It's Friday. Are you sure?

Where are these weeks going? Last time I checked it was the Pitt Panthers' first football game, and I was sweating at my first official college tailgate. Now, I have to wear UnderArmour, sweatpants, a sweatshirt, gloves, and ear muffs just to go running for a bit! There are only thirteen days remaining in my first college semester. How quickly time does fly! I mentioned how fast the time was passing while talking to my dad several weeks ago, and he reassuringly told me, "In my experience, each semester passed faster than the one before." Thanks, Dad... I don't want to grow up yet!! I love college. Sure, there are times when I am stressed or wish I were closer to home or am more than a bit unsure about how my life will turn out, but then someone reminds me that the world is full of possibility, and I get rejuvenated once more.

Every once in a while--more like once or twice a month--it is really late at night, and I get very hyper and excited about life. Last night was one of those nights. So what do I do in my teeny tiny dorm room when my roommate is gone and it is eleven o'clock? Well, I turn on the Christmas music and celebrate! Last night, I used my adrenaline to study into the wee hours of the morning for next week's exams in Spanish and Psychology.

I love my Spanish class, and since it is five of my sixteen credits, the better I can do in that class, the better my GPA. It is very hard, but I really want to become fluent in Spanish, so I am trying very hard to learn it well. Luckily one of my floor mates is pretty much fluent after spending her junior year of high school in Brazil. She has been really great and has helped me study for the past few tests and just helps me with my conversation skills. One of my summer ideas since I will be taking Anatomy and Physiology at the community college back home (I persuaded them that I was capable of taking both courses simultaneously, even though anatomy is technically supposed to precede physiology in their sequence.) is to volunteer or work somewhere that primarily serves a Hispanic population so that I can keep my Spanish skills up to par and even improve them. If there are any brilliant suggestions on that front, I am open to them one and all.

What other random, exciting ideas do I have up my sleeve? Perhaps I should start with some of my school goals. The thing is, though, that going to University of Pittsburgh is simply a vehicle to get me where I want to go; it is my rocket ship. So where is the moon? For me, it is Latin America. I have this ultimate dream of working with impoverished families in that region, and recently have begun to research it to a small extent. One issue I found was prevalent childhood malnutrition in the rural parts of Peru. I am very intrigued to study that, but I need to find a) someone to mentor me, b) funding (I have heard through the grapevine that the University Honors College here does offer significant research and study abroad scholarships to eager undergraduates, so I will certainly look to take advantage of that!), and c) time to conduct my research. I have currently sent out a few emails to some professors in the School of Public Health here at Pitt, but no success yet. I did learn yesterday in a meeting with a nursing advisor, however, that there are undergraduate research opportunities through the School of Nursing, but those would most likely be helping a PhD candidate or professor with their own research. Not to be selfish or egotistical, but I really want to try my own research and see where I can get with it.

The best thing about college is all the opportunities it provides. Not just the scholarly stuff, either. So far, I have had the most enriching experience spiritually and emotionally with the Newman Center. The Newman Center is AWESOME. Need I say more? Yes. Positively and absolutely, YES! The vast majority--I'd say all but a couple--of my friendships were formed through the Newman Center.

Thursday through Sundays, I typically am hanging out with a group from the Newman Center. The Tower B bible study, facilitated by the one and only Erika, is Thursday evenings. Despite fifteen years of Catholic education, I have never been involved in a bible study before. It is interesting; I am really looking more closely at what the words I hear in Sunday's readings really mean. The girls are really fun as well! Plus, Erika usually brings us treats! Friday nights are "Dollar Dinners" at the Newman Center, where you go to Mass and then pay a dollar for a pasta dinner. The first Fridays of every month are First Friday Feasts, so I got lucky and had chili, cornbread, baked potatoes, and brownies this weekend. There are so many people that come to these dinners, from freshmen to seniors to the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries. I have had the opportunity to meet so many cool people who share the same values as me. Saturday nights there is often either a formal Newman Center event such as a party, or other times a group of us just makes our own fun. This Saturday several of us are going to see The Nutcracker put on by the Pittsburgh Ballet, and then next weekend is a Christmas party! I am so ready for Christmas; let the snow begin! And finally Sundays are 6pm Mass at St. Paul's Cathedral, an absolutely gorgeous church just a few blocks from the dorm, followed by pizza and Catholic Action, which is either a presentation or discussion.

The Newman Center has really helped me to keep God at the center of my life in college. Because there are so many opportunities to get off track whether with stress, mixed up priorities, or other mishaps, the relationships I have formed at the Newman Center keep me focused. It is great knowing others share the same passion for faith and values of life that I do. I have become a much more social, outgoing, happy person because of the people I have met there!