Growing up

This seems to happen to me more and more often, I feel old. Now this is rubbish since I am still obviously young, a child, but for some reason I keep finding myself doing adult things. I do not me inappropriate things, but the mature right thing, without guidance from a parent or teacher. The most recent action that made me feel aged was to take the GRE. Only people further in life take those. In actuality I am at the perfect point in life to take these. I am a senior in college, with the desire to continue my education. But see that is where the problem lies: I am a senior in college. When did that happen?

As a child I always was looking for the next big thing to come (usually summer or the weekend) and then I got to highschool and I would look forward to things like a trip to visit family or the holidays. And the big events of life started to happen; I got my licens and I went to prom, then off to college. And for most of my life that is where the imagining stopped. I always just wanted to get to college. Well now I have been here a few years and I only have one left. What then?

This is a problem for me. I took 4 years and many campus tours before settling on the right one for me. This time around I have about 5 months, 4 of which I will be Italy for (YAY!) to figure out what school best fits my personality and career goals. I am at loss as what to do. Most of my friends are a year behind me ( a downside to graduating early). So they have little advice. My advisors are not worth talking to as they have failed me at every point of my education. And my mother only has a limited knowledge of the subject. Since I am so busy trying to prepare for 4 months abroad, I have not had enough to devote to the topic. So for now my mantra is that things will work out. And I am scared to death that they wont. But to everyone else I am trying to look like I have it together, because that is the only choice I have.

If anyone has advice on:

• How to not grow up
• How to pick the right grad school
• How to land free school
• Or how to not go broke in Italy

Please let me know because I could use the advice!

Congratulation Mary and Eric

My brother Eric and Mary have been dating for around 6 years now. Just recently they got engaged. They went to Vegas for a medical conference that Mary was attending. At the Bellagio , in front of the water show, Eric got on one knee and proposed. And well, of course she said yes. I am very happy for them and know that they will have a happy life together.

I can't wait until next fall when I can celebrate with both of you. And thank you Mary for having me as a brides maid. I am truly honored!

White Water Rafting

For my birthday I wanted to do something exciting with my friends. The idea came from a coupon book that I have. It has a buy one ride and receive the next free. We didn't end up going to that one, but it was a good idea anyway!
We went to the Black River in Watertown, NY. We were told that the rapids were going to be a slight 5 (out of a possible 7), because of the constant rain this spring. The water was super cold but the air and the sun were nice.
Sadly we only lost one person the whole ride. It of course was the one person who was worried about falling out. After the ride there was a bbq with some delicious food.
All together it made for an amazing day!

Getting Ready

There is a few months before I leave for Italy, however I must start getting ready. One of the most important things that I need to do is get a visa. I will need a Scheun Visa as I am a student stay between 90-360 days. And the first step to being eligible is to have a plain ticket.

It is hard to know when the best time to buy is. About 6-8 weeks before departure is generally best, however there are a lot of other factors that come into play. For me the fact that I am staying in Italy so long has an affect on the price. In gener
al though there are many reason that the 6-8 week window will not work . Gas prices have a huge impact on the prices of tickets. If the prices jump the so will ticket prices.

The best way to navigate these waters is to keep a close eye on prices. As soon as dates are set, look up prices on a few different sites. Never trust that what you are looking at is the lowest price. There are a lot of different sites that work different ways that may be able to offer a better fare. Once you have a range of what the price looks like now, follow the movement of prices are time passes. If they start to rise then it may be an indicator that you should but. If they start to fall that could mean hold off. There is no guarantee on a price while shopping for air fare.

For students and professors, there is a web site out there that often has lower prices. Student Universe.com for the most part has better prices for students. They also have hotels, rail and trips available. Even though it is generally cheaper, they are not always at the best time, and are not always the best value. Be sure to shop around and be knowledgeable about what the average is. If you do this then you are on your way to finding a cheap flight.

Spring in Rochester

The weather is starting to turn nice in Rochester! One of my favorite places to go is Pittsford where you can wander the canal and all of the little shops near by. To get the most out of the nice weather, I decided to go for a bike ride with one of my close friends. The canal trails are well kept and perfect for taking long bike rides on. I had an amazing trip and can not wait for my next adventure!

Italy

I have been accepted to FUA in Florence for the fall semester! It will be four months of food, wine and Italian culture. Currently I am studying Italian so that by the time September comes I will be ready to hop a plane and submerse myself in the culture and ambiance of Florence. The housing is apartment style dorms, which I will be sharing with two of my close friends, Maureen and Nina. The school is in central Florence in the older part of the city. The gelato is calling my name :)
http://www.saiprograms.com/florence/fua

Skating Event to Raise Money for Golisano Children’s Hospital

RIT’s Women in Business club organizes annual fundraising effort

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The third annual Skate for a Cause, hosted by RIT’s Women in Business club, will raise money for the Golisano Children’s Hospital.

March 24, 2011
by Vienna Carvalho-McGrain
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The Women in Business club at Rochester Institute of Technology must have a direct line to Mother Nature. While many of us have spring on our minds, the students in this organization are capitalizing on the spring snowfall by hosting the third annual “Skate for a Cause” fundraiser on March 26 in RIT’s Ritter Arena. The general public is welcome to skate from 5-7 p.m. and RIT students can skate from 10 p.m.-midnight. A $5 donation per person covers admission, skate rental and hot chocolate. The session for the general public features music by WITR-FM (89.7) and entertainment by the RIT Juggling Club.

This year’s event benefits the Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.

“The event is really fun to host and it is a great feeling when we are able to help out a good cause,” says Kara Shierly, communications officer for RIT’s Women in Business organization.

Last year, proceeds from the event were donated to the Rochester-based organization Joining Hearts and Hands to complete a classroom in Kenya at the Hannah’s Hope school. The building is named for Hannah Congdon, a Fairport High School graduate killed in a car accident in 2007.

RIT’s Women in Business club is an organization for female students in all stages of their educational careers. Through networking, educational events and community service, the organization creates and strengthens skills in leadership, business, education and life management.

Taken from: http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=48199