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| Summer, a wonderful, exciting time of......doing absolutely nothing. I stayed out at Franciscan for a week after classes ended, and definitely had a great time hanging out with everyone with virtually zero responsibility. It's nice to be home now--I was gone for four months, which is a record for me--but I'm finding it a little difficult to occupy my time. I've been reading a little, trying to catch up on LOST (it's going to take forever, but I have until Feb.), and hanging out with the hometown gang, but I'm ready for a change of pace.
Thankfully, it's coming on Friday. I'll be flying down to Mexico for a month of Mexican sun and (hopefully) intensive Spanish. I have the old SAT II Spanish book out and I'm attempting, pretty unsuccessfully, to review everything I forgot during the sophomore slump before I get down there, but I'm sure it'll be great matter how much prepping I actually accomplish. We're living with Mexican families, studying at a Mexican University, and generally immersing ourselves for four weeks in all things Mexican--should be a good time!
As if that weren't enough, I have a job with a program up in State College for most of July. It basically brings together teens from Northern Ireland, some Protestant and some Catholic, for a month of hanging out and learning about people they might not foster relationships with at home. I'll be filling a counselor-type position for those guys, along with a group of American teens, for the time they're here. I'm excited for the job--I imagine they won't be the only ones who learn a lot from the experience.
Then after that it's back home, July 29th or so I think, before heading back to school a few weeks later. I have a lot of things to get together for the Troub before then, but hopefully that's just a matter of getting everything organized (...so in other words, pray for me).
And that, my friends, is what's going on.
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| Some days you just realize you need God so, so badly.
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| Just the facts:
I'm still alive, and I could say that there isn't a lot that's new with me but it would be a lie. Living off campus is quite awesome, though driving through snow and ice is not. The newspaper's still kicking, and in addition to that I have an internship with a small Catholic publishing company here in town that's turning out to be a lot of good experience. I'm attempting to play tennis again this spring, and that's going okay so far despite being ridiculously out of shape/falling apart. The birthday was also good, and even though we're losers it was still a lot of fun. We also had a snow day this week which was very exciting, because that never happens here (unless you are a child who attends a local public school, in which case you pretty much get the entire winter off). That's all for now!
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| So I finally made that Austria slide show I've been wanting to do for almost a year now. I came across this site that pretty much does it for you, and I was doing absolutely nothing at home, so I really had no excuse not to get it done. Anyway, I couldn't figure out how to embed it in here, but here's the link.
Enjoy...and if you were over there with me, there's a good chance you'll find yourself (and your proudest moments) somewhere in there!
Be at peace,
Phil
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| I think that one of the things I love most about breaks from school, and winter break in particular, is that it always seems to make me a little more introspective. During the semester it's easy to get caught up in the rush of school and friends and activities, but when I'm home for a few weeks with nothing to do and nowhere to go, it really helps me to refocus.
Unfortunately, with introspection comes the truth--and sometimes it's ugly. While I've definitely changed since freshman year, I'm not sure (actually, I know) that it's all been for the better. I'd say I've learned a lot about what I'm passionate about, how I interact with other people, what kinds of things are important to me, etc., but I've also regressed a lot too. I know that in the past a lot of the good I did was based off of some kind of fear of the consequences, but now that I've grown bolder and more self-confident, my motives have changed; sadly, I think that some of my passion to be that person God wants me to be went with it (I know that sounds cliched, but I think you can relate).
And so where does that leave me? Halfway through junior year is a weird place to be--you know what's ahead in the short term, but after that...well, who can really say? It's so easy to say that I'll get started on becoming a better--and ultimately holier--person tomorrow, or next week, or once school starts, but does that day ever really come? When do you let go of what's comfortable for what's beautiful and good?
I guess you do it now. I've watched a lot of my friends grow as persons, especially since starting college, and I've watched us backslide in a lot of ways too. But I pray that this Christmas break will mark the beginning of a new phase in life. Maybe that's naive or simplistic, but it's time. I've come a long way, good and bad, and as a spiritual director once told me, I'm that much closer to the finish line because of it. Learn from the mistakes of the past, live in the present, and pray the whole way through--we'll be okay.
Be at peace,
Phil
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