Ben, ‘11

August 29, 2009

So, it feels like I just left campus for the summer, but I’m back once again. Somehow, I find myself as a Junior. I’m still trying to figure out where the first two years of my college life went. Man, time is flying by. Unfortunately, this weekend is also disappearing, so I need to keep this post relatively short. To say that’s easy, though, is rather difficult. I’ve had five classes this week, a million and one welcome back events, plus meetings and tons of other stuff I would love to share with you. Before all of those activities, though, I arrived to help the new freshmen move in. It was broiling hot, but I was actually quite helpful for two freshmen and their families. The next few days of Orientation found me representing InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at several open houses and events. I also had the fun opportunity to document several Orientation activities as the photographer for our school newspaper, an opportunity made available through a friend of mine. It further astounded me how much time had passed since I was doing these exact same activities.

The freshmen meeting each other for the first time

The unexplainable Orientation event of Playfair

Having fun at Playfair

Being the Events Coordinator for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, this week was rather chaotic. We hit the ground running with events that are planned via e-mail communication, which is often sporadic and quite difficult. We had a cookout to welcome the new students to UR as well as to give the returning students a chance to reunite. We had 200+ people attend and went through 150 hot dogs and 150 hamburgers. It was a huge success.

Our shopping trip for the cookout supplies

Taking charge of the grills

Spontaneous hot dog eating contest

We also hosted a Field Day after the first week of classes ended on Friday. There was Ultimate Frisbee, watermelon-eating contests, a “snowball fight”, soccer, and a water balloon fight. The weather wasn’t ideal, but I was able to relax after a chaotic week, due to the lack of a routine in my life. At the Field Day, I reconnected with friends I hadn’t talked to over the summer as well as made new friends, such as Mark from Northern Ireland. I must quickly add that all of the current freshmen are really amazing and cool. Those of you who are prospectives will have a tough act to follow, but I have faith in you.

Watermelon-eating contest

Julie wearing her watermelon as a hat

Aftereffects of the “snowball fight”

Everyone was absolutely disgusting after Field Day

While I did do many other things this week, such as move into my room, have organizational meetings, and numerous other things, classes are what I shall conclude with mentioning. I have three Business courses (Marketing, Business Statistics II, and Organizational Behavior) as well as two Leadership Courses (Theories and Models of Leadership and Competition, Cooperation, & Choice). They all seem pretty good. I attempted to drop one Business course since I had taken a very similar course in the Leadership School in the spring, but it wasn’t meant to be. There looks to be lots of reading and it’s still uncertain how many papers I will have, or how long they will need to be, which is slightly disconcerting to me.

I’ll make sure to update you as to how classes are going and what they’re about, in addition to some pictures and video of my room, but that will have to wait. There was so much other stuff going on in my life to share with you first.

Our neighbor, Cameron, reading us a bedtime story from
Billy’s Organic Chemistry textbook

Quote of the Week: “But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. they laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” -Carl Sagain

YouTube Video of the Week:

Since summer is the time for barbecuing, here is the most unhealthy thing in the world, except for the deep-fried Twinkie perhaps