Hey everyone! The spring semester here is going by so quickly, I can barely keep up! But although this term is flying, I still have so many new things to share. It has been unbelievably cold during the last week or so and walking to class has been almost unbearable. I guess the Florida weather is taking some time off. I can’t stand it! Classes are still going fairly well and I am certainly enjoying myself so far.
Last weekend, my sister had a cheerleading competition in Kissimmee, FL, which is just south of Orlando. My family decided to all come down and see her, so I ended up meeting them Friday night. The drive was only about an hour and a half commute, so that wasn’t bad at all. As I said, I left Daytona Friday night after my last class and spent Friday and Saturday night there, then came home Sunday evening. My sister’s cheer competition was Saturday morning and following the conclusion of her awards, my family and I went to Universal Studios for the rest of the day. It was a blast! We also spent Sunday at the theme park. Spending the time with my parents and my siblings was very special for me, even though it had only been a few weeks since seeing them. At Universal, the park had a celebration of the University of Florida football National Championship, which was a lot of fun especially for my family because we are all big Gator fans. The park hosted a parade, and featured many players from over the years. I was also fortunate enough to meet a new member of my family that we never knew prior to a few years ago.
After returning to Daytona, I spent Monday playing football with the guys from my dorm since we didn’t have class on account of MLK day. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t assigned too much homework over the three-day weekend. However, the studies I did have, I had completed while in Kissimmee so I didn’t have to cram it all in Sunday night. Here at Riddle, or any college for that matter, procrastination is your worst enemy. So, I have found that the best way to approach homework is to finish it the night it is assigned, that way it isn’t all piled up at the end of the week. Anyhow, the rest of the week was fairly average… Same ‘ole, same ‘ole.
Thursday was the Activities Fair for the spring semester, which was quite interesting. The point of this fair is for all the clubs, Greek organizations, ROTCs, and student unions to present what they are all about. Booths were lined up for the entire Legacy Walk, and almost every organization at Riddle had a booth. This type of occasion was perfect for students who just transferred to the university in the spring, such as me, so I could browse all of the different clubs here. Also, I was able to talk to all of the fraternities which was very beneficial for me to see what each of the different frats stand for, how their organizations are run, and what kinds of community service each of them take part in. One of my main goals I had set before moving down to Riddle was to pledge a Greek organization. I decided to rush Pi Kappa Alpha (or Pike, as the brothers say). Thursday night was an event designated “Meet the Greeks,” where students interested in rushing can come out and meet the members of all the Greek organizations. I was able to hang out and get to know several of the brothers of Pike, and I really had an excellent time. On Friday night, there was a Pike rush event in which we all went bowling. Again, it was a great time and my decision to rush Pike has been continually echoed with good feelings. At the end of the night, one of the brothers in a point of authority approached me and gave me a bid to join the fraternity. I accepted, and so my pledge process starts! All this next week is “Rush week,” so I’m really looking forward to attending the events and getting to know more of the brothers.
Embry-Riddle had a hockey game also on Friday night, so after leaving bowling a bunch of the members of Pike and myself went to the rink and watched our Eagles play against Florida State. I was very surprised that we were playing such a large school, especially since in basketball and in other sports in which Riddle competes, we always play little schools that specialize in some specific subject, much like ourselves. It turns out we have a pretty talented hockey team, because we beat FSU 9-1. The game was a blast! However, it was unbelievably cold that night, and the ice in the rink made it much colder.
It is finally starting to warm up here, thank goodness! I finally did my laundry, so I feel very accomplished about that. The laundry facilities here at Riddle are incredibly neat. You can pay to wash and dry clothes with your Eagle card, and the time remaining on your machine is posted on the ERNIE (Embry-Riddle Network for Information Exchange) web site. It is also possible for you to receive a text message when your cycle is complete! This is perfect for me because I live on the third floor of Doolittle, but the laundry room is on the first floor. That way I don’t have to keep coming down to check on my clothes.
This week coming up should be pretty busy, with all the Pike events and all. I also have a few tests coming up next week so much study time will be spent over the next few weeks. Until next time, take it easy!
Josh
