Wow, only one week left to the fall semester and the blogging is finally beginning. This semester has been so busy and eventful, but it flew by. I can not believe that I am going home for Christmas break in just a few days!
I guess I should start off by introducing myself. My name is Christine Zengel and I am a junior here at The University of Scranton. After spending freshmen year bouncing from major to major, I am officially double majoring in counseling and theology, and thankfully, I am happy with my choice. I am involved in quite a few time-consuming activities on campus. I am the treasurer of the women's crew team and a leader for the Search retreat here on campus. Occasionally, I also played a few intramural sports. This involvement caused me to earn the nickname G.I. Jane when I was a freshman, because I was always running around from one activity to the next. I usually carry 18 credits a semester and I work in the admissions office as well. So, as you can see, free time is a luxury that I don't usually enjoy.
You may think that I am completely nuts to commit myself to so many things, but I will only be here for four years, and I want to really experience all that Scranton has to offer, which is a lot.
My choice to attend The University of Scranton was not easy. I am an indecisive person, as you probably guessed from the time it took me to choose a major. I did not pick Scranton until May. I was unsure of my decision, but once arriving on campus and seeing all the opportunities that lay ahead of me, I was excited. I am just as excited to share everything I experience this year with you, and hope that in sharing my experiences with you, you will consider attending The University of Scranton.
This semester has been a whirlwind. I am not lying when I say that every year goes by faster and faster. I remember freshmen year when my roommate and I began counting down to Christmas break. We started with about 40 days. Sophomore year we did not begin the countdown until about 2 weeks beforehand. This year, we have not even started one. This scares me a little bit, because if this is how fast junior year is going to go by, I can not imagine how quickly senior year will be over with. This semester, the crew team really took up a lot of my time. I joined the team when I was a freshman, because I ran cross country in high school and I missed organized athletics. I wanted to try something new, and crew seemed like the way to go. Now, as a junior, I help run the team, which is no easy feat. The team is completely student-run, from regatta (race) registration to practice schedules, we do everything. It is hard work, but it is so much fun and so rewarding. Getting up at 5 AM may seem a little intense, but there is really nothing that compares to being in a boat at sunrise…even if you are working up a sweat. The season ended in mid-November with the Frostbite/Bill Braxton regatta, and although I love the team, and my teammates, I was happy to be able to sleep in, at least for a little bit.
Besides athletics, something I get a lot of joy out of is the Christmas season. I love everything about it. I listen to Christmas music nonstop, and I was recently introduced to the movie Elf…which now just plays on repeat in my room. With the Christmas season, the campus becomes a new place. Wreathes go up all over campus and the huge Christmas tree is put up on the Gunster (student center) patio. One of my favorite campus events is the Advent liturgy, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree. It seems like everyone on campus, religious or not, comes to the tree lighting. I know that Joegi already talked about this in his blog, and I agree with the observation he makes about the community here on campus. This ceremony really brings us all together to celebrate Christmas, as well as to start off the worst two weeks of the semester (dead week and finals week), with cookies and hot chocolate. After the Christmas tree lighting, walking down the commons at night can become an awesome experience. I remember one winter sophomore year; I had to walk down to the library at around 2 AM to copy something out. I was out of ink, and with finals coming up, I was up to 2 AM finishing up some last minute work. It was snowing and the wreaths and tree were lit up. It was such a pretty sight. Although I almost fell on my face a couple of times because of the ice, I will never forget about how awesome our campus looked.
Ok, I have raved about the campus and myself for long enough. I will be back to blogging in a couple days or so, so I look forward to continuing to discuss my semester with you, and I welcome comments…so respond!!!