Truffles!

Kaitlin and I went to the presentation on the history of truffles at the McCutchen House. It was interesting and so so delicious! Some of the information I already knew, like how people hunt truffles by letting pigs sniff them out, but I didn't know that it was only female pigs, because the truffles smell like a male pig's pheromones. Now, people are using dogs to hunt truffles. There are a few different types of truffle, some light, some dark. Truffles come from France and Italy. They are insanely expensive and don't last very long. They have a very unique flavor and can be incorporated into many dishes. We had a sample of truffle soup - one of the best things I have ever tasted! Truffles inspired the chocolate truffle, a bite size smooth chocolate covered in cocoa powder. You can find chocolate truffles almost anywhere, the recipe varies greatly, but people love the taste. I definitely recommend trying chocolate truffles, and if you get the chance to sample a true truffle or truffle dish, do it!

Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving my family goes to Zebulon, GA to have a big thanksgiving reunion with my dad's side of the family. Everyone brings part of the meal: turkey, ham, stuffing, asparagus casserole, squash casserole, broccoli and cheese casserole, green beans, sweet potato casserole, rolls, cole slaw, cranberry sauce, chocolate cake, carmel cake, rice krispy treats, white chocolate cereal clusters, brownies, and my mom brings pecan pie. After we stuff ourselves, we all spreadout and mingle with relatives. Some of the kids go outside to play soccer. I usually hang out with my third cousins who are my age. Then the next day, my grandparents take their kids and grandchildren to do something fun in the area. We've been to Stone Mountain several times, Callaway Gardens, Savannah, and this year we went to the Pine Mountain Animal Park for the second time. Yay Thanksgiving! :)

Hot Cookie Friday

So I actually went to a Hot Cookie Friday a while back. That was the first time I had been up to the study shack. It was definitely an interesting set up, being in that house. Me and my friends got there when there was a bunch of people. We could barely walk through the rooms. People were in the kitchen pouring drinks and puting cookies in the oven. People were sitting at the tables talking and waiting for cookies. People were playing Wii games. We waiting a while and finally got cookies. They were so good because they were warm, just out of the oven. Those are the best kind. My friends and I stayed a while longer and met some other Capstone kids who were playing apples to apples. We played a couple of rounds and exchanged numbers. I continue to eat cookies and earned the nickname "fatty". Very flattering.
I wanted to go back after that, but I could never make it. On Fridays I go to a marine science seminar at 3 and if I'm going out of town I've usually saved my packing for Friday. Next semester I guess.

Strengths/Weaknesses

My strengths: friendly, empathetic, creative, does well with collaboration. Depending on what I'm working on, I can organize fairly well. I feel like I can promote teamwork and contribute creative ideas.
My weaknesses: organization, focus, working on too many projects at once. I can get really bogged down in projects if what I'm working on doesn't interested me. If I have too many things to do, I have trouble organizing them all and prioritizing. Chances are I'll forget about one of the projects.
Hopefully I can get involved in the SEAS club more. I've heard they have these Outreach programs that go to schools with touch tanks and teach kids about marine life and conservation. I feel like I could be really good with that. Kids seem to like me okay, and I'm really passionate about marine conservation. I'm also really interested in helping animal shelters. If there isn't a club for that, maybe I could foster that idea and get a group together to promote responsible pet care and help animals in need.

My Hand Student

I really like my mentee. She is so sweet and well mannered, interesting and optimistic. She definitely wants to continue dance, I think she'll try out for Hand's dance team again. I know she wants to try drama and hopefully something like that will bring her out of her shell and give her a little confidence. It seems like she's doing well academically. When I met her teachers they seemed to interact well together and I'm sure if she started to have problems she could go to them for help.
I don't really know how I'll say goodbye. I'd like to continue through the spring, but I'm very nervous about my schedule next semester. Idk how I'll get through 8 am calculus let alone chemistry, english, and marine science. I'm worried that I won't be any good to anyone next semester. I think it's best for me to say goodbye when fall is over.
I think maybe I'll write her a nice encouraging letter and give it to her at the end of our last meeting.

Spirituality

I dont' know a lot about these things. I grew up without going to church or hearing about religion or spirituality. Some of my family is very devoted to Christianity, some of my family don't know what they believe. We've always celebrated Christmas, I feel like that's when I'm most connected to the idea of Christianity. It makes me want to learn the stories of the bible.
I think faith and religion are the group you identify with. Being part of a certain faith or religion means you comply with some or all of their traditions and you beliefs are similar to theirs. Spirituality I think is an inner thing. It's hard to describe because it isn't an object or a being. It's just inside you. It's what makes you fulfilled, centered, happy, etc.
I'm not sure exactly what I believe about Christianity, I would have a lot to learn. I think one day I'll have desire to learn and my friends and family will support me in learning and respect my beliefs. It's very complicated, I think I'm just not ready yet.

Relationships

Some new relationships I've formed are with friends and classmates. My roommate, kids on my floor, kids in Capstone, kids in my classes. I've met a lot of really nice people that I see about everyday. I feel really good about my choices of friends. They are all decent people who are fun and care about me. I've had some really great friends looking out for me lately, and it's so good to know that I have them. I want to support them just as much as they've supported me.
I think the best way to create healthy relationships is to be friendly and kind even to aquaintances. Certain people will become closer to you and you can decide how close you want to be to them. Sometimes things don't work out, you find you have differences or you drift apart. I don't always know how to handle my life or relationships, but I do believe in being there for people and being considerate and honest. Those are the qualities that I find most important in a relationship.

Capstone Conversation

I went to the conversation Meredith Ross, the student body president. There weren't a lot of people there, and I kind of expected more. It was interesting and kept my attention. She didn't talk about student government stuff the whole time. I feel like its always nice to here about the great college experiences people have had. It makes me really excited to create my own memories. She was also talking to Dr. Hickey about the alpine tower and the ropes course. I'm really excited to try that. I'm a little afraid of heights, but I think the challenge will be pushing myself to do the actual climbing. I'm such a weakling. I have done a ropes course though, and once I tried to climb an alpine tower, but I couldn't make it very far.
I really am not interested in student government. I knew it must be hard, but she confirmed my assumptions. I'm definitely not made for that. I did like her story about the presidential inauguration trip she made. I'd love to do something spontaneous like that and have the chance of a lifetime. Right now I just need to focus on getting through this semester.

Capstone Cinema

I went to see Border Story with some of my friends. It was soooo depressing. I had no idea that there was a civil war going on over there. I had heard something about Burmese prisoners of war or refugees on tv, but it wasn't a news program and I didn't think much of it. The images and stories were pretty graphic. I knew I was going to tear up and I was right. While the stories were sad, I feel like it is necessary to bring those stories to people's attention. There isn't much people can do about the government and the war, but they can do what they can to help the people whose lives have been so unjustly interrupted and altered. The only thing that really messed it up for me though, was that I couldn't read the subtitles. Its imperative that you can read the subtitles in a film and I had people sitting in front of me. So chunks of the stories were confusing I lost my focus. But it was a really great idea, moving content, and well edited.

Study Abroad

I'm totally freaking out about study abroad. I need to find a program that will allow me to take the proper classes for my major and won't be too expensive. My parents are trying to pay for college and build a new house. They do not need to be spending a fortune on sending their daughter out of the country. I do have some money saved up that I could pay part of the cost with. I know I'll want to take advantage of the trip by going on extra excursions. Since I'm majoring/minoring in marine science, I'd like to go to Australia. I'm also open water certified and there is no way I'm going to Australia without scuba diving. But I know it's going to create plenty of extra expense. It's also awfully far away and I dont' know a thing about airfare. Still, I would really love to go. I think the experience would be amazing and I know it could really bring me out of my shell and open my eyes to the realities of my career choice.

Hand Involvement/Success

I've really been enjoying the mentoring experience. My mentee is very sweet, polite, intelligent, and interesting to talk to. I feel like we get along very well and it's easy for us to talk. She seems pretty comfortable with me. We've talked about what classes she's thinking about taking next year and what she wants to do in the future. I'm not sure what kind of clubs there are at Hand. I don't think the chorus or drama classes have seperate clubs, but I could be wrong. I know that she is interested in dance. She is part of a church dance group I think, and she's tried out for dance at school but didn't make it. However, she doesn't seem too discouraged. She must really like it. I told her that I tried out for dance once and didn't make it. That was the end of my dance career. My three questions for involvement would be:
1. What clubs or classes have you participated in that you enjoyed/didn't enjoy?
2. What clubs or events does youre school or community offer?
3. How can you/would you like to participate in these activites?
for academic success:
1. What classes are your strengths/weaknesses?
2. What are your study habits like for these classes?
3. How can you improve your study habits?