Happy Easter for all of you who celebrated it!! We are down to the last week and a half of school. Professors are getting crazy with projects, and students are going nuts over finals. Lucky for me, my honors professor, Dr. Kain, decided to cancel our final for that class. I only have 2 now! Well…minus the plethora of last minute projects and essays…I can actually say I passed Calc 2 (which is supposed to be the hardest math you’ll ever take) with an A! Unless I screwed up on this last test…but I think I did well.
I just finished writing my last paper for COM221 (tech report writing). It’s a 6-7 page analytical paper. I’m not complaining though! I did it on one of my favorite topics. I’ll leave that for you to guess…starts with a D ends with a Y? I have yet to work on my 4-5 page honors paper on Afghanistan and my CATIA project…design an airplane with everything on it AND another project too? In ONE week? I wonder what my professor was thinking…Sometimes I believe they think they’re the only class we have to study for.
Besides all the madness, I have really enjoyed these past few weeks. Last week, on Sunday, the honors program had a field trip to Ichetucknee springs near Gainesville. We floated down a river for about an hour and a half. Well…some of us ran straight into the banks of the river or got stuck inside caves or the many branches lying around (*cough Bharvi cough*). The water was freezing cold and the temperature outside was less than warm. Because of the very long walk back to the entrance, however, we decided to call it quits after our first run down the river.
That day, we were awake from 6 in the morning to well over one the next morning. Why you ask? Well, Jim’s birthday was on Saturday. His brother decided to get married that day. Jim had to fly back home for the wedding, and therefore couldn’t spend his birthday with us. Sunday we decide to go to Orlando after Bharvi and I came back from our trip. This was almost 7:30 at night. We drive to downtown Disney (90 minutes), eat, watch the fireworks from the Polynesian, and head back. Needless to say we were very, very tired the next morning…I bought 2 Vinylmation figures though! They’re vinyl figurines in the shape of Mickey that are painted over in all sorts of designs. I bought a nerdy Donald Duck and a mystery park one (turned out to resemble one of the exit signs around WDW). I believe I have an obsession with them now…
On Friday of this week, we took a trip to, you guessed it…Disney. This time, however, we decided to stay overnight at a hotel nearby. We reserved the room through hotwire, and much to our surprise, we got a hotel IN the mall! I wonder who thinks of these things…but hey, it was right next to M&M world. The place was really nice, and the beds were an awesome change from our dorm beds. We went to eat at Bongo’s (Jim’s favorite), and the next day, we all went to Blizzard Beach, one of Disney’s two water parks.
These past few weekends have been one of the best I’ve had so far. I’m really going to miss this place, but I’m excited for summer! We’re planning driving from San Ramon to Seattle, spend the day there, drive to Vancouver, spend another day there, and taking a cruise (Disney of course) all the way to Alaska. Then, we are driving all the way down to Anaheim, California to go to Club33 (Google it!!), since I found out my dad has access to it through his company. So so excited!!
I can’t believe this is my last blog for you guys…I’m going to miss talking to all of you! You can still contact me though or keep in touch through Facebook! You females will be able to see me at the For Women Only orientation in the fall. I really do hope to meet you all in the fall…so until then, get excited Future Eagles! Your first step into your dream adventure has just begun… <3 Adriana
It has been a good first month here at Embry-Riddle. I have learned so much already and can’t wait to experience everything else this place has to offer.
Living on campus is definitely the best place to be freshmen year. You get to adapt to the college lifestyle and best of all, you’re in the most convenient location possible. All the amenities are available to you: Food, Internet, Movies, Laundry, Parking, Shopping, etc. In addition, classes are just a bike-ride or walk away. I prefer biking to class because it is the quickest way, however during a peak-time, when everyone is walking, it could be a little difficult.
Flying here, in my opinion, is the most exciting thing to do on campus, hands down. However it is not all fun and games. It requires hours of study time and demands a lot from you. But in the end, when it’s all over, it is well worth it!
During my time here so far, I’ve experienced a night shuttle launch in Titusville, Florida with some of my friends. In fact an ERAU alumni was on board, headed towards the International Space Station (ISS). I’ve spent a weekend with my cousins in Satellite Beach, Florida, where I was given the opportunity to go tubing out on the Banana River, which was a lot of fun! Most recently I went to Universal Orlando City-Walk one night for dinner.
My roommate is a member of the Embry-Riddle club Rugby team, and today a group of us went to see one of the games. I don’t know much about rugby, but it is a lot of fun to watch. The girls played first against South Florida and then the guys played Florida State. Although both teams lost, they played really hard and it was VERY intense. My roommate hit an FSU player so hard his left contact fell out! I now understand why my roommate comes back from the matches so sore!!!
Throughout this first month, I have certainly found many pros and cons about campus. The thing I love about Riddle is how relaxed it is. Although we do a lot of work, it is still a great place to chill and hang with friends. Whether you’re reading by the pool, joining a random volleyball game, or hanging out in one of the student lounges, it is always nice to kick back for a few minutes and take a break. The main annoyance I have found thus far is just a personal issue. The toilet in our room has broken down three times in two weeks and has left myself and my suite mates without bathroom facilities for more than 90 hours. However as I always say, there are two ways to look at every situation, and the broken toilet has brought many laughs and a lot of priceless memories. (And our next door neighbors have been very gracious about allowing us to use their facilities!!)