A Year Full of NEWS

Since being back from Spain, lets just say life moves at a much faster pace here in the USA! I have so many responsibilities that sometimes I don't even realize a day has come and gone. Just a brief overview, it was another adjustment re-entering Minnesota, but day-by-day, I am slowly getting back to my life in Winona. It has been so great to see friends and family, but sometimes life is just overwhelming with all of my commitments. About a month into this semester, I was realizing that this transition back was not as smooth as I had hoped. I really missed Spain life and the friends I made, and at the same time I have been thrown into a mix of new things that I was just whirling between them.

So, the FIRST new thing, the last week while in Spain, an email from St. Mary's came out to all the students about a female Resident Assistant (RA) position that had opened up. I was already preparing myself to live alone second semester, so I figured, why not apply for this position and earn some of my spent Spain money back at the same time as living alone. So that is what I did. I updated my resume and got recommendations, all while being across seas. I had no idea what to expect and I thought I was at a disadvantage, but the day after I got home, I had a phone interview all set up. I was a bit nervous and again, felt at a disadvantage because they could not meet me in person, but I figured it will go how it goes. After a 45 minute interview and a wait of a half hour, I was called back and offered the position. I was so excited because this is something I have always wanted to try out and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity! At first, the position was overwhelming because we had lots of meetings and such and I hadn't even thrown homework and fraternity commitments into mix! But given time, everything has been going great. I have 6 weekend night duty shifts in addition to being on duty every other Wednesday during the week. So far it has been a pretty uneventful semester for the residents, which is always a good thing when it comes to RA duty. I hope that for the remaining of the semester. In addition to duty, we have to make door decs each month for the residents, make informational bulletin boards, and have educational and fun programs for our residents. It has been a lot of fun so far, except when people lock themselves out of the room...that is always entertaining haha. I have applied for a position next year, but I am looking only in a particular dorm, so if not that I will be living with my friends from last year.

Like I mentioned above, I am living in a single room (actually two). This is my first semester without a roommate, which is quite different. I really do enjoy the time and space to get homework done and go to bed whenever I feel like it, but I definitely miss my roomie! It is always fun to walk across campus and visit all my friends in my free time. I look forward to having roommates again next year! It will be the year to solidify those relationships that I would like to keep for my after-college life! It is crazy to think I have one more year left of college...where has the time gone?

Another NEW thing is my two positions in Sigma Alpha Iota. I am the Recording Secretary and Treasurer. While they were technically my positions being filled last semester, this was my first semester stepping in. I am in charge of all the money in our frat, attendance, and meeting minutes. Those two jobs have definitely kept me busy as well. I guess I am just a busy person, and everyone knows me as that, so why change now...right? I plan to run for President of the frat next year, so those elections will be held soon. Updates to come soon!

The last, but best NEW in my life right now is my new boyfriend, Mike. He is a friend of some family friends and I have met him multiple times in the past three years, but we just really hit it off this New Years. Coming back from Spain, I wasn't really looking for a guy, but I told myself if one came along, I had nothing (like leaving the country) holding me back from dating him. It's crazy how things just fall into place when you least expect it. Although timing seemed hard because I was just leaving for school again, we decided that our feelings were mutual and that we would figure it out and make things work. Needless to say we are still together and I have seen him just about every two to three weekends this semester. I can't wait until summer where the distance between us isn't 3 hours. We have so many fun plans for the summer, so I definitely look forward to that!


Well that is about it for now. I have lots of things coming up the rest of the semester, so I predict it will fly by just as fast as this first half has! I will try to keep up with my postings, but I hope you understand how crazy semester has been so far!

Have a great rest of the winter season!