Spring break is right around the corner and is definitely much needed! This week is midterms week, which means living in the library like it’s finals and being stressed like no other. It’s worse when you have two exams on one day too because you have to prioritize one over the other. Thankfully though I … Read more →

Spring break is right around the corner and is definitely much needed! This week is midterms week, which means living in the library like it’s finals and being stressed like no other. It’s worse when you have two exams on one day too because you have to prioritize one over the other. Thankfully though I can go home for a week of relaxation after it is all over. Since I live far away I did not want to try to travel anywhere for spring break because then I would not see my family for almost five months. Also, my birthday was this past weekend and my friends and family from home want to celebrate. Unfortunately over spring break my dad will be out of town. I got lucky with the timing though for my sister’s school play. I will be home Friday night and her play is Saturday night so I will be back just in time! So far I already have made plans with my friends for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which I am very excited about. Most of my friends from home are still in high school though so they can’t hang out during the week because they have school. It will be nice to just hangout at home though and sleep and wait for my sisters to get home from school. I am looking forward to it a lot. The Saturday right before I leave to come back to school my family is going to have a little birthday celebration for me as well. I would like to go ice skating before I leave because I did not get the opportunity to over Christmas break, and some of my friends really hate ice skating because they don’t have the greatest balance. I’m curious to see if it’s warm at home since it’s still snowing here practically every other day. This weekend it actually snowed a good bit, which I wasn’t expecting. My grandparents are in Pittsburgh right now and they also said how it has been snowing often there.

Spring break will come and go though in the blink of an eye and I’ll be back up here to Mount Union. Not all of my professors are giving us a break and I have some homework that’s due the week I come back. Two classes have reading for the Monday I come back and my other class has a paper outline due the Thursday we come back. I don’t know how motivated I will be to do either of those things over spring break though. I liked the thought of doing absolutely nothing since I’m not working. If I come home on the train I will definitely be doing the work that Sunday on the 16-hour ride!

After spring break we have seven weeks left until the end of the semester, which is a crazy thought!! I cannot believe I am almost done with my freshman year! Where did the time go?! If all four years go this fast I really will be a senior in the blink of an eye. I feel like time has sped up since high school, and I thought that flew by! I wish there was a way to slow down time, but instead I just cherish every moment because I know how limited time is. Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to summer a lot but at the same time I’m not ready to be away from my friends for four months! It’s one of those catch 22  situations. For all of you graduating high school seniors, make the most of your summer because it will go by faster than you want it to and before you know it you’ll be moving away (hopefully to Mount Union!).

It is officially March and yesterday was the perfect spring day in Viterbo. It was about 55 degrees and there were no clouds in sight. I woke up Sunday morning and ran to the park, where there were kids playing soccer, moms pushing strollers and cute, old couples observing from benches nearby the fountains. It … Read more →

It is officially March and yesterday was the perfect spring day in Viterbo. It was about 55 degrees and there were no clouds in sight. I woke up Sunday morning and ran to the park, where there were kids playing soccer, moms pushing strollers and cute, old couples observing from benches nearby the fountains. It was so nice to be able to run outside in the warmer weather and not have to wear a jacket! After my run I went back to the apartment to grab some homework, an apple and yogurt, and then made my way back to the park to do some reading in the sun.

This past Friday we went on a field trip to Tre Botti Winery for wine tasting! While I do not care for the taste of wine, I made it my goal to find a wine that I liked while I was in Italy. What better place, right? However, I have now decided to accept that I am just not a wine fan. We were taken on an outside tour of the vineyards, mostly only seeing Jane (the vineyard donkey), since near everything was dead due to the winter weather. Then we were taken inside to have lunch and have a tasting of three wines. The winery family made us pumpkin soup, a tray of cold cuts, roasted potatoes and pecorino cheese with jam on top for lunch. I promised myself to be adventurous while I was abroad, so I tried a little bit of each. Surprisingly, the pumpkin soup was really good. However, I think the fact that it warmed me up from the freezing cold may have something to do with why I liked it so much. The cheese was another story. Although I am not sure if I will get the memory of the horrible taste out of my mind for another few weeks, I am glad that I tried it! We tasted a white wine and two red wines. I preferred the white wine the most. Italians LOVE their wine! We were told at the winery not to swallow it right away, but to leave it on your tongue to savor and appreciate the taste and quality.

After the winery we were taken to a nearby town called Orvieto. We went to see “Underground Orvieto,” where there are old Etruscan caves. The cathedral in Orvieto was beautiful! I loved it. Inside there were many stained glass windows. Behind the altar there were four vertical rows of 11 stained glass windows each. Each window told a different story with characters, animals and settings. I wish I could show what it looked like, but we were not allowed to take pictures. After the caves and cathedral, we were allowed to explore a little before heading back to Viterbo. There were cute ceramic shops everywhere. I made sure to purchase a postcard since I am attempting to get one from each town/city that I visit!

Saturday I went with Kevin, Henal and Tyler to another nearby town called Bracciano. In Bracciano there is a huge fairytale castle and the eighth largest lake in Italy. We saw that the weather was supposed to be nice so we decided to pack lunch and a blanket to have a picnic by the castle and lake! It was a great day and I fell in love with the little town. Signs of spring were everywhere. Henal and I came across a tree with pretty, pink flowers blooming, so we decided to take a few for our hair. However, springtime bees also come along with springtime flowers and I don’t think those bees were too happy with us for picking a few of the blossoms.

We had quite a hike from the castle down to the lake, but when we got there we found the perfect picnic spot. Two white swans came and swam near us during our picnic! After lunch we went on a tour of the castle. Although the inside was pretty, the view from the top of the castle, looking out onto the town and lake, was my favorite. It was so pretty!

Castles, lakes, swans, picnics, flowers, friends, gelato (Oh yes, we got gelato too of course. This time I got Nutella flavored!) … it was a perfect day trip and successful weekend. I am so excited for the warm weather and am crossing my fingers that it’s all sunshine and springtime from here on out.

The Association of International Students (AIS) has a radio program called International Hour. The show airs on Mount Union’s very own WRMU 91.1FM every Thursday night at 9 p.m. On the previous segment of the AIS International Hour, I visited the West African nation of Ghana. For a very long time, Mount Union lacked representatives … Read more →

The Association of International Students (AIS) has a radio program called International Hour. The show airs on Mount Union’s very own WRMU 91.1FM every Thursday night at 9 p.m.

On the previous segment of the AIS International Hour, I visited the West African nation of Ghana. For a very long time, Mount Union lacked representatives from the African continent. We never really had students from Africa come to Mount Union (transfer or exchange). This year, we have students representing Ethiopia, Senegal (later moved to France) and, of course, Ghana.

International Hour: Ghana was a first. I have repeated a few countries before; covering different aspects of the country each time the country had a repeat feature on the show. International Hour: Ghana came after I featured Ethiopia the week prior. I am getting side-tracked.

International Hour: Ghana was an interesting show to prepare for. It made me realize that the English language is more commonly used for Ghanaian songs compared to their local languages and dialects. Why? Because English is their official language (former British colony) and it was easier to market with English.

Here are some of the facts about Ghana:

Capital City: Accra

Population: approximately 25 milion

Size comparison: slightly smaller than Oregon

Official language: English (due to British colonization)

Neighbors: Ivory Coast (west), Burkina Faso (north, and Togo (east). Gulf of Guinea in the south.

My guest for the show was Edward, or commonly known as Eddie among the international students. He is a new transfer student from Ghana. He lived in the capital city, Accra. Eddie is currently a freshman and will be at Mount for the whole nine yards (or whole four years).

Eddie said that one of the hardest things for him to get used to when he first came to America was the weather. The climate in Ghana is only classified into two seasons; dry and wet. Not getting snow in Ghana, Eddie had a hard time getting used to the bitter cold and the endless snow that we had earlier in the year.

His favorite thing about America is the friendliness of the people. Though I had pointed out that it could just be a “mid-west thing,” Eddie stated that even in New York, where he had his connecting flight, people were generally friendlier.

The term “Ghanaian” can be a very general term used to describe the people of Ghana. There are various ethnic groups in Ghana; Akan, Ewe and Guan to name a few. The people of Ghana differs from region to region. They speak different languages passed down from their ancestors as well as different dialects within those languages. Ghana, in this aspect, is very diverse.

English is the uniting language of the nation as it is the official language of Ghana. Children are taught in schools while most classes (except foreign languages) are conducted in English. Students in Ghana can also learn French. Eddie told me during the show that French was an option offered by the Ghanaian government because their neighboring countries all speak French.

The mainstream media in Ghana is basically influenced by American media. Besides having their local artistes, American pop music has a huge presence in modern day Ghana. The same goes for movies and television. Most of the movies shown in Ghana are made in Hollywood. Most of the TV shows are, obviously, American TV shows. It seems to be a pattern in many countries. The taking over of the mainstream media by the American media in many countries is a very common phenomenon.

Here is a song by Ghanaian hip-hop artiste, Fuse ODG, from the show: watch?v=6LCoksSQMzs

Be sure to tune in to the International Hour every Thursday night at 9 on WRMU 91.1FM!

So I was wondering what I should blog about today, and I realized I’ve never really talked about the fine arts organizations. You don’t necessarily have to be a member of the band, choirs or plays to get involved in the arts, which I think is really great. It’s just so easy to be a … Read more →

So I was wondering what I should blog about today, and I realized I’ve never really talked about the fine arts organizations.

You don’t necessarily have to be a member of the band, choirs or plays to get involved in the arts, which I think is really great. It’s just so easy to be a leader and get involved everywhere on campus!

Here are the organizations available in the arts on campus:

• Kappa Kappa Psi: The national band honorary fraternity. There are tons of chapters all over the country, and we’re lucky enough to have one on this campus. It’s specifically designed for leadership within the band. We (I say “we” because I’m in this one) host music events like band dances and fun evening stuff during band camp. We also do community service that has to do with music, like instrument petting zoos at Regina Coeli, a nearby school.

• Mu Phi Epsilon: The music honorary fraternity. To get in this one, you have to be a music major or minor. This group is largely involved with making the Department of Music better. We (again, I’m in this one) put on concerts, perform with music alumni in the area and do little things like decorate the music building for holidays. We actually just wrote all the music faculty valentines!

• OCMEA: The Ohio Collegiate Music Education Association. This organization is specifically designed for music educators, but I know MANY people who have joined just because they love and support music education. They bring speakers to campus and also go to OMEA conference in the spring.

• Kappa Pi: Kappa Pi is the art fraternity. Anyone interested in art can take part. They do a lot of things on campus related to art and creativity and they’re a really fun bunch of people. I tried to be in this organization, but unfortunately I have class when they meet. Ah well, still something really fun to do, and I try to go to the events they put on.

• Alpha Psi Omega/Theatre Club: Yes! We have a theatre club on campus, and it is really fun. Check out our Facebook page! We do a lot of fun things like go see shows and host a cast party after shows. We have the theatre club, which is open to anyone interested in theatre. Then, as you participate in the plays (either on stage, back stage or off stage) you accumulate points. Once you’ve accumulated enough points you can officially join the Alpha Psi Omega theatre honorary.

So! Those are all the organizations in a nutshell. They’re really fun and do a lot of good for the campus. And you can be involved in as many of them as you like—as you can see, I’m in all but two of them.

See something missing? If you want a club, it’s really easy to do. Just find enough people who want the club to exist and sign up with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. I’ve seen a bowling club happen, a lacrosse club, a philosophy club…all you have to do is ask!

The reason I started talking about organizations is we’re having a music team for Relay for Life this year. (If you feel so inclined to donate, our team is called Kappa Kappa Psi.) If you can come to Mount Union’s Relay for Life (April 19-20 in The MAAC) watch out for the music team playing Aerosmith’s Dream On over and over. We’ll raise money by having people pay us to stop playing. Heehee:)

This weekend is going to be so awesome. This Sunday, the Concert Choir is performing at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron. Performing in churches is one thing. The size and shape of a church makes for a great environment to sing, and it sounds awesome. I’ve been in churches where you cut off the … Read more →

This weekend is going to be so awesome.

This Sunday, the Concert Choir is performing at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron.

Performing in churches is one thing. The size and shape of a church makes for a great environment to sing, and it sounds awesome. I’ve been in churches where you cut off the song and the reverb lasts for up to four seconds. It’s rich, awesome and I love singing in churches.

And this Westminster Presbyterian Church is going to be one of the great churches to sing in.

We’re singing in this church as part of its concert series, called Five at Five. We’re the third of five groups performing at 5 p.m. for this church.

Okay, and here’s a tidbit of information. We’re doing this new song called Where Your Bare Foot Walks and I can’t wait. This is my favorite song and I’m THRILLED that the first time we perform it is going to be in such an awesome church. If you get to Akron this weekend for no other reason come for Where Your Bare Foot Walks.

This is our first time performing with this concert series, and I hope we get to sing at more things like this.

I recently came across an organization called We Hate to Waste, a community of people who hate to see things go to waste: food, energy, water — you name it. It was founded by “Junky Jacquie” Ottman, an expert and author on green marketing and “eco-innovation.”  After 25 years working with industry and government, she decided … Read more →

I recently came across an organization called We Hate to Waste, a community of people who hate to see things go to waste: food, energy, water — you name it. It was founded by “Junky Jacquie” Ottman, an expert and author on green marketing and “eco-innovation.”  After 25 years working with industry and government, she decided to make a difference in a new way: by empowering a community of like-minded Waste Watchers — the conservers, the repurposers, the mindful and the resourceful — to ignite a cultural change that can help reduce waste.

The organization developed its own creative ways of reducing waste in our everyday lives, and arranged them in seven different categories. Start getting wasted – check out its list of tips.

Traveling has always been one of my passions. I love visiting new places and learning new things, culture, language and FOOD. Studying here in Ohio is essentially an entirely new experience for me. Well, not as new as it was two years ago, but you get the point. Being atMount Union gave me opportunities that … Read more →

Traveling has always been one of my passions. I love visiting new places and learning new things, culture, language and FOOD.

Studying here in Ohio is essentially an entirely new experience for me. Well, not as new as it was two years ago, but you get the point.

Being atMount Union gave me opportunities that I could never imagine having if I had went to a larger school. Since my transfer from my little island state of Penang in Malaysia, I had been able to have first hand experience with creating ad campaigns, operating film studio equipment, being a president for an association representing my peers from around the world and now, I even have my own radio show.

It’s called “International Hour.” Essentially what goes down in my show is each week, I focus on one country; highlighting certain aspects of its culture, like language, beliefs, music and the occasional stereotypes. Songs from the country of the week will be played throughout the hour-long radio program. The songs are selected by guests from the particular country, who join me in the WRMU studio to share their experience in the United States as well as the differences between the culture of their native country and the US.

So far, I have covered countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Ethiopia, Northern Ireland, Germany, Georgia, France and Spain to name a few.

The things I’ve learned from doing this show are endless. Each week, I learn a little more about a different part of the world. Each week, I discover new songs and styles of music.

I will be recapping each country featured on the show starting this week.

The International Hour is a radio program by the Association of International Students. The show is on Mount Union’s very own WRMU 91.1, every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST.

So, what country will be featured next?

One of my on campus jobs includes reffing intramural games throughout the year. So far I have reffed sand volleyball and this semester I am a scorekeeper for basketball and water polo. I played basketball for eight years from first through eight grade. The guy teams get very serious and some are very particular with … Read more →

One of my on campus jobs includes reffing intramural games throughout the year. So far I have reffed sand volleyball and this semester I am a scorekeeper for basketball and water polo. I played basketball for eight years from first through eight grade. The guy teams get very serious and some are very particular with calling all fouls, which I did not know very well. So, I went to for score keeping this semester instead of reffing.

Recently, I got scheduled to score keep for a water polo game for the first time. I had no idea how it was played or what the rules were, which is why I did not sign up to ref it. I was excited to find out what it was. The intramural version is not like regular water polo though. They cut you a break and give you an inner-tube to sit on so that way you don’t have to hold yourself afloat for a half hour. Personally though, the way they make you sit on the tubes is almost as complicated as having to tread water. You sit on the top of the tube and then lean it forward and have to hold your balance on it while getting attacked by the other team. There aren’t too many rules to the game. I found out from the description paper in our ref/scorekeeper binder. You just can’t have possession of the ball while you are off your inner-tube and there is a time for each half. There are fouls in water polo as well I found out, although they are harder to call. The water, from what I’ve heard, can also be freezing at times. Water polo also is a much more dangerous job to score keep than basketball. Every now and then during basketball, a ball will bounce toward you but it’s not usually directly thrown at you. In water polo though you have to be conscientious about where you put your chair to observe. I picked a very bad spot diagonal from one of the goals and almost got hit a few times. The people throwing the ball were throwing full speed too, hoping it would land in the goal, so I was thankful for my good deflection skills.

If you enjoy water and swimming and find yourself missing it next winter (AT MOUNT UNION!) keep water polo in your mind as a possible way to get in some pool time while having a great time with friends!

For a long time, the fine arts building on campus has been pushed to the back burner with updates and remodeling. I understand, if the funding and support from alumni isn’t there, it’s hard to do. But since last year there’s been talk in the halls about remodeling. Some of our music and theatre students … Read more →

For a long time, the fine arts building on campus has been pushed to the back burner with updates and remodeling. I understand, if the funding and support from alumni isn’t there, it’s hard to do.

But since last year there’s been talk in the halls about remodeling. Some of our music and theatre students actually had a chance to meet with the architects helping with the design. And now, with almost all the money raised, the plans for the new theatre space are under way.

As of right now, the fall theatre program is going to be a little different. We have some choir and theatre collaborations to look forward to that will take the place of the fall shows.

Band camp and school next semester will also be a little interesting with construction going on.

But it’s happening. The time is near. And it’s going to be SO AWESOME!

I literally can’t help but bounce in my seat whenever I hear about it.

Here are some of the proposed changes right now:

1. A new theatre. Very cool and up to date. I’m told it will be acoustically ready for orchestra, band, theatreand choir!
2. New seating. I believe there’s even talk of a balcony!!
3. A black box theatre rehearsal space. This will essentially be a bare room with different sized black boxes that will allow for some of the more minimalist and modern theatre education.
4. A rehearsal place for choir. Right now, band and choir rehearse in the same room. No more! I hear the choir room will have a tiered floor so we can have chairs and rows instead of just working with risers.

The building will be completely different, and I’m only sad because I won’t be there for it because I’m graduating.

So. Exciting.

Here’s a look at the proposed theatre:

Day 3: Saturday I woke up early Saturday morning, wanting to take full advantage of my last day in Paris. First stop was the bakery for breakfast. I was sad that there were so many French pastries left to try and yet no more days left to try them, so I purchased an éclair along … Read more →

Day 3: Saturday

I woke up early Saturday morning, wanting to take full advantage of my last day in Paris. First stop was the bakery for breakfast. I was sad that there were so many French pastries left to try and yet no more days left to try them, so I purchased an éclair along with my breakfast pastry to try later on in the day. (While walking down Champs Elysees Avenue, attempting to be a lady but failing miserably, I ended up shoving the DELICIOUS éclair in my mouth while cream was pouring out onto every inch of my face. A French man walks by laughing his head off, saying “Bon Appetit!” Cue embarrassed, red-faced Hannah.)

While the rest of the group wanted to do separate things, I decided to venture out on my own. I was a bit nervous at first, but I loved every single second of it. I felt like such a city girl, and so grown up, hopping the metros with my vanilla chai tea latte in hand and camera in tow. I first went to the Arc de Triomphe and then walked up and down the most famous shopping street in Paris, Champs Elysees.

After a few hours of window shopping, picture taking and strolling the streets of Paris, I met up with my friend Tyler at the Eiffel Tower for a little photo shoot! He loves taking pictures and wants to be a professional photographer someday. We had fun joking around and snapping photos. There were people taking pictures of HIM taking pictures since he was lying in the busy streets for half of the shoot. Leave it to Tyler to “have to shoot from the perfect angle”…risking his life in the process. After the photo shoot I purchased my THIRD Nutella banana crepe (I told you I was obsessed!) and then headed to meet Kevin and Henal for some souvenir shopping and dinner. For dinner I wanted to try French onion soup. I would have never ordered this in America, but I wanted to try an authentic French dish. It was pretty good!

Kevin and Henal wanted to see the Arc de Triomphe and I wanted to make one last trip to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, so we headed our separate ways. I hopped on the metro and when I arrived at the Tower I sat down on a nearby park bench. It was 11 p.m. on the dot and the Tower began to sparkle. I was so happy to be ending my trip with one last trip to the Eiffel Tower. Paris is something I will never forget for the rest of my life and will always be a reminder to me that no dream is too big.

Check out my video from Paris here!