miscellaneous happenings

So, it has been a full year since my return to the States. My European travels seem to have happened ages ago. I miss it, but it is time to start my adult life. College is officially over. I have a BA from Valparaiso University, and graduated cum laude on May 15th. It is a bizarre sentence to utter: I am not going back to school because i finished it. I mean, someday i would like to go back to get a Doctorate in Art History, but that won’t be for a while yet. i want to get a job to gain more life experience before i continue school. Anyways, the job hunt is hard, but i’m persevering. Every day i change what i want to do. Monday it’s “move to Florida.” Tuesday i think i’ll “go to France.” By Wednesday i’m feeling “the Windy City.” Thursday i decide to give Michigan another go-round, and Friday i  throw in a wild-card: California, Texas, South Carolina, Peace Corps or extreme Sky-diver. Who knows where I’ll end up. I’m willing to do virtually anything! I’ll probably post again when i get a job…

Anyways, my old roommate Steph got married to my friend Mark this weekend. He asked her to marry him last year. i was one of her bridesmaids. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was fun. It was SO good to see my friends again. We all missed each other. Our lives are spreading us all over the United States, so the hours we have together as a group are cherished moments. 

Speaking of cherished moments, my senior year was full of them. It was heart-warming to see how much my Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters grew up by taking on leadership positions and it was wonderful to be an involved senior: able to help out and participate in everything, but not to be in charge anymore. that was refreshing. i had many cool opportunities through my internship with the Brauer Museum of Art. I helped curate three shows this year, and I did the graphics for the two shows on campus. Putting together the exhibitions was a lot  of work, but it was gratifying to see everything completed. My art history Professor announced the shows in classes, so there was a nice turnout to both of the campus openings. I also showed a few of my pieces this year. My Mom, high-school English teacher, and several friends came to see my work. It meant a lot to know i had their support. My art history Professor is fantastic. She organized a trip to Guatemala and Honduras to study the ancient Mayan ruins. i went because- let’s be serious- i’m a sucker for travel and passionate about art. The experiences i had there were eye-opening and life-enriching. The most striking memory i have is difficult to eloquently express: i did not realize that is was possible to see hunger through one’s eyes or poverty through body-language. At times, i found myself buying goods from families simply to help support them. I came back with more beaded bracelets than i knew what to do with. haha My favorite memory, however, is a happy one. Our group visited an unchanged town, and the local people dressed us in traditional garments and head-dresses. We walked around town and people roared with laughter. They pointed and stared and pretended to take photos of us. The picture below is my favorite. i felt like an Amazon woman. haha I also climbed an active volcano and zip-lined through the rainforest. I’m an adrenaline junkie, i think. Well, that’s pretty much all i have to say for now. In closing, my final year of college was challenging, rewarding and fabulously fun. I hope that the future holds adventures abroad, uncharted challenges and opportunities for growth both professional and personal.