Hey everyone!
This is my first Clark Diaries entry of the semester, and I’m so happy to share my life with you a little bit. It’s been an exciting fall, and time is seriously whizzing by… I can’t believe that this week was midterms, marking the semester’s halfway point. It really feels like just the other day when we were moving in, trying out classes and figuring out our schedules. Even though we’ve only been here about 2 months, so much has happened: I was a PA (peer advisor) for incoming first years during their Week One Orientation, I applied and was accepted to study abroad this spring in Cape Town, I’ve been organizing a huge art festival for December called CUREfest, I’ve been teaching yoga almost every weekday both on and off-campus… plus classes! It’s been a blur of constant activity, lots of work, time with friends, clubs and sports. It’s nice to take a moment through this diary to reflect and organize my thoughts.
This week was a stressful one in that I had three papers and an in-class midterm, all before Thursday! Luckily, I was able to buckle down and plan ahead enough to get two papers done over the weekend. Exam studying went well since one of my roommates is in the same course, and we were able to make some amazing flashcards together! Finally, I handed my last paper in on Thursday evening and treated myself out to dinner with friends at a yummy Latin restaurant called Mezcal nearby in Worcester — check it out at http://mezcalcantina.com if you’re visiting Clark!
This week was also a big week for group meetings and reunions. On Monday, we had a meeting of the group of young Social Entrepreneurship students who will be traveling to Sierra Leone in January, myself included. This travel actually counts as a Clark directed study (like an independent research project) in management. In Bo, we’ll be working for 10 days with a local agency focused on reducing maternal mortality and boosting infant health. We are all so excited, but also have a lot of fundraising to do, immunizations to get, etc! Below is a picture of our amazing team – really vibrant people who all study different things, are different ages, and are at different places in their Clark careers but are also ready to come together, serve a community in need, and take on the responsibility of being a global citizen. Empowering stuff! If you want to learn more about the trip participants, check out: http://www.firstgiving.com/process/participantsearch/default.asp?did=1203.
On Friday, we had another reunion for all the students who served as PAs this fall. When we were in training for how to run Orientation, we spent ALL day and ALL night together for a week straight. All 60+ of us became so close – joking around, helping to troubleshoot problems, eating every meal together and meeting new students every day. It really became a special community, almost sleep-away-camp-esque. We had a big dinner at Peppercorns (http://www.epeppercorns.com/ – can you tell that I’m really into Worcester’s amazing eateries?!) and got to catch up and chat. Below is a picture of the entire group at dinner, a small group of PA friends, and another of the OCs (Orientation Coordinators, the students who plan it all!) with the Director of Student Leadership and Programming, Mike McKenna.
The rest of the weekend for me brings some time in the library, a visit from my grandparents and two yoga classes I’ll teach on Sunday night. I will update you next week, hopefully with some good snapshots of Halloween – always a hit a Clark!
posts by Jesse
- Photo Essay for the Week - November 21st, 2009
- More Sierra Leone Prep, 2 Fun Reunions & a Night in Boston - November 15th, 2009
- Tons of Work, Student Summer Showcase & Shenanigans - November 8th, 2009
- Graphic Design Projects, Yoga & Halloween - November 1st, 2009
