Woah, We’re Half Way There. Woah, Livin’ on a Prayer.

There are less than 70 weeks of classes left of my time at Hope.

That’s the timeline facing any current sophomore that is graduating in four years. We’re almost halfway there. And it’s kind of scary.

There are a lot of things that I have no idea about that I need to figure out over the next two years:

  • What kind of internships should I apply for?
  • What kind of job do I want?
  • Where do I want to live?

All of that combined is simply overwhelming.

When moments come where that sense of the vast unknown lying directly ahead of me fills my mind I like to look up to the bulletin board above my desk.

Bulletin board lined with little shells with pictures and quotations pinned to it.
One of my Summer 2015 projects: my vision board.

I put this together over the summer after collecting shells at the beach that I thought resembled little butterflies. In the top left it says “see your dreams take flight” and I have filled it with magazine clippings and pictures, most of which I’ve taken, that I wrote quotations onto.

I also left space to add to it. Some additions include a salt packet from when Paul Boersma spoke at Chapel last semester, fortune cookie papers, and a tag from tea that reads, “Let your heart speak to others’ hearts.”

The words on this board resonate with me about how I want to live and what I want to do with my life.

Not the “what kind of job do I want to have” kind of answers, but the simple things. The foundation.

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So when that overwhelming sense of unknown happens I look up and step back to the basics. These simple things are the foundation of how I want to walk on this path, no matter where I may be going.

And I know I am moving forward. A year and a half ago (to be honest, as recently as last fall) I didn’t know what I was going to major in. Now, there is a blank space on my board from where I made myself a mini major declaration form envisioning what I would choose to pair with my Classics major.

In the second major slot I had written “a major that I am happy with and proud of and is going to help me do what I am made to do. That turned out to be Communications.

So here I am, a Classics and Communications double major that is halfway through college and living on a prayer. A prayer for clarity, the peace of mind in knowing I don’t have to know it all, gratitude for knowing the simple things and being guided by a God who takes care of the rest.

Thanks for reading!
~Erin

 

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at erin.hoolahan@hope.edu or you can check out my Twitter (@HopeErin18) for little thoughts and pictures about Hope.

Next Stop: Austria

The second place my family and I traveled while on my midterm break was Salzburg, Austria. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the city, it was the city where one of the most famous movies ever was filmed – The Sound of Music!

I have vivid memories from when I was younger of my family watching this movie or singing to the soundtrack (because, yes, we had that, too) and all of us having this internal unspoken knowledge that we’d have to visit the magical city where it was filmed before we died.

Now we can die happy!

Once our adventures in Dublin ended on Sunday, we arrived into Salzburg late Monday afternoon after a plane, train, and taxi ride. My parents found the greatest hotel right in the middle of Old Town and it was old. 

We explored the city for the rest of the day, and then after a much-needed good night’s sleep, the big morning of The Sound of Music tour was upon us! We boarded the bus with high expectations and our singing voices ready.

Here’s a list of the stops we made:

  • Filming location of the balcony scenes and lake where Maria and the kid’s capsize their canoe.
    Do you recognize that back balcony??
    Do you recognize that back balcony??
    Here is that beautiful lake where the kiddos and Julie Andrews capsized their canoe!
    Here is that beautiful lake where the kids and Julie Andrews capsized their canoe!

    The cameras to film this were right on the balcony of this palace. Pretty cool!
    The cameras to film this were right on the balcony of this palace. Pretty cool!
  • Hellbrunn Palace Park. This was the filming location of “I Have Confidence” and is where the famous gazebo from “16 Going on 17” stays.
    This is where Maria sings "I Have Confidence!"
    This is where Maria sings “I Have Confidence!”
    The famous Gazebo!
    The famous Gazebo!
    See the yellow walls? Same ones!
    See the yellow walls? Same ones!

    Beautiful, right??
    Beautiful, right??
  • Alps Mountain Range – Wofgangsee. This is where most of the aerial views for the beginning film sequence take place. Absolutely gorgeous views.
  • Mondsee, Austria. This is where the church that Maria gets married to the Captain in is located. Also, remember that scene where the kids are hanging from the trees when the Captain comes back from his trip? That happened here as well!
    Can you see it?! This is where Maria married the Captain!
    Can you see it?! This is where Maria married the Captain!
    You can see the similarities between my photo and this one! Pretty much the same and seriously gorgeous.
    You can see the similarities between my photo and this one! Pretty much the same and seriously gorgeous.
    I can see the kiddos hanging from the branches now! The trees are a bit bigger than 50 years ago (I would know, I tried to climb them).
    I can see the kids hanging from the branches now! The trees are a bit bigger than 50 years ago (I would know, I tried to climb them).

    So on the right hand side of my picture there was a dirt path, that's where the scene of children hanging from the trees was taken!
    So on the right hand side of my picture there was a dirt path, that’s where the scene of children hanging from the trees was taken!
  • Mirabelle Gardens. This is where the famous Do-Re-Mi scene takes place! It was like we were right there with Julie Andrews hitting that high note.
    This is where the DoReMi takes place!
    This is where the DoReMi takes place!
    Mirabelle Gardens are absolutely stunning. I was sad I didn't get to see them in the summer!
    Mirabelle Gardens are absolutely stunning. I was sad I didn’t get to see them in the summer!

    Gates statues

The rest of our time in Austria was amazing as well, as we explored the city more and tried “Schnitzel with Noodles” (as Maria declares one of her favorites in “Favorite Things). It was a fairytale and one of my favorite adventures to date.

Next up: Northern Ireland

Until next time, readers!

Finding My Home Church

Having a church to go to every Sunday is a little bit like having a home team, I think. A church can be a community of love, support and faith outside of the college context.

Up until recently, I’ve only attended Hope’s Chapel and Gathering services. One of my best friends, Rachel, and I decided that we want to find a traditional church in the Holland area to attend.

There are a lot to choose from. In Downtown Holland there’s Pillar Church (Christian Reformed) and the First United Methodist Church. There are others, such as Third Reformed Church, St. Frances de Sales Church, and Engedi Church. If you know anything about Holland, you know the list doesn’t end there. Those are just a few that students attend on a weekly basis.

Dimnent Chapel around Christmastime
Dimnent Chapel around Christmastime

This past Sunday, Rachel and I went to Pillar Church. We figured it would be our first shot since it’s a close walk downtown.

The service was nice, but I’m not sure it’s what I’m looking for in my home church. At home, I’m a member of the First United Methodist Church. It’s a whole lot bigger than the tiny Pillar. Maybe I’m looking for something more like that, but I’m not sure.

I guess I’m just looking for what feels right. I don’t think I’ll have any problem knowing when I’ve found the right place to call home for worship every Sunday.

Building a community in faith is extremely important. It’s easy to have that community at Hope considering how central it is to our every day lives. However, once college is over, that support system won’t be as much in tact. It’s necessary from that point to go out and make your own community of the church.

I want to be able to create that community once I leave Hope, and an important step is finding my faith outside the college.

You can email me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, find me on Facebook, or check out my twitter @hopebrooke18!

The Syllabus: The Most Important Handout in College

As a freshman, you’ll make yourself a lot of promises like “I’ll sleep early, get up at 5 a.m., and work out at the Dow every day,” or “I’ll eat healthy every single day and never waste money on a pizza delivery,” or better yet “I’ll keep my work area organized and never lose a single paper!” I’m sorry to break it to you, but most of the promises you’ll make in the beginning of fall semester will never see the light of day passed the first week.

However, one exception should be religiously made, and that is keeping your classes’ syllabi in a nice, warm, dry place where you can tuck it in bed and sing it to sleep every night. Seriously, this paper is your lifeline for all deadlines, all assignments, all labs, all projects, and all quizzes and tests; a syllabus is essentially an outline of everything you’ll do in class for the semester or half semester. If you like keeping a planner or using your Google Calendar (it is recommended that you have some way to keep track of your to-dos), sit yourself down, lay out your syllabi in front of you, and write down all of the dates listed. Occasionally something will come up and the teacher will push a few dates around, but even so it is better to be safe and write it down for the sake of your future, panicky, forgetful self.

In addition to all of these dates, your syllabus could also contain your professor’s office hours, absence policies, and so on:

I used to have a version of a syllabus in high school called a green sheet that was handed out in the first day of class and sometimes the teachers had a small quiz on it, but that was it; most students never referred to the paper again. However, college is a completely different story. That paper that you used to shun will soon become the Sam to your Frodo, the Patrick to your Spongebob, and the Chewbacca to your Han Solo (too soon?).

Midterm Break Adventures

I’ve missed you, readers! I apologize for my writing absence during the last week as I was living out of a backpack (clothes and all) and didn’t have room for my laptop. It’s so good to be back, and I’m PUMPED to tell you all about my travels.

Here’s how I’m going to structure this: since I didn’t write at all last week and I have three places that I went over break, instead of two blogs this week, you’ll get three! Each one will go into detail of what I did in the different places I visited.

First up – Parents Week in Dublin!

As I mentioned in my last post, my sister and I were blessed with the opportunity to have our parents cross the pond to see us for a bit. Let me just say I didn’t realize how much I missed them and loved their presence until the moment I saw them in Dublin. They’re my best friends and it was life changing for them to experience a taste of this chapter of my life.

This was the first time they’d been overseas and I think Meg and I showed them the very best of Dublin. As soon as they got here last Thursday morning, we showed them our apartments so that they could see where we lived and get a better sense of the IES program. They loved it!

The fam at Limerick Castle on the way to the Cliffs!
The fam at Limerick Castle on the way to the Cliffs!

Friday morning was an early one because we were off to see the Cliffs of Moher. We made a couple stops at some passing castles, but after that we were on our way! Meg and I had been to the Cliffs before, and compared to last time, it was rather cloudy and rainy. But we made the best of it and got a good ten minutes where the fog lifted and we got to see those gorgeous Cliffs! We didn’t get back until 7pm that night and ate dinner at one of my favorite pubs – The Hairy Lemon.

Those very different looking Cliffs.
Those very different looking Cliffs.
This church was gorgeous and so intricate.
This church was gorgeous and so intricate.

Saturday was my favorite day with my parents I think. We toured Dublin Castle and Christ Church, then during the night went on a pub crawl! Not the usual type of pub crawl though – this one was cozy, intimate and led by two musicians who played and taught us about traditional Irish music. It was all very tasteful – just my cup of Irish tea! We stopped at three local pubs and it was one of my favorite nights in Dublin so far.

We all crowded into an upstairs pub and listened to the traditional songs that Andy and Booster played for us!
We all crowded into an upstairs pub and listened to the traditional songs that Andy and Booster played for us!

Sunday was our last day in Dublin, and it was a perfect ending. We toured Kilmainham Gaol and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, then stopped for a sweet treat at The Queen of Tarts, rounding out the day with a nice dinner before we headed out of the country the next morning.

Just a little different than Christ Church.
Just a little different than Christ Church.

 

 

 

I couldn’t stop smiling the whole trip because my two favorite people were in my favorite place! It was refreshing and relaxing – everything a break should be.

Stay tuned for details about Austria!!

Until next time, readers.

 

Why English as a Major? Why Writing?

This semester, I am taking 4 English classes (4!) and it’s been the most challenging experience thus far! For one, I never thought I would be able to keep up with my writing as much as I have done so far. Besides taking Advanced Fiction, I am also in Intermediate Poetry, and it has been so rewarding in the smallest of ways. For one, I never considered myself a poet, not even a “potential” poet, so for me to actually write poems every week is a success in my book!

During the first 13 days of the semester, we were required to write one poem a day as part of a “Poetry Blitz.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to produce one poem – one well-written poem – a day. The task seemed daunting, yet, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually my favorite thing to do at the end of a long school day; to just sit down, put on some good music, and see what words come out of it. I realized midway through that the whole point of the blitz wasn’t to create amazing poems, but to create a body of work I could go back and revise.

This isn’t the first time I have come to be surprised by how much I would end up loving an English class! Don’t get me wrong, English classes are my favorite classes, but sometimes I question my abilities. I’m sure we have all been there at some point in our lives. I knew entering freshman year that I wanted to declare an English major because writing and literature were two things I came to love and enjoy in high school. A lot of people ask me, “Why English as a major? Why writing?” The truth is, those questions aren’t easy to answer in 1 or 2 sentences, it’s impossible! How can I begin to explain how much writing has meant to me the past few years? But, when I begin to reflect on the past four years at Hope, I can at least say that throughout this time, I have been challenged in all aspects of my writing. I have seen improvement and I have seen myself go way beyond the surface level in the pieces that I’ve written. The majority of this is thanks to the professors I have had the opportunity to be in classes with. It’s no secret that English professors are THE BEST professors on campus 🙂

Even though this semester has been so busy and I have writing assignments due left and right, I am just soaking everything in as much as I can. I am grateful for all that I have come to learn thus far in my own writing and am looking forward to the last few weeks I have before graduation!

What Helps You Fall Asleep?

Continuing on the topic of my previous article about the right amount of sleep a night, my senior year I had a significant sleeping issue. I was getting about 3-5 hours of a sleep a night because I could not fall asleep at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., so I would stay awake until 2 or 3 a.m., sometimes 5 a.m. This is post is not about me or my previous problems, but I went to a therapist and this what she advised me, so if you have hard time falling asleep this what helped me.

Restart your sleeping cycle with Melatonin. The first two to three nights try go to bed at between 10:00 to 11:00 pm, so take melatonin roughly 30 minutes before 10:00 pm. Do this first two or three nights.

Chemical structure of melanin.
Chemical structure of melanin.

Take a warm shower right before. Warm shower calms down the body, which is going make it easier to fall asleep.

Showering before bed helps you fall asleep.
Showering before bed helps you fall asleep.

Do not look at your phone, tablet or computer. Basically, anything that has a bright screen. Because the bright screen has the same effect as the sun, so it stimulates a day light.

On the other had, look at your smart phone will make you more "awake".
On the other had, look at your smart phone will make you more “awake”.

Do not look at the time. If you cannot fall asleep one of the worst things to do is to look at the time and say: “It is already 1 a.m. and I can not fall asleep. If I do not fall asleep within 10 minutes, I will be so tired.” It is unnecessary put yourself under this type of pressure.  

Focus on your breathing. This is going to calm you down, but also take you to present time. You will stop think about the future and the past.

Before you go to bed spend 20-30 minutes of doing something for yourself. In other words, do something that you enjoy that is going to help you to escape from reality little bit. For example, reading a book, listening (not watching) favorite TV show or listening to a music.

Reading helps with falling asleep as well, but I think everyone knows it.

Sleeping

How much sleep should one get over the night? Some people say that “I need only 6 hours of sleep a day in order to function well the next day.” Others need 8 hours, but how much sleep do we actually need a night?

Well, we know sleep is super important for our health and daily function even if you are not professional athlete and your livelihood is not dependent on your performance on the ice, field, or court.

“Every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight” (Time)

How much?

It sounds like a cliché, but the amount of sleep per night is very based of the age, but they are some general rules that apply to certain age groups. I am focusing on the young adults and adults group. 

The best amount of hours of sleep per night.
The best amount of hours of sleep per night.

Between 6-7 hours a night is average for young adults and adults. From 6-7 hours of sleep a night most people can rest, but it will not make huge difference in their life. It is like having Monday off. Having 3 days off is nice and people can rest little bit, not enough to fully recover. The best amount of sleep that person can get is between 7:30-8:30 hours a night. It is right amount to feel well rested, but not to sleepy because you slept too much. Everything above 8:30-9:00 hours a night is too much of sleep and it is not healthy.

  • these number are based of day to day sleeping pattern. The number can change if staying up late night before, traveling to different time zone or having a physical performance that day

Should You Study Abroad?

Definitely yes, but why?

We grew up in certain culture, country, set of values, which we are used to. We were exposed to these values because our ancestors taught these values bring the best possible life to us. The way we communicate, the food we eat, the things that we consider bad and good. But how we know these values are truly the best for us or you? There is the only way to find out and that is to live in a different countries.

Santiago de Chile.
Santiago de Chile.

Secondly, we are in college. There will not be a better time to travel and explore new people, culture, and countries than during college. This is the time to travel away for a semester or two semesters. After graduation the life will get only more serious and harder. People, family or bosses, will count and rely on you. We, as college students, will never have that much free time and independence like during studying undergraduate degree.

Milan, Italy.
Milan, Italy.

Thirdly, there are too many cool places to visit and see.

World has just way too many amazing places to offer that is not wise to centralized only to one or two countries. Especially, when we can not only just “visit” the country, but study there, learn their language, culture, and meet their people.

Simply, study abroad is an opportunity that students should not pass up.

Here are links for the organizations that work with Hope College to make studying abroad possible:

  • http://glca.org/
  • http://www.acm.edu/index.html
  • http://www.iesabroad.org/
  • https://www.ciee.org/
  • http://www.sit.edu/

What Is the Best Way for Men to Dress for a College Interview and Visit?

We all know this saying. Never judge a book based on its cover. In regards of life, it is a good motto, but if we are talking about a formal event like the college interview or visit, students should dress appropriately.

The key is appropriately. The definition by Dictionary.com states:  suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc.

We can all agree that students, in order to make the best impression, need to dress formally. By saying formally, I am referring these basic rules:

  • Students should realize that one is still a “student”, not a businessman. A student is representing himself, not a company or corporation. On the other hand students should not wear outfit similar to this.
  • Sweatpants, or very loose hoodie is too informal of an outfit. Especially hoodies or sweatpants that have a different logo of another college or university.

Here is my recommendation of three appropriate outfits that are based of formality and seriousness.

This the most formal outfit.

Outfit number 1.
Outfit number 1.

A sport jacket with not ripped jeans without a tie shows a seriousness of a student. Students do not have to wear necessarily a button up shirt because a sport jacket looks excellent just with a white or green t-shirt, like it is in the picture below.

Outfit number 1 in a different example.
Outfit number 1 in a different example.

Next outfit is simple, wear jeans with a shirt rolled up to the elbows. This outfit feels very elegant, simple, and free. If one wants be extra fashionable then student should match the color of shoes with the color of the belt.

Outfit number 2.
Outfit number 2.

Lastly, the least formal outfit, but still very sharp and appropriate for a college interview and visit is; pants not jeans with a polo shirt. Do not wear jeans because polo shirt is casual enough, so with a jeans it would be too “average” or too “causal”. Use formal pants (not dress up or suit type of paints) to match the color of polo t-shirt.

Outfit number 3.
Outfit number 3.

Things to avoid.

Do not wear sneakers. Shoes are very important with to an outfit and sneakers are too causal especially with sport coat or formal shirt. In Czech we have saying that based of the shoes you can tell the character of the person. For example, leather shoes are an excellent choice.

Do not wear extravagant accessories. It is normal to have watches or some kind of necklace, bracket, but remember that you are a student trying to impress a college.

Do not wear white Nike or Adidas workout socks. It is just painful to watch someone nicely dress up with a white Nike socks and it also looks awful.

Lastly, dress in colors and type of cloth that you feel comfortable, and which matches. Do not try to be someone else.