Doha Makes Couscous

On Friday we got out of language class early for cooking class! It was pretty fun, because we learned how to make couscous but the entire cooking class was in Arabic. I picked up some new vocabulary while learning to make a Moroccan delicacy!

Fridays are for couscous--every week, we get out of school early so that we can enjoy lunch with our families. The most popular type is "7-vegetable couscous" which is what most of our families make for us. For this lesson though, Doha, our homestay coordinator, made a sweet-and-salty version with caramelized onions and golden raisins (YUM!).

(By the way, yes I did make couscous at school, eat it, and then go home and eat more couscous. You can never eat enough here.)

Couscous here is not like in the States, where you can open a box and spend five minutes boiling it and bam, couscous. It's steamed here, and takes at least an hour to cook. It's a meal that takes a lot of time, so families eat it on Fridays when everyone is home due to it being a holy day.

Doha informed us that her mother is much better at making couscous, but we enjoyed it nonetheless!

My classmates smelling the spices.

The mixture had onions, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and tons of other delicious flavors!

Hungry? I don't blame you. It was ladeed--delicious!

"In this house, everyone is family."

Salaamu Alaikoum!

Wa alaikoum salaam!

Labas?

Labas! 

I understand it's been forever since I updated you all--sorry! Between not having the best WiFi, dealing with a packed schedule, and trying to explore a new country, I haven't had much time to get my thoughts on paper (or screen). But I sure have had a lot of them! And it can be difficult communicating thoughts when you're surrounded by very limited amounts of English and massive amounts of languages you wish you knew (or thought you knew--Spanish!) but don't. So it's nice to have a blog for that.

Wow, where should I even begin?

First things first, you'll notice there's been a bit of a makeover. I figured, I'm not at SMC anymore so I should go for more of a Moroccan vibe. On our first day here, I was so inspired by something Badrdine said that I wrote it down: "The more confused you are, the more you understand Morocco...it's a mosaic; it's not a melting pot."

(Don't you just love Badrdine? So wise!)

That's where the new title came in. This is My Mosaic, a document of what Morocco is starting to mean to me. I'm also very confused (in a good way), so I think this works. The photo is looking down from the second floor of my school, the CCCL. It's a very old building and that mosaic on the floor is the original.

The last time I wrote on here I was about to meet my host family...I was so nervous. Terrified, even. But as soon as they called my name and my sister walked up to me and kissed my face, I knew I'd be okay. I'm glad Azizah was the one to pick me up, though it was a surprise because the info sheet I was given said I only had a mother and four brothers (wow). However, I quickly learned that Azizah is married to one of the brothers (who actually left for California the morning I moved in so we never met) and another one moved with his wife to Australia. That leaves two brothers, Abdelilah and Mostapha, who are the kindest/funniest/most caring people I've probably ever met. Abdelilah is also moving to California (emigration is actually a pretty big issue for Morocco) at the end of this week, so we're all excited for him but quite sad to see him leave.

My mama, Rahma, has been a joy for me since the second we met. I was sitting on the couch in my room (it's a living room type of area with my bedroom curtained off) when she came running through the doors with open arms smiling and saying "Lauren, Lauren!" She grabbed my face for a double-kiss and immediately began feeding me, and she hasn't stopped since. She's an incredible cook and it's hard to turn down food...not just because it's so delicious, but also because it's her mission to make me "fat," according to my brothers. (SIT warned us this would happen--when you finish your food, your family yells "kuli, kuli!" and motions for you to keep eating by pushing bread into your hands). We do not speak the same language, but I find it surprisingly easy to communicate with her through hand gestures. She speaks to me anyway, as if I know what she's saying, and I just smile and she pats my back and that's enough for the both of us. Actually, one of my favorite times of day is right before I leave for school in the morning when I join her for breakfast. We're the only two awake at that time, and I always walk into the kitchen area (which is also a living room/bedroom where my brothers sleep) to find her sitting on the couch waiting for me with bread, cheese, olive oil and a pot of hot coffee. She pats the seat next to her on the couch to motion for me to sit, and I've found that she likes to pour the coffee and make everything for me so I let her do it and say "shoukran" (thank you). We eat together in the quiet and then I say thank you again and get on my way to school.

(By the way, for those of you who know me, you'll be surprised to know that I actually LOVE the coffee here. My mama makes it well because it's mostly warm milk with a little bit of coffee and sugar--Moroccans love their sugar!)

I realized I made the description of the house sound small, so let me clarify: this house is HUGE. When you walk in there's an open square with no roof (a typical architectural style for houses in the medina) and then you can go inside to the rooms that branch off of it. My room is straight ahead, with Azizah's room behind it. The kitchen area is next to it, and the bathroom next to that, but they're not attached so you walk through the open square to get to them (at some point I'll get pictures up here). The bathroom has both a western and a Turkish toilet, but to shower I just use the faucet in the wall with a big bucket (the hammam is still very popular in Morocco, so I'm hoping to try it sometime). The kitchen/living room is a long room with a big couch going along the wall, long enough for two or three people to line up on it to sleep. This is very common in Moroccan homes, and even my bed is more of a small couch.

I haven't seen much of the rest of the house because the whole extended family lives here and each family has their own space. I wait until I'm invited inside, which usually happens with the kids (playtime is a universal language). I did go up to the roof with Mostapha the other day, and it's awesome up there. You can see pretty much the whole medina and I was able to pick out my school (it's the tallest building inside the medina). It's a great reading spot for warm days!

But anyway, the kids! They're great. There's Azizah's daughter, Mellek (meaning "Angel"), who is about a year old. She's a very happy baby and she loves to walk, even though she's not awesome at it quite yet. There's Sivdeen, Bediaa's son, who I guess would be my cousin? He's an adorable little troublemaker who was very shy with me at first. He'd burst into a room yelling something, and when he'd realize I was there, he'd hide behind someone and timidly say "salaam" and then run away. However, it's a good thing I thought to bring toys, because I gave him a slinky and we've been buddies ever since. Sivdeen has (at least) two toddler-aged siblings whose names I can't remember, and there are at least three little girls around here somewhere too. Then there's Oussama, who is a 14-year-old English/Arabic speaking computer whiz and is just as awesome as I made him sound. He was with Azizah when she came to pick me up (he pulled my heavy suitcase all the way through the maze of the medina for me!), and he's been by my side ever since. Although he's technically a cousin (or...nephew?) he calls me sister and I call him brother. He is my resident Fus'ha (Arabic) tutor, and in exchange for his patience and linguistic expertise he gets to play around on my laptop when I'm done with my homework. It's a win-win for both of us.

I have so many great stories about my host family already. As soon as I got here, Azizah showed me my room and helped me get settled in. Then, she took me by the shoulders, looked directly into my eyes and said, "Lauren, everyone in this house is family. YOU are family." I am so grateful that this family was so quick to welcome me into their home and (quite literally) give me all they have to give. I feel like I don't deserve to be treated so lovingly without them even knowing me at first, but now I truly feel like they are my family, just like how I felt the same way about Saint Mike's after a few weeks.

On my first night in my new home, my brothers took me for a walk through the medina and the casbah (a beautiful ancient fortress right on the beach, about a minute's walk and one scary street-crossing away from the medina). In the casbah, they stopped so I could get a henna painted on my hand, and then they bought me cotton candy out near the beach. On the way back home we stopped for soup (I don't even know what it's called but you can find it everywhere and it has chickpeas in it and it's SO good) AND they bought sweets. Then I had to go home and eat dinner! I have to admit though, going for a walk with my brothers is one of my favorite things. We always end up having an adventure, whether it was the day we ventured in a tiny rowboat over to Sale or the time they were teaching me how to get to school from the house and they let me take the lead (I got lost, obviously...but I've got it now!).

Basically, I could not ask for a better family. I'm lucky, too--everyone in my group gets along with their families okay, but it seems only very few of us have formed great relationships while everyone else is more or less left alone.

OH! And my brothers even helped me with my first reporting assignment! I had to write a food story, so I decided to go talk to some food vendors in the medina and eventually chose to write about the snail soup guy. Abdelilah would not stop talking about how good the snails are one day, and it piqued my interest. I asked them to go with me so that they could translate during the interview, and they agreed. I bought us a round of snails, and I thought I would just try one, but the vendor wouldn't quite go for that (neither would my brothers). So, I ate a whole darn bowl of them. To tell you the truth, they weren't bad! I'm definitely glad I had the experience--and even more glad that I feel fine 24 hours later so they didn't make me sick (I was already sick this weekend--I knew it was going to happen, and I'm kind of happy to have gotten it over with sooner rather than later).

My brothers are so cool, they even helped some of my friends with their assignments too. One was having trouble even finding a vendor who would agree to an interview, but since Abdelilah and Mostapha know pretty much everyone (it seems), they got her a good last-minute chat with a fig/date seller.

I could go on forever about how great everyone is, but instead I'll leave you with some pictures of snails. Just think about me eating them. Mmm mmm. Hungry?

People just gather around the cart and the vendor puts a steaming bowl in front of you. You pick up a shell and pull the snail out with a toothpick, simultaneously separating it from the stomach contents. Not very easy...it took me a few tries and my bros had a good laugh! 

Snails are very good for you, full of protein and a popular winter snack in Morocco. You can also drink the broth, which is pumped with flavorful spices!

Salamu Alaikoum!

"Peace be with you!"

Tuesday, January 28th

I have now ended my second full day in Morocco! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but the WiFi is quite spotty at my hotel and I haven't had much time to spare. I figured tonight would be a good time because I am completely exhausted and I don't want to wear myself out or get sick.

Rabat is absolutely beautiful, and I am so happy I chose to come here. The views are gorgeous, the people are warm and friendly, and my group is awesome. There is still a lot that I need to get used to, but that's expected for any first-time experience in a different culture.

I was pushed out of my comfort zone before even arriving in Rabat! I was about to board my connecting flight in Paris when my name was called over the loud speaker. I had been standing in line with some brand new SIT friends and I realized I had a different class on my ticket, so I thought they just wanted me to board before them. But when I got up there a man pulled me aside and told me (in English, thank goodness) that the receipt on my luggage had been ripped off and I had to go to the plane with him and claim it before they board it on the plane. I said okay without a second thought, but as he led me outside and down a flight of stairs to a white van and told me to get in, I got a bit worried. It just seemed so strange and I hadn't told anyone where I was going. I've never flown out of the country or by myself before either so I was already overwhelmed and tired from jet-lag and my previous 6 or 7-hour flight.

He could detect my discomfort, so he explained that the plane was not attached to the ramp and parked further away. Then he asked me about my trip and why I chose to go to Morocco. We chatted the whole way to the plane and he told me that I was going to love it and not to worry because the people are wonderful, the food is delicious, the sights are breathtaking, and it's very safe. In the end he completely settled my nerves about everything, not just the luggage, and after I said the suitcase was mine he allowed me to board the plane early.

Sorry for the length before we even get to Morocco, but that story has been on my mind since it happened because it's just so crazy!

When we got to the airport in Rabat we were pleasantly surprised that it was over 60 degrees and sunny. We were silent with awe during the drive to the hotel, watching all of the people and seeing the beautiful archtecture, open spaces and the Atlantic Ocean (which has much bigger waves on this side, by the way!).

I just tried uploading a picture but it's taking forever and I need to get to sleep soon, so I'm going to ignore all of the blogging rules and write you a long text post with no pictures. I'll post those when I'm at school and the WiFi is better.

Speaking of school, it is the most beautiful building I have ever stepped into. I can't believe I'll be taking classes there--it's called the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, or 3CL as I nicknamed it, which has caught on with many of the students. It's an Andalusian-style building (influenced by the Andalusian era, 1400-1600) built in the 19th century with all of its original mosaics and structure still in place. We have a rooftop terrace where you can go up and see all of Rabat and its several districts, all with architecture influenced by French, Spanish, Moorish, and Arab styles.

Our school is the tallest building in the medina, or the old city that has completely tiled streets and is surrounded by walls. Everything is in there--homes, marketplaces, even cars although I think they're technically not supposed to drive through there with the narrow streets and mass crowds of pedestrians. It's chaotic, but you learn to navigate it quickly and it's a wonderful experience. The food areas always smell amazing.

THE FOOD. Oh my gosh, the food. I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of the meat, but that's expected from a previous 4 and a 1/2-year vegetarian. I try everything though in order to practice for my host family (we meet them on Thursday), and the chicken isn't bad when it's not dark meat. I really don't like the beef though, but the sauce is always really yummy so normally I have a little bit of meat and then just dunk my bread in the sauce. The bread is amazing, and it's served with every meal. We also get chocolate croissants every morning from the hotel. Yum! There is always fresh fruits and vegetables, and now I understand what people mean when they say American produce has no taste. I've had the best bananas, oranges, apples, cucumbers and tomatoes I've ever eaten. So far my favorite things are the tagine (vegetables that are stewed in a certain way, and sometimes chicken or other meat is added), and the lentils and sweet squash we had with lunch today. I want to try the street food too, but the program coordinators told us to go slow with that and make sure we get something served hot so as to avoid illness.

Today we went on a "drop-off," where we all got on a bus and were dropped off in groups of 3 around the city (the "new city" outside the medina) and try to find our way back to 3CL. My group was the first to be dropped off and we were still quite close to the medina, so it wasn't as challenging as we hoped. We even had time to stop and buy minutes for our cell phones (although mine still isn't working...hmmm...). We were still the first ones back! But don't worry, we were all given 20 dirhams to take a cab in case we got too lost.

By the way, it's about 8 dirhams for a US dollar. Cab fare is very cheap, as are most things--I paid 215 dirhams for a cell phone with SIM card. A cup of mint tea at a cafe is about 7 dirhams, less than a dollar. By the way, I'm already addicted to the tea!

We also went on a bus tour today, so we got to explore all of Rabat and Sale (Sah-lay), which is a more French-influenced city right over the bridge from Rabat. While in Rabat, we drove through a protest in front of the parliament building. Our guide Nabil said he thought the protest was for teachers (hey dad, you reading?!) demanding better pay and asking to not have to take exams in order to get a promotion (all teachers already have a degree). It seemed pretty peaceful, with people walking in lines holding hands, chanting and carrying signs. Badrdine (Badr for short), one of the journalism program coordinators, said they're very common due to the high number of human rights organizations and NGOs. He told us not to participate in them, but as journalists we will be fine standing on the sidelines and asking someone near the edge what they're fighting for. I may never end up doing that depending on what I choose to research, but it was good to know that students have done it in the past.

Among the many orientation lectures we've had so far, I've enjoyed the ones with Badr most. He gave us a lesson on bargaining today because in the medina, it's not appropriate to buy something for the first price offered. Especially as an American, bargaining is a way to show an understanding of the culture. To prove that, it's obviously best to bargain in Arabic, so we learned some key words and phrases (I think I will make a sidebar at some point to keep track of words I'm learning). We also take a "survival Arabic" course tomorrow before we're given 20 dirhams and sent off to bargain on our own. I'm more nervous about this than the drop-off because I know zero Arabic besides what I've been told so far. All of our classes start Monday.

I'm so sorry for the length, and believe it or not I haven't told you everything! I'll try to update more frequently so that you don't get novels. And pictures to come!

Besslama (Cheers!),

Lauren

15 days.

It's strange--the longer I wait, ironically, the less ready I feel. If I could hop on a plane right now and be landed in Rabat in the morning, I'd do it. Then I wouldn't have all this time to think about everything that could possibly go wrong. I'd be immersed already, the nervous jitters fading as the acceptance of a new place and "no turning back now" sets in.

I know that's how it'll happen, too--I'll be terrified right up until I step off the plane and into an unknown city. Then I'll be too busy to be scared. I'll preoccupy myself with trying to find my group, get to the hotel, unpack, and begin orientation. I'll be nervous to meet my host family, but again, too busy to really soak it in. I wish I could be there already and get all of the awkward parts over with, so that I can really settle in.

That will all happen soon, of course, but not soon enough for me. Until then, I'll wake up thinking about Morocco. Spend the day trying to get things done while in a daze wondering what my life will be like in Morocco. Go to sleep imagining the night sky in Morocco. Over and over again. Just as I've done for the past ten days already!

I was looking through my itinerary and a little saddened to see that Casablanca was not listed. No Tangier, either. I'm hoping to possibly explore those cities either on a weekend or perhaps during my ISP period, as I already have my plane ticket purchased for my return trip and didn't allow for any travel time after the program ends. I really don't want to end up regretting that decision, so I hope I can get there at some point. Otherwise, it looks like a great schedule packed with some really interesting places. I'm particularly excited for Marrakech, Fez, and Ceuta.

Most of my friends who are studying abroad are either at their destinations already or leaving within the next few days. My friends returning to Saint Mike's are starting school this week. The reality is sinking in now, and the range of emotion it brings is insane. One minute I'm depressingly sad about not going back to Saint Mike's, the next I'm practically jumping for joy over the prospect of this new life in a new country and all of the opportunities it brings, and even in the next minute I'm perfectly content just sitting on my couch at home reading books for the rest of my life. I'm going to miss my friends and family, and I'm going to be uncomfortable at times, and I'm probably going to get lonely too. But it might be time for me to get a little uncomfortable. It's in these circumstances when we truly learn, right?

To all my friends out there--no matter the destination, safe travels!

Lauren

My SMC Family

So, it's kind of insane that fall has come and gone.
And now I'm home.
And I won't be returning to Saint Mike's until August.

Yeah, I'm freaking out a little.

I'll return to those thoughts in my next few posts, but for now I wanted to take this semester-in-review and focus on some of the crazy, awesome, fun, ridiculous happenings that went on while living in #TH103.

Since this could easily turn into another novel, I figured I'd let the pictures do the talking this time.

However, you'll find that the general theme of these photos revolves less around academics (which, trust me, is a VERY important part of college, but certainly not the entire experience) and more around family. Because my SMC friends are not only friends: they are my home away from home. They are an extension of my family. I started thinking about this much more when this happened:

My mom sent me a Christmas package, and inside were a number of little gifts for not only me, but all three of my housemates. This was her way of saying that she understands when I'm with her for Thanksgiving break but then I talk about "going home to Saint Mike's." These girls started out as friends, but they're no longer friends. They're family.

My housemates and I did pretty much everything together this semester. Here, we're dressed up as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Halloween. Yeah, we're those kinds of girls. Be jealous.

My housemates and I, plus our friends Emma and Merrill, on the day we all moved in. L to R: Emma, Cara, Merrill, myself, Alex, and Cait.

Liz (L) and Sheila (R) have been part of my SMC family since day one. Even before that for Sheila, who lives in my town and went to high school with me!

  

Not that I condone climbing furniture or anything, but if you're running out of places to owl or you need a quiet spot to read, don't rule out the top of your fridge. Cait and Cara had quite the blast with that!

Cara was my roommate this semester. She's an MJD major just like me, so it was pretty cool to have someone to come home to who could share ideas and relate to some of the stuff I was working on--she was even my editor for one of my Defender articles! Whether we were working, acting like 2-year-olds and having finger painting fights at the Art Hop, or getting dressed up for no reason on the weekends, we made some great memories this semester before we part ways for studying abroad this spring.

Nate is another one of my MJD buddies, and we spent a lot of time together this semester with two of the same classes and a group project. We're pretty darn hilarious (or at least we think we are), and we can be pretty crazy sometimes...he even got me to dye a strip of my hair blonde this semester!

Some more MJD family. Juliana, Lauren ("Mazzy") Mazzoleni, and Lauren Carter got me through my 8am Magazine Writing class with lots of laughs. In fact, the two Laurens and I collectively became known as "the Lauren Corner" in that class because we always sat together. When our professor (the fabulous Allison Cleary) asked a question and called on "Lauren" for a response, all three of us would answer!

My blogging family. Juliana, Boates, myself, and Mazzy. Not pictured: countless incredible others, such as Lisa Ritter, Alex Byrne, Alex Brenock, and Merrill Poor, just to name a few...and our fearless leader Christian, who held a Christmas party for us!

Alex was one of my housemates this semester, and I can't tell you the number of times we told each other we wished we had gotten closer sooner. As a fellow blogger and my friend Cait's sophomore year roommate, I was always acquainted with Alex, and we were basically brought together this year because we were both going into our townhouse with Cait. She is now one of my best friends, and we're scarily similar. We did everything together this semester!

Those are my most recent photos from this semester, but it's hardly an accurate representation of the true size and depth of my SMC family. For instance, I've yet to upload photos from our Secret Santa celebration, but that's something I do every year with my core group of friends from freshman year, including my old roommate Maya and three of my go-to guys, Shawn, Danny and Cori. There are the lovely ladies I go to Sloane with every Tuesday, the people I met through group projects, or my entire Reporting for Media class, which got very close as we helped each other revise our final projects. There are the numerous faculty members who I've come to view almost as parental figures in their wisdom. I even had an alumni mentor this semester who did everything from share his personal story to review my resume to make sure I was presenting my best self to possible employees. 

These are all SMC family members, and they are what makes the difference for me. I've been saying since Day 1 that the best thing about Saint Mike's is the people, and I'm still a firm believer in that.

Now, we're all going off in different directions: Sheila, Lauren and Liz to England; Alex, Mazzy and Merrill to Ireland; Juliana to South Africa; Maya and Emma to Spain; Mary to South Korea; Greta to Denmark; Cait to Ecuador; Cara to Costa Rica; my friend Jesse to the Navy; and myself to Morocco. I imagine this is what senior year feels like, except to a lesser extent because we're all coming back. I can't even bear to think about graduation day, but I know it'll be here faster than I think.

I'm really proud of my family and the things we're all accomplishing. These are the people who push me to be my best, and they know what I'm capable of before I even realize my potential. I can't imagine an entire semester without them, but I know they'll be with me in spirit every step of the way. It's great that we're going to have so many different experiences. Then, when we come back, we won't be able to stop talking!

I know I said I wouldn't write a lot, but I lied. Sorry. 

Moral of the story: tell your family (no matter who that means to you) you love them. Not because it's the season to do so, but simply because you do.

Happy Holidays,

Lauren

The Best Questions to Ask Your Tour Guide, Part 2

Sorry to keep you waiting, folks! As you know, it's "the most wonderful time of the year" (and I mean that with every ounce of saracasm I can muster) in terms of massive assignments and very long papers. But hey, we're all hanging in there!

And when you're hanging with your tour guide, here are some more questions you should remember to ask:

(You can find the first part to this series here.)

3.) What is the social life on campus like?

While there are a lot of things you can probably expect to find on almost any campus, there are also a lot of unique social aspects to each school. Size alone certainly makes an impact: at a small school like Saint Mike's, where everyone lives on campus, you'll know that there's always someone to talk to and that you're never alone. You can also expect that if you don't know someone personally, you probably have a friend who does, and so we're all really connected that way. That's not common at large universities.

I can also mention here that I never heard the term "suitcase school" until I toured colleges myself. Apparently some smaller schools earn this reputation when a majority of the students pack up and go home on the weekends. I've gotten the question a lot on tours, and I can definitely guarantee that at Saint Mike's, everyone stays on campus over the weekend. I live about five hours away, and I believe the average distance for students is somewhere around four. Even if I did live closer, I wouldn't want to leave. If we go away for a weekend, we come back feeling like we've missed too much!

And of course, speaking of weekends...

4.) Don't be afraid to ask. Have the alcohol talk.

A lot of students and parents don't know how to approach this question, but more often than not, it's on everyone else's mind too. The rest of your tour group will probably be grateful you asked.

When students ask me what the "party scene" is like, I tell the truth. Summed up in one sentence: Saint Mike's is what you make it. If you come here looking for a party, you'll find it. If you want to drink, you'll figure out a way to do it. On the other hand, if the party scene isn't your thing, you'll find other people who feel the same way. There are plenty of things to do on weekends that don't involve alcohol or drugs: RAs put on social events in all of the dorms, you can go get free food in the Quad at midnight, you can attend a concert at Higher Ground or a show at the Flynn, hang out on Church Street or at the waterfront, go to campus events such as plays, movie nights or speakers, or even just relax in your friend's room. During the day you can sign up for Wilderness Program outings, MOVE service events, or a number of other things to keep you busy.

I think what I like most about Saint Mike's is that no matter how you choose to spend your time, the other students are very respectful and they don't judge. If you don't want to drink but you enjoy a good dance party, your friends will be cool with that. I've never been pressured into anything that I don't want to do, and I love that. The culture here is one of respect. Students respect each other's choices and decisions, which is another reason why we're constantly talking about the amazing community we have here. 

5.) What has surprised you most about coming here?

A father once asked me this on a tour and it stopped me in my tracks. Thinking back for a minute, the answer came to me quite obviously: I couldn't believe how quickly I started calling Saint Mike's "home".

I distinctly remember going home for the first time my freshman year. I was happy to be back in New York, but I missed all of my friends at school. I don't remember what exactly I was talking to my mom about, but I mentioned that I was going to do something "when I get home."

WELL. Let me tell you, it's not very easy for a mother to hear those words. She freaked a little that I was using "the H-word" in reference to a place that was 5 hours away from her. I grew up in the same house for 18 years, so yes, that is my home...but I've also spent the past three years in a very accelerated state of living on my own, making new friends, and completely navigating a new place. And naturally, the longer I stayed, the more I fell in love with it. So yes, Saint Mike's is my home now, too. And there will always be a special place in my heart for this home--no matter where in the world I am!

So, there you have it. Part 2 of TBQTAYTG. Remember to ask any and every question that comes to mind--you don't want to leave the campus with any lingering questions, and your tour guide doesn't want you to either!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving, and if you're traveling, be safe!

Lauren

The Quarter-Life Crisis

Hey readers!

Does the title of my post look very depressing and off-putting to you? If it does...well, sorry. If it seems all too relevant, however, keep reading. There is hope. I promise.

I was just discussing the idea of the quarter-life crisis with my dear friend/housemate/fellow SMC blogger Alex, and she showed me this post from Humans of New York (if you have never checked out HONY, go click on that link and prepare for a lifetime of awesome and yet another thing to help you procrastinate. You're welcome.): HONY quarter-life crisis

For those doubters, the quarter-life crisis is actually a thing. It DOES exist. My professor even mentioned it in class the other day. She said she was concerned for us because whenever she asked any of her students how they were doing, the major response was "overwhelmed". We joked that we'd just be extra prepared for the mid-life crisis, which as she confirmed for us, also exists.

So I haven't graduated college yet (trust me I'm not rushing it), which means that my quarter-life crisis doesn't totally compare to that of the young HONY couple. But I am 20 years old, so I know a thing or two about the quarter-life crisis, even though I'm just entering it. Then again, I think I'm one of those people who is just very susceptible to it, because I felt its beginning stages very young (or maybe that just means I'm going to live a shorter life...). Ever since about 16, I've been in a constant cycle of freaking-out-ness. This involves asking questions like,

What am I doing?

What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

What have I achieved so far?

Goals? What ARE goals?

Should I be doing more? What is there to do?

Is this all really worth it?

Can I just climb back into bed and stay there forever?

Are you stressed out yet? I am.

I realize that this semester has caused me to plunge pretty deeply into the quarter-life crisis. I always thought that when I got like this I was just being whiny and overly-existential, but it seems that the quarter-life crisis is actually a thing. And so far, its climax is during junior year of college (but I'm sure this is just the beginning. Yay.). It seems that all of my friends are struggling with the same issue. As if your first two years of college are sort of stressful but mostly just a whole lot of fun and self-discovery, and then BAM. The real world hits you.

If you're struggling through your own quarter-life crisis, here are a few things I've found to work well in fighting against it:

1.) Get out of bed. Get dressed. Open the shades. Get on with your life. The longer you put things off, the worse it will be. So I like to make sure that I'm out of bed by 9am on weekends. Sleeping until noon makes me feel like I completely wasted a day to clean, do homework, and get my life together. Once you get focused, time flies, and you can accomplish a lot in one day (probably more than you thought you could).

2.) Set realistic goals. Both long and short term. Make a to-do list for your day, and cross things off as you go along. Remember to put things like "eat dinner" on your list--it's important to take care of yourself. My list for today:

Up at 9; breakfast
Apply for at least 1 internship
Write blog post
Go to Rite Aid
Transcribe interviews
Write questions and prepare for tomorrow's interview
Laundry/Organize closet
Study Abroad meeting; 4pm
Dinner
Chill Time
Bed at 11/11:30

Your long term goals can be realistic too, like "obtain summer internship"; "secure study abroad program"; "go to grad school".

3.) Chill time. Don't overwork yourself, friends. Also, don't sweat the small stuff. If you bombed your history exam, see if you can do extra credit and also study hard for the next one, but remember that one test in one class will not decide your future. Do the best you can, and then leave some room to relax. Last night I went to my friend Sheila's house and just spent time with friends there. Before I go to bed every night, I sit around the living room with my housemates and we talk about our days. When I do this, I'm focusing on winding down and enjoying time with them, not on anything I have to do.

4.) A cup of tea. This doesn't have to literally be a cup of tea, but some little thing you can do throughout the day to appreciate the little things. Repeat your favorite quote to yourself; sing; smile until you mean it. I happen to make myself tea. Probably not ideal (I should invest in non-caffeinated), but if I need seven cups then I'm going for it!   

One of my favorite quotes from Oscar Wilde, also brilliantly reincarnated in this song by Brandon Boyd.

5.) Enjoy it. This is a crazy time of life, sure--and it will only get crazier from here for the next decade or so. But being A Very Busy Adult With Many Important Things To Do* is actually kind of fun. And yes, I know what fun is. But I'm finding that when I'm doing work that means something me, I'm really happy. My favorite homework assignments are when I'm looking for a new feature story topic, because I get to spend hours searching the library and the internet for new things to spark my interest. It reminds me why I like journalism so much--I like to learn about all kinds of things, and this major allows me to research literally anything--from environmental awareness campaigns such as divestment to effective strategies for public speaking (two things I happen to be working on right now). If you're not finding interesting or fun things about the work you do, maybe it's time to consider pursuing something else. But you haven't wasted your time--you never know until you try!

Well, that was a long-winded rant. I think I mostly wrote this for myself, and for all of the friends who are going through the same kind of stress right now. There are plenty of things that could keep this list going, and I love making lists, but the main thing is: We're twenty. We're young. We have a lot of life ahead of us. We don't have to be perfect, and we don't necessarily even need to have a plan right now. All we need to do is look at this moment--right now--and realize the potential it has. We could go anywhere from this moment. That's huge, and probably intimidating. But it's also wildly exciting. So take this moment and run with it, as far as you can.

Now, I can go cross "write a blog post" off my list and get on with my life.

-Lauren

*Phrase shamelessly stolen from Cards Against Humanity.

PS- The Best Questions to Ask Your Tour Guide (TBQTAYTG?) is coming back next week! :)