Taking the bad with the good

The past two days have really tested me.

Last night, after not a bad, but not a particularly good day, my brother called and told me that he's been ordered to deploy. Again. Even though he his new job was supposed to keep him stateside for 2 years. I guess you can never really trust the military's decisions, but it was shocking nonetheless. It made me really sad because he leaves in a few weeks and will miss my birthday, Christmas, and possibly even Easter. Not that any of those were ever a guarantee anyway, but we were expecting that this time.

So anyway, with every deployment, my heart broke. And I did not have the best outlook for today as a result.

But the universe works in mysterious ways! I am neither religious nor spiritual, but my general attitude is positivity yields good things. And today I think that happened.

This morning I had my Functions class, and I'll be honest, it's the one class I don't look forward to. However, we had good discussion this time about professional ethics and while most of it is common sense, I like thinking about it in terms of my field and I enjoyed today's class. Plus we got an assignment that I am THRILLED about and want to start NOW!

Then I had lunch with my Cohort Connect and it was a lot of fun! She's always fun but it was nice getting to chill and eat with her. She came to see where I work and it was nice showing someone what I really do.

Work was a bit stressful, but I told my boss about my brother's deployment and that I was thinking of flying out to see him before he goes, and she was so supportive she even looked up flights for me! I truly love my office and feel so fortunate to have made a really good connection with these people at interview days. I would NOT want to be anywhere else! Then we went to the nicest restaurant in town for the Study Abroad Re-Entry Celebration Dinner (for the students abroad during spring and summer 2013) and it was so cool to meet those students and hear their stories. A-MAZING!

When I got home tonight, I checked my mail and got my loan disbursement and realized that my assistantship covers ALL of my tuition -- not just the in-state like they originally said. Tuition in full! 100%! $$$$ :D

FINALLY, I also had a package from my best friend.

All in all, today was just wonderful. I feel so much better.

Lesson: Put positive energy out there, no matter how bad things seem, and positive energy will come back to you.

Love,
J

Quick Note

Hi!

It's after 11pm and I'm exhausted, but I just read Pam's Swaziland Peace Corps update so I felt compelled to at least give a quick one on mine!

Maybe I'll find time to write a substantial post later this weekend, but classes have started and the thing about grad school is there is a legitimate amount of reading. And by legitimate, I mean it's CONSTANT!

But what I want to say now before I go to bed, is that the idea was introduced in my theory class this week that as student affairs professionals, we are "environmental engineers."

Environmental engineers. That really struck me, because it's true. We collaborate to shape the overall experience of the student. We control their activities, their curriculum, their leadership, etc. We are the reasons why they grow. Without us, they can surely become educated; but they cannot lead, they cannot serve, they cannot achieve.

It gives me an easier idea of how to describe my career to my friends and family without higher education experience who have no idea what I'm doing. "Student affairs, what's that?" I mean, am I right?

Anyway, I love my classes. I really feel like I'm preparing for my career, where as in my undergrad I was definitely enjoying my classes, but more so as a hobby. And of course, my cohort is fantastic. The program itself, really, is incredible. Positive experiences all around!

Before I go, a change in direction: apparently September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. If you're looking for ways to help the cause, one way how I've done my part is through Pantene's "Beautiful Lengths" campaign: if you have hair long enough to donate 8+ inches, consider it! The hair goes into making wigs that are donated to people who've lost their hair from cancer treatments! Unlike other hair donation programs, this one doesn't charge for the wig! This past Wednesday, I donated 10 inches of my hair (to my mom's dismay). It's a great cause and (unless you're my dad) your hair will grow back! :)

Lots of love,
J

End of Summer Reflections? Is that corny?

I realize I had the intention of updating, like, weeks ago now... whoops! My b! It's tough to update when there really isn't much to update on concerning my SAHE life. But I have enough to say now where I can blog, so here I am!

I'm going to break this post into topical sections so I don't spend too much time rambling.

1 - Meeting New People

I'm obviously always meeting new people by virtue of new students finally arriving to Indiana or the surrounding areas in preparation of the fall semester. But one thing that I've learned to appreciate about myself over the past several weeks is that I am incapable of joining a clique. Of course I expected cliques to naturally form in my cohort, but I was not expecting it to happen so quickly (part of that may have to do with the fact that there are already 2 couples established in my cohort...lol). But anyway, I've noticed myself shying away from getting close to any one group of people since they've been here. I like everyone, but I'm definitely an independent "floater" type of person -- I will go out and hang with just about anyone. I think it has something to do with the introvert in me, because I like to have my space and feel like I'm free to come and go as I choose. Being in a clique always makes me feel smothered and gives me less opportunity to get to know other people around me. And while at times I do feel sort of lonely that I don't necessarily have a go-to group of people yet, it's still very early, it's also nice to have my freedom and not feel obligated to do things with the same group of people all the time. In any case, I'm having a blast with every weekend that I meet someone new!

2 - Closure and Moving On

I mentioned in my previous post about going to Kennywood, an amusement park in Pittsburgh, for IUP Day. That was a few weeks ago, but I went and had a blast! I wasn't too crazy about the rides, but it was better than nothing. Anyway, I liked being associated with IUP while I was there. For the first time I felt like I belonged to this community, being around hundreds of alumni and their families. I felt like I've been "over" my undergrad for a while now, but I'm now realizing that, in a way, IUP Day brought me closure from Susquehanna and my undergraduate experience. Don't get me wrong, I love and will always love SU, and I wouldn't trade my 4 years there for anything. But I can't visit my friends there forever, and I refuse to let my time there be the peak of my life. I'm so young and have so much more to do and see; SU was a very special time in my life, but I know that that chapter is over and has been, and I need to move on. So I think I've succeeded in doing that, which is great because now I can focus on my time here at IUP and treasure that, as well as focusing on what my future has in store for me! 

3 - My GA and Future in Study Abroad

My graduate assistantship is only getting better. I love everyone I work with, as well as the work I do. And I'm so happy to be a part of this field. I know that I've mentioned before that I'm not sure what I want to pursue in terms of a functional area for when I begin applying for jobs next year, but the longer I'm in Study Abroad, the more I want to stay. Granted, I have to complete 2 practicums in other functional areas before I graduate, so everything might change. However, if there is one thing I'm passionate about in terms of a career direction, it's international education. My experiences in the 3 times I've studied abroad have only strengthened my belief that cross-cultural study is essential for human growth and development, especially when it concerns students. Plus, I love to travel, and I know staying in this field will give me more opportunity to do that. Anyway, I have a vision of me doing this for the long hull, and I'm ready to begin now, whether it's sending US students abroad or hosting US students overseas for abroad programs. In some way, I want to contribute to this experience for students. I could discuss this for years and years, but I'll stop here.

I'm fortunate enough that my program will be doing a study tour abroad next summer, and I can't wait to see what higher education is like in the universities we visit. Rumor has it the trip will visit France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands... I'll be sure to confirm this later!

So those are the recent developments in my life so far. Nothing fabulous but I'm treating everything as a learning experience! It will probably be a while before I get time or have something to update -- I only work until Thursday this week and then I'll be making the journey to my parents house for a Pauly D/Jesse McCartney/Backstreet Boys concert (Friday) - yes I'm 12, and tailgating and attending a Phillies game (Saturday). Really looking forward to the visit to catch up with my best friend over a NJ diner breakfast, as well as seeing my older brother for the first time in months and meeting his girlfriend. The following week is international student orientation, so I'll be super busy with that, followed by the start of classes. Bye, summer, it's been real! Jk, because it didn't feel like summer.

-J

A few things

Friends(?)!

Hello!

I haven't been posting, but obviously that's because my classes haven't started yet. But it's also because, finally, people have arrived!! Yes, actual human beings. I know, it's amazing. So I've been pretty social. I mean like I went out on 3 weeknights last week (yikes), which was really difficult because being one year out of college makes a huge difference. Believe me.

So yeah it's been pretty fantastic having other people besides the other GA in my cohort/department. Which is a good thing, especially now, because the other GA who I've spent the past 2 months with is leaving. :( Sometimes life throws you curveballs out of nowhere, and unfortunately that seems to be the situation for her. I'm really upset that she has to leave because she's been, really, my only friend here for some time and now she has to go. She will still remain my friend of course, and hopefully she can return next year and be with us again! But for now, I wish her all the best and hope that everything works out.

Besides that, work has been great! I worked my first expo on Saturday (not unlike an open house, to my understanding), and it was great! I got to talk to about 1,000 people about our Study Abroad program with one of the student workers, so it was great to spend more time getting to know him. He's from Uzbekistan so he told me about that and about his experience in America so far. I love getting to know our international students because their experiences are all so different and you really learn a lot from them. Anyway, I have to work about 5-6 more of those with him as the year progresses, so it's going to be fun. The prospective students seem eager to go abroad, and that's a great sign. Especially since I'm hoping to play a role in expanding this program significantly. High hopes!

But basically I think that's all for my updates! Bis später, Leuts!

Look for these updates in my next post:
- IUP Day at Kennywood with fellow SAHE students and IUP alumni
- Unofficial ZTA Night in Indiana

I knew I sold my soul to student affairs when...

Casually watching The Bachelorette (go Brooks and Chris!), and decided I could update.

I follow a student affairs account on Twitter and yesterday they posted: I knew I sold my soul to student affairs when ___________. I didn't reply because I honestly don't know when I "sold my soul." Was it when I joined O-Team in my freshman year and realized I had school spirit? Was it when I started working as a tour guide and connecting with prospective students and families about all the incredible opportunities higher education affords students? Was it when I went abroad? Was it when I joined a sorority? Was it when I had my first experience supervising on the Welcome Week Planning Committee? Those were all great moments in my time as an undergraduate, and they all culminate to me deciding student affairs is my profession of choice. But I don't know if any of those were "aha!" moments where I realized that I sold my soul.

The story I tell is that I got involved because I loved my school, wanted to give back, and also wanted to expose myself to new things while I tried to figure out what it is I'm meant to do. And that two mentors really inspired me -- Caro, who opened up so many doors for me; and Holly, who said to me the summer before my senior year, "If you can't imagine your life without all of the things you do here, why stop?" And it was then that I first actually saw this field as a very real possibility.

So I'm not sure if there was ever a moment for me, because there were very many moments. And that's probably just as special, I'd imagine.

**JSYK: Chris and Brooks are moving onto the next round. Woo!**

Anyway, that's basically it. Everything is great, my job is great, the people are great, my apartment is great, the trash stinks, etc. I'm having a blast this summer, but I'm way excited for August to get here!

P.S. The one thing that isn't great is this weather. Apparently it's crazy everywhere, but that doesn't change the fact that it's annoying.

The Blog is Back -- Welcome and Introduction

I just want to start out by giving a shout out to who will most likely be my one and only faithful reader, even in Swaziland -- Pamilla, you da woman.

But welcome to my blog, version 3.0! The only blog or journal or what-have-you I've ever consistently kept was my blog during my 4 month stint in Germany almost exactly 3 years ago, and I think that's because it was a crucial time in my life on which I felt I needed to reflect. I don't do well with technology, but it's linked to this, so if you're interested in reading about my experience, that blog is entitled "Bier, Schnitzel, und Sprache." Aside from my semester abroad, I was going through a lot of difficult life changes, and it came through at times in some of those blog entries. All I can say is I've grown a lot since then, and am a wildly different person as a result.

Anyway, welcome to "Undetermined Nonsense!" I typed the name not entirely sure what this would be... apparently I'd attempted a grad school blog entitled "A Glimpse into Higher Education" and I saw that tonight and went "ew." I'm not here to be superficial about my experience, and mostly I want to keep Pam in the loop while she's in Africa. We talk just about every day, and I have to honestly say that the idea of her being in Africa for the next 27 months and me not knowing what to expect from her in terms of communication really freaks me out. It was so hard for me to keep track of my little sister during her past college semester in Spain, so I can't imagine how my friendship with Pam will look like in the future. But this is my small attempt at keeping windows into each other's lives open. Her experience so far in grad school seemed very powerful, and her excitement for me to begin my own experience was so kind and sweet and typical of her.

Anyway, here I am living in my own apartment in Indiana, PA, for the next 2 years. I've been here a month already, which is weird to say, but oddly enough it's starting to feel like home. My graduate program is M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Indiana University of PA, and I have a graduate assistantship in the Office of International Education with Study Abroad. Kind of perfect, am I right? I thought for sure that going for SAHE with a B.A. in German and International Studies would mean that ultimately, what my career turns into will have nothing to do with my undergraduate degree. But things work out, because here I am speaking to students about the incredible opportunities that come along with study abroad, and it's what I worked 4 years of my life for. I don't know if once I graduate I'll explicitly apply to openings at universities within the field of study abroad, but I know that it's one option I'll be thrilled to take if presented! (My boss was in China for work when she offered me the job; right now she's in Indonesia for work. How could I not love this field?!)

My assistantship doesn't cover the first summer of classes, so I won't be getting a head start on it (can't afford rent if I pay for those classes myself). But I am enjoying my work and the people I work with, and just getting used to a new level of independence. So far I'm wholly satisfied with my program, and today I even heard from my SAHE "Big." Her assistantship is in Student Life with Greek Life, which is one of the functional areas I want to pursue next year for my practicum. As it also turns out, she's my sorority sister in Zeta Tau Alpha, and is working on her practicum Susquehanna University - my alma mater! Such a small world.

All in all, these next two years will be what I make them. I already have one difficult goal: increase the amount of students going abroad. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, this office is unique (I believe). When I was at SU, a school of 2,300, it was a requirement for every class after mine to complete a cross-cultural experience for academic credit. Here at IUP, a school of approximately 15,000 students, I counted about 23 students going abroad this coming fall semester, and while I put together a "Where in the World is IUP?!" map for my office, my supervisor informed me that one of the students I listed had pulled out. To me, that's just unfortunate. So my goal is to substantially increase those numbers. When I'm applying for jobs, I want to be able to say I played a significant part in recruiting students to immerse themselves in global education. Hopefully I succeed!