Thanksgiving!!!

The one thing I am looking forward to most is Thanksgiving dinner. I love all of the food (except for the nasty yams with marshmellows). I love especially my mom's homemade mac and cheese and my very own chocolate pecan pie. I'm usually the dessert maker in the family. Last year I made both pecan pie and apple pie for Thanksgiving from scratch. I even homemade the pie crust from scratch. Both turned out great-not to brag or anything. :) Usually we have thanksgiving at our house. My mom and dad usually wake up early to start preparing. Us kids (my brother, sister, and me) wake up at our leisure. When we go downstairs the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is on TV. We sit and watch for a while, and when we get bored, help my parents prepare. My grandparents, my uncle. and my cousin come over to eat with us. My grandfather sits in front of the TV as he always does and watches the dog show that comes on TV after the parade every year without fail. My grandmother helps with preparing dinner. She always brings her homemade potato salad and my grandfather brings homemade roasted pecans (two more of my favorites). My sister and I set the table. I always find some fancy way to fold the napkins and my sister decorates place cards so everyone will know where to sit (even though they inevitably get moved around anyway). When it is time for dinner, my grandfather usually says the blessing. Then we dig in. Afterwards, we keep talking for a while then eat dessert. After eating, my brother, sister, my cousin, and me go outside and run around or throw a football. The adults talk and fall asleep on the couch. Before dark (since my grandpa can't drive in the dark), we say our goodbyes, knowing we probably won't see everyone again until Christmas, my grandma, grampa, uncle, and cousin leave. After everyone is gone we sometimes go out to see a movie. Sometimes we just stay at home and play a board game or something.

This Thanksgiving, however, will be different. For one thing, my brother won't be with us for the first time. He is spending this semester abroad in Ghana. So, we won't be seeing him until mid-December. But also, this year will be different because we are going to my aunt and uncle's house instead of staying at ours. There will be people there that I will not know from my aunt's side of the family. Though it will be different, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year!

Extra Credit: International Dance Extravaganza

I've never been much into dancing but decided the International Dance Extravaganza might prove to be fun -- and it did! There was a bigger crowd there than I expected. We started by learning the steps to the samba, which is a brazilian dance. We all were facing a wall with a mirror and watching the instructor as she explained the dance. Once we all got the gist of it, we moved on to an Indian dance. This one was my favorite! I reminded me of the dance at the end of Slumdog Millionare, however, we danced to a different song than in the movie. I loved the beat and movements. Next, they showed us a video of a japanese dance. This one was quite unique. It was too long of a dance to learn the whole thing, so they showed us a part that repeats over and over. The fourth and final dance they taught us was the salsa. I really like this one too! I actually have salsa danced before because my cousin is really into salsa dancing and taught me the moves. So, I was glad to get a refresher on the basic salsa moves and learn some new ones. After they taught us those four dances, they repeated the favorites of the group, which were the indian dance and the salsa.

This was a very unique experience for me! I'm glad I went because I really love trying new things. If they did something like this again, I would not hesitate to go!

Leadership

So, what exactly is a leader? What qualities make a person suitable to be a good leader? For me, a leader is someone who can compel a group to willingly follow. A leader must have a goal in mind and a vision to attain that goal. A leader must be able to communicate exactly what the vision is and persuade followers to become passionate about it. There are numerous qualities that are necessary for becoming a good leader. One of my strengths as a leader is my openness to new ideas. Another strengh is my dedication. I will do whatever it takes to get a project done. Also, my inventiveness is a leadership strength. I can think outside of the box create new ways to get a job done. One of my weaknesses is my introvertedness. This is a weakness because leaders should be assertive and fearless. Also, due to my introvertedness, I don't feel like I connect well to other people. A good leader should be able to create good relationships.
This semester I havn't really made a difference at USC, but next semester, I hope to run for a minor leadership position in a student organization that I attend. I have also considered becoming an RM.

Mentee Conversations

My conversations about academic success and involvement went very well with my mentee. As far as academic success, she told me that she has all As and Bs. She determined that her goal is to make all As. I asked her how she thinks she can achieve her goal and she said she could study harder in the classes she is making Bs. We then went on to discussing several study strategies she could try.

As far as involvement, she has expressed to me that she would like to join the chorus next semester. This past meeting, however, she told me that she might be moving in January and might have to go to a different middle school. So, she may not be able to join the chorus. Currently, she is involved with the step team at a church and wants to join the step team at Hand.

Me and my mentee are connecting by playing computer games. Every time we meet, she leads me to the library and goes to a computer. She likes a website called funbrain.com where all of the games are educational. We play the games together and talk as we play.

I don't know how I will say goodbye to my mentee at our last meeting. I feel like I've barely had enough time to get to know her, and we already have to say goodbye. Maybe, I will bring her a gift or something. I will tell her how glad I am that I got to know her and I will wish her luck for the years to come.

Capstone Cinema

I went to see "The Sam Spady Story" to count as my Capstone Cinema. The presentation was quite moving. A speaker talked to us and then showed us a video about a college student named Sam Spady who died from alcohol poisoning. She had a very outgoing personality. She was class president in high school and prom queen her senior year. In college, she went partying at a sorority house with a group of friends and she was drinking all night. She was so drunk she couldn't walk. Her friends laid her down on a couch not realizing how wasted she actually was and left her there by herself. Her body was found dead the next morning while someone was giving a tour of the building. After her death, her parents created the Sam Spady foundation to make college students aware of the risks of drinking. The presentation was very effective. It explained the signs of alcohol poisioning and how to handle a situation if someone experienced those signs.

Capstone Conversation

This blog post is actually really delayed since I went to this event quite a few weeks ago. I went to the Capstone Conversation when President Pastedes spoke. He talked about making the most of your college experience and life. He told us to get involved as much as we can, to discover our passions, and to take risks. He recounted a story about a time he took a risk in life that I remember because I thought it was funny. Patrick Hickey asked him to go skydiving with the USC skydiving club last spring. He was very hesitant but eventually decided to do it. On the plane, the first tandem pair would jump out and yell "GAME." The next pair would jump out and yell "COCKS." The next would yell "GAME," and so forth. When it was Pastedes turn, he remembered hearing his tandem partner yell "COCKS" and before he knew it, he was falling from the sky. The funny part is after they landed, Pastedes said to his tandem partner as they parted, "Well, I guess I'll see you around campus." His partner replied, "You won't be seeing me around campus Mr. Pastedes, I go to Clemson."

Extra Credit: Truffles!

I had never seen a truffle in my life until I went to this presentation. The speaker, Chef Pernell, was very enthusiastic about truffles (obsessed may be a more appropriate word). He let us know right away that truffles have been a passion of his since he tryed his first one in the late 1980s. He went through a powerpoint presentation that included everything you would ever want to know about truffles. I learned that a truffle is a type of fungus that can only be found by a female pig because the scent triggers sex hormones. Lately, however, dogs have been trained to sniff out truffles. There are two main types of truffles. White truffles are quite rare and are found mostly in Italy and can be priced as high as $3,000 per pound. Dark truffles are found mostly in France and are cheaper than the white ones but are still priced in the hundreds. I was really surprised about the price. I also learned that truffles are found growing at the base of only certain types of trees (two of which were oak and hazelnut trees). The truffles and the trees have a symbiotic relationship (they both benefit from each other somehow). The presentation included two short videos. One showed how pigs and dogs scavenge the truffles. The other video showed some sort of church ceremony in France where they were passing a basket of truffles around and the people added money to the basket. French people take their truffles seriously. After the presentation, Chef Pernell took us to the kitchen where we all sampled a truffle soup that he prepared. I was impressed by how much I liked it. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms but the truffle soup had a more mild taste that I really enjoyed. He also had chocolate truffles for us to try. These were amazing as well (especially since chocolate is my weakness)! He told us that the name for chocolate truffles was derived from truffles since they look similar (same size and shape). I'm glad I went to the presentation and got to experience truffles!

Spirituality

Religion, faith, and spirituality are different. Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's life by explaining the purpose and meaning of life. Faith is someone's individual belief in a religion's beliefs and practices. Spirituality can be an aspect of a religious experience but may also refer to one's individual belief (not necessarily affiliated with a religion). For me, religion and faith have played a major role in setting some of my values in life. I grew up in a Catholic family and we would always go to church together every Sunday. I've received baptism, first communion, reconciliation, and conformation in the Catholic church. These are the first four of the seven sacraments which are very important in Catholicism. My family also celebrates all of the Christian holidays. I personally, however, am not too spiritual. Over the past few years, I have been having opposing thoughts on some of the Catholic beliefs. Hoping to strengthen my faith, I continue to attend mass weekly at St. Thomas Moore here at USC. I also have joined the Newman Club, which is the Catholic student organization.

Relationships

Some new relationships I have formed here at USC include those with teachers/faculty, classmates, the people that live on my floor, my mentee at Hand, people I've met in student organizations, and other random people I've met. All of these relationships can potentially advocate my success at USC. Good relationships with teachers and faculty will allow me to ask for recommendations when looking for a job or applying for something. The relationships I've made with my classmates and the people on my floor has allowed me to have an open mind by showing me other viewpoints and opinions (especially during the discussions in U101). My relationship with my mentee at Hand has also allowed me to keep an opened mind, however, in a different way than with my relationship with my peers my age. With my mentee I get to see life from the perspective of a middle schooler which is clearly different from a college student's perspective. The relationships I've made with the people in the student organizations I go to favor my success too. These are people who share some of the same intersest as me. This group of people is very diverse since there are three very different student oragnization meetings that I attend weekly. Attending these meetings and meeting these people has helped me focus on what I really want and value in life.

Each of these relationships offers something different and makes me a stronger person in one way or another, which ultimately advocates my success.

Wellness

I feel like I am leading a balanced college student life. I probably spend most of my time studying. I sometimes go to the SI sessions for calculus and chemistry. I go to three student organization meetings per week. I fit in time to practice piano for my lesson each week, and I go to the gym several times per week. Sometimes I meet a friend for lunch or dinner. On weekends I either go to a football game, go on a trip with the mountaineering and whitewater club, or go home. On weekends I usually don't wake up until 11 AM. I wish I had more time during the week to practice piano and go to the gym. I honestly don't know how I can fit that into my current schedule. I've been thinking of signing up for a phys. ed. class next semester so I will be forced to get enough exercise.

First Mentoring Experience

My first mentoring experience went very well. She gave me a tour of the school. She showed me her classes, her locker, the cafeteria, the track outside, and the basketball courts where she has recess. She is a very sweet girl and is very close to her family. Her older brother sounds like a troublemaker. She told me that last year he managed to fail all of his classes. My mentee, however, is very smart. She is taking advanced classes and is making good grades in them. Her parents are separated and she lives with her mother. She told me that she likes to take care of her mother. Last weekend her mother was sick and she did whatever her mother asked of her until she felt better. Her mother works at one of the sorority kitchens at USC. From what I understand, her lack of involvement right now is due to her mother working late hours and not being able to pick her up from an after school activity. My mentee plans to join the choir at Hand next semester. I hope this works out for her.