Jan Term Reflections, Spring Semester Kick Off!

Overall, Jan term was not quite what I expected. The B.E.L.I.E.F. conference that I was involved with, the girl that I was supposed to host did not show up so that was a disappointment but I think it worked out for the best. Jan Term was a nice change and definitely a unique time during the school year. I was hoping to do much more than what I was able to do, but it was relaxing and I made many fun memories in being able to spend more time with people. I don't think I fully appreciated it until I thought about everything that is coming with another semester ahead!

I took ta class called Identity, Race, and Power. I really appreciated that class and I learned a lot. I think it was my favorite of any classes so far. I would not say it was a hard class, but there was a lot of reading every day and that was time consuming and left me spending most of my time doing that. Every Friday (three times total) we went out in service learning groups to organizations around town. I went with three guys to a place called Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. The first week we cleaned through and organized donations in the attic. The second week we played with the children. The third week we shoveled snow (that was a first for me), and then played with the children in the snow (that was a cold day!). I really enjoyed that part of the class. Not only because it was in place of our class on Fridays so it seemed like we always had a three day weekend, but I enjoyed being able to go out and serve in the community and have a change away from campus every now and then.

However, there were several fun things that happened during Jan term! Some of the highlights for me were sledding, a hall date bowling, eating out at Olive Garden, and a basketball game where Arend Hall won the dorm spirit contest!



Amanda (my Jan Term RA) and I while we were out in the snow for sledding.



One of the weekends during Jan Term, many people from my dorm went sledding. There is a big hill down in the back 40 (an area of 40 acres behind campus that Whitworth owns) that we went down. We went twice in one day! I had been waiting to go all year and it was the first time we had gotten enough snow for it! We were sledding for a total of three hours, one time in the afternoon and one time at night (yeah probably not the best idea). It was a blast though and although I ended up with a bruised knee and a hurt tail bone (that was not fun), it was a lot of fun, possibly my highlight of Jan Term!



At the Arend/Duvall camp fire night!



We had a camp fire night with my dorm and another dorm. There was a big camp fire. People made smores and drank hot chocolate. There were a lot of people there! A couple of guys from the other dorm brought their guitars and so they were playing and singing songs. It was a lot of fun :)



The Arend Belles on our hall date bowling.

What started out as a hall date kind of just turned into whoever wanted to come bowling could come bowling, so we had about four lanes of people bowling, guys and girls both. It was a fun night as well.



Wearing purple and representing Arend Hall at the basketball game!

We had a dorm spirit night and the dorm that had the most participants and represented their color the most would win a pizza party for their dorm. You guessed right...we won!

Emily and I at Olive Garden





My roommate Erin (on the left) and another girl from our Hall

One of the last nights of Jan Term, we thought it would be fun to dress up and go out to dinner. So to Olive Garden we went. The food was delicious!

Now that Jan Term is over, we have a five day break before the Spring Semester starts. It is very nice because it is the only break other than Christmas break where we do not have homework because it is in between terms. I was able to go to Milton-Freewater because I was able to find rides to get part of the way there and my family was very welcomg and willing to let me stay with them. It was very nice to be able to get off of campus. It was lovely and relaxing, I am so grateful I was able to be there. It was just what I needed. (Thank you Milton- Freewater Family!) Although I did miss my family at home and I can not wait to see them next time.

Today is the last day before my Spring term classes start tomorrow. I checked my mail and I recieved a letter from Whitworth telling me that based on my Fall Term GPA, I made it on the Dean's Honor Roll and I will be placed in a certain society here. I thought that was nice motivation to kick off the next semester with! 

Today has been lovely, I am appreciating it while I can. I was able to sleep in. I took care of a couple of things that I had to do before class tomorrow. I went on a nice walk with a friend of mine. In fact, just before typing this we had a dorm dinner. Yes, DORM dinner. Obviously not everyone was there, but we had ten tables together! I love that! Seriously no other dorm does that here, I love the community and people here in my dorm. It's amazing.

Well still tonight I have a skype date with a friend and plans to watch a movie, but I have a feeling I will find ways to stay plenty busy once the semester starts.