Definitely a great night.

However, after the Forum, I ended up staying over and talking with a new friend of mine, Carrie. We had never really had much time to converse before, but we talked for like an hour about all sorts of things. She told me about her research that she is currently doing in Atlanta. We discussed politics and public health/services. We touched on urbanization and homelessness. We also got to know each other a little bit better. When you find yourself in a routine of class, homework, and extracurriculars, having conversations like this become some of the most refreshing things for 2 reasons:

1) Because you find someone so incredibly different but are able to hold such indepth discussions and learn from each other.

The Swamp Rabbit is beautiful...
Pretend I stopped my bike before
taking this picture.

2) It validates that Furman is helping to develop me into a person who can excel in their field, even before graduation. 

Another "Deep-Breath" relaxing moment came today when I realized that I had nothing to do between my Philosophy class and my chemistry lab. I decided to hop on my bike and head down the Swamp Rabbit Trail for a little while. Let me tell you, few things are more relaxing than feeling the crisp air as you ride down a nature trail with the leaves changing colors, especially when you are in the beautiful region that Greenville is located in. After 4.5 miles, I arrived at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery. I went inside and perused the selection of fresh and local food. I eventually decided to buy some sweet potato tortilla chips and then some banana bread to surprise my roommate. After making my purchase, I decided that I had so much time to kill.

The spinach is coming along nice

I ended up spending a few minutes reading a book for my seminar and then talked with some people that were on the benches. Then I had the realization that the garden I worked on during my POP trip was 50 yards away. I made the trek over there, making sure to avoid the fire ant mounds because the current score is Fire Ants-5 Sam-0. As I approached the garden, I saw the beginnings of the spinach that we planted coming out of the ground. Although all I ever really did was plant seeds, it was cool seeing the plants develop. Eventually, I realized I needed to get back to campus, so I hopped on my bike and rode back. All in all, it has been a pretty relaxing day.

When I returned, I tried to surprise my roommate for my made up Roommate Appreciation Day, but he was in our dorm when we got back, so I did my best to put it in a place where he would find it, without me actually having to hand it to him. He says it is really tasty, so I would definitely recommend getting it. 

I am like a mixture of Picasso
and finger paints

I feel like I have two more funny stories to talk about. First, my friend, Caroline, asked me to draw a portrait of her. Since I'm taking an art class, I went in a little too confident for what I produced. I hope you enjoy the... abstract(?) portrait.

Dr. K is the bomb dot com

Also, we have weekly presentations in my Chemistry Class. This past week, some girls were showing us how you could light a dollar bill on fire by saturating it in alcohol because the product of a combusted hydrocarbon is carbon dioxide and water. The water prevents the bill from actually burning. However, since the bill was a little super saturated (meaning it could still drip), a little droplet of flaming alcohol fell into a bowl of alcohol at the front of the lecture hall. We were not anticipating the large flame, so we did not have a cover to put out the flame. Somehow, we decided our only option was to flip the bowl over to suffocate the fire that way; however, some alcohol got on a chair and the table... and the fire got bigger, yet again. Then, Dr. Kuklinski, man of the hour, found the fire extinguisher and sprayed the fire down. Unfortunately, we had to evacuate the room because too much fire extinguisher was used. Thus, we got out of class early. 

People wonder why I want to be a chemistry major, but do I really need to explain? I mean we burnt a chair and a table but managed to save the dollar. So yea, chemistry is pretty cool.

This week has been chalk full of fun activities and new experiences, but I thought I would just share with you the two most relaxing things that have happened to me. Seriously, WHEN you come to visit, rent a bike and go down the swamp rabbit or find a student to talk to about ANYTHING. 

I think I am going to rate my Furman Experience so far... on a scale of 1-10, Furman has been a solid 18,402,948,302.34. So yea, I love it here. Please feel free to contact me about anything! 

With peace, love and DH cookies,

Sam McCoy

sam.mccoy@furman.edu

Academic Success

Furman is known for its academic rigor.  This can be exciting and slightly terrifying as an incoming freshman.  And six weeks into the school year, with a few tests and a paper under my belt, I can confidently say that Furman academics are doable.  My classes are certainly challenging and demanding, but they are not impossible.  The biggest difference between high school and Furman is the amount of work outside of class.  With classes meeting 2 or 3 days a week, a lot of reading and preparation takes place outside of class.  This work outside of class can be a little daunting, but at the same time, having such a flexible schedule is so liberating.  Studying can be in the library if I'm feeling really studious, or by Furman lake if it's a beautiful day, or at a quaint coffee shop off campus if I need a change of scenery. 

Another great aspect about Furman academics is the availability of academic help, which I have taken advantage of in my few weeks here.  Before my calculus test, I took all the questions about concepts that I didn't fully understand to the Math Help Lab.  The Math Help Lab is open the afternoons and evenings Sunday through Thursday and is staffed by math majors ready to answer your questions.  Thanks to the Math Help Lab and lots of studying, I made an A on my first calculus test!  Furman also has a Writing Lab whose staff proofread my paper and helped me work through some awkward sentence structures and suggested stronger verbs. 

My professors have also been extremely helpful during their office hours, answering my questions and re-explaining things I didn't understand in class.  None of my professors are intimidating, and they genuinely want to get know me.  That's certainly a plus to a small college!

And now, I have to go study for my chemistry test! 

As always if you have any questions, email me at laura.woodside@furman.edu!

Theatre and Soup

It has been one of those weeks I wouldn't add to my freshmen scrapbook, if I was the kind of person inclined to scrapbook. My roommate has had bronchitis, but this took second fiddle to her boyfriend of three years when on Friday night a 103 degree fever and vomiting forced our hand- we took him to the emergency room, where he was told he had pneumonia. All of this after midnight on Friday night. He feels much better now, after sleep, soup, and a particularly strong antibiotic. It seems that it's just that time of year though- most people I know are either sick or getting sick. Which leaves me wondering how I have managed (so far)- knock on wood- to stay healthy. We learn in elementary school that when we touch each other's toys and sneeze or cough without covering our mouth and nose that we spread germs, yet when we reach college we kiss and share sodas and snacks and squeeze four people onto one couch to watch a movie with reckless abandon, cursing whatever deity we ascribe to when students of an entire discipline seem to succumb to whatever bug is going around. For my part, I will simply be thankful if my share of the germs (as I too kiss and share food and squeeze into close spaces with reckless abandon) will hold off until after midterms. Now really....is that too much to ask?

On a lighter note, I could not be prouder of my own department of choice for putting on two fabulous shows this weekend- both of which I was fortunate enough to attend. Gruesome Playground Injuries was one of those heart breaking, gut wrenching stories that you cannot quite leave behind in the theatre space, that seems to trail you wherever you go, a shadow of your own pain, your own loss. It was remarkable to feel something so deeply, coerced into believing wholeheartedly that the cruel fate of these two young people was something worth watching, and the cast members should be so very proud. Equally enjoyable in its own right, Company was lighter in its delivery, though still debatably dark in its themes. The Pauper Players all have those magnificent voices that do justice to a Sondheim classic, and they should all be equally proud of their performances. Being in rehearsal every night for Pomp and Circumstance, I can only aspire to do as much justice to my role as my classmates have done to theirs.

Well, I have an exam on theatre basics and a quiz on Lewis Structures and elemental properties tomorrow, so I bid you all adieu until next time!

The entire talented cast of Company!

How can anyone be the reason another person lives?
One of many great moments from GPI.

No Work, All Play

After five days of classes and  homework, I entitle myself to two days of absolute lethargy, and consequentially, no work whatsoever.

Friday afternoon, I decided to go visit Rolyn Rollins at the Cothran Center for Vocational Reflection. What I absolutely love about that office is that it is always booming with tons of delightful people! Little did I know that in that short period of time, I would binge on Rice Chex, get swing dancing lessons and have amazing conversations with the people there!

• Swing Dancing Lessons with Matthew Morris :

Swing Dancing Lessons with the Dancing Star

I ran into Matthew Morris at the Cothran Center who, besides being awesome, also happened to be a great dancer! Amidst the random conversations, he decided to (try and) teach me how to swing dance.
While I clumsily tried to follow his lead, he swayed me with the ease of a professional dancer. 
                                             

Like A Pro - Matthew at Work

• Just Paddock-ing ...

Ever since I have come to college, I have become a night owl! I don't know what would have I done without Paddock's night hours, because that's when my unpredictable appetite surges.

                                             

I have been frequenting the restaurant a lot, and these midnight meals keep me going...especially since they are so delicious!

•  Weekends Like A Collegian!

The best part about being in college is that every weekend, there's a party somewhere on campus! But the real challenge is finding out where it is.
On Saturday night, I tagged along with a bunch of friends to go to an International Student Party. Excitedly, we knocked loudly on the door, expecting a boisterous group of people to welcome us. Somebody did open the door, but instead of being greeted by exuberant party-goers, we were welcomed with awkward silence and stares. That's right - we had the wrong address. After a long time of futilely trying to find the venue, we ended up deciding to go back to our rooms and call it a night.
And that, my friends, was my Saturday night.

While I haven't been socially active in a long time, I promise to come up with more next week!
I hope y'all had an awesome weekend filled with (real) parties!

Until my next post,
Bhavya Sharma

bhavya.sharma@furman.edu

Soup, Singing and Shaving Cream... Typical Furman

#ThatAwkwardMomentWhen I use hashtags in my blogs.
 #ThatAwkwardMomentWhen you feel a million butterflies in your stomach and begin to be overly excited about something.
#ThatAwkwardMomentWhen it becomes typical to feel that at Furman.
#ThatAwkwardMomentWhen you embrace it.

Welcome to Furman, where you can never really say goodbye to the butterflies. The past couple of weeks, I have been so exposed to butterflies in my stomach that I am about to start naming them. They always seem to wake up when something is going on at Furman.

I felt them when I was on my way to a $4 Dinner. My buddy, Rhodes, a senior here at Furman, invited me to attend a $4 Dinner. These are hosted by a group of students on campus called Mere Christianity Forum. Rhodes picked me up and took me to the Vista House, where we met with the rest of the people I would be dining with. The Vista House is a very neat house in Traveller's Rest which is open to all students. It functions as a place dedicated to service and christian Ideals. But do not mistake it for what you might find in a church.

Hanging at the Vista House!

When I got there, I realized that the people I was surrounded by were all very different and had different thoughts and opinions. I quickly learned that this was going to be something that I loved because these were the types of people that were able to question and decipher what it means to be religious and what we should take away from it. Beyond the $4 dinners, Mere Christianity Forum hosts events throughout the week to to engage students. The primary goal of MCF seems to be arriving at answers to questions with intense thought and discussion. I cannot wait to continue being a part of this organization, seeing that I have only just gotten my feet wet.

All in all, I met some great people and ate some great food. All of it was healthy and vegetarian. Now, I'm not a vegetarian, but once in a while, it feels good to eat fresh and organic. There were a lot of different fresh local foods that I could tell you about, but the names were so new to me that I have unfortunately forgot what they were called, except for the super good roasted red pepper soup.

A couple of nights later, I was hanging out with some ladies on Geer 200 when my hallmate, Drew, a vocal performance major, came and hung out with us. Him and three others then decided to show me a little talent of theirs.... THEY COULD SING BARBERSHOP! It was a total surprise.

Believe me, when I went down stairs with my jar of peanut butter and  bag of banana chips, I was not expecting to be serenaded by a borderline professional Barbershop Quartet! They sang multiple Barbershop tags, which are pretty much the harmonious and extravagant endings to songs. Then the butterflies came back as Drew offered to teach me.

We spent the next hour or so teaching me how to sing the base part to the end of a tag. The amazingly patient Drew taught me all I needed to know to be a barbershop singer (Just kidding, there is a lot to it... but I am on my way!). So, if you need someone to sing "My Love, where is she? My love, my love, my love," I am your guy. It was just another great experience that showed me how talented students are around here and how unique experience are just around the corner here (or in this case, down a flight of stairs and a few rooms over.)

Yesterday, I felt butterflies yet again. I was sitting in the Trone Center waiting for the boys from Berea Middle School to arrive so that we could meet them. This is for a group called Men Of Distinction, a mentoring group between Furman Students and boys from a local middle school. I was so anxious to meet them because I did not know what to expect...

Some kids working with chromatography

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! Oh my goodness, those boys were hilarious. Within minutes of it starting I realized that this was going to be one of my favorite things at Furman. Luckily, we were doing chemistry experiments with the kids this week (my favorite thing considering I love chemistry and plan on majoring in it). After touring the science building, we went into a lab room and did three different experiments. First, we learned about hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials and got to experiment with them using paper, water, food coloring and the ever-messy Shaving cream. They spread shaving cream on a plate and mixed in some food coloring to make cool designs. Next, they put a notecard on the design and peeled it off to find that they now had their designs on the paper, since the shaving cream was hydrophobic and pushed the water/food coloring onto the paper. The kids were so excited to be making the cool design on their notecards.

Next, we covered cups with coffee filters, drew on them using markers and squirted isopropyl alcohol on them to experiment and have fun with chromatography. Believe me, these boys have been exposed to a lot of science now.

The aftermath of Elephant Toothpaste

Finally, we made elephant toothpaste, which involved putting a little hydrogen peroxide in a water bottle, mixing in some food coloring and then adding yeast to act as a catalyst. It was like BOOM! The tooth paste came flying out and the kids faces lit up! They saw how much fun science could be-- even though a couple of them enjoy social studies more, as they demonstrated when they completely schooled me in the Glorious Revolution and facts about English Monarchies. I'm telling ya, Men of Distinction is the bomb diggity.

The Bros from Geer 300 and my Dad

There was one other SUPER EXCITING thing that happened to me this week. My parents finally came down to visit! I was beyond excited to see them. When they arrived, they surprised me with one of those big tubs of popcorn that has caramel corn and cheesy popcorn and the other kind (which I  think is just plain). Well, I set it on top of their rental car, forgot about it, and as they drove away, I watched half of it spill onto the ground in the parking lot. No matter, it still tastes good. After that, my parents graciously took me and a couple friends to a Tex-Mex restaurant in downtown Greenville. It was so nice for them to be able to finally meet some of the people that I talk about so much.

When we got back from dinner that night, I received an email that my only class for the next day was cancelled, meaning I had an entire free day with my parents. First we ate at Tommy's Ham House for breakfast. Seriously, if you come to Greenville, go to Tommy's. It is the best breakfast anywhere, and it is conveniently owned by a Furman Graduate. We ate lunch at the Paddock, the new on campus restaurant. It was my first time going there and it did not disappoint. If you aren't catching on, one of hte best things about having your parents visit (beyond having them be there) is the food! They take you to Cheerwine and dine you. It is fantastic. We ended our night downtown at a Restaurant called Soby's, which is like the best southern seafood ever.

The Real McCoy's dining Downtown

I was also able to show them around campus and especially the science building. They saw my furnished dorm room for the very first time. They also watched as I finished up a Chemistry Lab assignment. That was probably their favorite part. It was so exciting to have my parents visit. They left yesterday, but I miss 'em already.

Alright, this blog is a little lengthy, but only because my Furman Experience is extensive and grand.

Remember, if you ever have questions about ANYTHING, just shoot me an email.


Until next time,
Sam McCoy
sam.mccoy@furman.edu

Living the Camp Life - Rinker Mountain Retreat part 2

Hello, paladins! Hope your week has kicked off to a great start!
Mine sure did, reminiscing about the most amazing time that I have had in a while!

I thought I'd share some more pictures from the retreat...just because I am superdupertruper excited about it!


Firstly, here are some pictures of the nature art that we all made:

(I don't remember who did what, but let's take a moment to appreciate the amazing work that all these people did!)

 

Nature art - Circle of Life And Death
Photo by Rolyn Rollins

                           

Nature Art - Symbolic of a tower
Photo by Rolyn Rollins

         And finally, here's mine!

Photo by Rolyn Rollins

And here's pictures of us campers planting our plants during the morning meditation!

My super-photogenic fellow campers
Photo by Rolyn Rollins

Me and David Bost (D-Bo) Chilling
Photo by Rolyn Rollins

This is one trip I would recommend to every student!
It truly was a marvelous experience, not just in terms of what we learnt, but the time we spent together to get to know each other and ourselves better.

Hope you all have an amazing week with tons of stories to tell!

Until my next post,
Warm Love
Bhavya Sharma

bhavya.sharma@furman.edu


Photography Credits - Rolyn Rollins