I Knew You Were Trouble

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

[See Parody Video of Tay Swift's Trouble my Roommie and I made below]

There are moments in your life that you want to remember forever; experience them, savor them, and safely cradle them in a chest of nostalgia.

Easter is fast becoming a traditional day of happiness.

Since coming to college, I’ve taken my closest friends and roommates out to lunch my family every Easter since the travel to go home for them is farther than for myself. I cannot describe the feeling of completeness when my families meet each other and get along: my family by blood and my family by choice.

When my father talks with my friends, laughing and making dry humor jokes with them like he does to me, or my stepmom enlightens us on wise college advice, or my brother and sister just make everyone laugh, it’s a feeling worth celebrating.

In a way, we can see it as celebrating change.

 Since coming to college my life has never continuously ever felt so much change; meeting new people, finding my career path [still working on it], and most importantly, discovering who I am and what’s best for me.

Now that I’m facing the end of my sophomore year, I fear change. The sole reason that I have had the best two years of my life at Mason may be the reason I grow up and get separated from my best friends. 

But in order to get through moments of fearing what’s to come in the future and where we are all going to move to and chose to do, it’s important to take a step back and smile. Smile because you’re getting an education, smile because you’ve found your home at Mason. Smile because the friends you’ve made will last through anything life throws at you.

 And finally, smile because there’s still youth left in you to cause trouble. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFSUswo154I

International Student, Flying Abroad!

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

I was waving goodbye to my parents at the airport, heading to escalators that would take me to the security check-in and separate the flying passenger from supportive family. I had felt tears in my eyes and not to mention a little fear. Putting on a smile for my parents to show that all was well in the world and three weeks was nothing, I strapped my backpack on and heading for London.

I was flying out of the country by myself for the first-time ever and would be studying theater through Mason’s CGE, or study abroad office.

In less than two months, it will officially be a year since that experience and I miss it like words can’t describe. So, I made a video that features footage from that study abroad event and the traveling I did inspired by that experience that summer after.

This Tuesday, November 13th in honors of international education week, Masons’ Center for Global Education is having an ALL-DAY summit from 9-4 in Dewberry Hall, Johnson Center. With posters from alumni of all different programs, panel discussion and speeches, and this featured video, all students were invited and some have prepared various engaging presentations about their study abroad experience.

Most importantly, we are there to explain the specifics of our program but emphasize how each person takes back a unique experience from studying abroad. Aside from the video, one of my peers and friends from the trip, Chelsea, is partnering with me for a dual speech presentation: it was her second study abroad, it was my first; she is a graduate student, I am an undergraduate. Yet, we both loved the city, had the same trip and class (though her assignment was much more technical than mine), and took away different lessons.

So, if you have the chance, check it out or the website online www.globaled.gmu.edu for more information about the programs and I hope you enjoy the video!

Remember that it is never too early or late to travel or study abroad!

–Kathleen

LOVE Botswana

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

Every year, a well-deserving country in need is chosen to be sponsored for an entire week of donations, care packaging, t-shirt promotions, and knowledge expansion on the underserved populations. The goal is to encourage people to spread the word about Botswana and the mentors who work so hard to continue to inspire students, like themselves, to stay in school and get an education.

As a college campus full of intellectual scholars, the message and mission hits very close to home.

At the event, I went around interviewing the students about what they had been doing, how long they’d been volunteering, and why they felt inspired to help out at the Love Bostwana event. Whether lady or gentleman, a major in the sciences or humanities, complete strangers or sorority sisters, families or club organizations, there was such a wide variety of people at the event.

In fact, the diversity at the event mimicked Mason’s famous diversity to show that no matter who you are, you can find a connection or bond with someone else on our campus or even a student in need of encouragement in a country, culture, and lifestyle so different from the United States.

So I encourage everyone to check out:

http://www.masoncru.org/love-botswana-2012.html

for more information about how to get involved, what we did to support Botswana, and the video of the sheer inspiration Mason students felt to get involved!

-Kathleen

Halloweekend

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

Happy Halloweekend!!

With Frankenstorm making her way down the east coast, there is a communal rush to buy non-perishable foods. My dorm in particular has oversized captain crunch, bread, and jelly to last us through this adventure.

Nevertheless, lots of activities took place on campus this Saturday, where several student organizations put on costume parties. One in particular was the Office of Student Involvement’s Program Board who sponsored their first-ever Halloween Creepy Carnival! With “What’s in the Box,” a photo center, bowling “ghosts,” basketball, and tons of candy, the night was always active.

But the creepiest part besides the maze? The featured act of Evasons gave everyone the chills. Claimed mentalists, the married duo performed acts of mind-guessing to the extreme, where Tess would pick up vibes from across the room and blindfolded, be able to determine who was standing behind her…by name, state, and parental relations.

Even scarier, one act involved selecting random people from the large crowd, asked them to pick on color from five selections, have Tess (still blindfolded and turned around) guess the person’s name and color choice, arrange them in order, and have those people pick out the number inside their colored envelop. The catch?

…five people randomly across the room were asked to write down their most monumental year and the sum of those five numbers were arranged through the standing people’s colored numbers.

MINDBLOWN.

Needless to say, the crowd was spooked and even cynical or appropriately skeptic audience members wondered aloud how such mannerisms were possible.

So as the potential to lose power rises and the water continues to fall, ask yourself this Halloween, do you believe in the supernatural?

Merten explains the T-Shirt Gun

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

It was a Tuesday evening and a few selected Honors College students had been nominated to meet and chat with President Merten and his wife, Sally, about his sixteen years at Mason.

It was truly inspiring to hear about Merten’s path from an undergraduate degree in mathematics, career in computer science, professional work in education and universities, to his chosen home at George Mason University. He talked about various famous political leaders that’s he has meet, from the current President and Vice President, to ambassadors from different countries who are enthralled by Mason’s rapid success. He talked about how from a large school and a large competitive society, what will distinguish you is your ability to speak, lead, and present yourself.

He encouraged extracurriculars, those “extra” things that make you unique. His wife, Sally, a major proponent of the arts at Mason, enthused about the various theatrical performances that allow for cultivation of the mind and appreciation of the humanities.

He also explained his history with the tee-shirt gun and how with the new screens in the Patriot Center, “amateurs” are not allowed to use the tool in case they hit the scoreboard…twice.

I cannot say, truly, how different it was for me to be able to meet Merten and his wife, and have the option to ask him about his favorite parts about Mason, the ability through Mason’s specialized programs like the cadets to be able to host on very short notice such political heads of our country, other countries, and various institutions.

This opportunity came to me by way of the Honors College and attached is a short clip of some of the professors who will be teaching the general education requirements in the spring semester, which you can view on the catalog or at

honorscollege.gmu.edu and I encourage every prospective student looking at Mason to see if they can qualify for this part of the GMU community!

When I turned 18…

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

…I had an epiphany.

When you turn 18, it’s a big deal. On facebook everyone is ecstatic that you’re technically adult, you may already be or are on your way to college/next chapter of your life, and you feel a sense of greater control of your future. But becoming an adult means assuming responsibility and one thing that is a new opportunity for leadership and global involvement when you reach that chapter is politics.

I have never felt so immersed in politics as I have in the past year. Maybe it’s because I’m 19 and this is the first election I can take part in. Maybe it’s because I worked in DC this past summer and riding the metro, reading the paper, living in that charged atmosphere made me aware.

Or maybe it’s because President Obama has visited Mason’s campus twice in this past campaign and I went to see his campaign rally.

The above video is a short clip I put together to try to best convey the amazing environment that surrounded Obama’s speech. Whether or not you support the democrats, and this video is not to indicate any sort of political bias from the school or myself, I am sharing this because to see the dedication people of all ages, races, religions, and educational backgrounds, to wait to hear the President speak…well, it showed me just how important politics are and made me wonder how I’ve managed not to realize it until now.

For each debate, the Johnson Center sets up big televisions where the debates are broadcasted for all to see. I think it’s inspiring that students are encouraged to get involved, reminded of this monumental debate in the heart of campus, and given the opportunity to learn about the ideas and arguments of both candidates.

You are given the information, or in this technological age, can find the information, you need to make a political decision. No matter who your selection for presidency is for the coming term, though, I encourage everyone to at least appreciate and potentially taste the charged atmosphere of this election because as an adult, now, the outcome truly affects you.

Have a great week and enjoy the falling, colorful leaves!

-Kathleen

Patriot’s Get Loud!

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

In the quad, moving trucks are driving on paths, program board volunteers setting up lights in the trees, vendors setting up machines, artists setting up shop.

EP performs mic checks, volunteers communicate positions, I turn on my camera.

“Welcome to Masons’ annual Patriot Day!”

Every year, students and friends are invited to listen to epic performances, eat cotton candy, popcorn, and/or slushies, have the opportunity to win free things and listen to the featured student orgs talk about new programs!

It’s a party until late in the night where the benches may be packed but the energy is high.

This year I had the cool opportunity to work “behind the scenes” for PB to catch close-up footage of the many different activities.

Check out the video link above to see, through my lens, all that I saw!

For more on-campus events, visit http://pb.gmu.edu/ and stay tuned for more coverage

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

You can study happiness through psychology, neuroscience, biology. You can read article about it for fun through amazing online databases.

Or you can appreciate it when it happens upon you.

Going back to Mason for a second year was something that by the end of the summer, was just counting down to. Now, it’s the end of the second week and I can easily see how yet another year will pass by. It’s so easy to be caught up in everything college—there’s so much to do, learn, people to meet, clubs to start, ways to better yourself.

Now, getting completely immersed in campus life is something I do recommend doing. Ever since the expansion of my blogging through PatriotLife last year, I have larger goals for my blog this year. The first video montage is up, representing some events of Welcome Week!

But it’s also really cool to take a step back from the chaos of what can be college life. I read a book, outside of class requirements, and it gave me a long-forgotten feeling of accomplishment and happiness that comes with being a reader. Something more unique though, was accompanying my friend on a journey to interview people on whether or not they obtained happiness.

This friend is in an upper-level psychology course with the explicit assignment of interviewing a few people of different categories and encourage them to reveal whether or not they found happiness.

One of the interviews, though, was of a Mason Mother. Wearing her “George Mason Mom” shirt with pride, it turned out she had a lot in common with my friend and I. A medical professional with a very impressive academic resume, she radiated an inner calm and acceptance of life. Mentioning her recently diagnosed breast cancer in passing, she believed she was happy. Looking at us, she also encouraged to not be too caught up in the chaos of life, being a perfectionist, or living in the future.

The present is what is important because that is where you can feel now.

In a casual discussion that lasted over a half hour, I took away something that had been forming in my mind the past week: Life can mean love and to live through that love, can mean immersing oneself in activities of meaning and worth. Of course, these activities can bring back importance to your life. But it is crucial to find some “you” time, as well. If you live on campus, you may or may not agree with the statement I believe that you are always on the go. When so close to friends, it’s hard not to hop on over, or so close to classes, continually study.

But like Ashley needs her soccer, Marcy needs her zumba, Maggie needs her horses, everyone deserves a little time to find a calmer means of happiness.

Lucky for us, we go to Mason and the versatile outlets from which to find happiness are biding for attention.

So, as another week is about the begin and the semester progress, “don’t worry and be happy!” Well, relatively

A Roomie European Adventure

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

We (the three roomies) were sitting in the emergency row of the airplane, getting ready for landing. A popular dance song by Calvin Harris was playing on the loud speakers and this blogger right here decided it was time for a dance party. We were arriving in Rome, after all. So, I got up and started dancing; air guitars, waving and clapping hands were sighted. The plane passengers in the immediate vicinity, and the flight attendant closest to us as well, started laughing…and that was the ambiance with which our European journey began.

By the time my two roommies and I, plus our boss Mama Mac, landed in Rome, we had all been on our European journey for a few days. I had flown in from a week in Paris and Ashley flew in sun- kissed from a summer on the beach in Connecticut. Lauren met us in Vienna, Austria, welcoming us to her new home in Slovakia. Together, the three roomies hugged, screaming and laughing like it had been more than two months since move-out from Mason. For us, a lot can happen in two months. For us, a lot was about to happen in two weeks.

So we had a car party to the cliché ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ and more recent, ‘Call Me Maybe’ in the car to Slovakia. We saw farms of windmills and sunflowers and an interesting system of border control between the two countries. Then, we were off to buy some Viennese chocolate and visit us some Budapest, Hungary.

When the chocolate was bought, architecture admired, pictures galore taken, and even the Starbucks visited, we waved goodbye for now to Vienna and went to Budapest. Seeing the two cities, Buda and Pest, joined by a Chain Bridge (Virginia was following us), we went on this backwards train to the top of Buda and overlooked the whole area—and found the most amazingly structured Parliament building! We walked along the Danu River, even dipped our toes in the glistening water.

Flashback to the airplane scene and we were now in Roma! If you want to see the power of life, then place it into the taxi drivers’ hands because the driving in that city is the craziest I’ve seen—and I’ve seen countries with only one highway crazy. Nevertheless, our taxi driver was a nice Italian man who was singing Bruce Springsteen and soon, we were all singing along with our Grammy- worthy soprano voices.

To visiting the Colosseum (and even seeing a burglar stealing an umbrella being chased by a police officer), posing in front of ancient roman ruins, seeing the Pantheon and a hidden church near the famous Navona shopping center, we decided to see an island…

The same island Jackie Kennedy visited with Onassis 40 plus years earlier: Capri.

After a three hour bus ride to Naples and a one hour boat ride, we finally saw the beautiful island overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Vesuvius.   Drinking their signature lemonade and visiting the Blue Grotto, all four girls literally flattened out on the fishing boat while our sailor pushed us in the smallest cave I’ve ever seen. Once inside, the cave expanded and the blue water glowed in the dark; it was almost hypnotic with all the sailors singing a hearty Italian song in an echoing cave while we splashed the glowing water that could never be described but the beauty of blue.

Our final journey, then, was visiting the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. No matter what religion, if any, that you find close to your heart, the Vatican was just a sight to appreciate. We saw the Sistine Chapel, stood under the infamous Adam and God joining fingers, heard a choir sing in the Basilica, and had our tour guide give us juicy details about Michelangelo’s sort of resentment towards the popes that hired him. After all the walking, we treated ourselves to some gelato… and I blinked.

I blinked—a long blink that lasted thirteen hours—and I was back in DC, arriving home and returning to work for the remainder of my summer respite. Now, at my desk at said occupation, I am reminiscing about the “Roommie Adventure” I recently returned from and shaking my head at the fact that the random idea at one three o’ clock in the morning study session actually worked out.

I blinked once and I graduated high school. I blinked twice and my first year of college was over. I blinked three times and I was in Europe. Clicking my not-ruby chucks, I was now back home with my dog Puffy.

Cheers to future roommates all over the world who are about to meet each other, may the time between blinks lead to amazing adventures.

P.S. Stay tuned for a reflective post on my first year and another infamous video montage of the EuroTour!

J’arrive, Paris!

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

On my 1500^th step on the Tour Eiffel, I looked up and saw a broken escalator. Only one was working and the line was much smaller and manageable if you walked two of the three “etages” or levels of the monument. France is where you go to get a work out, I thought aloud.

There was something about paris that enticed me to return. During my study abroad winter term, I took a train to paris for the day, visitng notre dame, watching the Eiffel light up and sparkle, cruising on Le Seine. But with the cobblestone streets, petite cafes, scenic metro stops, and of course, the beautiful language, I wanted to return once more.

So here I am, embarking on a mini EuroTour. Four days in paris, a week in Austria, another couple days in Italy, to return to back to work in NW D.C. I’ve realized just how much of a city girl I truly am.

But today I went to Versailles. I literally spent six hours at ce chateux, and didn’t get to see all of the beauty that is one of, if not the most, amazing places I’ve ever seen. The chateux has multiple rooms, and sides, and levels, full of such exquisite detail. The room of le dauphin was covered in a green floral pattern, with the characteristic door outlined in gold. But even if the small beds caught me off guard (our feet would be hanging off the edge), the sample plates and cups had my mother envisioning new European designs, and I got to take pictures in front of the infamous portraits of marie-antionette et lous xiv, the gardens (les jardins) were where I found a new home.

I’ve always enjoyed scenary, landscape, flowers. I’m not much of a camper and I don’t spend too much time enjoying nature, but when I do take the time, it’s not hard for me to be in awe. But at Versailles, it’s not just one garden. We are talking about one grande jardin, and another level below with little ponds, horse stables, and just past the fence, another lake. On the main level of the garden, there are two little ponds side by side (ponds are kind of a big thing there). But as you walk down, there is literally the largest structured pond I’ve seen, maybe it’s a lake, and it’s shaped sort of like a cross. People are renting boats (it seems that given the vast internationalities represented at Versailles, neither sex nor country was better at stearing a boat), feeding ducks, or finding little crevices.

Perhaps you don’t believe me when I say its huge. For those of you who’ve already been, you’re like “get on with it, we know.” But you can rent cars, golf carts, and ride a train! That’s how big it is! It takes literally a solid twenty minutes or more for an uber power walker to get from the bottom part of the structured lake to the domain of marie antionette. If you didn’t want to see someone back in the seventeenth century, you didn’t have to travel to another place, as this is it’s own town.

Nevertheless, after a brilliant day touring Versailles, taking the train and metro back to the hotel (wonderfully located by the champs-elysees and featuring a view of l’arc de triomphe), my mother found the house she grew up in!

Now, when I was hit with nostalgia after returning to my childhood house in Gaithersburg, I thought that was a big deal. But my mom found the exact level of the complex she lived in. She remembered the patisserie/boulangerie she used to by pasteries in, running from the metro stop “Charles de gaulle-etoile” to the house, paying for the pay phone still across the street…

Perhaps there is no coordination to this blog. In the most basic sense, it was literally the chronology of my day. Tomorrow I visit st. michel for some notre dame, take two, looking at the shops, and sending my “bisous” a paris as I leave for Vienna, Austria for a roommate reunion.

When I took my first solo trip out of the United States, which was also my first trip to Europe, I realized I had a taste for travel. I would save all my money and spend it, easily, on a trip abroad for a few days. To me, walking down the little alleys, figuring out the quirks of a country, learning if it’s possible to get used to the weather, trying to speak the language, is an adventure unmatched. While I was eating my crepe avec nutella et banane, I realized the city of paris resembles Washington, dc in some ways. But then you’ll notice the fashion, here, is dresses and neon pants. You sit next to the person, not across, from them when you eat. Tip is included. There are no shower curtains. You start each conversation with “bonjour” and then proceed.

These little things, and then the amazingly grand things like the arc, Eiffel, and Versailles, remind me of how vast the world is and how much I must see before the chance slips away.

Bon voyage!