TALK: The Green Mountain College Blog

Fun fact!

I saw Joe Bossen the other day. You know, that guy who used to write the other blog? And then graduated?

Anyway, I guess he's been hanging out in Italy. Just returned the other day. Something about hitch-hiking around and seeing the sites. Had a blast. He told me that the entire experience gave him a new perspective on "what it means to be human." (Which, considering my last blog, is quite an ironic/coincidental statement to make).

When he asked me what I had been up to, I gave him the stereotypical I-am-about-to-graduate-and-am-hopelessly-frightened-about-what-that-actually-means sentiment: trying to figure out what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. He just smiled and told me that the answer was a journey, much like life, and even if I ever came to any conclusive conclusions, I would still have to find the means of attaining such a goal.

And while I'm seriously curious if he rehearsed said answers, they were nice things to hear considering all the contemplations I've had as of late.

Continue reading "Update" »

I'll begin with the silliness and end with the seriousness.

Halloween 2008!

Continue reading "To be human..." »

It's been a while, for which I deeply apologize.

Apparently, a 30-page paper demands much more attention than I originally considered :). Thank you Seniorhood.

To make up for it--an enchanting picture of a 7am frosty morning at GMC in late autumn?

Continue reading "About that..." »

In the past, I have written about my experiences in the Poultney Partners Mentoring Program. I've updated about various activities that Shannon (my mentee since I was a freshman) and I have done together, such as sledding, swinging, shopping, and knitting, and I have elaborated about the different sports games and concerts to which I've gone to see her shine.

The mentoring program has evolved through the years so as to strengthen mentor-mentee partnerships and to better accommodate new and older members. Every year, the program has grown stronger and has helped make more lasting connections between GMC college students and the outer community. When I first entered the program, there were over 100 mentors and mentees, and as such, trying to fit the entire group into one small area and organize an activity that everyone would be interested in was a little difficult. While every mentor had an established mentee and vice-versa, most of our time was spent chasing after the kids making sure they weren't getting into too much trouble.

The next year, we cut the ranks down to try and create some semblance of order in all the chaos. We changed the place where we met so that students were less likely to be distracted by outer forces, and tried to give mentors more responsibility in planning activities. While this worked in some ways, the smaller group had less energy, which means that the mentors really were in control of the mentoring sessions--something many of us were unaccustomed too. As such, we were searching for ways to bring the momentum back into the program, without bringing back the disorder.

Last year's program (one that encouraged one-on-one connections much more than the years before) helped me become more comfortable hanging out with my mentee's family on any given day. In fact, during a part of the year, my mentee was unable to make it to our weekly mentoring meetings. If the program that year hadn't focused on making strong one-on-one connections, I probably would have either found a new mentee or given up on mentoring. Instead, I hung out with Shannon on weekends to go leaf jumping or met up with her after school, walked her home, and spent the afternoon playing boardgames. Because of this independent time spent together, we have become incredibly close.

The latest addition to Poultney Partners is the DREAM Program.

Continue reading "New and Improved Mentoring Program" »

I feel that one cannot avoid a genuine conversation about the state of our economy right now when communicating in any manner-- face-to-face, blogging, or otherwise. To do anything else seems, on some levels, an effort to escape the reality that is facing us as a nation.

I think the most difficult part about this, however, is that many are uncertain about what we are actually facing.

Continue reading "The Current State of Affairs" »

I didn't get the chance to update about the past couple weekends, so here we go.

On the weekend of the 13th, I took a trip down to the good old NH to visit my family, hang out with some friends, but most importantly, to go to my nephew's 1st birthday party. It was quite a quaint little gathering, with my grandmother, and a few of my sister's friends, and the Ainsworth clan to boot. My sister was a bit nervous previous to the party because she wanted everyone to see this cute little fellow get messy with the birthday cake (the stereotypical 1st birthday party narrative)--she even gave him practice cakes to make sure he'd come out an adorable frosting-colored mess.

Honestly, I don't think he needed any egging on:

Continue reading "Birthdays and Other Business" »

So.

It's the first semester of my final year of college.

I've laughed. I've cried. I've seen new people arrive, and I've seen just as many wonderful people leave. I've spent hours on the back hill watching the sun sink below the horizon (each sunset with its own unique beauty to marvel). I've tromped through the woods on the Vermont and New York sides of the Poultney River with friends on a mission to go swimming or explore, or completely alone so that I could listen to the music the wind makes in the trees, or simply to center myself. I've groaned about seemingly impossible homework tasks; I've fallen in love with the cadence of previously unknown writers. I've traveled to the other side of the world and back, while sometimes missing out on opportunities right here on campus...In short, my experiences at GMC have left me with many precious memories and lessons, and through it all, GMC has become a place I can call home.

And now, I must prepare myself for that to change.

Continue reading "Contemplations of a College Senior" »

So my last big project was completed approximately... 1 hour ago.

What a relief.

The education program here at GMC is absolutely amazing. And by that I mean the professors are doing exactly what they tell us to do in every class--constantly reflecting on the effectiveness of their methods.

Continue reading "Relief!" »

So I decided to wander around campus and take some cool pictures today--which made me realize that I didn't post too much about Earth Week. Irony of all ironies.

Earth Week is like seven days of celebration at GMC. There are tons of fun and educational activities. We always have speakers, recent alums visit, and there are garlic mustard pulls (it's an invasive species around here), and of course lots of music, and much more.

Last year, we had a competition across campus to see who could stay outside for the longest amount of time all week. Though the competition didn't continue this year (I think because there were concerns regarding students who had a lot of classes INDOORS, which is clearly something they can't control), flocks of tents certainly went up. And as I wandered around campus taking pictures, I realized that many of them have remained up past Earth Week, which is pretty cool considering it's pouring out and people are still having a good time.

Here are some pics:

Continue reading "A look around campus" »

Last week was beautiful. And when I say beautiful, I mean like summer weather, hardly a cloud in the sky, and maybe a slight to moderate breeze everyday. People were discarding their shoes and jackets (and responsibilities quite frequently) to enjoy the sunshine. Hordes of college students made their way down to the river with bathing suits and bicycles, as others started up the grill for a nice outdoor barbecue. It was fantastic.

And now many are thanking the weather gods for this sudden onslaught of rain. I know I've discussed the subject with a lot of my friends--we all have papers due today or tomorrow or this Friday, and rain keeps us indoors working on that 10-page psychology paper, and away from the trails on Buckner Preserve or the canoes on Lake St. Catherine. Though Green Mountain College students are blessed with the number of outdoor adventures that lie relatively close to the school, such blessings can be curses when the weather gets really nice and the semester is coming to a close.

My solution? Visit Poultney in the summer. It's a grand old time.

Continue reading "Rainy Reflections" »