Harvest Dinner!

Hey all. I sat down today and was hyped up to write an excellent blog about Harvest Dinner when I suddenly realized I left my camera up at Bates. I had taken great pictures of the ice sculptures, live band, decorations, and of course all the food, but in my haste to get home for Thanksgiving Break I forgot to pack my camera. So……

I will fill you in with all the details so you can form your own mental images of the event, and then when I get back to campus I can post the pictures and provide you with some visual evidence of the awesomeness that is Harvest Dinner.

Many of you may be wondering: what is Harvest Dinner? Good question. In short, the week before Thanksgiving break every year, the all-star Bates dining staff gets together and provides the Bates community with an epically-themed send-off meal. Students, professors, and other Bates employees all pile into a beautifully-decorated Commons to eat a delicious turkey dinner and to enjoy the festivities (raffle with prizes, live band, horse-drawn carriage rides, and much more…).

This year’s theme: ‘Bobcat Jones and the Temple of Food’… like I said, epically-themed. In my mind, the meal marks the unofficial start of the holiday season. It’s great that the whole Bates community can get together in a shared space for some good times and a warm meal.

Check out the menu:

Domestic & Imported Cheeses with Seasonal Fruit
Mixed Greens Salad w/choice of dressing one to be cranberry vinaigrette
Bread & Butter Pickles
Deviled Eggs
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Native Seafood Chowder
Roast Breast of Turkey (Turkey Gravy)
Slow Roasted Pot Roast w/ Onions, Native Maine Potatoes and Carrots (Pot Roast Gravy)
Lobster Stuffed Haddock
Butternut Squash Casserole
Peas & Onions
Mashed Potatoes (vegan)
Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean and Tofu Stir Fry
Eggplant and Read Bean Stew
Basmati Rice w/Asparagus & Cashews
Sam’s Rolls
Chocolate Cream Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Pecan Toffee Pie
Baked Alaska
Cheesecake Bar
Seasonal Cupcakes
Chocolate Fountain

The best part by far is dessert (due to space constraints dessert is served in the Grey Cage gym). Chocolate fountains, pies of all kinds, cookies, hot cider, etc.

While enjoying dessert, the Trashion Fashion Show (fashion show/contest with outfits made entirely out of reusable/recyclable materials) takes place.

Pictures to follow when I get back up to Bates. Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone! Until next time…

 

Meteor Shower and the Love of the Outdoors…

Hey all. Hope those of you who live in non-light polluted areas got a chance to see the Meteor Shower early Tuesday morning. The beautiful show in the sky reminded me of how Batesies love the outdoors.

In preparation for the meteor shower, the Bates Outing Club (BOC) sent out an email offering rides to Bates students who wanted to watch the stars from a nearby farm (graciously offered up by a local farmer). 80 students responded to the email, an overwhelming number that the Outing Club was not prepared to accommodate.

I personally decided to watch the show from the Bates football field which turned out to be a great location. My girlfriend and I met up around 1:45 AM and set up a blanket near the 20-yard line and watched the meteors streak across the sky with dozens of other Batesies. It was beautiful.

I think it says a lot about Bates’ love for the outdoors that such a large proportion of the student body was willing to wake up in the middle of the night to brave the cold temperatures and watch the meteor shower. Amazing. Harvest Dinner is tonight… pictures to follow. Until next time…

(http://www.thedailyinquirer.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/leonid-meteor-shower-november-2009.jpg)

Beautiful Maine…

Hey all. Longer update to follow after the Harvest Dinner this Wednesday. For now, check out these pictures I snapped with my cell phone of campus during sunset. Beautiful Maine:

All Things Spanish…

Hey all. This week has been all about Spanish for me. The language has had a major impact on my academic life during the past few days.

Earlier last week, I was officially accepted into my study abroad program in Seville, Spain. I am extremely excited about studying in Spain for a number of reasons:

1. I will hopefully be able to achieve a high level of proficiency in the Spanish language. Learning a second language is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.

2. The program is an Advanced Liberal Arts curriculum that will allow me to take classes right alongside Spanish-speaking students directly in the Spanish University System. Hopefully this will provide me with a solid social and cultural introduction to Spain.

3. I will be living with a host family which should only help me learn the language even quicker. Hopefully, I can form a solid relationship with this family that will add to my experience… and this should be a lot nicer than living in a dorm!

4. I will have an opportunity to travel around Europe… I have never been and traveling to new places is high on my list of favorite activities.

One thing that really drew me to Bates was the focus on study abroad. I’m not sure on the exact numbers but I think just about 2/3 of Batesies go abroad. Bates provides the opportunity and the means for students to pursue academic experiences off campus and I’m very excited to be able to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Now that I am accepted into my program, I’ve spent this past week running around and relentlessly filling out forms (student visas, contracts, etc.) so that when it is time to go to Spain, I’ll be ready and able. More info on my study abroad program once I have more details for you…

Coinciding with this past week of study abroad work and excitement has been a lot of work in my Spanish class. I had an analyzation essay about several poems due earlier in the week along with the usual Spanish workload. I always find Spanish essays tricky because I know in my head what to say and how to articulate it but putting the words down on paper (IN SPANISH) can be quite challenging.

As if this wasn’t enough Spanish language, Wednesday of last week I attended a documentary as part of the Latin American Film Series here at Bates, titled: “The Other Side of Immigration”. The film consisted of interviews of rural Mexican farmers and presented the U.S.-Mexican immigration issue from the perspective of these small-town people. The director of the film was on hand and held an informative question and answer session after the documentary was shown. Check out the website for the film.

Here is the trailer to the documentary. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it:

Off to go do some Spanish studying. Until next time… Or, as they say in Spanish: Hasta luego…