Falcon Footnotes

There is nothing quite like the first week of school. The mix of new people, schedules and responsibilities make it one of the most exhilarating weeks in a persons college career. My first week here was exactly like that. Not only was I in a new country, I was given the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and was being introduced to many new, exciting ideas and projects. During that first week I met some of my best friends and created bonds that will hopefully last for a very long time. The first week at Messiah is filled with activities that I would strongly encourage to every upcoming first year student to take advantage of. So to everyone who is about to begin their time at Messiah, don’t postpone getting involved. Start strong, you definitely won’t regret it.

I now understand why Phileas Fog, from Around the World in 80 Days, wanted to see if he could travel around the world.  He didn’t do it for a bet or even to run away from an investigation.  He wanted to see the world!  Now, my journey was not as action-packed as Mr. Fog’s or even filled with as many stops.  However, my May term cross-cultural to Nepal was about as close as anyone could get.

Messiah offers one of the nation’s top 12 study abroad programs.  They offer semester long programs as well as three week trips.  I was unable to spend an entire semester in a country because of my major/minor requirements but I did have the time to spend the three weeks after school finished traveling on a short term trip.

I chose Nepal because I have had previous experiences in India and I wanted to learn more about that area of the world…and boy did I.  The professor that took us on our trip was born and raised in India and spent many years teaching in Nepal.  He knew everything about the culture first hand.  He started our experience by having read a few books about the country.  We had three meetings and discussed the cultures, traditions, and history of the nation.  This helped us to have background knowledge so that we could be prepared for our time in the culture.

Once we traveled to Nepal (which is located on the other side of the world…where Mt. Everest is located), we spent our days studying the culture.  We would have a Nepali class in the morning so that we could learn the language (since the trip fulfills one of your language requirements).  Then, we would spend the rest of the morning learning about the religions, traditions, and cultures of the people…from the Nepali people themselves.  After we learned the knowledge, we got to go into the streets of Nepal and experience it.  What a great way to learn!

We got to visit the royal palace, a Hindu temple, a Buddhist stupa, many schools, and a Nepali home for a home stay.  We also were able to volunteer our time to paint a needy school and help at a field day.  What a life changing experience!  In my opinion, studying abroad at Messiah College goes above and beyond anything that Phileas Fog ever could have dreamed!

Is it a parasite that grabs hold of you and never lets go?  Is it an alien that has come to change all that we know?  Or, is it the three week term in January that students are allowed to participate in?  Actually, it is a little of both…just kidding:) It is a “semester” in January during which you take one or two classes for 15 days.  Sounds easy right? Well, it is.  For the entire month you take one class for three hours each day…simple.  Some of the classes are poetry, animal form and function, or guitar.

This J-term I am taking guitar.  I am learning about music history, guitar technique, and how to play.  I have never played a guitar before and it has been interesting to learn.  Since that is the only class that I am taking this month, I am able to find time to refine my guitar playing skills and have plenty of time to do my homework.  The class is only in the afternoon so I get to sleep in and then get to do fun things with my friends at night.

Oh, that’s right.  J-term is about more than just the class.  It is also a time when you can hang out and do fun things with your friends.  Since we have more time, we can do a lot together, such as go skiing, go to the local farm show, and have a dinner/movie night.  It is so fun and a good time to reconnect after Christmas break.

J-term, although not exactly an alien, is a month of differences and a time to focus and just have fun!

Well, unfortunately money doesn’t grow on trees at Messiah. So, for much needed funds for those annual Sheetz runs, many students have jobs on campus. Mine is in the admissions office- as a telecounselor. I’m that person that you SHOULD talk to but probably don’t, telling you how great of a place Messiah is and why you should come here. Which is all true I love speaking to all of your prospective students, but I also love the people I work with. We have so much fun as we wait for one of you to pick up.

This weekend, the office was decorated for Christmas, and we are having a Christmas party. The people I work with are some of my favorites, and I know a lot of people who have met some of their closest friends through their on campus jobs. I want you to consider a work study while your here- not only do you get paid, but you make new friends too!

One of the questions that I hear asked the most from students who want to come to Messiah is…How do I get off campus to do things?  How do I get groceries?  Can I have a car?  Well, I am here to tell you that transportation should not be something to worry about.  Messiah does a great job of making sure that all of us are taken care of.  I am currently a senior and I just got my first car.  I have gone through three years away from home without the need for my own wheels.  How did I do it?  Well…

1. How did I get home?  I live four hours away but Messiah has a program called ride share that hooks students with cars up with students who don’t have one.  I have met so many different people this way.

2. How did I get to the store?  Well, there are always friends who have cars.  They gave me rides to the store.  Messiah also has a bus that goes to Walmart or Target once a week.  You can sign up to go and it is free.  There is also a store on campus where you can buy your basic needs.

3. How did I do anything fun if I couldn’t leave campus?  Who said you had to leave campus to have fun?  However, when I did want to leave campus, there were always people here to give me a ride.

So, it is possible to come to college without a car.  In fact, freshmen are not even allowed to have cars their first year (unless they live a certain distance away).  It is all about creativity and using the resources around you.  Through this, you can go any place you desire…

It’s that time of year. The time of year when there’s a major assignment in every class within three days. The time of year when sleep eludes me and I wake up before the sun rises or go to bed afterwards. The time of year when the rejuvenation of fall break has long since worn off, and Christmas, even Thanksgiving, seems years away. The time of year when I think…”Why (and HOW) am I doing this to myself?”
I tend to be quite a procrastinator (understatement of the year), and this becomes especially evident around now, when I have lots to keep track of. Tests, papers, projects, presentations: everything piles up and I’m just barely hanging in there. It’s times like this when I realize how important it is to take some time to rest. And by rest, I don’t mean sleeping in or taking an afternoon nap. I mean rest in the sense of slowing down, reflecting, worshiping, praying, and simply spending some much-needed time with God.
The tricky thing is: the crazier things get, the more I need to spend that time with God, but the less time I have to do it. I have to be more intentional about my rest and worship time and take advantage of the little opportunities that I have. For example, if I have a 15 minute block of time, I may REALLY want to take a nap, but how much good is that 15 minutes of sleep really going to do me? An extra 15 minutes in scripture would provide not the sleep, but the rest that I really need. Or, if I’m pulling another ridiculously late night and about to go to bed at 6…why not stay up just a few more minutes to watch the sunrise and marvel at God’s creation with some meditation and worship? I may think I need that extra few minutes before an exam to stuff all the information I can into my head, but spending those few minutes in prayer proves to be far more beneficial, time after time.
The Sabbath is especially important: dedicating an entire day each week to rest is one of God’s greatest ideas for sure. It’s crucial to step out of my busy schedule and just…slow down. Even if I do decide to attend the classic Bedside Baptist after a particularly sleepless week, I make sure to spend time in prayer, worship, and Scripture every Sunday. And I have a very strict no-homework policy for one day every weekend: sometimes Saturday, sometimes Sunday, but every weekend I make sure to just take one day off, no matter how much I have looming over me. And no matter how busy I feel or how much I need to do…the rest is ALWAYS worth it.
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Well the season to register for next semester’s classes.  About this time, early November, we all begin to search for what classes we will need and we also spend a good deal of time trying to organize a schedule that we can live with.  Being a senior is nice on a couple counts.  First of all, we get to register first, so all the classes are available.  Second most of my requirements have been completed, in fact my schedule next semester has one J-term class and two classes for Spring Semester and my Honor’s research project.  In other words I am going to have a lot of free time (which will hopefully be spent working).

One of the best pieces I can offer as a graduating senior to incoming freshmen is take the time to seriously plan for the classes you will take.  It really helped for me to buckle down and take 18 credits for several semesters, because now that I am on my way out I have free time to look at grad schools and living arrangements for next year.  Take the time to talk with your adviser and work out a schedule for all four years if you can and try to make things easier your senior year.  I promise you won’t regret it!

Well, I hate to disappoint you, but the typical stereotype of college student is real. Staying up until you can see the sun rise again, piles and piles of books surrounding you, all while you are wondering how in the world you can get this all done. When I am in this state, I begin to wonder why God didn’t just create 48 hour days so I could get my work all done.

While this might sound disconcerting, I absolutely love it. Although I might be severely exhausted and walking around like a zombie for half the semester, I feel like I have purpose. The things I have learned and are now able to do far exceed the sacrifices of my time I have to make. And, there is beauty in the fact that you are not alone. I love looking down my hall at 3 in the morning and looking at everyone with their multiple cups of coffee, slaving away at that 18 page paper. Messiah is all about community, and this definitely builds it. And, at the end, there is a significant sense of accomplishment that cannot be surpassed.

I am a junior right now, and the rumors are right, its the most difficult year. But I have comfort in looking back at all I have over come so far, and will continue to overcome. I am rounding the lap towards the finish line, and I know that Messiah has given me the education needed to succeed in whatever comes next.

Around the middle of October is when everyone realizes that things are serious now. Professors aren’t messing around, its time to get to business. At around the same time, Fall Break, in all of its beauty, arrives at your door step and gives you a couple of minutes to catch up.

Few students, although they love their fall break, choose to give it up in order to do acts of service through the Agape Service Learning Center on campus. This year I was fortunate enough to go to Newark, New Jersey and work at an organization called World Impact. For the first two days I helped out in a 5th grade class room by doing some grading, making a bulletin board, and even taught them long division! (yikes). We also helped tear down old furniture, and created long lasting relationships with the youth of the community. I got to meet new people I had not met on campus yet, got closer with people I already knew, and also got to meet people from a lifestyle I am not familiar with.

Many think I was a little crazy to give up my rest and relaxation for more hard work, but I would not trade that experience for the world. The whole purpose of service is to serve- all while learning. My viewpoint of the world God has created has been stretched beyond what I was previously aware, beyond the campus of Messiah, and for that I will forever be thankful. When you come to Messiah, I want to encourage you to participate on  service trip during you fall break, spring break, or the beginning of the summer. I promise you will not regret it.

About a week ago, things were looking pretty bleak.  Projects, tests, readings, papers, and the like were piling up.  It seemed like the end of the line for us students.  However Monday morning brought the light at the end of the tunnel, Wednesday afternoon marked the start of Fall Break.  Fall Break is a glorious 5 day vacation that allows students a much needed rest and time to relax.

My fall break was filled with a ton of activities.  I got to go out to lunch with my mom.  I did a good deal of car work, my car needed oil changed and my fiancee had several issues with her car that we tackled over the break.  I also got to work on prepping a house for installing new siding.  My favorite part though was taking time to harken back to my younger years.  For two years now my fiancee and I go up to her house over the fall break and carve pumpkins with her family.

Fall break is a great respite for students, we come back to Messiah ready to handle another month of work before the next break arrives.  It is a time for catching up with family, relaxing, sleeping in, and playing games.  I really enjoyed the break this year, but am already looking forward to Thanksgiving break!