My last blog, for real. <--most uncreative title yet!

So, I lied, this my last blog. As I sit here in english class I must write another blog. I think this is kind of funny - blogging about the blog. Anyways, I have diverged from what this blog is supposed to be, a reflection. What have I gained from the blog? What was it's purpose? These are the questions that I am supposed to answer.
This blog has given me a chance to express my thought on some issues in a different way than I would have had I not been in English 101. I normally would not blog on a daily, or even weekly basis, or probably at all, but I do find it helpful as some sort of a release. It's a good way to get things out of your head and get them somewhere. Although the blog entries were supposed to be reflective and deep for the most part, it also gives you a chance to comment on recent happenings. I enjoy telling stories of things that have gone on lately in my life and doing so in the blog allowed me to search for what I have learned from these experiences rather than just letting them pass. It's also a good time to "talk" and say what you want withough being interrupted : ) I even found myself at times wanting to write on the blog because I was so upset or distraught about something that I had to let it out...Thank goodness most of these times I did not have access to a computer : )
Overall, this blog has been helpful to me in several ways. It has taught me to draw deeper meaning from typical everyday things, allowed me to express my feelings, see what other people think (when they comment on my blog), and also get into the heads of others. I enjoyed reading other people's blogs and often times I've found myself agreeing with people and actually looking to see who this person was and if I saw them around I would talk to them about their blog. It gave a semi-bonding experience. But if i didn't agree, commenting on their blog was a non-confrontational way to discuss the disputed issue.
I learned many things from the blog even though at times it was hard to post. I did not always feel like doing a blog or reading and commenting on others', but here, at the end of the assignment, I'm glad we did it. Looking back I would have done this blog a little different. I would have taken it on with a better attitude than I did at the beginning and probably blogged more often now that I see the benefits of it.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.

So, here it goes. My last blog ever...well atleast being a MC Choctaw. Next semester I'll be back home in Louisiana and I couldn't be happier! In fact, this time next week I'll be back home in Louisiana. It's been a fun, well bearable, time here at MC. I wouldn't stretch so far to say fun because I haven't exactly enjoyed my time here. I guess this just goes to show how different people are. Some people knew right off the bat that this place was for them, but I never felt that way. I was very excited about coming to college and living on my own. Well after a couple weeks that was out my system. I was excited about living on my own with no rules from my parents, but I actually found MC to be worse.
Eleven o'clock on a Saturday night, really? That's as late as my friends can stay? I'm sorry, am I a freshman in college or high school? I understand that there have to be rules and there's danger in having guys walking around in girls dorms, but even when they're "legally" allowed in the rooms the rules are ridiculous. You can't sit on the bed with them, close the door, and heaven forbid you take your feet off the ground. I don't mind abiding by rules, but here I feel like I'm treated like a child. I found it very degrading to have a girl my age checking on me and making sure that I'm not doing something wrong.
This isn't the reason I'm leaving, but I do not feel like this place is a good environment to grow and mature in - mostly because you're not given the opportunity to. Of course you can grow in some ways - getting up and going to class, studying, but some of the most important aspects of growing up are left out. I didn't mean to rag on MC on my last blog, but that's just where it ended up once I started typing.

Props to myself...sortof

So, I'm pretty proud of myself for remembering to actually do this blog. Especially with the 6 days or so off from school. Nevertheless, I would not have remembered had I not checked my email in Wal-Mart and saw that somebody commented on my blog from last week. So, thanks to my little brother who decided he needed a new winter wardrobe and my mom for agreeing. Had they not done so I would not have been so inexplicably bored and resorted to playing on my phone.
Anyway, I rushed them out of Wal-Mart as quickly as possible to get me home to do this blog. As I was wasting my life away in Wal-Mart though, it allowed me sort of contemplate what I was going to write about. As though talking about my trip to Wal-Mart wouldn't be adequately entertaining, I figured I should write about something with a little more meaning. So, something that I've been thinking about lately has been technology - good or bad?
Of course I'm thankful for technology in times like today when I was able to check my phone in the middle of Wal-Mart, but there are times when I'm not so thankful for it. It seems that technology makes us lose touch with people almost more than keeping in touch with them. Just because you're "Facebook friends" doesn't mean you really are friends with that person at all. Sites like Facebook and Myspace take the work of friendships that need to be worked at in order to be a real friendship at all. And as much as I love texting -it makes boring things not so boring- whatever happened to calling and actually speaking with a person? I am definitely guilty of planning an entire party without actually speaking to one person and I'm kind of ashamed of that. It just seems that technology has allowed us to fall out of touch with people more than get closer. So, as a goal for myself this week I'm going to try and text less...only when necessary. Maybe then I can get homework finished because it's not constantly interrupted.

Feelin' right this time of year..

From November till January it feels like almost nothing can get me down. Between the weather getting cooler, the leaves changing, and just the feeling of the holiday season upon us, I can't help but be happy. This is my favorite time of the year. I can't pin down exactly what it is, but it's almost just like there is a feeling in the air. As soon as that first cool breeze blows an overwhelming feeling of joy comes upon me.
Whenever I think about Thanksgiving and Christmas all I think is that I get to spend time with my family doing all the things that I've done since I was kid. I get to act like I'm ten again and get away with it. Making gingerbread houses, picking out the tallest tree that will fit in the living room, putting up christmas lights-these are just a few of my family's holiday traditions. As soon as the weather gets cold all I can think about is how I can't wait to do all those things.
This can be bad because it makes me lose focus in school. All I can think about is the holiday that is only days away. So, my goal is to work as hard as I can so that I can enjoy my holiday more-it's harder than it sounds. But hey, I did get this blog done one time : ) So, I guess that's something.

2 time STATE CHAMPS!

The power of a crowd is amazing! I've always heard of "underdog" stories and how the people or fans of a team affect the players, but I never really witnessed that first hand until yesterday. This Saturday was the 2008 state championship volleyball game in Kenner, La. The high school that I graduated from made it to this point for the 3rd year in a row- this year walking on to the court as the reigning state champs. And who is their opponent? The runner-up from last year, Episcopal School of Acadiana. We knew this would make for a good game. Having lost the previous year made ESA ready for a win, but the fact that they were once again facing the Northlake Christian Wolverines (NCS) who they lost the state title to only one year ago made them vengeful in a sense.
So the game begins. The first game was close the entire time, but my team ended up losing. The second game - same thing. We lost. It was down to this third game. If we won the next 3 games in a row we would reclaim the state title, but if we lost even one game it would be over for us. We had been in this position 2 years ago in which we lost and that is a hard thing to forget about and overcome. So naturally, at this point the crowd was getting a little tired..not to mention the team. Nevertheless we cheered and the team played hearts out and we came back from a 7 point deficit to win the third game! Not to mention my best friend had the winning slam : ) On to the fourth game. The lead was tossed around throughout the game finally landing in the hands of NCS. Then came final game.
Both teams had 2 wins under their belts and this game would determine it all. The fans of ESA had gone from extremely routy to quiet. I guess it was deja vu' from last year and they were getting scared. But not NCS..the fans just got louder! This game was a give-me. It was like we had already won before the game began. Taking the lead from the beginning and keeping it the whole game my team reclaimed their title as the 1A State Champions.
From this experience it just seemed like once the ESA fans gave up, so did the team. They had everything going for them. They won the first 2 games and NCS was getting scared, but we never settled down. We knew there was always a chance and we never gave up on the team, so they never gave up. It just goes to show how having support and somebody believe in you can change everything.

Wow. How is it already November 9??? I cannot believe that this year has gone by so quickly. I've already registered for next semesters classes...despite the fact I don't know whether or not I'm staying at MC next semester. It's scary to think that I'm already making plans for 2009! However cliche' this is, life goes by so quickly!

I realized this this weekend because it was homecoming for my high school. It was wierd to wear a "Northlake Christian School Alumni" sticker. I don't know how or when, but I ended up in college. I haven't really thought about this till this weekend. I got my yearbook back from my senior year and visited all my friends and it made me really sentimental. I miss when everything was easy and I really didn't have a care in the world.

Now it seems like every decision that I make could change the course of my entire future. That's so scary. So, is it like this for the rest of my life? Does it just get harder from here? I hope not because it just seems like there is so much pressure and stress on me right now, how am I going to handle more? I guess as I get older I'll be able to handle it. Hope so.
That was officially the most boring, uncohesive, terrible blog I've ever written. Hope you enjoyed it : )

Coming together...

To stay at MC or to not stay at MC? That has been the question on my mind for the last few weeks and I've come to a reasonable conclusion.  I'm going to stay for this year and just figure out next year when that rolls around.  I think the problem was that I was worrying to much about it.  When I thought I was going to be leaving I started trying to have fun and make the most of the time that I was here.  In doing so, I found that maybe I actually do like it here.  Maybe if I actually try to have fun, I can.  So, despite the fact that I am enjoying being at MC now, I am at home this weekend.  When I'm at home it's effortless fun : )  That's all I've got on that topic. 

So, the other thing that has been on my mind is sort of controversial.  Follies was last weekend and in one of the dances, they played music that had curse words in it.  I didn't find anything wrong with this but when I watched the video of the dance with a friend she got pretty mad about it.  This made me think about what we've been talking about in english class lately - What is a Christian college? What are the boundaries?

My friend strongly believed that the song should have been edited because "We're at MC, a christian school," but I have to disagree.  We're all adults here and that's what's out in the real world.  I think that blocking small things such as curse words can lead you to a life of naivety.  I believe that at this point in our lives we cannot let little things like that bother us or affect us in any way.  There are much worse things out there and by guarding yourself to much from the real world will put you in the "christian bubble" that is so often thought about when regarding "christian schools."

But how do you know?

These last couple of weeks have been really hard for me.  I've been struggling with whether or not MC is the place that I'm supposed to spend the rest of collegiate career.  So many people "know" that this is where they're supposed to be and I thought so too upon first attending.  As the weeks have gone by I have not found myself loving it more and more like most, but getting much more homesick.  So, I'm wondering if it because I'm not trying hard enough or if this just isn't the place for me.

Pray about it - I know.  Much easier said than done.  You can pray about something all you want but it doesn't mean that you're going to hear an audible voice saying "go here" or "do this."  And this is kind of where I'm stuck.  I guess that if I'm supposed to be somewhere else the doors will open for me and the ones here will close.  Then I wonder if I'm closing the doors on MC. 

I've been so worried about doing the wrong thing lately that I'm stressing out way to much.  So, I'm trying to just take everyday at a time and not worry about things.  I know that whatever happens it's going to turn out okay, but I'm still worried that I'm going to make the wrong decision and it's going to change my entire life.  So, if you have any advice on what I should do I'd be more than open to hearing it. 

Habitat for Humanity

I volunteered at Habitat for Humanity today and it was definitely not what I thought.  I knew that I was going to have to work hard - which I definitely did!  I knew that it was going to be pretty hot and sunny, but it wasn't to bad.  The only thing that surprised me were the other people working.  

The other volunteers, including Kim and Tristyn (whom I promised to mention) : ), were all very friendly and easy to work with.  They are what made the time go by quicker.  But, the "official" people, the ones in the yellow Habitat shirts, were not as friendly as I expected.  They weren't mean, just a little rude.  This really surprised me.  They just talked downward to me, like I was a child who was incapable of tying my shoe.  I don't mind helping out at all, but they treated me like I didn't know which side of the hammer to use.

I understand they get many volunteers who don't know what they're doing, but it was just the way they spoke to me that kind of bothered me.  Aside from that though, I did enjoy it.  It made it worth while when actually talking to the people who were going to be living in the house.  Habitat builds the houses for people who are living in sub-standard conditions - not the homeless.  The people they build the houses for must be employed and able to pay a certain amount, and also spend 200-300 hours working on the house.  So, the future homeowners are actually out there working as well.  They are so thankful for all and any help building their new home and this is what made it worth while.  

2 Blogs in one day? Unheard of.

I really don't know why I am writing again. Possibly because I'm bored and there is nothing else to do.  I've already organized, re-organized, vacuumed and dusted my dorm. I've been busy until now.  So, I guess I'll just write what has been on my mind lately.

It's been about 2 weeks since my purse was stolen and although that caused me a little trouble, it made me realize a few things.  I had to live for a week with no cash, no credit card, and no debit card.  This made me realize how insignificant material possessions are.  Sure there were some things I wanted to buy that week (gum, diet coke :), etc...), but nothing that I really needed.  I did just fine and even though I have my cards and cash back, I've only bought groceries once and it was the least amount I've spent on groceries since I've been here.

The whole experience made me realize how wasteful and unappreciative people have come to be.  Not all people, maybe just me.  But, if there was something that I could learn from the situation, it is just to not take anything for granted.  Be thankful for every minute you get to spend with somebody, be thankful every time somebody helps you out, and just everything that happens in your life - the good and the bad.  That's easier said than done and as cliche' as it is, so I hate what I'm about to say but it's true, everything happens for a reason.  The reason will be unveiled eventually. 

So, how's school?

Midterms already?! I cannot believe how quickly we have reached this point.  I remember looking at my calender in the beginning of the year and thinking how it was going to be SO LONG until my first "holiday." It seems like almost yesterday we were moving in and had nothing to do.  These last few weeks have flown by so quickly that it really scares me.

This makes me think that if this time in my life, which in the broad view of things, is not very busy, flew by this quickly, how fast are things going to go when I get really busy?  So, this made me wonder why I was going to go home this weekend? All I was going to do was visit people, never get rest, or get anything done.  I was home last weekend so I'm not very homesick and referring back to one of my first blogs, I said that I just didn't quite feel home at MC yet, but that feeling has changed quite a bit. I really like it here, so that's why I am staying over fall break-my first real "holiday." 

I'm using my time here this weekend while campus is pretty uneventful to be productive-to take time to be appreciative of everything.  Tomorrow I am going to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and I'm really excited. I know technically that's not "relaxing", it's going to be hard work, but it's making good use of the free time that I have on my hands.  There is no homework, no tests to study for, nothing for rush, so why not use my time to help others.  I'm pretty excited about tomorrow, so I'll try to blog about it as soon as I get finished!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more interesting...

Interesting does not even begin to describe this past week.  So many things have contributed to making it the most interesting week at college or in life so far.  Between tests, papers, attempting to keep a social life, and rush I was definitely feeling overwhelmed.  There was one event though that separated this week from all of the others. With so much going on I guess I let my guard down and here is what happened.

It was Friday afternoon, same as every Friday, except almost every "rushee" was at Wal-Mart trying to find costumes to wear to rush skits that night.  I was also there with three of my best friends.  We were goofing around on the Halloween costume aisle trying on everything that we could-just having fun.  Not wanting to be bogged down with holding on to our purses we threw them all into our basket.  Nothing could happen to them because we were standing right there-and it was Wal-Mart filled with a bunch of college students.  With so many people out on the same mission, we were sure to run into somebody we knew. 

Hearing familiar voices on the next aisle, my three friends and I ran over there to say "hey."  Not even 15 seconds later we realized that we left our purses in our basket.  Apparently that was long enough for somebody to grab my purse out the basket and take off with it.  The next 30 minutes felt like a lifetime.  We searched the aisle up and down, as well as the neighboring aisles.  We searched the car that we came in, 2 of my friends even went back to the school and searched all the dorms I'd been in that day - only finding my phone which luckily I forget in my friend's room.  We called the police and filed a report, the video was run over and over turning up absolutely nothing - which personally I find ridiculous seeing as there are cameras everywhere.  There was nothing else that I could do - I was hysterical. 

In an attempt to make me feel better my friends pushed me to just keep shopping for our costumes and even offered to pay for what I needed.  We finished in the costume aisle and headed to the other side of Wal-Mart to find something we needed in the hardware section.  As I moped across Wal-Mart just turning down random aisles in an attempt to get across the store avoiding as many people as possible, I decided to walk down the empty kitchenware aisle.  

As I made my way down the aisle, I noticed a neglected shopping cart with 2 sweatshirts and a yellow LSU hat- just like the one that was stolen along with my purse. I mentioned this to my friends and kept my eyes on the basket as I continued down the aisle.  As soon as I passed the basket I was still looking back at it when I noticed a tan strap hanging down.  I ran to the basket and threw off the sweatshirts to find my purse!  My camera and all the cards out my wallet were taken - they left my lip gloss and Burt's Bee's.  I can't even begin to explain my joy at this moment.  My car keys were still there, I had my purse back, and my LSU hat.  All my cash was gone, but I'm a college student now - I had $2 at the MOST.  There may have been some pennies in there too.  After frantically searching the basket for any of my stuff that may have fallen out all I found were some buffalo wings from the deli.  I finally began to calm down as we payed for what we needed and left Wal-Mart.  I still can't believe what happened when I think about it.  Luckily all they got was a camera out of the whole ordeal.  My credit and debit cards were cancelled and are being reissued, I already got a new student ID made, and it was the one time I forgot to bring my phone with me.  So, I guess it could've been worse.  Thank God that it wasn't. 

Moral of the story - Don't think just because you wouldn't do something doesn't mean somebody else won't.  

Rush, 4 tests, a life, anything else?

Where to begin? This next week is going to be the busiest week of my life...so far.  Rush has begun, I have four tests over the course of the week, and I'd also like to keep some sort of social life. And I just remembered that I have to write a paper. I have a feeling something is going to give.  Things are starting to hit me today.  I have so much studying to do, laundry to wash, groceries to get, blah, blah, blah.  Is there anything else I have to do? Oh yeah, breathe.  Maybe I can squeeze that in somewhere between all of my obligations.

Tomorrow is the Coke Parties for rush, so I'm excited about that, but they occupy 2 hours of my study time that I'm going to have to find somewhere else.  I'm kind of stressing out about all of this.  If only there were more hours in the day or I could live without sleep.  That would be nice-but that isn't the case.  So, I guess now is when time management kicks in.  Obviously I'm not doing well so far seeing as I'm not writing this blog till almost the last minute possible. 

I guess that I can now say I'm officially a college student, because in my mind the definition of a college student is somebody who is overwhelmed with school work, trying to keep a social life, and cramming!  I feel like I fit that definition pretty well.  I know that I'm complaining a little...okay, ALOT but It made me feel a little better. I don't know if it's because I got to get some stress out or that I can cross writing this blog of my list.  Whatever the reason, I'm happy to be even the smallest bit less stressed. 

First Full Week and a Trip Home

Exhaustion. That is the best word to describe the way I felt after the first full week of classes. There was so much to do everyday of the week outside of studying and homework that I barely found any time to sleep.  I feel like I pushed myself so hard this week - I need to learn better time management.  After such an exhausting week I needed a weekend at home.  I do love it here though.  In the few weeks that I've been at MC I've already found some great friends who share the same beliefs and morals as me.  This is one reason that I chose to be at MC.  

I knew in deciding to come to MC I would be around others who chose to be here for the same reasons as me.  Even though I've found it very easy to fit in just like a second home, that's all it is right now, a second home.  As much as I love it, it has only been a few weeks and I'm still not acquainted with it yet.  I haven't been here long enough to be myself.  I know that in time I'll feel more comfortable here, but just not yet.

I do love it at MC, but it was also really nice to come home this weekend.  Even though I have found new friends, it was really great to be around my old friends.  They are my comfort zone and I can completely be myself around them.  It was nice to kind of be free for a few days.  Whenever I meet new people I'm not completely myself for a while.  That's one thing that has made "moving out" and away from home difficult.  I know that in time I'll get more comfortable at MC and that is something that I'm looking forward to. 

1. About Me

Well, to start with, my full name is Elizabeth-Lee Cossich with the exception of my middle name that I'd rather not say.  This is my first semester at Mississippi College and my major is Biology/Pre-Medicine. My older brother also attends MC and is a sophomore majoring in Bio/Pre-Med  as well. I am originally from Belle Chasse, Louisiana- it's located just south of New Oreans- but after Hurricane Katrina I moved to Covington, Louisiana- located just north of New Orleans.  Several factors were considered in my decision to attend Mississippi College.

To start with, the Bio/Pre-Med program.  I've known for most of my life that I wanted to be some sort of doctor.  My father is a dentist so that path has pretty much been cut out for me my whole life.  MC being such a small school allows for more individualized attention from the professors to make learning the subject matter easier.  In case I don't want to be a dentist though, the acceptance rate from MC into medical school is 85%.  That's a pretty good percentage.  So, I'm confident in the fact that I will be fully prepared at MC to achieve whatever goals I set out to accomplish. Another deciding factor was the Christian atmosphere. 

It's terribly easy to get caught up in whatever is going on around you- especially in college.  The fact that MC is a Christian university does not completely diminish peer pressure by any means, but it's cuts it out much more than most non-Christian schools.  While it is still hard to resist temptation, being surrounded by others who share the same faith as you makes it much easier.  Also, being located in Clinton, Mississippi how much trouble can you get into? 

The location of the school was probably one of the biggest deciding factors in choosing MC. Not only that it was in a small town, but it's only 2.5 hours from my house.  I love my family and I didn't want to miss out on too much.  I am the only daughter as well as the middle child.  My older brother is 2o years old and my younger brother will be 11 in 2 weeks.  At his age, my younger brother changes every time I see him and this is something that I did not want to miss out on.