Katie's Blog

My arms and throat are sore today, from step aerobics and sickness, respectively. So about the last thing I should have been doing this morning was chanting "Hillary! Hillary!" and waving a sign in the air.  But that's exactly what I did, and I could not be happier!

I'll start with some background about my dedication to the Democratic party.  When I was in third grade, my dad wanted to take me to a Bob Dole rally. I put the foot down and insisted there was no way I wanted to see a Republican candidate's stupid speech. And from there, it's history.

My dedication to the Democrats still doesn't make it easy to make a choice in the primaries. As a native Missourian, I like the fact that Barack Obama is a senator from Illinois. I even read his autobiography, Dreams of My Father, when I was in high school. I really like the fact that he's uniting people and giving them hope.  But I'd like that a lot more if it were already 2016, and he wasn't a junior senator fresh from nowhere.

My original first choice was Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, who has a terrific resume and is particularly qualified, especially on immigration and foreign policy issues. Alas, poor Bill’s campaign never went much of anywhere. With Edwards and Kucinich officially out of the race, it looks like Hil is my gal.

I’m still no buff on her policy stances (as opposed to Mike Huckabee, about whom I know too much for my own comfort). So when a good friend told me this morning that he was headed to see Hillary speak about the economy in Little Rock, I saw it as an unmissable opportunity to hear about her platform from her own lips.

I liked what I heard. She had a lot of good things to say about her plans to improve access to higher education, especially in regard to student loan companies and governmental aid like Pell grants. I also liked her plan to universalize healthcare. I captured it on video and will upload it to YouTube, so the wider world could check it out.  (I'll let you know when it's up.)

Her speech today was immeasurably better than I’ve ever heard her speak before. (Her winner’s speech after the New Hampshire primary, on the other hand, was awful.) She was inspirational in a way I thought only Barack could be.

After she spoke about policy for an hour, she invited the audience down to talk one-on-one. My friends and I stayed until the bitter end; we watched her walk out the door. Before that we got to shake her hand, and she autographed our Hillary for President posters. Wow!

I’m inclined to say I’ll never wash my hand again, but that is patently untrue. I’m still sick and trying not to pick up any new bugs, so any trace of Hil is long gone by now. But the memory lingers on, and so do the photos.

Also: if you see in the news that Hillary develops an earache, sore throat, and runny nose ... it might be my fault.

The euphoria of last week has faded into a dull headache, dry cough, and sore throat.  Apparently in our excitement to reunite after Winter Break, the Hendrix students unscrupulously shared the germs we'd picked up from our different corners of the country.  Over the past week, most of my friends have experienced everything from runny noses to the can't-drag-your-butt-out-of-bed type flu. 

I am sorry to report that I, too, am ill, despite my best efforts at hand-washing and orange juice-drinking.  However, I am only very mildly ill, and the flu shot I got today should help keep it that way.

Our thoughtful school nurse, having noticed the influx of sick kids, sent out an e-mail yesterday to warn us that the flu seems to be extra virulent this year and to remind us she has extra flu vaccines.  After class this morning, I walked to her office, took a few deep breaths, and requested the shot.  It costs twelve dollars, but what's that compared to a week of potential misery?

Even if I don't have the flu I'm still not looking too hot, so here's a picture to remember me by.  It's from the adorable dress-up dinner I went to the Saturday before last.  (I'm second from the left in the back row.)  Are we cute or what?

In contrast, I spent last Saturday evening in sweatpants, eating pizza from the Burrow and filling out study abroad forms.  Don't tell anyone, OK?  Our little secret.

P.S.  I applied to three schools via ISEP (International Student Exchange Programs) -- one in Monterrey, Mexico; one in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and one in Valparaiso, Chile.  I'll let you know how the application process goes!

So … I’ve been ecstatic recently.  Like, euphoric.  Maybe part of my extra glee is from endorphins released by step aerobics.  Tonight’s buzz, in particular, is from a delicious chai tea latte I bought in the Burrow.  (Hence the 2 a.m. post.)  But the overwhelming sense of happiness and wellbeing comes from just being back at Hendrix.

I’ve just finished my first week of classes, and the workload is definitely going to be hefty.  But the fun-load, if you will, looks to be just as immense.  (Fun-load?  Did I just say that?  Whatever … just roll with it.)

My was filled with readings about the Ming dynasty and the necessity of growth in capitalist systems.  However, homework held no monopoly.  This past week I:

• Drove (well, I rode in my friend’s car) to Little Rock to see Atonement.
• Got together with eight friends to watch Project Runway, an old tradition.
• Watched Heima, a music film by Sigur Rós.
• Made a fantastic pasta dinner with a few friends – including a freshman whom I hosted during her visit to Hendrix last year!
• Watched Across the Universe for free in the Burrow.
• Went to an unofficial, off-campus theme party.
• Got dolled up in the dress I brought for Spring Formal and went out to dinner with six equally fancified friends, just for fun.
• Witnessed the glory of live band karaoke, as sung by Hendrix students in the Burrow.
• Ate at the famed Flying Burrito restaurant for the first time.
• Went to the Bath Junkie store (next door to the restaurant) for the first time!
• Met with prospective Hendrix students during an Admissions event at the Little Rock Arts Center.  I had the pleasure of telling them my most vivid Hendrix memory, which I’ll surely share with you in a future post.
• Thanked one of my former professors, Dr. McAinsh, for teaching his Contemporary Europe class so well last spring.  That class inspired me to spend the past six months studying in Europe, so I owed it to him to at least show him the pictures.  Thanks again, Dr. McAinsh!

In between all that, I even found time to do some of the more tedious things, like filling out the ISEP form for study abroad.  (I’m hoping/planning to go to Mexico or South America next fall.) 

I also declared my majors, finally.  I am officially an American Studies and International Relations and Global Studies (a.k.a. IRGS) double major!

Aside from the extremes of excitement and drudgery, I also found time to sleep.  Which is what I’m going to do now.  Goodnight!

You might note that my last post was written earlier today.  And yet ... I'm writing again!  The reasons are two-fold.  I'm back to school, so there's lots to say.  Plus, classes haven't gotten hard yet, so I actually have time to say many of the things that come to mind!

I'm reflecting right now on a Hendrix admissions event I attended in St. Louis this winter, designed to help prospective students figure out if Hendrix is the right place for them.  The students I talked to expressed several of the concerns I had as a high school senior, especially about the location of the college.  Namely, it's in a fairly small town, in a dry county, in Arkansas.

I'll address the dry county issue first.  It almost isn't an issue, since Hendrix is a wet campus -- confusing, but true.  Living in a dry county is actually kind of nice, because the lack of bars in town keeps all the upperclassmen on campus, free to mingle with the younger folks like me!  As for getting a case of beer or a bottle of whiskey: it does indeed require a 40-minute drive to cross the county line.  It's silly, and it's tough on the 21+ kids and the environment.  But they carpool and bring their iPods and make an adventure out of it.

I'm not 21 yet, and I don't eat out much, so I'm really not sure about the details of buying a drink in Conway.  (Honestly.)  I do know there are restaurants that sell "memberships" and are only open to members, so that they technically become private clubs and are able to sell alcohol on their property.  So when you're a junior or senior, you will still be able to go out and have a glass of wine with dinner.  Phew.

As for the "fairly small town, in Arkansas" part, I'll say without reservation that I really enjoy Conway.  It has a Target, a Walgreens, and a smattering of good Mexican restaurants.  And that's about all I need from a town, especially when Hendrix provides so many awesome, *free* activities: musicians, guest professors and lecturers, comedians, movie showings, plays, and more.  Mostly I stay on campus, and I don't have an itching to leave.

That being said, Little Rock is easily accessible.  In fact, three of my friends and I made the half-hour trek there tonight to see Atonement.  Conway does have two movie theatres, but we usually make the extra effort and go to the megaplex Rave theatre, which has broader offerings.  Added bonus: we have the half-hour trek back to discuss the movie together.

For its part, Arkansas is absolutely beautiful.  When I drive down from Missouri, I'm always impressed by how pretty the fields and forests are.  It's a nice semi-southern state: it has Waffle House, and people talk with cute accents and call shopping carts "buggies."  After a year here, I occasionally say y'all, and the words "Thank you, ma'am" just bubble out of me without my consent.  It's kind of nice.

Come visit.  You'll like it.

In order to graduate from Hendrix college, each student needs to earn two Physical Activity credits.  I managed to pass the first three semesters of my Hendrix career without making more than a handful of trips to the Mabee workout center, but this semester that's all going to change ... whether I like it or not.

I'm enrolled in Step Aerobics, taught by a very nice woman named Kerry Madden.  For one hour every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, Kerry and I will be in the zone, doing Right Basics and Rocking Horses and other nifty moves.  (Tidbit: did you know that in a Right Knee Lift, you actually lift your left knee?)  We aerobicize in the pristine Movement Studio of the gorgeous new Wellness and Athletic Center.  And by gorgeous, I mean awe-inspiring.  I feel healthier just being inside it.

Since I was abroad fall semester, I didn't get to witness students' reactions to the WAC firsthand.  However, I've detected a shift in attitude, at least among my friends: everyone exercises.  "Hey, do you want to go to the WAC tomorrow morning?  Amanda and I are going around 8:15," one asks.  "Nah, Emily and I already have plans to go before dinner," someone responds.

A friend of mine, a field hockey player, noticed the same thing last semester.  The field where her team practices has a view into the new weight room, and she said it was always a flurry of activity.  Working out has become -- as it should -- a habit of the masses, not just the school's athletes.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions -- at least not good ones.  (This year's: floss more.)  I don't think I've ever resolved to start a diet or exercise program in January.  Even with the subtle peer pressure of all my friends working out together, I might not have gotten on the bandwagon.  But the desire to fulfill my PA credit (in other words, the desire to graduate) will lead me to the WAC on a regular basis.  For that I am grateful.  And sore.