Sunday Study

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time to do homework. I did get some work done yesterday but I still have to write a chapter summary in Spanish, finish some American history reading, and study for a big macroeconomics test which is tomorrow. Luckily, with no NFL games this weekend, I can’t procrastinate and watch 3 hours of football as I have been doing in recent weeks (Mom I hope you’re not reading this). Since I had no distractions I headed over to Pgill (Pettengill Hall) in the afternoon and was able to snag a comfortable chair in the beautiful atrium. Other than taking a break for dinner I have been studying and working here since. I really can’t complain about the workload however considering I am working in such an amazing place. I am going to get back to studying now but I will post some pictures I took so you can get a feel of Pgill. I think the only thing I have to worry about now is falling asleep in this comfy chair…     

Chilling at the Beach…

There’s nothing like relaxing on the beach on a sunny day. Swimming in the cool blue water, playing some beach football, reading a book, and taking a nap under some palm trees. That’s what comes to mind when I think of the beach… at least that’s what I used to think of until recently. Last Tuesday for my geology course, Earth Surface Processes, our class took a trip to Spring Point, a beach in South Portland. A Maine beach in the winter time isn’t exactly the greatest place to be. Especially when a cold wind is coming off the ocean and the windchill is in the single digits. As I collected rock samples and took land surveys I realized that my knowledge of beaches, that is, everything I thought I knew about beaches up to that point, had been completely altered. On that frigid afternoon the image in my mind of a warm tropical beach changed forever. On the bright side I did learn a lot about rock sediments and rather than being cooped up in a building handling test tubes I actually had the opportunity to take part in hands on learning. Overall it was definitely a fun and rewarding experience. Though I think I’ll wait until it gets a little bit warmer before I venture back to Spring Point.

All the Small Things

I want to apologize for using the name of a Blink-182 song as the title but I couldn’t control myself because I love stuff like that. Okay now that that’s out of the way… The other night I got an email from the BOC (Bates Outing Club) about ice skating on the puddle (the nickname us Batesies give to a small pond on campus) the following day. As someone who loves ice hockey and skating in general I was excited at the prospect. The next afternoon I headed over to the puddle where the snow had been cleared off by a snow blower. At first I was a bit apprehensive because I didn’t really know any of the other people out there but I tied my skates, threw on my gloves, and grabbed my hockey stick anyway. Even though I knew few people there, I immediately felt welcomed. Before long I was playing 3-on-3 hockey with some upperclassmen. Over the next 2 and ½ hours I skated with people who had been skating for more than a decade and with people who had braved the weather and strapped on skates for the first time. Whether first-timer or expert every person I encountered was warm and friendly. Walking back to my dorm as the sun set I thought about how welcoming Batesies are. Okay I just read that back to myself and I realized it was the corniest thing I have ever written (especially that last sentence) but I stand by what I said. I guess my point is that Bates has a plethora of fun activities that allow you to meet new people and for that I am truly grateful. Oh and I promise my next post won’t be so corny.

 

 

(Photos courtesy of Liz Lee)