elizabeth

Second Semester and Snow.

2008-03-04T04:20:11Z

So, it's snowed a lot. I can't stand it when it snows partially because it's just annoying during that day to walk to and from class in boots versus my moccasins but also because when it melts, if I wear said moccasins I have to stay on the side walks and can't cut across the wet, puddle-filled grass. Not to mention when it rains really bad, for a long time or both, there's a pond that develops at the intersection of Pilgrim and Fenway. It becomes really large and you have to walk all the way around it, only to get soaked by cars passing by. It's annoying. So I found this bakery called Athan's (Washington Square, Brookline) while babysitting and finally ate there. It was amazing, and reasonably priced. Speaking of other reasonably priced, amazing food, Petit Robert's is delicious as well (Kenmore Square). Classes have been fairly good so far this semester, although I've had to pull a couple of all nighters. I've started to work here in Boston, babysitting, through a site called "Sittercity" (www.sittercity.com). I've done really well and have enjoyed the experiences so far. I've also learned how to navigate every facet of the MBTA system except for the ferries/water taxis. I'll have more for you over Spring Break (next week) and I feel awful that I have been too busy to keep up with writing here!

Winter Break & High School Seniors

2007-12-24T17:19:48Z

First of all, happy holidays! Second of all good luck to all you seniors in high school with your applications!! One of my friends from home got into Simmons and I'm so excited to see where she ends up going to school. Of course, I hope it's where she's happiest and I hope that's Simmons! I miss Boston, Morse Hall and my floor so much! I miss leaving my door open and hearing some of the girls laughing every once in a while, and girls randomly walking in the room. I cannot wait to go back! Boston in winter was really pretty but also really cold, and New York is, thankfully, a lot warmer right now. The end of the semester went by so quickly, I barely know if I said bye to everyone and never had a chance to give out cards or candy canes! My finals went pretty well and I'm waiting to find out what my grades are. During the break, I am going to be babysitting and working at my old elementary school and visiting friends in Albany. Again, I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a wonderful new years and I will write again soon!

Stressed/Thanksgiving!

2007-11-19T08:59:08Z

So, everyone seems to be freaking out and stressed out trying to finish papers and everything else in the world, pack, and clean before Thanksgiving break. My roommate left on Friday so I've been roommate-less for a weekend. It's all gone by so quickly. My first semester of college is 4 weeks away from being completed. It's really wierd how quickly time goes. You swear to yourself that this week will go by significantly slower than the last one but it only goes by quicker and quicker. I guess I must be having a lot of fun if that saying - Time flies when you're having fun - is true. It's really early and I cannot sleep. I've tried everything. Oh well, just means that I can get homework and cleaning and packing done. I am going home Tuesday afternoon which should be interesting. I haven't been home yet, mostly because I know it's expensive and don't want to spend a whole load of money on train tickets or bothering my parents to come pick me up for a weekend, but also because there's been a lot going on here and I don't like being that far away from the school when I know I have a lot of homework to do, which has been the case every weekend so far. Well, I'll post some pictures soon but have a good Thanksgiving!

October...

2007-11-03T22:46:56Z

Things got harder with regards to academic work but overall things have been really good. Since I've done a lot of writing in past blogs & not a lot of pictures this one is purely for pictures: on the way to Tom's -- Red line @ Park Street Right after I got my bed raised -- I suggest doing it!! Call Work Orders X1000 (I think) College-Night @ the Aquarium. First Floor of MORSE! First Floor of MORSE!!! Tom went Trick or Treating with the girls of Morse Hall 3rd Floor Liz H(squared)'s door (our door) on Halloween! More pictures to come soon!!

And life goes on....

2007-10-19T20:28:29Z

Family weekend begins today. I didn’t have class today because my professor canceled it. People have started to get sick. I have a new roommate (not Molly, but rather Liz). And I have lasted more than 2 weeks WITH my cell phone. Oh and very importantly, I saved money this week. So, family weekend… My parents have decided everything and I have no idea what I’m doing this weekend, except that I’m sleeping in a hotel room tonight and my sisters sleeping over tomorrow night and we’re going to this restaurant that we always went to when we came to Boston when my dad was still working. First time that I have missed class for a legitimate reason. My professor canceled it. I think it’s kind of annoying for professors to cancel classes when we pay the school $40,000 for a menagerie of things, one of which is the salary of our professors. And then they go and cancel a class. It’s not fair and a waste of money, much like another situation. I have a friend who has missed 80% of his classes this semester. He has a full scholarship to a state university on the other side of the country. His parents paid a lot of money though just to get him out there and his stuff out there. It’s frustrating. What a waste of money… Someone has a staff infection. And apparently there’s some other disease floating around. I don’t really care. Unless I see/hear/smell puke. It’s hard for me to get sick. I was never excused from high school for “being sick.” Of course I gave that excuse but really it was only a “mental health” day. It takes a lot for me to get sick. I have to be exhausted, not washing myself, eating food that has mold on it, and basically doing other REALLY stupid things in order to get sick. Everyone’s making a huge fuss but honestly, if they just take care of themselves, get enough sleep and wash their hands as well as themselves well and frequently they won’t have any issues. My new roommate Liz H. It’s funky how our names are almost exactly the same. We have similar tastes and habits. We don’t care about visitors unless one of us has a test. We both eat food. A lot of food. We like to keep the room clean but that doesn’t mean it has to be perfect. Cleaning comes second to school work and other priorities. We’re both really open, funny, loud, obscure and interesting. She’s a nursing major and has a lot more work then me but then again I benefit from how much work she does because it gets me to work harder and more often. We both like to save money and have fun. We are working out so much better than my old roommate and I did. It’s a much better situation. I have not had my phone stolen, washed or gotten it lost yet in two weeks. I am so proud of myself! Not to mention I saved a really big amount of money (for me) this past week. I was extremely proud of myself once I realized both of these things. Saving money isn’t that hard if you do some simple things. Take cans and bottles to get them deposited. I saved like 4 bucks at Shaws because of the cans I deposited. Eat food at Bartol and try not to dry clothes in the dryer. Save all of your change and avoid Starbucks and other stores. Do not go food shopping when hungry and look at the unit prices not the individual prices. Try to go to bigger food stores with a list. Stick to that list. Do food shopping at the end of the week after you have created your list. Prices are better at bigger name stores. Care packages from parents = the biggest way to save money! I have to finish doing my Psychology homework and get my boyfriend at the T-Stop and then get my parents and everything. Have a good weekend!

So, I have a midterm next week :-O

2007-10-16T15:58:38Z

This semester has gone by so quickly!! And so much has happened. I got a new roommate and so far, the situation is working out much better. Everyone was really helpful when it came to figuring out what was going on with my old roommate and what was going on with my living situation. It was a nightmare at first but everything is completely sorted out and the experience was overall a positive experience. So, I had my first day at Peace Games (Mission Grammar School). It was definitely an experience that I was not prepared for. The students were terrible! They had had a substitute all day and had already had phone calls home that morning and they just didn't want to cooperate. One girl told us to hold on a minute so she could finish her conversation when we were trying to get their attention to start the next lesson. It was a nightmare. I honestly think that everyone else's first days are going to go much better though. The substitute and the class were just not clicking I think. It wasn't us, it wasn't the idea of Peace Games (there were students who were interested) I just think it was the whole "We have a substitute who we have taken advantage of all day and now we have two more people who we can take advantage of right in front of us" thing. I'm excited for next week. The principal had been there and said that we had amazing classroom control and we were really good teachers. She had sent a message to our teacher and complimented us a lot. I am kind of tailoring next weeks lesson to incorporate what happened today. We walked out at the end of the class not saying goodbye not trying to close the lesson but that's alright. We were told if things weren't working to just walk out. So we did. I have a class soon and lots of reading to do! Later!

25 days later...

2007-09-27T21:37:59Z

The first 25 days are done! I’m already thinking about how much I’m going to miss everyone when the semester ends. We have all bonded so much in the hall. When one of us is sick we all know and we’re all trying to help her. When one of the girls broke her foot we all were yelling at her to keep her boot on when she kept trying to take it off. If one of us is missing classes we all try to figure out why and make sure she’s ok. We’re like this little family. It’s really, really nice. I never really thought about the all-girls aspect significantly affecting the dorms, but it does. When I go to Bryant to visit my boyfriend, I see girls parading around attempting to impress the boys. Here, we walk around knowing we look like we just woke up or just came back from the gym and we don’t care. At night when I’m at Bryant you hear boys partying, knocking on doors at 3AM, and absolutely, positively DESTROYING the bathrooms. They’re blasting music unnecessarily loud, leaving the seat up in the bathrooms, leaving nasty presents on each others door knobs and at others doors. Here, quiet hours means quiet hours. It does not mean we’re all just studying after 11PM or we don’t have fun after 11PM or we’re boring. It just means that we are respectful of each other. We clean up our hallways, keep our bathroom clean and smelling fresh. We leave notes for each other on our whiteboards about how much we <3 each other and when we want to go out the next day with each other. Our dorms are relaxing, an oasis, and homes. We come back to our dorms, our homes, our families. There’s always a “male visitor” in a hall. I will not deny that. Because he doesn’t live here though, he doesn’t trash our home. The dorms are like ovens during the day and freezers at night. Only they have to cool off from baking all day. And heat up in the morning from freezing all night, on good days. My classes so far: - Fun - LOTS of reading - Interesting - Different - (in an odd way) relaxing The teachers here care about the material they are teaching and how well you learn it so much. It’s like having the father of psychology teach my introduction to psychology class. He is always pumped to tell us about some exciting part of psychology. Their enthusiasm keeps me interested during their classes. The FOOD! Bartol is interesting. The different meals offered are SO varied. It’s really different from many cafeterias. The stir-fry/sauce pan lady is really funny. The food is decent, some nights and it’s good other nights. You will always find something to eat there. And stealing food from Bartol is not that hard.

8 days since the last post....

2007-09-18T04:57:39Z

A lot has happened since then. The dorm room looks a bit different. I've done 10+ loads of laundry, visited Bryant University & used my meal plans more. I had 7 unused meal plans out of 14 this past week instead of 11. My classes have been amazing!! I really really like them. Colleges of the Fenway Block Party this weekend, I hope to meet a lot of people there. Things that I have learned since last week... Don't shop in the beginning of the week RIGHT after your parents give you more money. Laundry is expensive. Don't use a dryer. It'll cut your laundry prices in half. Yeah it's a pain in the butt to dry your laundry in your room but you will save a lot of money. Communicate with your roommate everyday. No matter how you do it, just do it. Dorm phones have voice mail set up already you don't ned a voice mail program on the actual physical phone. Dial 2345 from the dorm phone, then put in your ext. when they ask for your voice box, then 59 and your extension again for your password. and presto, voicemail. It's easy to use fenway cash/points REALLY quickly, so set limits. 3M hooks are KEY to survival Get a T-Card RA's are real people, drop by their room & talk to them. They're interesting. Meals at Bartol are NOT bad. They're free. That's all that matters. Weather can be VERY spontaneous. Find out the weather before you leave for your classes. I'll post pictures from this past week next week with next weeks pictures. I have lots of reading to do!

The First Week...

2007-09-09T17:31:02Z

So, the first week. Here’s my top 10 rules to the Simmons life! 1. Make friends with Wentworth boys! 2. Start reading every day, for long periods of time. 3. Use your meal plans! 4. Do laundry at odd times, like in the early afternoon on weekdays or morning on weekdays 5. Take your shower in the afternoon, NOT in the morning 6. Make sure to go to 18+ clubs on game nights ☺ 7. Make friends with Wentworth boys, especially those in suites! 8. Set your alarm clocks! 9. Check your pockets before you do laundry! 10. Use your meal plans! My first week has been a little hectic. I’ve made friends with two groups at Wentworth & a couple of different groups here. I’ve learned that if you do your work in the dorm before you go out you will be able to go out every night! It’s pretty nice. I fit everything in my dorm. It’s pretty crowded but that’s ok. My roommate left this weekend so I had a friend over two nights ago and I went out late last night. Here’s some pictures: part of my dorm more of my dorm simmons bookstore random hallway at simmons simmons a wentworth res. hall -- become very familiar with one!! blood drive @ BU expect more from me later this week but right now I have to write an essay about my personal identity. this could get interesting...

I'm here!

2007-09-03T17:52:07Z

I'm finally at Simmons. Right now I'm supposed to be eating at Bartol but there's a huge line because we're all supposed to eat right now. I have so much food in my dorm though it really doesn't matter. Speaking of my dorm! I was unpacking/setting up my dorm from 9:30AM till about 3:00 PM & I am still unpacking stuff. I have two suitcases under my bed FULL of clothes. I REALLY need to go to Target or Target.com & buy some boxes for under my bed && a lot of hangers. I don't think it's quite hit me yet that I'm here. At college. Without parents. The visitor policy seems so loose. I don't have any forms to fill out, I don't have to do anything but ask my roommate, see if she agrees & then have someone over. It's pretty sweet. Well, I am off to go eat & then see what's going on with my orientation group. I'll write back later!

Four Days Left...

2007-08-28T18:30:49Z

When I first found out that I would be leaving for Simmons College on Sept. 2nd, I was excited to have an extra week of summer. Right now, during my extra week of summer, I wish I were at Simmons instead of where I am! I cannot wait to see everyone from Orientation again and to meet new people. For once I want to make my bed! I cannot WAIT to start decorating my room!! So, why Simmons? Well, to begin with I never imagined myself going to an all-girls college, but Simmons College is perfect for me. It’s in a city that could easily overwhelm and distract me but I have faith that Simmons small size as well as the Res. Campus’ isolation from the 'crazy life' will help me to stay on track. I love how the Residential Campus is set up with the little park area in the middle of the buildings. It’s almost like walking onto a rural campus. The location is perfect. I can walk to a number of different stores and restaurants, which is exactly what I wanted! It also helped that I have talked to a number of people about Simmons College that went there and do not work for Simmons and have never once heard a complaint. Also, I would never be a number at Simmons. Northeastern had my student ID number in front of my name, as though it meant more to them than my name. Simmons was never like that. Simmons also sent me the longest and most personal acceptance letter I have ever seen. It included all the extremely detailed reasons why Simmons accepted me. I remember reading about how my involvement in the 5th Grade Spectacular at my former elementary school for four years showed them determination and commitment to something that I was passionate about. They spoke about little minute details in my activity chart and my essay, proving to me that they did read every little bit of information that I had sent them. Anyways, with these final days left before I leave, all I can think about is how much fun I’m going to have at Simmons and how much I will learn, grow and develop there. I am excited to say that the next time I will write in my Simmons Blog will be from the desk of my room at Simmons College!