HCOM 230: My Final Exam

My final exam for my Environmental Creative Writing class consisted of me reading one of the pieces that I had written this semester in front of the class.

I read the poem that I wrote about an environmental injustice that was occurring. On that subject I chose to describe how the lionfish is an invasive species in South Carolina. In the poem, however, I also draw a parallel between humans and lionfish, as I believe we are both invasive species.

Thank you to my favorite human, Carolyn Scarpelli, for recording the moment and sitting through class with me even though today was her day off.

This is how it went:

So yeah, that happened. Thanks California.

Where has the Time Gone?

I realize I've done a crap job of keeping up with my blog, so hopefully some of the other NSE kids have done a better job.

It's dead week by USC standards, but all of my classes have decided to give their exams on the last day of class. This includes the following:

Tuesday:

• Present my final two projects for my sculpture class
• Exit Interview for Sign Language

Thursday:

• Present a piece I wrote for Environmental Creative Writing and turn in my portfolio for the semester

Friday:

• Turn in 6-8 page paper for History

Needless to say due to the fact that I saved most of my electives for my senior year, it's been a pretty easy ride. Stressful, yes... but difficult, no.

For any of you that are reading this and want to or are considering studying abroad on the National Student Exchange, I highly recommend that you act upon your inclinations and apply. You won't regret your decision. It's my senior year, I've missed my last season of Gamecock football, I've missed my friends, and yeah, I've missed the parties ;) BUT if I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. If any of you are considering coming to the Monterey Bay area in California, then read on!

CSUMB is a relatively new school (I'm older than the school) and it prides itself on being different from other colleges. It is based on portfolios and presentations because they feel that these things can more accurately prepare you for the real world and measure what you've taken from the class. The classes are small so it's very easy to get face time with the professors. Although the class periods are long (an hour and fifty minutes!) the professors are usually very good at utilizing the whole class period, or just letting you out early. They're not about wasting anyone's time. 

There were plenty of events on campus to get students involved too! Over the semester I have become very close friends with one of my suite-mates and together we played in two open mic nights, two talent shows, and a multicultural event. We also helped put together the school's first St. Baldrick's event!

Even as this semester is coming to a close, I'm making plans with some of the people that I've met to visit over the summer, or sometimes soon. I truly believe that I've met a few of my soul-mates on this adventure, and I couldn't ask for anything more than that. The fact that while I was here I got to intern at one of the most amazing aquariums in the country is an extreme bonus as well. So many amazing things have happened and I'm so glad that I was brave enough to make this decision. So be brave too! Take a chance and immerse yourself in another culture! Expand your horizons!

Feel free to email me if you have any questions (although I'm sure that the lovely ladies at NSE could answer them much better than I ever could)

carnrigs@email.sc.edu

...and have no fear! This is NOT my last post.

Thanksgiving

It's funny how time goes by so quickly when things start coming to a close. I find that even though I miss home, as the end of the semester draws ever closer, there are more and more things that make me want to stay. But the reality of it all is that I have to come home to finish my last semester of undergrad, and then I'll be shoved into the real world.

It's Thanksgiving break and nearly everyone has deserted the campus, with the exception of me and a few others who have to work as well. The fact that I don't get to be home with my parents and Joel and Tori for Thanksgiving this year is weighing a little heavy on me, but at least I still get to spend it with some of my family.

So here's an I'm thankful post:

I'm thankful for everyone that supports me and all my crazy ideas.
I'm thankful for my friends back home who haven't forgotten that I miss them, and remember to take some time out of their day to talk to me.
I'm thankful for the amazing friends that I've made since I've been here.
I'm thankful for the wonderful opportunities I've been given to advance in my studies and the experience that I've obtained.

Yup, I'm pretty thankful.

It's November

So, while I wish I have been updating more frequently, I've justified this lack of consistency with the fact that I'm in school, not on vacation. With the amount of things that I've been participating in over here, sometimes I feel like I am, indeed, on vacation. That is, until I realize that I have a billion projects due. Well... three.

Two weekend ago I went to Los Angeles. My Uncle Matt took me and my cousin to the "Haunted Horror Studio" at Universal. It was pretty cool. I don't handle scary very well though, so I was extremely anxious about the whole experience. Luckily, I survived with only one brief, yet unwanted, run-in with the freakiest looking zombie-clown I have ever seen in my life.

Moving on!

Because CSUMB is a school based on projects and portfolios, I only have two midterms. One was a paper for my history class, which I've already turned in, and the other is my midterm for Sign Language. It's really refreshing not to have to worry about tests every three weeks for once in my college career, but at the same time, I miss studying in Thomas Cooper. I miss math and science classes (as I'm only taking electives and a history course this semester).

It's been rather gloomy here, and I can feel my levels of Vitamin D waning. That being said, it is November. Which means gloomy is bound to happen. But on a slightly happier note, it's November! I come home in two months! 

The Bucket List I Didn't Know I Had

I have no words to describe my weekend... so many things happened.

• Drove south on the 1

Yes, having to drive 3 hours to Pismo was intense, but weaving down the coast on the 1 is one of the coolest things I've ever done. Granted, it would've been cooler to have been able to look at the scenery instead of the road in front of me, I had a few glances here and there, and that was sufficient. 

• Saw Elephant Seals!

Mating season doesn't start until November so the beach wasn't full yet, and we didn't see any males either, HOWEVER, it was really cool.

• Visited Morro Bay/Morro Rock

If Sand dollars were currency, I'd be rich. We walked along the beach and picked up as many as we could find. I even walked in  the water, too.

• Went through the tide pools at Pismo Beach

Oh my goodness, it was like experiencing the simulation from the lab in one of our past Marine Science classes. Purple and orange sea stars, mussels, it was so exciting! But I haven't even mentioned the best part...

• I found chitons!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhh! Even though I would rather refer to them as polyplacophorans, that's a mouthful, and no one ever knows what I'm talking about. But I found them! They're so amazing! I found a gumboot and a couple of smaller ones, as well. Guess which girl successfully removed one from the substrate? This girl!!! 

• Joined the nematocyst club

I decided last year in the middle of Invertebrate Zoology that I was going to join the nematocyst club, but that if I was going to do so, then I was going to kiss something pretty. So I found a particularly large Starburst Anemone and joined!

• Watched the Sunset from the Pizmo Beach Pier

Having lived on the east coast my whole life, I've never bee able to watch the sun set over the ocean. Being in California has now fixed that issue :). Beauty in it's finest form.

• Carved my first pumpkin

This... I am not a fan of. I didn't very much like having to stick my hand into the pumpkin, mostly because it smelled... well, for lack of a better word, icky. But I cleaned it, and I carved a Gamecocks pumpkin. I messed up a little, but it looked good for my first pumpkin.

• Drove onto the beach/Had breakfast at the beach

I DROVE ONTO THE BEACH. You guys, I had my car... on the beach... legally.

This weekend was just the boost I needed, and next weekend I'm going to LA with my family!

Funtober

I've been pretty busy lately between classes and working at the aquarium, so I know I haven't posted a lot lately. But let me make up for that by explaining my October.

Last weekend my parents renewed their vows in Lake Tahoe. It was wonderful, and I'm so happy for my parents. They're the real definition of success and happiness to me.

This coming weekend I'm going to Morro Bay with one of my suite mates and the girls across the hall. I'm pretty excited to find beach things :)

The weekend after that I'm going to Los Angeles to spend some more time with my family.

So October is pretty full for me. Time seems to be going by pretty quickly.

Today I had a skype date with my best guy, and it was seriously the boost I needed. I'm getting a little homesick =/

Talent Show

The Notorious Rollick Squad took stage today as the closing act of CSUMB's annual talent show hosted by the RHA and OSU at the Black Box Cabaret this fine evening.

If Carolyn and I were famous, someone would write something like that for us, but since we're not... I did haha.

It was last minute but it turned out pretty well. Carolyn and I played "Man or Muppet" from the new Muppets movie. 

We placed top five and each got a stuffed otter as a prize. I named mine Romp, and Carolyn named hers Frolic... for obvious reasons.

Here's a video of us :)



I can't believe the world kept us away from each other for so long.

There were a lot of great performers tonight, and we were so glad that we got to participate.

Vegetarian Week

So due to the fact that CSUMB has the vegetarian option at meals everyday, I've decided to try it for a week.

Saturday: I didn't get a picture of anything I ate today. I had bagels for breakfast, an apple for lunch, and then rice for dinner.

Sunday: Today I had a baked potato with broccoli and cheese.

Monday: I actually had vegetarian paella, but I forgot to take a picture of my food. However, since i worked all day, I ended up getting a something else to eat, which was nachos with a rice and sour cream. Healthy? Probably not. Vegetarian? Yes!

Tuesday: So, what I thought was mashed potatoes and mixed veggies ended up being "polenta." I mixed some rice in there too. Yummy yummy.

Wednesday: Mmmm, tempura fried broccoli with asian dipping sauce on rice.

Thursday: I had a busy today and managed to only eat some cereal in my room :P

Friday: Big day of Vegetarianism for Shelby. Spicy Vegetable Wrap; Orzo and zucchini; Loubiya, hummus and rice.

aaand to celebrate the end of this meatless week, I went to my Uncle Mike's house for a barbecue. Yum :)

Rollick Squad

For the sake of CSUMB having a band night, my roommate Carolyn and I have banded together to form Rollick Squad in order to play at this lovely event. 

Sign Language

Hi, my name is Shelby Carnright.
What is your name?
Nice to meet you!
I learned sign language at CSUMB.
Where did you learn?
Bye!

Adventure Weekend

Friday

You know what's great about Fridays? Not having class. You know what's great about not having class on Fridays? My roommate Carolyn doesn't have class either. We went to lunch with our other roommate Mack (Mackenzie), and then afterwards she and I went on a shopping adventure to Michael's the Post Office, and Goodwill. All necessary art supplies for my scultpure class were obtained, stamps were obtained and then a fish dress was obtained. Isn't it pretty? I got it for about $6.00 out of the children's halloween section :)

Carolyn got a couple of mugs for $0.50 each. After that adventure we ate dinner and then came home to get ready for this concert that OSU (Otter Student Union) was putting on as a welcome back to school. Capital Cities and Wallpaper played, but there's no question that Capital Cities was way better. Wallpaper is like... catchy, but the lyrics are so stupid I can't pay attention. I did appreciate their stage presence and their dancing though. After the concert we just went back to the dorm and chilled out. We invited Katelyn over (she lives across the hall) and we talked. Then we watched the cops and EMS pull up and take some girl out of the next dorm on a stretcher. Yikes.

Saturday

BREAKFAST. BEACH. Activities that start with the same letter are cool. But all coolness aside, guess how long it takes to walk to the beach from my dorm? About ten minutes! It's so awesome to be able to just decide to walk to the beach. On the way there we have to walk through a tunnel and there's some pretty cool street art (I guess you could call it such). There was a lot of writing and then a few pictures, including a couple stencils of Marilyn Monroe. It was pretty cool to walk through. Almost like an outdoor art gallery... but not. After that we hit the dunes... and climbing those was enough of a workout for me. Next time we go to the beach, I won't wear jeans. Once we made it to the top and finally saw the ocean, it was amazing. You could just see everything.

The different blues of the ocean in contrast to the blue of the sky. The colors of the sand as it falls between your toes. Everything just seemed brighter than what I'm used to on the east coast. Even the plants were more colorful. Granted they were practically all ice plants, so then the idea of  

invasion put a damper on their effect. A minimal deduction on a massive amount of amazing. I also made the climb to carve my name in the top of the dune facing the beach. It was pretty cool to look at when I got back down (I slid most of the way). It was amazing though, just staring at the ocean. In South Carolina, in between the waves breaking you can hear music from the stores, bars, or radios; you can hear people talking to each other; you can hear kids laughing. Here... it's just silence, and I felt like I was falling in love. Just standing there, waiting on the waves, listening for the roar, and waiting on the silence. It was magical. I actually stepped into the water for a brief moment just to know the difference between Pacific and Atlantic... and I think that's about as far as I'm going to be able to get until Arnold comes out here and we go diving. 

Please enjoy these videos of me, Carolyn, and Mack at the beach.

Sunday

CSUMB doesn't serve french toast... they serve french crackers. But on the real, they do serve good food at the DC (Dining Commons)... my encounter with the french toast however, was still unfortunate.

MONTEREY COUNTY FAIR!

So me, Carolyn, Magen, Mami, Kate, and Katelyn went to the fair today. It was pretty great. Mami had never been to the fair before so we were excited for her to go. This is her ---------------------->>> We only went on the Ferris Wheel because none of us felt like paying $25.00 to ride all the rides for the two-ish hours we were there. Then we got corndogs because Mami had never had one of those before either. Have I mentioned that she's from Japan? Yeah, Mami is my actual roommate and she's pretty awesome. After the corndogs we walked around for a bit, pet the farm animals, and then got dessert-themed foods. Katelyn and I got caramel apples, Kate and Carolyn got deep fried oreos, and Magen got a sno-cone. After another hour of avoiding eye contact with the carnies, we decided to call it a night. It was a lot of fun. Smaller than the Coastal Carolina, but I actually enjoyed myself at this fair. Maybe it's because I had my awesome roommates to keep my company this time... who knows. Anyway, so at this point, the weekend is over, but it's Labor Day Weekend therefore we have tomorrow off. So Monday shall be a part of this post :) But before I get to Monday, please enjoy one more picture from Sunday.

Monday

The DC and breakfast are just never in my favor. Tried biscuits and gravy today... otherwise known as crackers and gravy. But fear not! My day was not ruined, for just after that, Mack, Carolyn and I took the bus down to Monterey and went to the greek festival. We walked around for a bit until I saw a sign for Greek beer and decided to try that. I tried Mythos, which was really good :) I forgot to ask to keep the bottlecap, though. We smelled all of the Greek food, and once I finished my beer we went down to the wharf and looked out into the water for a little while. We saw a few sea lions! The only thing bad about that was having to listen to everyone around me say, "Oh look! Sealssss!" Marine biologist problems. After watching the aquatic life we walked back towards the bus stop. Carolyn and I got some Pinkberry and Mack got some Jamba Juice. We also discovered a little Cinema, too. It was a fun little trip to Monterey.

So between concerts, beaches, thrift stores, fairs, festivals and aquatic creatures... I had a great Labor Day weekend. We've already started planning next weekend and I can't wait! I start at the aquarium this coming Monday and I'm way too excited for that. Luckily I know how to use the bus system now, too :P

I miss my Noreen and I miss my little sister.
I miss my parents and I miss my brother.
I miss my Jarred and I miss my Ellie.
I miss everyone so much!

September is getting off to a really great start :)

Happy September!

The magical month of August is over, and my final fall semester is in full swing. I've got an eventful weekend planned out with the roommates and I can't wait! It was a pain in the butt getting everything worked out for this, but I am so glad that I'm here.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

So it's 10:15pm and I just got out of my last class about an hour ago (it really gets out at 9:50pm)... I may need to get some pepper spray or a taser just in case.

I had all four of my classes today and I really enjoyed all of them. Let's start from the top, shall we?

Sculpture:
It's a small class, which is great. Our first project is making molds out of our faces... which is awesome. Also, my teacher has a fantastic sense of style... he dresses way better than most of the girls I've seen on campus already.

Environmental Creative Writing:
Not what I was expecting, but I think I'll like it just the same. It's more creative writing than environmental writing.

African American Life/History:
My professor looks like he's 18 years old, but I did the math and he's at least 30 years old. No tests in this class, only papers... my favorite :)

American Sign Language:
I think I'm most excited for this class, and I think it's also going to be my hardest class. Part of our homework today was to determine a sign for ourselves and I think I've decided on the sign for fish, using the sign for "S".

Soooo that's my class schedule. Now I'm changing topics.

There's this thing called "Otter Days" here, and it's kind of like welcome activities for the first week or so of class to get people involved. Today there was an outdoor showing of Men in Black III (I couldn't make that because I had ASL). Yesterday there was a hall get together. It was trivia with prizes, which was cool. Except, I didn't read the flyer so I was expecting Jeopardy, but it was sex trivia and the prizes were dumdums taped to condoms... I didn't win anything. They gave me extra though haha.

I haven't received my schedule from the Aquarium yet, but hopefully they won't have me scheduled for the afternoon on Sundays because they have intramural softball (slow-pitch) from 12-4pm and indoor volleyball from 6-10pm. I wanted to try indoor soccer but that's during my ASL class as well, so darn.

I made new friends today, which is awesome, considering I think I'm bad at making friends.

No classes tomorrow so I can do all of my readings. I miss everyone so much! 

Long Time, No See

So I'm finally at a computer after a one-week hiatus from wireless internet. Here's what happened:

• I made it to California!
• Had dinner at my Aunt Linda's
• Met more family
• Went to Sausalito
• Went to San Francisco
• Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
• Went to Pier 39
• Had Orientation
• Met my awesome roommates!\\
• Ate some free ice cream
• Grandma threw me a birthday party
• TURNED 21!

You are now up-to-date with my life... give or take a few details. I'm still in the process of setting up my room, and unfortunately I had to park on the other side of the parking lot (where my happy car will sit until I drive to go visit family). I got a bike today so I can get around campus and ride to the aquarium when that starts. So, I'm gonna go finish this whole room thing before I have to go to a mandatory hall meeting (man it's been awhile since I've gone to one of those).

QUICK UPDATE

I don't have internet at my grandparents house, so I won't be able to post my uodates, but I'm writing them. Move in day is the 24th so I imagine I'll be able to update then. Sent from my crackled Droid.

The Prologue: GRAND CANYON

Today seemed like a really long drive, but I suppose I couldn't accurately say because I was sleeping most of the time... mom drove today. But the greatest thing about today, was that we got to stop by the Grand Canyon :)

Mom changed our travel plans just so we could stop by, and I was so happy that we could. It was breath-taking. Now, that might have been due to the fact that I was 8,000 feet above sea level, but I'm pretty sure that it was this amazing view.

Oh, and did I mention that mom and I got in FOR FREE!? This might just be me, but I thought it was a tad bit ridiculous that the public has to pay to see a natural wonder like that... but I guess it is a park. Anywho, mom flashed the military id and BAM, no fee. We walked through a few lookout points along the South Rim, and may have been the only english speaking people there. I heard people speaking French, German, Chinese, and Spanish. There were a few Australians there as well doing this "Tour of Duty" bike ride. One of the riders gave us a brochure. It's a bike ride from San Diego to New York that ends on September 11, to commemorate and honor all those who died at the World Trade Center in 2001. Participants were both from the US and from Australia. If you want to read mroe about it you can visit their website:

www.tourofdutyride.com

We're stopped in Kingman, AZ for the night, and tomorrow we'll finally be in California. We're driving past seaside and going straight to visit my grandparents in Pittsburg. I'm so excited to see my family. As exciting as ths road trip has been, I'm excited to not have to stay in any more hotels for awhile. Move-in day is Sunday so I'll finally get to meet me roommates as well! So many things are all going to be happening at the same time, and all stress aside, I really can't wait.

The Prologue: Day Three

I'm becoming an expert at driving long distances without feeling tired or nodding off. Well... maybe not, but the drive went by pretty smoothly and rather quickly for a 7 hour trip. 

I can tell that 10 years of living in South Carolina is rubbing off on me though, because once we hit New Mexico, there were no more country stations. It took a noticeable toll on me. That being said, there was really only one radio station that was coming through, and I think it was a Christian Station. So through the, quite frankly, endless nothingness of eastern New Mexico, mom and I enjoyed some silence. Well, I did... mom fell asleep.

I am now two timezones away from the majority of my friends, and with it just being mom and I, I really miss them. I'm banking on things getting better once I'm in California and I have my roommates, classmates, and co-workers at the aquarium... but for now, it just isn't too pleasant of an idea knowing that I need to drive at least 26 hours to South Carolina.

If you've never been to New Mexico, let me say this, being that I've lived my entire life near the ocean... my only response is (a mild adaptation of Dorothy Parker) WHAT [STRANGE] HELL IS THIS?! I don't like being landlocked, being without the ocean, and although I don't miss the humidity of South Carolina, I do miss the smell of salt in the air. I don't really care for the smell of... dry.

Sidenotes:

• I saw 0 armadillos today
• My birthday is in 10 days
• Tomorrow we're stopping by the Grand Canyon!

Two more days until I'm in California!

The Prologue: Day Two

Spent the night in Mississippi

Stayed in Fulton, what a city

There's just one thing that bothered me

I thought with nightfall, came zombies

But I'm alive and mom is too

So off to Oklahoma, ZOOM!

Passed a bit of Tennessee

Saw a road named after me!

Then quickly passed to Arkansas

While driving, this was all I saw

Armadillo, Armadillo, Armadillo, Armadillo

Take a picture? NO-MADILLO! Hey that guy's from Amarillo!

Those and then some Razorbacks

This Gamecock almost had a heart attack

Passed Toad Suck Park and ate my snickers

Wait. Jarred, wasn't that a question during trivia at Kickers?

Saw some cows, those frequent moo-ers

Then the nation favored Sooners

Oklahoma is the place to be!

Farm living is the life for me!

Yeah I know that isn't right

but Weatherford is now in sight!

Here's a tree and there's a tree

There's a sign for mini donkeys

By the way, this was mom's idea

so till tomorrow, I say, SEE YAAA!

------------------------

As you may very well be able to tell, the amount of bored that set in during the 10 hour drive from Fulton, MS to Weatherford, OK was indeed, very high. You might even say, that the degree was over 9000 (bad segway). Mom suggested that I keep a list of the different kinds of roadkill that we saw on the road and to keep a tally. Obviously the armadillos won. Needless to say her second idea was better (the brain dump at the beginning of this post that just so happens to rhyme). Mom drove today, so tomorrow's my turn.

Also: My 21st birthday is in 11 days!

The Prologue: Day One

565 miles, 9 hours, two amps, one can of pringles, and plenty of country stations later, mom and I are in Fulton, Mississippi. Google maps had us drive through Columbia, so I decided to start the drive... little did I know that I would decide to finish it as well. Driving 9 hours isn't something that I would recommend, but it wasn't too bad. After we gassed up in Columbia my brain woke up, and I was perfectly fine until our next pit stop, right after we crossed the Alabama state line. Just so you know: The gas station that we stopped at not only had nicer restrooms than any gas station in South Carolina... but they also had fried chicken and barbeque.

Side Note: Due to the fact that I didn't drive 20-30 over the speed limit like those surrounding me, Alabama took a good while to drive through. But Fulton did eventually arrive (obviously). 

Mom and I decided that Fulton would be the perfect setting for a scary movie, and I've decided that that scary movie would be some combination of Silent Hill and I Am Legend. I failed to prepare myself for accents worse than those I am accustomed to, and I'm pretty sure that out of the five cars in the hotel parking lot, four of them belong to the people presently working, while the last is my liberty. Good thing I have a nice comfy blanket to hide underneath tonight (because blankets are impermeable shields).

Tomorrow we're driving through Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Another few hundred miles closer to my adventurous destination :)

The Path That Lies Before Me

Goose Creek, SC to Seaside, CA: 

• 2,993 miles
• approximately 50 hours

A. Goose Creek, SC
B. Fulton, MS
C. Weatherford, OK
D. Albuquerque, NM
E. Grand Canyon :)
F. Barstow, CA
G. Pittsburg, CA (grandparents)
H. Seaside, CA

I've got one full day left in South Carolina before I begin my adventure. I've got most of my clothes packed, all of my miscellaneous items packed, and none of my electronics packed (obviously). Tomorrow I'll be taking care of the last bit of financial issues I've been having, and then everything should be golden.

Words cannot describe how much I'm going to miss some of my friends, but luckily they understand what an opportunity this is for me. I will now list a number of inside jokes that directly pertain to those I will miss.

• Intellectuality
• Scerba Derve
• Just a cookie
• BIRCH
• Reprace
• Bubbly

Before I close, I just want to thank my parents for their support. When I first mentioned this exchange program to them, I was a little shaky on whether or not I really wanted to apply, and I almost didn't. Thank you Dad, for not letting me miss this wonderful adventure, and thank you Mom, for taking the time away from work to drive cross-country with me. You helped me to become the driven, over-achieving, and independent person that I am today, and I can never thank you enough for that. 

Now... 

Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your [eyes?]... because in a matter of hours, The Prologue begins.

You're Looking at a Monterey Bay Aquarium Intern

Need I say more?

Dream Come True

I completed my phone interview for an internship at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, today. Words cannot possibly describe how excited I am. I have so much to gain from this experience... so much to learn, so much to see, so much to do! I couldn't contain myself at work yesterday when I got the call about having an interview. I screamed, I ran in circles, and I jumped for joy. My co-workers thought it was hilarious, but they were all so happy for me, too. I turned my application in about a month and half ago and I was beginning to think that I hadn't been chosen. But one should never give up, and never surrender! 

All excitement aside, I'm still having a few enrollment issues at USC, so I'm trying hard to get all of this done so I don't get dropped out of any of my classes, or kicked out of my room.


As of right now, my class schedule consists of:


American Sign Language
Environmental Creative Writing
African American Life/History
Sculpture


Have I mentioned how excited I am??? I'm even excited for the four/five day drive all the way out there. Mom and I are leaving on the 14th of August and I plan to take a lot of pictures to post here. After all, it is still a part of my Great West Coast Adventure... let's just call it, The Prologue.

So it Begins...

I finally saw my room assignments today, and two of my suitemates have already added me on facebook. I know I still have about 2 months left, but I can feel my time on the west coast inching ever so close now :)

National Student Exchange

Hello friends :) If you're reading this, then it's because you know that I'll be attending California State University - Monterey Bay for the Fall 2012 semester. I'm not sure that it's hit me yet that I'll be on the other side of the country in a few months, but I'm sure when my mom and I drive out to Seaside, it'll get me then. I really can't convey how excited I am about this whole thing.


The lovely ladies at NSE have asked each student to keep a blog while we're all out exploring areas outside of Columbia. So if you'd like to keep up with my California antics, feel free to check my page every now and then for an update!