Aziz Abu Sarah Comes to Saint Mike's.

Saint Mike's frequently hosts speakers and presentations on campus during the academic year, typically on topics such as politics, social justice, the sciences, and the arts. These events are always open to the public, and lively debate engaging both the community and students is not uncommon.

 

Wednesday evening, the Peace and Justice speaker series hosted Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian peace activist who splits his time between Jerusalem, the George Mason University, and touring around the world. In his lecture, he recounted stories from hsi childhood in both occupied Palestine and Jerusalem, and how his engagement in the conflict shifted from aggressive confrontation to peaceful dialogue.

This speaker was especially interesting at this point in my semester because two of my four classes are exploring the Palestine-Israel conflict right now. In my Political Science intro class, we're reading Once Upon a Country, in which a prominent Palestinian figure recounts his experiences and the experiences of his family both before the occupation, and throughout the last several decades of it. In my Anthropology class, we've just finished reading a report in Human Cargo on the asylum speakers displaced by this conflict, and the adversity they face in quasi-permanent settlements in bordering countries, such as Lebanon. It's truly one of the most challenging issues facing our global political system right now, and a tragedy besides that.

 

The talk he gave was was informal yet powerful, and the Q&A following was informative (although I had to cut out a lil early--sorry!!!). Below is a National Geographic special featuring Abu Sarah:

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Blitzen Trapper at Higher Ground.

The ballroom.

Higher Ground, a favorite concert venue of students and locals alike, is a hub for music and concert events in the area. In general, shows cost in the range of 15 to 20 dollars, but there've been shows as cheap as a dollar per ticket for smaller bands and shows. Not to mention, the calendar is stacked, so it's easy to see a handful or so of great shows per semester for not too much money.

 

Blitzen Trapper on stage.

Last night some buddies and I stopped in for a Blitzen Trapper show in the smaller ballroom for 18 dollars a ticket. The show opened with a band called Fox, but we didn't make it until Blitzen opened. The environment is intimate enought to sit at a table and have something to drink for a coffee-house/mellow type of show, but it's also open enough to dance around and whip your hair for a more upbeat show. Blitzen's show was more in the flavor of the latter (jam-band music for sure), so needless to say there was much dancing and jumping around. We even got to hang out and have a convo with Marty, the band's guitarist/keyboardist/general musician. Very intimate, very cool show.

 

In my experience, shows at Higher Ground are never a let down. If nothing else, you tried something new, and got out for a night of music. It's a great way to blow off steam, and if your Tuesday is just a little less busy then you were expecting... then maybe that Soc reading can wait until tomorrow ;)

 

Thanks for reading!

Cool Professors (Or Something Like That).

Straddling the line between super-nerdy and super-cool, Saint Mike's professors know how to engage students (and the world) both inside and outside the classroom. There's seldom a department without a professor who's traveled abroad for research, and/or engaged in the community to pursue local projects.

At the moment, I'm enrolled in an Economics of Education class with Professor Walsh (with whom I took Economics of Health Care in the Spring). Being a professor who really embodies the SMC nerdy-coolness, I was psyched when I discovered that he'd launched a YouTube channel. His videos discuss and digest popular economic topics, like the debt celing and climate change. Although he claims most of his channel views are from his proud mother, his videos are very informative and accessible--for the econ-buffs and who-the-h-is-Adam-Smith?s alike. Check out his most recent video on Immigration economics:



Enjoy the video, and thanks for reading!

Back to School and Outdoor Excursions.

Long time no see!

I believe my online absence requires an explanation: since being back at school, I've been sans-laptop due to an unfortunate encounter with my *former* computer, and my unforgiving floor of my parent's kitchen. We're currently looking into getting that situation handled, but until then I'm on that Durick Library-computer-lab-grind.

This semester I'm enrolled in four classes: Economics of Education (EC-333), Intro to Politics (PO-101), Race and Ethnic Relations (SO-221), and Anthropology of Refugees (AN-333). Do I have a solid academic plan? Not necessarily. Are my classes awesome? You betcha.

Fancy meal pictured here.

Also occupying my time this semester is my instructorship (new word!) for the Wilderness Program. Last weekend I had a double-weekend, where I got to lead a trip both Saturday and Sunday. This summer I got to lead a WOW with one of my great amigas in the program, but this past weekend felt like my first true experience guiding as an official instructor. I got so excited, that I made a super-fancy lunch the night before that I didn't actually end up eating til I got home (But it was still good!!!).

As far as the actual trips, I was co-leading (but mostly observing our paddling guy, Todd Wright) an Intro Whitewater Paddling excursion on the Lamoille on Saturday. The water was a little low, but we had a good, cohesive group and a fun time! Also, I was paddling a bright green boat, so how could that be bad? (Answer: it couldn't be bad).

Participants prepping their paddles for plunder. (Idk, alliteration??)

Then on Sunday, I got to co-lead a climbing trip down to Bolton Valley with fellow instructors Taylor and junior Lauren M. (the WP has two Lauren M's--weird, right?). It was rainy as can be all morning on Sunday, so we started by rappelling rather than climbing, but as the day went on the cliffs dried off and we were able to set a couple climbs. If I remember correctly for all you climbers out there, we set on Harvest Moon, Into the Slabs and Into the Pines.

Participant preparing to rappel.

Twas a successful weekend and the beginning to a successful semester! More adventures coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Wilderness Orientation Weekend at Saint Mike's.

As I mentioned in my last post, Saint Mike's runs a series of pre-orientation weekends during the summer for new students enrolling in the fall semester. One of these programs, the Wilderness Orientation Weekend (WOW), is coordinated by the Wilderness Program office (WP), and I got to co-lead one such program this past weekend. 

Having lunch on a rock, day three, Lamoille River.

There were three WOW options this year: backpacking, sea kayaking, and multi-sport. Each of these programs ran the span of three days (two nights) in the field, and each had about six participants and two WP student-instructors. I co-led one of the multi-sport options with Molly, a good friend of mine in the WP (and we were a match made in weird-heaven, if I do say so myself).

The multi-sport program consisted of three different field excursions: a day hiking, a day climbing, and a day white-water paddling. So on Saturday morning, our group woke up at 6.15, rolled out of Pontigny Hall at about 7.00, and began our ascent up Mt. Mansfield at about 7.50. The weather on Saturday was looking like it would be a bit sketchy in the afternoon, so we decided to hike up the Sunset Ridge trail in the morning so we could catch it before it got nasty (which was well worth it, because I imagine the exposed ridge line would have been much less enjoyable in a torrential downpour). We made it to the summit before noon, took the Laura Cowles trail down with a lunch break on the way, and then made it back to the campsite at Little River State Park by early afternoon.

Sunday was part-two of our multi weekend, and WP vet Mike helped us set some some top-rope climbs out at Bolton, VT (about a 15 min drive from Little River, 40 min from SMC). We spent the day working on basic belay and climbing technique, but mostly on encouraging everyone to try climbing and have fun doing it. Total, we set about 4 or 5 routes (one of which was the notorious Harvest Moon). There was a variety of strengths in the group, and it was fun to see each of the participants challenge themselves in different ways (it's also possible that I may have sent a climb myself, but that's beside the point).

Swimming the rapid, funniest face of the day.

Finally, we had white water paddling on Monday, with the infamous Todd Wright (WP director), and SMC alum Jess. Again, since there's only so much that can be fit into a day, most of our paddling excursion was spent on some basic technique, but mostly on having fun. We paddled the Lamoille River, had lunch on a rock, and at the end of the day ran a tiny rapid, which was about a mile upstream from where we parked. Before running it, each of the participants had to practice "swimming" the rapid, which is basically learning how to follow the current safely until you can swim out of it (in case you fall out of your boat). By this time, our group had meshed pretty effortlessly, joking freely and reveling at the thought of a nice, warm shower once we got home. And of everyone in the group, I think Molly and I were the most sad to see everyone go at the end of the day.

It was a great weekend, and I can't wait for fall orientation to roll around so I can see everyone again (seriously, we miss y'all!!!). I'm already looking forward to a new semester, and hopefully spending some more time outdoors with all the awesome people I got to meet on WOW.

So see y'all in a month! And thanks for reading!

POW WOW

While the title of this post might sound like something you do around a campfire, it actually is a description of my activities this week (only part of which might involve a fire). 

Before the fall orientation weekend for new students, Saint Mike's runs pre-orientation weekends (POW), such as the traditional "POW", a wilderness version called "WOW", a community service one called CSOW, as well as another run by the diversity coalition and MLK, called SOAR. 

Last weekend, I was able to participate in the first POW of the summer, where I met a ton of really cool incoming students (can't wait to see y'all at orientation!!!), and bonded with the other upperclassmen running the weekend. I can't give much away, but those of us who have been on it know that it's AMAZING, and if you haven't gone, you should go!

Now, this coming weekend, I get to lead a WOW with some of my buddies in the Wilderness Program at SMC. Starting tomorrow, I'll be leading the multi-sport weekend, which includes climbing, paddling and hiking. We'll be car-camping, which is nice (although I wouldn't mind some time in the woods, I won't lie), and I expect that ghost stories and bug bites will be aplenty. 

That's it for now! Although maybe now that I have an uncracked phone I can post some pictures up here come Monday evening. 

Thanks for reading! And here's a picture of my sweet new WP hat. 

Apartment Life and the New Job.

This post is being written on a computer at Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, and that's 99% because there's no wifi in the apartment yet, and 1% because I really don't want to write this from my phone.

Yes indeed, I've officially embarked on the journey of "living on my own" (sorta) for the summer, and an educational experience it has been. For the first six days we lived there, we didn't have hot water or gas because, being the bushy-tailed, bright-eyed 20-somethings that we are, none of us thought to call the utility companies before move-in day. Even with the struggles, my friends and I are having an awesome time decorating and making the place ours for the next few months (next step: run to Lowes to make copies of keys).

I've also started working my new job at EMS, and that's been a blast. I've worked three days so far, and during my last shift while getting trained on how to fit shoes, a coworker fit me in a pair of REALLY comfy lightweight hiking boots, which I proceeded to wear around the store for the next 20 minutes. Playing with outdoor gear = life's simple pleasures.

Coming up in just a few weeks I'm off to Delaware with Mike Brown for the Firefly music festival, and I'm in the midst of trying to get involved in a community sailing program on Lake Champlain for the summer, and hopefully a little volunteering as well.

Thanks for reading!