Feelin’ a Little Homesick?

It’s that time of year when the first round of tests are on
the brink. NO!!!!!! I STILL WANT SUMMER!!! Stress, the feeling of being
overwhelmed and pressured to get an “A” consumes everybody’s minds accompanied by
a lack of sleep, lack of a social life, and a lack of a proper diet. This is
the time where I would love to go home and have a home-cooked meal and forget
about the stress for a few hours, but that’s not a reasonable request for
people, especially those who are far enough from home where they cannot simply
take a short car ride to be back home. For those of you who are not in the
Midwest and are thinking about going to Hope, this fact can be scary and
intimidating because Mom and Dad aren’t around to give you a hug and
encouraging words to keep you going. Instead, you have to depend on yourself to
get through the rough times, but don’t forget you have RAs, friends and a great
community to turn to if you ever need to talk things out sometimes.

For me,
being 2,000 miles away from home did not bother me at all my first year at Hope. A lot of my friends
from Michigan became homesick the first few weeks of school, but for me it was
the opposite. I knew in the back of my mind that no matter how much I wanted to go home and hug my parents, it wasn’t a plausible request; I basically had to
suck it up. However, when December rolled around, that’s when I got homesick
because I realized how much I really did miss my family and the anticipation of
seeing them that month made me miss them more! Some friends thought the fact that I didn’t
get homesick much was pretty strange, but freshman year is so busy and filled
with new experiences and learning that there isn’t a whole lot of time to fret
about not being at home.

“You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it’s all right”

— Maya Angelou

In
contrast, this year was completely different from
freshman year. For instance, I became homesick the first week of school
because
I already established friend groups and knew the campus and its
activities
already, so I had already settled in my new home for the year. I was
pretty surprised by this considering I had little difficulty starting a
new life away from home during freshman year. I guess it’s the fact that
we’re all growing up that makes me anxious and wanting to be home in the
familiar and safe place that I grew up in. Now is the time when anxiety
and reality kicks in and I start asking myself questions like, “Will I
end up going home for summer again?” or “How many times will I see my
friends this year because they’re all starting their own lives?” or even
“Did I pick the right major?”. These are the questions that scare me
because nobody knows how things are going to turn out in the long-run,
but all you can do is move forward and rely on your relationships and
knowledge to get you through difficult times. Everybody has to grow up
at some point, so college is a key transitioning point in most peoples’
lives.

Getting back to being homesick, I believe everybody gets homesick
at some point in their lives—some sooner than others—but
that’s what makes us grow and become the independent young adults we
are. Thank goodness for technology such as Facebook and Skype because even when I’m thousands of
miles away from family, or a few states over from friends who are in
college, technology helps relieve that
homesick feeling and can help ease the heartache of being separated from
the people you spent most of your time and life with back at home. Like
they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and I believe that this is
dead on. For me, the longer I’m away from my friends and family, the
more I appreciate them when I do get to see them. This is because it’s not simply
the fact of seeing them that makes me overjoyed, but the little quirks
that usually annoyed me, make me happy because it reminds me of them. I
definitely believe that being homesick is completely okay because
everybody experiences it. Feeling this way can help show your deep commitment to the people
you love and the capacity to feel that way towards other people in a
new surrounding as you grow into who you are supposed to be at college.

I’m aware that this is a more personal blog, so feel free to leave any comments or concerns about being homesick you may have and I would love to write back 🙂

Good Times, Better People

This past weekend two of my best friends came to visit me! I hadn’t seen them since February, so it was great to spend some times with them.

I met Laura and Tanmayee in middle school orchestra, but we didn’t become good friends until high school. Laura and I both played the cello, so in seventh and eighth grade we sat in the same section about two feet away, but we never spoke because I only talked to one of my good friends at the time (Laura never lets me forget that). Tanmayee was a violinist, so I didn’t get a chance to talk to her very often. During sophomore and junior year in high school, we somehow got to talking more and became good friends, and the rest, as they say, is history. 🙂

Despite the fact that we now go to separate schools (they both go to the University of Michigan), and I moved to Iowa and Tanmayee moved to California, we have managed to stay close. It just goes to show that friendships don’t die when high school ends.

Now, about the weekend. We had been planning this since August, so I was super pumped they were coming! They arrived in Holland at around 8 PM on Friday. We started our night soon after by going to the annual multicultural student dance, the Ice Breaker. We got there a little early, so I introduced them to a bunch of my friends that were there. It turns out that they know some of my friend’s friends that go to U of M. How cool is that?! 

The sorority I am in, Kappa Beta Phi, had planned an activity night with the Alpha Kappa Pi fraternity, so I took Laura and Tanmayee there next. It was kind of awkward, because the theme was a pajama party and we came straight from the Ice Breaker, so we were really dressed up, but we just laughed it off and had a good time. We danced around a little bit, but mostly we just sat and talked. I’m glad they got to meet some of my sorority sisters because they have become a great part of my life!

Next came the favorite part of the evening: going to Good Times! For those of you that don’t know, Good Times is a doughnut shop right next to campus that is loved by just about everyone. Since the first time I went to Good Times, I had been telling Laura and Tanmayee about it, so they were really excited to go. The doughnuts were fresh out of the oven, so they were amazing!

After Good Times, we went back to my dorm, Voorhees, and went straight to bed. We must have been really tired because slept for nine hours and woke up at 11:45 AM! We ate a quick brunch at Phelps, and then headed downtown. We didn’t have much time, so we only went to the Holland Peanut Store and Karla’s Place, my two favorite stores downtown. Tanmayee and Laura had to leave right after that because Tanmayee had to study for a big test this week. Even though we didn’t have much time together, I am grateful that I got to see them. It won’t be too long before I see them again; I’ll be with them during our fall break. I’m already looking forward to it!

To a Friend

As the weekend draws to a close, I think back on what I
accomplished over the past couple days:

  • Designed
    an informational flyer for my internship
  • Set up
    a Twitter account for my internship
  • Finished
    lots of Accounting homework
  • Read
    some interesting articles about Interpersonal Communication
  • Played
    some games with friends

While working on and finishing some of these tasks was
valuable to my college education, there was something that I learned this
weekend that didn’t have anything to do with my studies. I learned that I have
one of the sweetest roommates in the world. Because of this, I decided to write
her a little note on my blog just saying how thankful I am for her. So here we
go:

To my special roommate,

This weekend while you were gone, I
realized how much I love rooming with you. Whether it’s your positive outlook
of life, your obsession with crafts from Pinterest, or your love for the show
Say Yes To The Dress, you always have a way of making me smile. Even when times
are tough, you keep your spirits high and trust in God that everything
happening is according to His plan.

Thanks for being my roommate! I’ll
always be thankful for the time we spend together and the laughs we share!

Love, Chelsea

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

— C.S. Lewis

The Career Development Center: Helping Millions (well, almost) Discover their Careers

Dale Austin is one of the coolest people ever. Have you met him? 

I’m sure you’ve seen him walking around campus, taking someone out to lunch at the Kletz, or strolling through the Pine Grove.

I met Dale on my excursion to Gainey Ranch, as he was one of the many professors and staff from Hope chosen to come along. Introducing himself to the group, he said his title at Hope was “Director of the Career Development Center.” I’ll admit, I had no idea what that was.

Sure, I’d heard of students going there for career assessments, but I thought it was majorly geared towards graduating seniors, alumni seeking jobs, and entrepreneurs. 

I could have never been so wrong.

Checking out the Career Development Center, which is located in the Anderson-Werkman Building (see above), was completely eye opening. They can assist students with literally EVERYTHING. 

First, Amy Freehafer can help you explore whatever it is you could ever dream of doing. She’ll help you identify your strengths, find classes that match your interests, careers that you could be interested in, and she’ll even make a four-year plan. For anyone. Did you read correctly? A FOUR-YEAR PLAN. Pre-Med majors, put your pencils down and stop trying to figure out how all five labs will fit into your one year. Amy has got you covered. 

Are you worried about that personal statement because you don’t know what assets you could bring to the job?

TAKE THE STRENGTHS FINDER WITH AMY.

Then, there’s Jena Szatkowski. She’s the master of all things social media, speed networking, and externships. What is an externship you ask? Externships are extended job shadow experiences of 2 to 5 days with alumni and friends of the college in a profession related to a student’s goals. They are the coolest new things in the realm of career exploration and preparation. Why don’t you check out what Danielle Portfleet did last year during May Term….

She was paired up with a Hope alumni that happens to be the vice president and managing director of the Latin American branch of Harley-Davidson. She spent a few days in May checking out three different Harley locations and learning best business practices. 

Jena also can help you create alumni contacts in any field. There are over 3000 alumni that are very willing to share their occupation with you, whether it be a quick phone call conversation or over coffee. Where there are resources, there are opportunities. Many of these externships and connections end up very useful in interviews and job searches. 

Have you been to Hope College’s JobStop website? (This can only be accessed by Hope students). It has tons of internships, volunteer opportunities, and jobs for on and off campus (whether you are experienced or entry-level). 

Sarah McCoy is the queen of internships.

Whether it’s finding an internship, contacting corporations about opportunities or applying, Sarah has got the connections. These internships can count for credit or in some cases be paid positions! Check out some of the internships that Hope students have participated in here.

Sarah will even help prep you for an internship interview and guide you in writing statements of interest or purpose, 

And of course — DALE! As the director and having worked at the Hope Career office for more than thirty years, Dale focuses most on seniors deciding their next step in life. A lot of this is preparation. You can sign up for a mock interview where Dale will do a professional interview with you and provide constructive feedback to help you really get the job! 

When asked what has kept him in the career business for so long, his answer was simple: 

The community and mission of Hope have kept me here; and the opportunity to create programs and initiatives that make an impact on students’ lives and futures! [The] best part: a combination of the great relationships developed with students, faculty and staff and the opportunity to develop programs to help foster the career development of Hope students!

Oh my gosh, there are just so many cool things that the Career Development Center does, it’s hard to sum them all up in a short little blog post. Here are a few other things they specialize in:

  • Need to spruce up your resume? You can do it from your couch with Optimal Resume. Just send in your draft and a CDC advisor will go over it and send you feedback on how to improve it! After a series of constructive reworkings, you’ll have a perfectly polished and directed resume.Sarah McCoy is the queen of internships.

  • Attend a Career Panel. The CDC sets up many throughout the semester. Check out their upcoming events on their website.
  • Visit their Resource Library, located in the main office where there are tons of book guides to interviews, internships, career exploration, and more. There are books for dance majors, masters of foreign languages, athletes, pre-professionals, nursing, literally everything.
  • Keep a close eye on the Career Development Facebook page. They have job and internship postings, witty advice, and tons of great images including my absolute favorite one (see left!) haha!

So…What are you waiting for? Call up the Career Development Center at 616-395-7950 and introduce yourself to the team!

“Check out the CDC on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeCollegeOCS and Twitter: https://twitter.com/HopeCareer”

Opportunities Beyond Hope

This past summer Hope provided me and 11 other students the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I learned so much and enjoyed living in such a beautiful city for the month of May. My typical day in Spain:

  • 8:30 wake up and enjoy some strong Spanish coffee
  • 9:00 walk 20 minutes to the university
  • 9:30-1:00 attend class with Hope students taught by two different professors from the university
  • 1:00-1:30 walk home and stop at some shops on the way back
  • 2:00-3:00 eat lunch with our host family
  • 3:00-4:00 siesta!
  • 4:00-6:00 go on an excursion with our group in the city
  • 6:00-? Have free time in the city, shop, eat, run, explore
  • 10:00 eat a small dinner
  • 11:45 slept the night away

My time in Spain flew by. I was homesick the first couple of days because I was adjusting to the culture and time change. However, it did not take me long to get into the groove of living in Spain. My Spanish improved from talking with the people and speaking only Spanish in class. My professors from Spain did not know any English, but they were kind enough to speak slowly to us. They taught us about the culture and history of Spain. All of the material was new for me so it easily grabbed my attention. We also had a professor from Hope along with us on the trip, and she helped us with our homework and made sure we adjusted well to the culture in Spain. I really enjoyed getting to know Hope students better and learning about the Spanish culture.

Hope offers a variety of study abroad options. I would like to study abroad again this summer to possibly Vienna and London. Thankfully, Hope partners with several different off-campus programs, so the options are incredible. If you would like more information about Hope’s off-campus opportunities, click here.

Here are some pictures from my time in Spain!!

California vs. Michigan

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–>     A lot of people ask me why I chose to leave sunny California and move to
Holland, Michigan to go to school. My response usually baffles some
people because they don’t understand why I would want to be so far from
home and have little opportunity to visit friends and family during
breaks. Well, to put it simply, I wanted to be more independent, try a
new setting and atmosphere, and branch off from my comfort zone. Though
it is difficult not going home for Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter
Break or Spring Break, I have come to realize that I have amazing
friends who welcome me into their homes for some of these occasions,
which makes me extremely grateful for the great people on Hope’s campus.
Since people do wonder and ask me about the differences between my life
back in California and my life here in Michigan, I though I would share
some differences between the states.

1. WEATHER: California is always warm! When I’m at home where some of my friends stayed in California for college, they will complain when it gets cooler than 60 degrees. I quickly learned that you have
to appreciate those days in Michigan because they are very rare later on in the
year. There’s also absolutely no snow in Southern California… the closest we get
is hail ever seven years or so. Also, there’s no real change in seasons. Spring
and summer are pretty much the same. Fall has some falling leaves and winter
consists of a few rainy days but mostly clear skies…not exactly a “winter
wonderland,” but it’s nice if you want to go to the beach on Christmas Eve.

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–>

2. PEOPLE: I have noticed while being in the general Midwestern area that the people out here, especially in Michigan, are a lot more down-to-earth and generally friendlier than those I
was around in California. Nearly everybody in Michigan, especially at Hope,
smiles at me and opens the door for me, but in California, you get weird looks
if you say “hi” to a random person and there’s no real concept of common
courtesy. There are also a lot of stereotypes of Californians, which is not
always fun because they are usually negative ones.

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3.  
WATER: If you’ve ever looked at a map from
second grade until now, you will realize that California is next to the Pacific
Ocean, whereas Michigan is near the Great Lakes. A major difference
between the two is that the Pacific Ocean actually has waves while Lake
Michigan does not have waves at all in comparison. You are actually able to
surf and boogie-board in California, but there are hardly any boats and
ski-does there, which is a real shame. Michigan certainly has that going for
them. The beaches are completely different as well. Those in California have beach
shops, restaurants, clothing stores, and some sketchy random stores. A huge issue in California is that it is
nearly impossible to find a parking spot at the beach. It’s all metered parking and is
a real hassle when you have to parallel park while impatient people are waiting
to go around you. Michigan beaches don’t have nearly as many people and the
whole atmosphere is different. People are there to just hang out with friends;
those in California are there to get tan skin.

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4. ENTERTAINMENT: Holland, MI is known for Tulip
Time and having a cute city with not a whole lot of other attractions. However,
in Orange County, CA, there is Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, the multiple
beaches (Huntington, Newport, Laguna), South Coast Plaza (a very high-end
mall), Sawdust Festival, and Hollywood. This past summer I was lucky enough to go into Hollywood a few times to see the filming of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jeopardy! and Conan! It’s such a great experience and I recommend it to anyone who is in the area (plus, it’s free!). Like any other place you get accustomed to, it gets tiring and monotonous. Though California may seem exciting and
all, it gets boring. Once you have explored and been
to those places, you don’t have the urge to really go back, at least for a
while.

These are just a few comparisons between the equally awesome states, but I thought I would share a little of my life and the differences I have come across while being at Hope. That’s all I have to share fore now, so follow me on Twitter and I’ll talk to you soon!

The City of Sevilla

Sevilla, España. Originally, it was founded circa 800 A.D. as Hispalis, a Roman colony. It has been conquered and reconquered since then by the Visigoths, the Vandals and the Moors, until the Christians reclaimed it midway through the 13th century. Most notably, Sevilla served as the sole port to the New World, ideally situated on the Guadalquivir river and between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

Sevilla’s monopoly on all goods obtained from the Spanish-American colonies created wealth, and saw the city grow to over one million residents. The splendor of this Golden Age is reflected throughout the city, most noticeably in the architecture. All of the buildings reflect this “Old World” style. Paired with the outdoor cafés and clear skies, I’m surprised it is not a more popular tourist destination. Even after 2 weeks here, I am still mesmerized by some of the scenery, effectively keeping my neck sore and labeling me as a tourist.

Speaking of tourism, I visited one the more “touristy” destinations last weekend, the Alcázar Palace. It was originally constructed as a Moorish military complex. Since then, it has been converted into a royal residence and metaphorically speaking, a much needed source of income for the city. When the Spanish royal family travels to Sevilla, the Palace serves as their hotel.  

Alcázar is renowned for it’s wide cultural spectrum, with Jewish, Muslim, and Christian designs that are visible in the arches, extravagant artwork, and exhausting attention to symmetry. Despite the diverse team of architects and engineers, the Palace is Christian. The tapestries, crosses, and paintings all point towards Spain’s strong Catholic influence. The royal gardens add a more nature-oriented element to the palace, especially paired with the mini aqueducts that run through many of the hallways. The palace is pictured below. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to see it for yourselves. Pictures simply don’t do it justice.

Hasta luego!

-Steven

Adapting

I have spent the last two weeks getting accustomed to living in a foreign land, speaking a language I am clearly not fluent in, with a new family, whilst trying to make new friends. A bit overwhelming. Yet in only a week’s hindsight, it’s not a stretch to say that it has a lot similarities to freshman year at college.  

Allow me to explain. There has been no routine. Every experience has been experienced for the first time. Spain, and all of it’s challenges, has been exhilarating. The Romantics once said that to experience something for the first time is living. The second time around is merely a coincidence. The third time, however, is routine. And routine is the death of one’s spirit.  

I’m not saying that my spirit was dying back in the States. Far from it. Rather, I’m trying to convey the breath of fresh air that traveling and seeing new places brings.  

TANGENT.

The other day, a man interrupted a conversation I was sharing with a few others in the Liberal Arts study abroad program at a cafe. We were unsure of the specific uses of the phrases  “perdón,” “disculpame,” and “lo siento.”  

In a heavy Nordic accent, he explained the different uses and the appropriate time to use each phrase. We continued to chat, eventually learning that he had been traveling the world alone for the past 3 months, spending 2 months in the Amazon and another month in Central America. Apparently, he decided to continue traveling to Spain because he noticed flight prices have dropped. His current country total was 65! And, he preferred to travel alone, with only his camera for company; claiming that traveling with others was a distraction from learning the culture at hand. It seems to have worked for him, considering he speaks 6 languages and has a Ph.D. A source of inspiration indeed.  

-Steven

Magical Montana

This summer was completely awesome.

One of the coolest things I got to do was go to the Gainey Ranch in Montana. 

Every freshman at Hope College (and many other universities and colleges) are required to take an introduction to college class. Here, we call it First Year Seminar (FYS). Since the inception of FYS, modifications have been made. Currently, there are 56 different sections with different topics and themes, each with 20-25 students each. 

What’s really cool about Hope College is the mass amount of emails about cool things that you can do that you receive every day. One such email came at the beginning of spring, inviting all students to apply to have the chance to go to Gainey Ranch to help develop and improve FYS classes. Well, long story short, I got accepted, along with 18 other Hope Students and 18 Hope Professors. We made the journey for a week to a private, invite-only alumni ranch that had better accommodations than any “camping” excursion I’ve ever taken part in.

When you spend a week with 40 people in the confines of the emptiness of Montana, you become very good friends with them. Along with a lot of development work and important discussion time, we had a lot of time to bond. I’m so proud to say that I made many friends, students and professors alike.

This past weekend we had a REUNION! A math professor, Tim Pennings, offered to host the reunion at his house and we had a giant potluck BBQ.

Check out some photos of our trip and BBQ below:

xoxox -A

Celebrate!

School is now back in full swing. It’s been great to
reconnect with friends, jump into classes, start an internship, begin the
homework routine, and decorate and settle into my home for the year. I’ve
stayed busy getting things organized for the new semester, but in this busyness
I have remembered something that I learned as a freshman. The lesson I learned
revolves around finding a balance between working and resting. As important as
it is to do your work with excellence and in a timely manner, it’s also important to take a break. And take
a break is exactly what I did this past weekend. Two of my good friends
(actually twins) had their birthday this weekend so we (our group of friends)
went to the beach and celebrated.

Picture this… at the beach, sitting by the water, listening
to the sound of the waves, watching the sun set, and being with your closest
friends. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? Well, it was pretty great!! We played
some volleyball, did some swimming in the freezing cold water, and as I’ve
already mentioned took tons of pictures. These activities might seem a little
trivial and boring but, in college, when deadlines are always around any time
with friends is gladly accepted.

The weekend was a great change of pace from the normal
“hustle and bustle” of college life. It was an opportunity to enjoy time with
friends, eat homemade food, and stop thinking about formulas, tests, and
papers.

So, to Austin and Alexis, thanks for inviting me to
celebrate your birthdays! It was the perfect break for the weekend! I’m
thankful for both of you and proud to call y’all friends!

Photo Credits: Austin Smith, Chelsea Barfield, Bri Nelson

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

— William Shakespeare