Feeling like Pocahontas

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

So as I was sitting on the bench, enjoying the sun on my back, wind in my hair, and chemistry on my lap, a spider decided to join my study session. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too thrilled by my new partner, so I gently took a sheet of paper and escorted my friend to the grass. Unfortunately, he didn’t appreciate my taking the initiative to find him a new tanning spot and sped back up to my shoulder on his weaving web.

Later, I was joined by two bees whose buzzing echoed the sound of elegant chirping of the birds appraising the blossoms.

In the background was GMU’s radio station, WGMU, and Mason’s organizations handing out freshly baked funnel cakes to contemporary spins and mixes of various songs.

Essentially, I spent hours sitting on a bench doing homework and simply enjoying the nice weather we’ve been blessed with this first week back.

For some reason, as the final half of the semester progresses, my friends and I have been wondering about our future careers, summer plans, and simply, desires for advancement. It’s interesting that even as ‘freshmen’ we think about our future desires this much; it seems uncharacteristic when I hear stories about my roommates, friends, or share some of my own encounters with various professors, advisors, and career services. However, I firmly believe it’s never too early to start thinking about what you want to do with your college degree, when and where you want to study abroad, what your common passion is that you want to expand on, and so forth.

Filming projects are always fun

So, as I was studying about chemical concentrations and pH values, bonding with various living creatures around me, admiring the cherry blossoms, and enjoying the sheer amount of smiling faces, I was also calmly contemplating my future and the vast amount of opportunities that this location has to offer.

And no matter what epiphanies you have, no matter the time of year, or induced by the nice weather, you are never alone in your planning and there are advisors or willing ears around you to help you through the traffic at your train station—or arena, if you’re living in the Hunger Games.

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Also, a heads up that I’m currently working on a film project about student activism for one of the many film festivals that Mason is holding this spring!

Great Falls

by Grant, a Patriot Blogger

So I promised a picture blog and here it is.  I took a hiking trip with my girlfriend and her dog to Great Falls which is a national park only 12 miles from Mason.  The day was beautiful and the scenery was even better.  So I hope you like it.  The last couple of pictures are  from a tree right beside my residence hall that is blooming in our early spring.

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Spunk Buggy, I want some cookies!

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

Wisps were falling out of my bun, ice cream Dibs were being passed around, and the entire circle was laughing. We were eating on the lawn, in the heart of campus, relishing in a beautiful day. It was a nice twist, hanging out with some friends from various groups, sharing stories about high school memories and where we were this time last year.

When I walked back to the Park, I smiled seeing students playing soccer and football, the lack of heavy jackets or boots, and other students just sitting on the stairs or on the grass. I, myself, brought some statistics homework and studied at a table.

As the night progressed, the floor came alive and everyone was hanging out in the study room. Whether it was passing a soccer ball around, performing impromptu dance moves, finger painting, sharing YouTube favorites, or even planning our spring break adventures, it was so refreshing to hang out with my floor-and for several hours!

It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of midterms, time-commitment of papers and lab reports, craziness of planning return trips home, the daily drama of life…but it’s a gift from mother nature when the rays of the sun draws out the laughter of happy Mason Patriots.

And so, while I return home late tomorrow evening, excited to reconvene with my family and reconnect with my high school friends, I am always excited to see the life on-campus flourish.

Besides, Student Government was handing out free Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and when Kelly Clarkson talks about becoming stronger…

Happy Break

“Not all who wander are lost”

by Adam, a Patriot Blogger

While some have been quietly cursing the chilly weather as it comes and goes in early March, I’ve been recalling the cold, a more bitter cold, as part of a lifelong memory my mind has been returning too frequently in recent weeks.

Allow me to be a bit nostalgic with this post…

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where I was a year ago. At this time last year, I was studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. This was, hands down, one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life and worth recalling. “Not all who wander are lost” is a Tolkien quote and one of my favorites.

Often feeling a bit buried this semester in work, classes, and post-graduate prep, I’ve longed for those days of strolling down an unfamiliar street, with no real destination in mind, but completely absorbed in everything new around me.

I made a point to blog many of these experiences to revisit in later years when maybe the cold weather won’t be enough to bring Russia to the forefront of my mind.

You can check it out at www.petersburgblog.wordpress.com

My few videos and photos can only offer hints of something you really need to experience firsthand.

I have to stop and ponder how it is that a whole year has passed between now and then. That experience has seemed such a part me that it’s hard for me to think of it is as a time in my life that’s now a year old. Studying abroad really has given me that greater appreciation and understanding of a world outside my own that I think you can’t duplicate in a two-week Euro-trip.

I think of the most significant reasons I have been dwelling on that semester in Russia is because as I prepare to graduate in May, I more frequently recall the most memorable experiences I’ve enjoyed while at Mason and my semester abroad is most certainly near the top of the list. Despite the fact that during my semester abroad I was thousands of miles, an ocean, and a couple continents away from the university, I definitely consider it among my many great “Mason experiences.” It was an opportunity created for me at Mason and just one of many ways the university has helped to stretch and shape myself during my four years as an undergraduate.

It’s hard for me to compare it to other universities since I’ve only attended one, but Mason’s Center for Global Education (CGE) was huge in helping me to identify the right study abroad program and assisting me in applying and preparing for the semester away.

The first time I visited the office I knew I wanted to go abroad somewhere–it was a goal I had set for myself before entering Mason my freshman year–but Mason’s CGE made it possible for me to get to the destination I wanted to go. After studying the Russian language for three semesters, St. Petersburg was my ideal global locale and I was able to get there. I’d definitely encourage any prospective Masonite to make a semester abroad a priority or at least schedule a visit with the CGE office and be open to hearing about what a program might offer you. I can guarantee you won’t regret it if you do.

“Behind these Hazel Eyes”

by Kathleen, a Patriot Blogger

My eyes are brown, but thank you Kelly Clarkson. Nevertheless, the song has a powerful meaning behind it, which I learned today to interpret it as: you never know.

You see a person, make a judgment or categorize a face, and move on. It’s how we process information into our memory and sometimes, retrieval cues will signal the memory from a pile of stored information.

But how do you really know a person, or what they’re going through? How well do you know the people around you?

Take, for instance, a few individuals in my chemistry and psychology statistics course. Whenever I go to my biology lab every eight hours, I’ll see other lab partners on the same schedule and I’ll recognize faces! I never thought that these peers of mine were also in my genetics class, experiencing the same time-commitment for this semester’s mapping project.

Or, for instance, my father.

I finally went to visit his work today, hopping on the ‘Mason to Metro’ shuttle, crossing metro lines at Rosslyn, and taking another bus to the main center. In my professional attire and spectacles, I stopped on the wrong floor before I was redirected to the highest level. Finally walking in, the company’s office occupied the whole floor and I looked up to see him standing there.

I was finally at his work. For my university 100 class we are required to shadow a few companies to gain a greater understanding of applying our majors to the work force. Interestingly, the class has allowed us to build our resumes, challenged us to visit the job fair, and pushed us to keep challenging ourselves in our future paths.

So, I was introduced to every employee of the company, spanning analysts, accountants, business developers, and even the top vice presidents and executive. I was amazed to see how hard-working everyone was, finding joy in each other’s presence and encouragement during the toughest/busiest season for their company.

In essence, I learned about the true interworking of any business and how all of the responsibility falls on several people’s shoulders. If I were walking on the street and saw any one of these individuals, I wouldn’t know that at their company, it was stress overload season.

Connection Time:

As I was on my way to biology lab, I didn’t know I would be seeing several familiar faces. As I went to a new club meeting, I didn’t expect to see faces from my gym class (cardio kickboxing at the Aquatic Center, free for Mason students), acquaintances from the beginning of the school year, or my peer advisor.

I never realized how much everyone’s life deviates from an expected routine everyday, just like mine. And perhaps it sounds far-fetched but it’s easy to forget that despite the craziness of your life, people are spending just as many hours devoted to their priorities as well. Even if those priorities are different, varying upon age and work experience, people who are working—and working hard—are all contributing to a common goal of excellence and improvement.

So, as we each work towards our own goals, even if it’s making it to spring break, it’s interesting to remember that behind those eyes of a stranger could be the same emotions behind yours.

The Hot Spot!

by Jenny, a Patriot Blogger

From maracas and sombreros to paper lanterns embellished with Chinese characters, Mason’s new dining option “The Hot Spot” offers meals from around the world.  Since its debut in late January, feedback from students Facebook page for Mason Dining has determined a new theme each week, which has included a fajita bar, Carribean food, a classic pasta bar and Thai noodle bar.

As a lettuce and tomato discriminator, the meat filled fajita (above) did not leave me thrilled, despite large portions.  The Thai noodle bar (below) however, sent my taste buds on a delightfully spicy journey around the well cooked beef strips, through the loops of rice noodles and up the scoop of rice, slathered in the mouth-watering green curry sauce.

Located on the bottom of Student Union Building I, The Hot Spot has boasted lines nearly along as its neighbor, Chick-fil-A.

Also this semester, Mason has welcomed Subway into our dining family as well as a third convenience store.  With so many options, the only question now is how I will work off all of those additional calories!

Research, Richmond, Spring Break, and more!

by Hayley, a Patriot Blogger

Hi readers! I hope all has been well since I last wrote

This past week was rush week for my band service fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi. We had a ton of great members of the Green Machine come out to events last week, and we accepted eight new membership candidates! Over the next two months, I will be educating them as they go through the process of becoming official brothers of the fraternity. I can’t wait to work with them and guide them along this pathway!

Today is a super exciting day, as I am finally (FINALLY) distributing the survey for my honors research project! The data should be rolling in pretty steadily over the next couple of weeks, and then I get to do more exciting things like compile it and analyze it. This is really the first major step in my research, and I am so excited! It’s not often that you get to conduct your own independent research as an undergraduate, so I feel really lucky to be part of the Honors in Communication program.

Spring break is coming up in less than two weeks, but before that, something else really exciting is happening–the Green Machine is traveling to Richmond! More accurately, the men’s basketball team is traveling to Richmond for the CAA tournament, and we are accompanying them on their travels. It’s always an incredibly fun weekend, filled with meeting new friends from other bands, bowling, Chinese food, WaWa trips, sketchy hair dryers at the Quality Inn, and most importantly, postseason basketball! March is one of my favorite times of year, mostly because I love college basketball. This will be my fourth (and sadly, last) trip to Richmond with the band, and I have loved every one of these trips

For any of you seniors out there, I hope the college decision-making process is going well for you! We at The Patriot Life are always happy to answer questions from prospective students, so let us know if there’s something you want to know more about!

Until next time….GO MASON!

–Hayley