The Hangover Seminar

This was my Capstone Conversation for the semester. It was a very informative seminar about the consequences and facts about underage drinking. It really had an impact on me because I truly did not know some of the statistics that they shared with us, such as one shot of liquor is equivalent to like, 2 beers! Some of the death rate figures they gave us too were very disturbing. This seminar definitely cautioned me and made me more aware of the choices I need to make while underage and partying.
I liked how they tied in the movie "The Hangover" with the seminar. It definitely got my attention more than just a 2 hour lecture. They would show clips of the movie, then pause it and relate it to an aspect of underage drinking. I definitely am glad I chose this to be my conversation for the semester.

Thanksgiving!

For this Thanksgiving I went to my cousin Flori's house. It was so much fun because my whole family was there! We managed, once again, to fit 22 people into a town house. It was so chaotic, but so much fun. It was so great seeing a bunch of familiar faces, and it made me miss my home even more! I'm so thankful for all of my family members and all we get to do together. It was so great seeing them!

Sustainability

My life is pretty sustainable in my opinion. I believe that sustainable means solid, put together, or "do-able". If this is true, then my life is definitely sustainable. I have most of my things put together as far as social aspects, academic aspects, and living aspects.
To me more sustainable, however, I could keep up with keeping my room clean more. It's not truly a priority in my life, but sometimes it stresses me out cause it gets so messy. Fortunately, it doesn't affect anyone besides me, because I have my own room, but still- I need to keep it together a little more than I have been this semester.

When I grow up...

For Thanksgiving I'm going up to D.C. because that is where all of my dad's family is. We have such a great time together and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! We always order our Thanksgiving dinner from Boston Market, ha ha. It's a bit ghetto, but I love it!
I actually always have wanted to be a Hotel Manager. Like I always have loved traveling and staying in hotels. It's also a great career match for me because I am definitely a customer service person. Interacting with people is something that I am very good at, so I still think I would excel in this field.
I think I'm actually going to do an internship next semester with Marriott Hotels. It's required for my major, and I cannot wait to get started!

Money Money!!

Overall, I'm pretty responsible when it comes to my finances. I don't always make the best decisions when spending my money, but I have never been in a tight money situation. I worked at a restaurant in 11th and 12th grade, so I would always budget when and where and how much money I would spend each month. Most of the time I stuck to my plan and it worked out, but sometimes I would over do it a little.
By the time I graduate, I want to be in a financial situation that can get me through any emergencies I might have. That's going to be a hard goal to accomplish, but I think I can do it. Since being in college, I have had to really watch where I spend my money cause it adds up so quickly! It's a tough responsibility, but it's just part of life.

STRESS!

A lot of things have been stressing me out recently. School, relationships, friendships, sorority stuff,....the list goes on and on. It was really great that Bert came in the day he did because I was soo stressed out. His exercises truly helped to calm me down and put me in a more relaxed mood.
I guess I will continue doing these small exercises as well as keeping a mental note to stay calm when I feel like I'm about to have a freakout.
I'm also glad Thanksgiving Break is around the corner, because I really need it right now! :)

Need more time!!!

I definitely have had a struggle with time management this semester. I guess I'm just not used to having all these hours in the day to do whatever i want to with them! It's definitely been a challenge, and I need to step it up next semester for sure.
I actually almost wish I had less time. When I have large chunks of time during the day, I usually waste them on pointless stuff while I should be productive. Procrastinating becomes a lot easier when more time is given to me.
I think I just need to set up a strict schedule for myself so that I make myself get stuff done, instead of putting it all off until the last minute.

Health

Honestly, I do not think I have been eating healthy since I got here. I do not really watch what I eat all the time, but I don't eat fast food at every meal. I definitely could take better care of my body than I do now though. I also do not really exercise because it is so hard to fit it into my schedule.
I have made so many great friends here so far. My roommates have become my best friends, and the girls in my sorority are the best support anyone could ask for. They always encourage me, listen to me, and support me in everything I do. I was worried at first about making close friends, but that definitely has not been an issue at all.

Religion

In my opinion, religion and spiritually are very different. Overall, religion is a structured thing where people of the same beliefs get together and display their affection for their faith. Spiritually is a much more independent thing in which each individual has his or her own specific belief system and way of showing it. 

Faith does tie into both of these things though, because without faith, there is no belief in a higher being, which is what spiritually and religion are essentially. One definitely needs faith in order to practice one or both of these practices.

Here in the south and especially USC, religion is dominate. Christianity is displayed everywhere, and there is basically a different church on every corner of Columbia. It is definitely a different type of culture that you have to get accustomed to in order to accept it if you do not already.