Before the school officially starts, the new international students arrive early to Hope College for their own “International Students Orientation.” This includes a lot of informative sessions about the life in America and at Hope College, but the climax of the orientation is the Explore Michigan Trip.
The new international crew left Hope College campus for the Explore Michigan Trip on Saturday, August 22, and we headed north, to the Lake Ann Camp which is almost four hours north of Holland. Due to my European perspective, I do not really like to use word “fun” or “it was fun” because I think in the United States these expressions are overused and not descriptive, but “fun” is the word to describe the Explore Michigan Trip. There was always something enjoyable to do. The camp itself is located right next to a lake named Lake Ann, where we found a giant slide to the water, water attractions, game room with pool, table tennis or table soccer. But during the days, we went to the couple exciting trips like the sun dunes, kayaking, low rope course or the final trip to Mackinac Island.
Since, I could be writing thousands of words about all the beautiful views, activities, funny moments and more, so I picked five pictures that I think captures the trip the best.
Smile, the best is yet to come
The beauty of Michigan
Sand, Sun, Satisfaction
A short ride with a lot of exciting waves
Bad weather? Keep calm and ride along
Personally, my most memorable moment from the trip was kayaking. I am not the biggest fan of the outdoor activities overall, but the water of the river where we kayaked was extremely vivid, nature was untouched by people and everywhere we could hear quietness and feel piece. It was truly spectacular. Even the fact that tremendous thunderstorm hit us about 30 minutes before we supposed to get off the water, did not made kayaking a bad experience. While hiding under the homologous three in totally soaked clothes, suddenly an older gentleman came to us and invaded us to his cabin. It was a nice gesture from him which tops my most memorable moment of the Explore Michigan Trip.
What a weekend, readers. It was one for the books! Late nights at Applebee’s and a Vanderprov show, but the highlight of my weekend was my Friday night. That was the first official gathering of the year for the Outdoor Adventure Club!
If you haven’t heard of it already, Outdoor Adventure Club is a club whose “goal is to provide Hope College students with an opportunity to participate in various outdoor activities in a manner that is environmentally responsible. We wish to expose students to local activities through outings and service opportunities.” That is the mission statement on their website, and they definitely stuck to it on Friday. Lets go through the rundown of the night.
After we checked in at the flagpole, we got on the bus and rode to Saugatuck Dunes State Park where we walked out the the beach before dinner.
As you can tell, these views were amazing to walk up to as we neared the beach before dinner!
This was my favorite shot of the day! It captures the beautiful day that OAC really had, despite the rain earlier in the day!
After we saw the beach, we ate dinner, which consisted of hotdogs, coleslaw, pickles and s’mores – the perfect outdoor picnic food! Then we played some outdoor games: Frisbee, cards, outdoor stuff ya know? Then my favorite part of the trip happened before we left: we hiked back out to the beach to see the dregs of the sunset. Here it is!
Storm clouds over a colorful sunset. It was great!
Going with the Outdoor Adventure Club was a great way to get out in nature with other Hope Students who love the outdoors too! If you’re interested in becoming a part of the OAC and want to receive their emails, email them at OAC@hope.edu. They do tons of cool outdoorsy stuff and you won’t be disappointed!
This past Friday night, Hope’s Student Activities Committee (SAC) invited a man by the name of Chris Carter (or the “Mentalist”) to entertain students in our Knickerbocker Theatre on 8th Street. I don’t think there were any empty seats in the audience. In fact, my friends and I arrived at the Knickerbocker an hour early and there was already a line forming. What I’m trying to say is that this guy is a hot commodity here at Hope. People want to see him do what he does.
So what exactly does he do? With a name like the “Mentalist,” people are likely to be skeptical. I’ll tell you what he doesn’t do: read minds. Carter openly admits that at the beginning of the show. He cannot read minds, but he can very well read your eyes, lips, posture, any and all body language. He’s a people reader.
I think this is part of what makes Carter so fun to watch. When you think you’re being tricked, deceived, or that someone is violating your personal thoughts, it’s easy to get upset with the performer. Carter doesn’t do that; he’s very open with his audience.
He opened the show with a simple card trick where he was able to guess the card of an audience member just by reading his face and body when he asked him questions about this cards. He then proceeded to do this three more times. Other parts of the show consisted of Carter demonstrating hypnotism and making various predictions about scenarios the audience would make up themselves. He was, of course, right on every prediction. Some of the simpler things, like the card reading, are explicable, but certain things he does are not. There’s a bit of mystery in his performance.
An important piece to take away from Carter’s show is that our unconscious mind shows our true intentions in the smallest ways, so it’s best to make them good ones.
If you ever get the chance to see Chris Carter (the “Mentalist”) in person, I highly recommend taking the opportunity up! It was my second year watching his show, and I was happy to see that in some ways it was similar and in some way it was different.
Have a great week,
Brooke
If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my Twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!
Often times as people, we throw all of our weight into temporary happenings. Don’t worry, I’m the exact same way. To prove it, let me tell you a quick story:
Last weekend, my family came to visit for the first time this school year. Naturally, I had a “picture perfect” plan in my head of what I wanted the few days to look like. I figured my family would arrive for our Friday night soccer game, which of course we would win handily. Following the game, I was already looking forward to the non-Phelps (free, might I add) meal with the people who love me most. To close the night, I’d get to bed early with a full stomach and then get to do it all over again on Saturday!
However, per-usual, my plans failed miserably. Merely twenty minutes into our Friday night game, us Dutchmen found ourselves down 3-0. Thirty minutes into the game I found myself on the bench, where I would remain for the rest of the weekend. I was crushed. My pride had taken a major blow, and I felt as if my identity had been smothered.
Don’t get me wrong, the weekend was still incredible. I got to see my parents, my sister, and my girlfriend! My steak at Logan’s Roadhouse after the game Friday night was still delicious. But at the same time, I felt defeated. I felt like I had failed my family, that they had driven seven hours from Pittsburgh for nothing! Just like my initial plans, I could not have been more off the mark with these beliefs. I was reminded of a few extremely important things last weekend.
Our identities are not found in temporary worldly events. Rather, they are found in Christ. Soccer is an important part of my life no doubt, but it is not my everything. Jesus holds my future, and he knows what is best for me. Above all else, he has a plan.
My family loves me unconditionally, whether I’m on the field for 90 minutes, or cheering on my teammates from the sidelines.
The valleys in our lives are temporary. That being said, so are the mountains. As our assistant coach Lee Schopp has been repeatedly reminding us this year, “You’re never that GOOD, but you’re also never that BAD. You’re somewhere in between.”
A week later here I am, on a mountain. I scored my first collegiate goal last night. However, now I know, soccer is not my anchor.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed week. He has BIG plans for you.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a Communication major and a Leadership minor. I’m a junior, but I’m graduating in May 2016. I’m originally from Iowa.
And I’ve been busy with everything that is good, but the things that are good are sometimes overwhelming.
I took a glance at my life and as I transition from Hope out to the real world in fewer than eight months, there are some parts of myself I’ve been carrying with me that I’ve decided I would like to leave behind.
I’d like to be less messy and more organized. Less independent and more community-minded. Less work, more play. And I’d like to meet the sun as it wakes up in the morning.
Over the summer, I found out that I have milk, egg, and gluten allergies, which has shifted a significant portion of my eating habits (primarily for the better). Not being able to eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has been a bummer, but my body feels better than it ever has before.
God intersected my life this summer (once again) to reveal to me more places where I need to let go in order to be more like Him. And I love that, but it’s scary at the same time.
I was sitting in the balcony of Dimnent Chapel the other day, opened my sketchbook and tried to draw all that I could see. But as I looked closer at my surroundings, I began to notice all that I was forgetting. The hinge on the cabinet. The cooler sitting on the front of the stage. The lines of the stained glass windows.
I closed my eyes and I prayed out loud, in a conversation with God, “You see everything.”
It gives me peace to know that during this time of transition, He is constant. He will never fail us. He will never leave. And He knows every hair on my head, every string in the carpet underneath my feet and every thought that sits in my mind that hasn’t yet risen to the surface.
The best part of all of this, regardless of any change, is that I know I will never be left “hanging.” And I feel a lot of peace because of that.
He will provide. And that’s why this time, the final fall, will be the best beginning yet.
Do you like to run? Here is a haiku containing my answer to that question:
Running is fun but
It’s literally the worst
How’s that possible?
I ran cross country and track in high school, and so did my parents and my older brothers and my uncles (one of my uncles was actually my coach!), so I’ve kind of always been around running. I have gotten way out of the routine of running over the past couple years, partially because of back injuries and partially out of laziness and a lack of time, but this week I’ve been running again and it feels good. I downloaded the Nike Running app which tracks your time and mileage and lets you see what your friends are doing. I only have 2 friends right now, but one of them is my brother, and my main goal with this app, unbeknownst to him, is to run further than him (but definitely not faster). Ethan, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry, but you should have known this would happen when you friend requested me. Ha!
Part of the reason I’ve started running again is that I really want to run the Dance Marathon 5K in October as long as I don’t have to work. I also just enjoy running around Holland because I always discover something new! Just this morning I ran past a coffeeshop that I didn’t know existed and now I’m so excited to go there. Here are a few cool places that I have enjoying running to (or through) so far!
Windmill Island
This photo is the property of renny67 on Flickr, and I am using it here under a Creative Commons license.
Distance from campus: About 1.25 miles, depending on where you live on campus and whether or not you run all the way around the loop at Windmill Island.
Windmill Island is probably the #1 spot for runners in Holland to Instagram in the middle of their run. It’s a really cool place in Holland that is super scenic to run through.
Holland Historic District
Distance from campus: 0.25-1.25 miles, depending on where you live on campus and which part of the historic district you want to run through. I like the part that is further away, nearer to Kollen Park and the Holland Civic Center!
I love looking at the well-kept, older homes in this section of town. It’s pretty close to campus, so it’s easy to incorporate into a running route. I always see new things when I run through the Historic District!
Kollen Park
I discovered this on a run to Kollen Park one time. I am a sucker for boats!
Distance from campus: About 1 mile, depending on where you live.
I love running to Kollen Park because it’s right on Lake Macatawa. I love being around boats and water, so running here is totally worth it to me.
Window on the Waterfront Park
Distance from campus: A little less than a mile, depending on where you live.
Window on the Waterfront is cool because it is also on Lake Mac and it has some trails that go through it. It’s also located really close to Windmill Island, so you can easily combine both those spots into one run!
Since none of these places are too far from campus, I like to combine more than one of them into a run and add in some other stuff through other sections of town to get the mileage that I want. I almost always run to at least one of these spots though, because I know I will enjoy it!
Where do you like to run? Let me know or just keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or shoot me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu. Thanks for reading!
“The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”
My roommate, Kristin, and her parents kindly offered to welcome us into their home for the weekend. So on Friday Kristin and I packed up, grabbed our best friend, and left our bee problem and campus behind us for the weekend. We drove an hour and a half south to La Porte, Indiana, counting the significant amount of police cars already out and about watching the Labor Day weekend traffic as we went.
That night we went to New Buffalo to go to the beach and eat dinner. We went at the perfect time. The sun was beginning to set, throwing its brilliant colors across the sky and on the water and the beach had an abundant supply of nice, flat stones. We spent a while skipping (or attempting to skip) stones as the sun sank in the sky (much like most of the stones I threw in the water). It was fun, peaceful, and a welcome step away from the hectic whirlwind of getting back to campus and college life.
Ashley, the stone skipping pro
Kristin, a better stone skipper than me.
A beautiful night
Ashley and me courtesy of Kristin’s Snapchat
We climbed the dunes for an optimal view of the sunset before heading to dinner.
Sunset from the beach
Sunset from the top of the dunes
Finally, we ended the night with some ice cream
I tried Blue Moon ice cream for the first time
Saturday was spent mostly on sleep, homework, and a preview of what dinners next year will be like when we have to cook for ourselves. And Sunday was some more sleep, homework, and food before heading back to campus for the first Gathering of the year and a little more homework. Weekend #1 was fun, peaceful, and a welcome step away from the hectic whirlwind of getting back to campus and college life. I’m looking forward to all the adventures that lie ahead, on campus and off.
Thanks for reading & Happy Hump Day!
~Erin
I post some thoughts and (mostly lots of) pictures about life at Hope through my eyes on Instagram (@e_delaney333) and Twitter (@HopeErin18) if you like using those forms of social media! Also feel free to email me at erin.hoolahan@hope.edu if you have any questions or comments 🙂
School is back in session and I am deep into my academic life that consists of books, books, and more books. Being a Religion major is sweet because you get to read tons of books, but also you have to read tons of books at times when perhaps you would rather be at the beach or sleeping or painting or whatever you do for fun. I’ve spent more time in the library already this semester than I probably have the last two years combined, but that is mostly because last year I was always doing homework in my dorm room at 3 a.m… ANYWAYS, this year when I’m not in the library or at class or work, you can usually find me in my cottage!
It’s pretty cool that Hope has such great houses like mine on campus!
Living in a cottage has some drawbacks, like being a little further away from academic buildings and downtown Holland, having to shovel more snow in the winter, and having to clean more in general (how adult of all of us!), but there are a whole bunch of things about it that make it great!
The kitchen.
I was so jazzed about my kitchen before moving in, and I am still so thankful for it! I’m not on meal plan this year (partially due to Holland’s incumbent Chick-Fil-A), so I’ve been in the kitchen of my house a lot. It’s so nice to have a place to cook that I don’t have to share with an entire res hall!
Dinner with Tolstoy, anyone?
The laundry.
I have laundry in my house. All I have to do is walk down the stairs and it’s right there. What joy!
The space.
My house has a living room with a sliding door that separates it from the dining room, which is great for times when someone in the house needs to have a meeting or do homework in one room or the other. We also have a nice screened-in porch where I’ve been sitting on cooler nights to do homework or talk on the phone. My room is also way bigger than my rooms in res halls ever were, and…
The closet.
This is not a common thing to all cottages (or even all the rooms in one cottage), but my closet is HUGE you guys. Seriously. My roommate and I could probably both fit our beds in there if we really wanted to. Now we can buy all the clothes. But we’re trying to pay for college so please encourage us to not buy all the clothes.
The humans.
In res halls, you get placed with at least some people that you do not know (especially your freshman year when you hardly know anyone), which can be really great, but sometimes you wish you could just be with all your friends. In cottages, you can be! The RA of your house gets to pick at least half of the people you’re living with, depending on how many occupants live in your cottage. My cottage has eight people in it, so the RA (my roommate), actually got to pull in every single person in our house. We didn’t all know each other really well before move-in day, but I’m getting to know each person little by little as the semester starts to move on. It’s super cool!
Here are all the lovely humans that I live with!
I am also rooming with my best friend Allix this year, which has been the greatest. I knew it would be good going into it, but since I didn’t have a roommate last year, I didn’t know exactly how everything would go. It’s been so good though! I’ve had two really awesome roommates so far in college and I’m so thankful that we all made our way to Hope!
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Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about cottage life or just want to keep up with me, follow me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or email me at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”
Hello, Readers! I hope your semesters are going great and you had a great Labor Day. Hopefully your weekend was fun and enjoyable and you aren’t too buried in homework yet!
Ever since I first came to Hope, I was engrossed in the fact that I had the prospect of living in a cottage at some point during my upperclassman years. Hope does a very interesting housing arrangement that other schools don’t – they buy houses in the close surrounding community and let students live in them as on-campus housing. Every one of my friends that don’t go to Hope think this is extremely weird since most schools hop from dorms straight to apartments (complete with their very own set of bills to pay). But the way Hope’s houses work is that they are looked at as on campus – so you get the idea of living in a house, but not the overwhelming responsibilities that come with it. So today, I’ll be talking about the pros and cons of cottage life! Take these into consideration as you think about what you want housing to look like for you within the next few years.
This is my sister and myself in front of our cozy cottage! Yes we’re twins. Yes we live together. (I only say it because I know you’re thinking it.)
PROS
You get to live with all your friends. Such a good time! If you plan it right, all your friends will be in the same place – hopefully with you in the same house! My housemates/friends and I were super fortunate to be placed in a cozy little cottage this ear. Nine girls may seem like a lot to some people, but every day’s a great day when I get to come home to those girls. Such blessings!
You get to make your own meals. Truly, anything you want. You want Oreos for dinner and can’t get them in Phelps? Go ahead and eat the whole package. One special thing (or at least I think it’s special) that my house unintentionally does is eat breakfast together, since most of us have places to be at 8 a.m. Granted, there’s not much talking or joking, but the community of different breakfasts just makes me very happy! The house feels homey because we’re all together doing a common thing, and I love that.
Common space, common space, common space! Cottages come with a kitchen, living room and bedrooms, just like a house. This means that if you’re ready to pull an all nighter, all you have to do is walk downstairs to the living room or common area. This is similar to what you’d do in a dorm, but in a house, there whole house is yours to use. It’s just a different feeling. You’ll know it once you live in a cottage. 🙂
CONS
You get to live with all your friends. Living with friends is great, absolutely great, but with that comes living with everything about your friends. Living with them you will see their true colors: slob, mess maker, or noise enthusiast, whatever it may be. I haven’t experienced anything like this yet (and hopefully never will) but I’ve heard plenty of stories. Plus, it doesn’t bring much opportunity for new friendships. You really have to be on the ball about being intentional with people who aren’t living with you. It’s tested me already this year, but I’m getting better at making plans with people who don’t live with me.
You get to make your own meals. Most upperclassmen are on 7+ meal plan which gets you seven swipes at Phelps, Cook or the Kletz each week (plus other things, but that is neither here nor there). That means that you still have 14 meals you need to figure out yourself. And I’ll be honest… most days I truly don’t feel like making myself a meal. Breakfast is easy, but lunch gets a little trickier each day, especially when you’re used to mom keeping the fridge stocked with your favorite healthy snacks. The transition is hard, but once you get the hang of it, things are AOK.
Common space, common space, common space. Common space is wonderful! But sometimes people just get there first. Now, if they’re doing homework that’s one thing, but that could lead to rowdy conversation (like it does for my house every night!). Or there might be a movie night going on and you have so much homework that you just need some peace and quiet. It’s a love/hate thing with common space.
Obviously I was cliché and used the same ideas for pros and cons, but it’s so true for each idea. There are pros and cons to every aspect of living in a cottage. It’s a great housing option that Hope offers, and even though I’m still new to it, I love it and would recommend it to anyone – despite the pros and cons.
Until next time, readers!
Questions about what you read? Check my bio for contact info and hit me up!
College is classes, friends, homework, studying, student groups, work; in short, college is a lot. When you come from a stress-free summer where your daily schedule only consisted of work, friends from home, and hobbies, the transition can be a little strange.
During the first week of classes, you’re prepped for the entire semester. Most professors give you a schedule of what the next few months should look like – when your big exams will be, when your ten page papers will be due. At the same time, the groups you’re a part of are talking about how often they’ll meet and the expectations that they have of you as well. You blink once and you’re getting homework and (if you have an on-campus job) working.
Where do you make time to breathe?
At Hope College, there’s one answer to that for me: Chapel.
I’m so grateful for the little chances I get here to wind down and bring my feet back to the ground. Being only 20-ish minutes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, going to the Chapel service gets me through the week. It reminds me of the real reason that we’re all here. Here as in here on earth, not here at Hope College. Life is so much more than the grades we get, the people we know, or the groups that we’re a part of.
Hope also puts on the Gathering every Sunday night, which I’m looking forward to as well. It’s a great way to start your week and often a good homework break on a Sunday night.
College life can be busy, which is why I’m so glad that Hope not only values our education but also our well-being. Being back on campus is stressful, but only if you forget to let go of the things that hold you down.
Here’s a gallery of some pictures from my first week back! There’s been a lot of fun things going on from the farmer’s market downtown to soccer games and worship nights.
Working as an OA with some of my sorority sisters!
A trip to the farmer’s market with some friends!
I went to two soccer games this week. It’s actually one of the only sports I can follow. We won our first game but lost the second.
Groovin’ in the Grove was the Monday night before classes start. It’s a huge worship music night and tons of people come.
My sorority had a retreat where we discussed the upcoming semester and then helped clean the grounds of a camp that works with inner-city Chicago kids who haven’t had the opportunity to camp before!
Thanks for reading,
Brooke
If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Facebook, or my Twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!
