Unrestrained Laughter 1: Rolling Rink Spills

Last night my sorority rented out a Roller Rink for a sisterhood event. Many of us hadn't roller skated since we were kids in elementary school so we knew this would be interesting. I swear when we were kids it was easier! When I got there I put my skates on immediately got up to head towards the rink thinking it couldn't be that hard to get back into the swing of things. I figured it was like riding a bike, however I was wrong. I got up and boom! I immediately fell to the ground! All of my friends and myself couldn't help but laugh! It was quite the fall. 

After that I was sure to move slowly toward the rink. I tried for awhile but still could not get the hang of it. I kept going backward when I was trying to go forward. My friend Hayley and I gave up and decided to head toward the pizza and sodas. We made it there okay but as soon as Hayley got her pizza and soda and turned around to head toward the table she took quite the fall! Pizza and Diet Coke spilled everywhere! We were all laughing so hard! 

After that many people were experiencing some back luck just like Hayley and I. Our sisters were seriously dropping like flies. One would think we were the most uncoordinated bunch there was! 

I decided that by the time we would leave I had to conquer the rink! I decided to switch from roller skates to roller blades hoping it would make a difference. Let me tell you, once I made the switch I was really rollin'! 

The first time I made that joke at the rink the pun was not intended, but now it is most definitely intended. 

On the way home from the rink a bunch of us were recounting all of the falls we witnessed and laughing hysterically about all of them! We couldn't help it! We knew most people were embarrassed by their falls, however we really couldn't restrain ourselves from the laughter. 

Conversation Partner 6: Saying Goodbye

With finals coming up, Linda and I knew things would begin to get pretty hectic, so the social was our last meeting for this semester. I was not able to show up until about an hour into the party, however when I was finally able to get there in between classes, Linda and I were so happy to see each other again! We were both excited to meet more people involved in this program.

We all played games and ate food and I think everyone had an awesome time! Linda, myself, and a few others played Catch Phrase for a majority of the time. This is one of my favorite games. It's really interactive and can bring so many people together even if you don't know them at all! However, it wasn't until at the social, I realized how much learning this game can induce.  Students, like Linda, were able to learn many new English words in a fun and exciting way!

After many fun rounds of catch phrase and some good snacks our party began to come to an end. We went around the circle and introduced ourselves again and learned a lot of fun facts about one another. This one guy briefly mentioned that he owned three camels back home!

Linda and I were sad to say goodbye but we knew once we returned in the fall we would see each other again. We thanked each other for teaching the other so much, took a picture together, and said our goodbyes.

Learning Experience 2: Amon G. Carter Stadium

Today, I had a field trip with my Interior Components class. We went to the Amon G. Carter Stadium and got to take a tour of all the suites. Anyone that spends enough time with me, knows how excited I would be to be able to be in the suites of our football stadium. My peers and even my professor and the kind man that gave us the tour could tell that I was quite excited to be there. I may or may not have shed a few tears of happiness during the duration of the tour.

The tour started outside of the Founder's Club. We learned how much the new stadium cost to build and maintain, and learned a little about the extremely generous families that gave so much money to our school to provide us with such a wonderful place to gather to watch the beautiful game of football.

As we entered the Founder's Club the interior was beautifully designed. Just about everything was custom made and chosen by the founders. The walls had leather wall coverings and the floors had custom rugs and tile flooring. The bar was designed to give an old traditional western feel to it. There were two kitchens on each side of the club. One of them, which was closer to the Chancellor's Suite, had a more gourmet cuisine menu. However the the one closer to the Founders' Suites, served more of the traditional "game day" food.

As we toured each of the suites they were all designed slightly different. The founders and the chancellor were able to specify each of the furnishings to their likings in each of their own suites. I was in awe as I got to see each one of them.

Next came the tour of the Club and the Club Suites. The Club was absolutely gorgeous! Some of the couch chairs around the club are the same couch chairs that Coach Gary Patterson has in the "man cave" of his home. While of course we were there to learn about wall coverings, flooring, lights, and other furnishings, I was just so ecstatic to be able to be inside this elite part of the stadium. This may sound a bit dramatic, but I felt at home while I was there.

Something that really caught me off guard, besides the amount of money that was put into the stadium, was the bullet hole in one of the windows at the top of the club. Apparently someone from the neighborhood behind the stadium shot at one of the windows. Unfortunately, because the neighborhood is so wooded, it is hard to ever find out who the offender was. Also, because the window is so high, it is expensive to replace, so they are not willing to pay to have it fixed. It really offends me that someone would shoot at our beautiful, new stadium. What did they accomplish? I guess we will never know.

I was so happy to have the chance to see the suites and the club and I hope that one day I will be able to return and watch a game from one of the suites. I would feel truly honored.

Conversation Partner 5: Packing Up, Moving Out & Growing Up

Today and I Linda and I met for a cup of joe at the library. It seems like I have been spending all my time here and she decided to join me for a nice chat. To be honest, I definitely needed the break, I had been staring at my computer working on a project for my design class for the past four hours without a break. While chatting about our busy weeks and the semester coming to a close, we shared many laughs. She shared her mixed feelings about the end of the year being around the corner.

She, like many college students, misses her family and is ready to return home to China to see everyone. However she is still quite stressed about school and finals and having to pack everything up and move out of her dorm. She said she was excited to live in the Grandmarc apartments next year and hopes to be able to live in a house the next year. She was excited to hear that I lived in Grandmarc this past year and had plenty of questions for me.

The more we talked about moving, the more we thought about when me first moved here. We shared our stories of saying farewell to our families and getting ready to move on in our lives. I know that when I came to college I sort of new what to expect, however, Linda did not expect as much as I did. She was still quite excited to be attending a school here in America.

I continued to mention my plans for summer, which involve a full time paid internship, and asked what hers were. She is traveling a lot to visit family and friends. We then got to talking about jobs and working. She said she was interested in looking for a job. I asked her what kind of things she want to do. She said that she wants to work in banking one day or something else in accounting. However, she said that right now she would be fine working at some sort of fast food restaurant or really any other restaurant.

We somehow got on the topic of primary schools, middle schools, and high schools. We shared stories of how we were as kids. She said she was quite shy as a child and pretty to herself. I confessed that I too was shy at first. However, I was usually quick to break out of my shell and was pretty social. She said she never really liked going to school because it was boring, but I disagreed. I enjoyed going to school to see my friends. We agreed that our school environments were quite different.

After a nice long break from my school work, I needed to get back. We said our goodbyes until next time!

Conversation Partner 4: Easter Endeavors

Linda and I met up for dinner at the wonderful BLUU dining hall. We were able to bond over our love for cheesecake, which got us talking about other desserts and sweet treats. I mentioned to her that my friends and I had made a lot of desserts for our Easter weekend. I then preceded to ask her about her Easter weekend. I wondered if she spent the weekend on campus.

She said that her and some of her peers went and had dinner at a friends house. They decorated eggs as well as had an Easter Egg Hunt. She said she really enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt and had a lot of fun. She said they played a lot of other games and ate a lot of good food. She also mentioned the Easter Egg Hunt that the RAs put on for the residents between Foster Hall and Waits Hall. The "Woster Egg Hunt" is held every year. I remember attending last year!

I told Linda all about it. I am not going to lie, when prizes are involved I get pretty competitive! Whether its a scavenger hunt or an egg hunt, I am always in it to win it! She started laughing after seeing how excited I would get over these hunts. She thought it was quite amusing that I would get so competitive over something so silly. The more I thought about it I guess it was silly to be so competitive. I told her that I just found it to be more fun when my friends and I got so involved.

She told me that she still had fun at the egg hunt and liked that her RAs were so involved with their residents. She was glad to live in a place where the staff cared so much and wanted to make sure that they had fun.

After laughing about all the fun we have had in our dorms we finished up our dessert and parted ways until the next meeting!

Conversation Partner 3: Learning more about Chinese Culture

While meeting with Linda this time, I was eager to learn more about her and her family. We talked more about her culture and things her and her family did.

We talked mostly about a holiday that they celebrate around the same time as Easter. She referred to it in English as a "tomb sweeping." During this holiday the family members will go to the grave-sites of their ancestors and clean and decorate the site. I asked her to try and describe more of what goes on. She said there is a big ceremony and there are meals served at a party. She also said that they say many prayers throughout the holiday. The way she was describing it made me believe that it was a sort of celebration that had a lighter, happier mood to it. When I asked if that was accurate, she gave me a look and said, "No, not at all." She said it was a sad holiday.

Now that I knew it was more of a somber celebration I understood the purpose of the holiday. It was to celebrate and honor the life of those that came before them. Every year they continue to pay respect to their elders. She also mentioned that this holiday lasts about a week.

I could tell that their culture is much more family-oriented than I had realized before. I think it is important that they devote so much time and energy to honoring their family members, alive or deceased. I wish that the American culture did more to honor our family. I know that many people in America do indeed do a lot to honor their ancestors however, I feel strongly that family is important and should be more of a central pillar in our culture.

She was sad that she was not there with her family to celebrate this holiday this year and her family missed her as well.