ACSM Certified

Friday I drove to Lynchburg to take the American College of Sports Medicine Health Fitness Specialist Exam. I was pretty nervous, not just because I hardly got to review for it, but because it cost $275 to take the test and re-take would cost another $150. Apparently I didn't have too much to worry about, I finished in just over an hour (the max time is 3.5) and I passed with flying colors!

Running is a mental sport...

...and I must be insane! Yesterday I ran the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, and today I am feeling every inch of those 13.1 miles. Even though I'm sore now I didn't suffer too much yesterday, and I feel I was pretty well prepared for the distance. I had some stomach troubles during the run (not to mention after) and I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped, but I finished in 1:52.53 which isn't too bad for my first time. I came in 1350 out of 5996 overall, 444th out of 3419 women and 67th out of 375 in my age division.

Erin and Jen ran as well so we decided to make "team" t-shirts. We settled on Romans 14:8 as our motto:

" If we live, it is to honor the Lord;
And we die, it is to honor the Lord.
So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."

I was surprised at how many comments I got while I was running. At least 20 people told me they really loved my shirt...and they always seemed to pop up just when I was ready to give up and slow down. It was just the motivation I needed to keep working hard.

All through the race I kept telling myself I would never do another half-marathon again...but as soon as it was over I was talking about "next time." I'm debating doing the Charlottesville 10-miler in two weeks, but it's the same weekend as the EcoQuest race here at Longwood so I haven't decided which I want to do yet. Next on the list is the Smith Mountain Lake Triathlon on May 2nd, so I've got to get back on the bike and back in the pool! That is as soon as I regain the function of my legs...

Spring Break

Lots of people go somewhere warm for spring break. I go to New Jersey. I put in more than a few job applications...three for Rec jobs on McGuire AFB and two at Health and Wellness facilities, one in Hamilton and one at the hospital in Freehold. I also drove up to the highlands to see the facilities at Project U.S.E., which would be my first choice of jobs between now and the Peace Corps.

Maddie came up to visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. We didn't have much time, but we managed to make it to White Castle and to the city to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway. We also managed to take our third ever picture together while we were in Times Square. Three pictures in four years....I guess we're just not the picture taking type!

I'm drunk on snowflakes!

What is it about snow that turns even the most dignified college seniors into 5 year olds? We got about 6 inches of snow yesterday which is enough to shut down an entire town here in Virginia. All classes were canceled today because the roads were still not cleared, so I did the only thing a responsible college student with a paper due in less than 24 hours would do...I drove up to the mountains with Tim to go snowboarding! I blew my entire paycheck from last month on the lift ticket and the rental but it was absolutely worth it. We only got to spend about 4 hours on the slopes but it's probably for the best since I haven't been snowboarding in over a year and I'm bound to be sore tomorrow.


Since I haven't seen snow like this here in VA since my freshman year I decided to put off my homework a little longer and I walked a few miles on the rails-to-trails path behind my apartment. That section is technically not open to the public yet so I was the only person down there and I got to make the first footprints in some fresh snow! Great way to end a snow day.



The university is closed until noon again tomorrow, which is great because my car is currently stranded on a large patch of black ice in the middle of a rather steep hill so I have no way of getting to class. Apparently just because the roads are cleared does not mean the parking lots are suitable to drive in. Until the ice thaws my car can't go forward or backward...only sideways...so I guess I'll be walking for the next few days!

Breathing Freely

I felt like I was holding my breath after my interview with the Peace Corps because I knew I could be waiting for over a month before I would find out if I got a nomination...so imagine how surprised I was last Friday when I got a call from my recruiter! I was terrified to answer it thinking that maybe it was going to be bad news, and when she told me that she was nominating me for an Environmental Ed position in North Africa I nearly gave myself emotional whiplash I got so excited. I don't think I've every gone from terror to elation that fast in my life! She said the post required someone in good physical shape who could do a lot of walking and hiking...sounds like a perfect fit! Still, I'm trying to keep myself grounded, I know its typical for your location and job description to change several times before you actually get placed somewhere. At least this means I didn't completely blow the interview! This takes a lot of stress off the job search too because I know now that I'm only looking for something temporary so I might as well stay in NJ.

Next step is do do my medical and dental evaluations, so spring break is going to be full of doctors appointments. Hopefully I'll be able to get all of that done before I graduate and get booted off of my parent's medical insurance. I've looking at a couple of prospects for jobs between graduation and whenever I leave the country, but none of them provide medical benefits right off the bat so I'll have some hang time in that department.

Remember how I said I wished I'd talked a little more about wanting to make a difference in peoples lives during my interview? Well a few days after I got back to Farmville I got an email asking me to write another essay on exactly that! It took me a while to get my thoughts and feelings organized on paper but I think I managed to get my point across alright. What do you think? (ps. I stole the elephant analogy from Dr. Morrison!)



Wanting to help people is something that is such a part of my personality that it’s sometimes hard to isolate that desire and explain it. What I hope to avoid in writing this essay is coming off as an idealist who thinks she can save the planet or end world hunger by serving in the Peace Corps for a few years. I have no grandiose dreams of swooping down on some unsuspecting little village and single-handedly saving hundreds of starving babies or eradicating AIDS, but neither do I think such problems are a lost cause. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, and what I hope to accomplish by joining the Peace Corps is to take my small bite out of whatever elephant is put on my plate. I want to make a small difference in the lives of a few as a part of an organization that is making a big difference in the lives of many.

The phrase “global community” gets thrown around a lot these days. As technology bridges more and more gaps we’re becoming not just citizens of our own respective countries, but “citizens of the world.” I think the smaller the world becomes the more my responsibility to my global neighbors grows. Society today is all about the quick fix…we want a magic pill to lose weight in a week or a pyramid scheme that will make us millionaires by next month. It seems less and less people are willing to really take the time to find long term solutions to their own problems, and this carries over into how we react to problems in the world. We see starving kids on TV, so we open our wallets and donate twenty cents a day to put food on their plates right now. Instead of addressing the underlying cause of hunger in that country, lack of jobs or changing climate, we opt for the quick fix. We treat the symptoms but fail to cure the disease. The problem with short term aid is it’s just that: short term. Once the sympathy has worn off and the cameras are gone, the people of that country are no better off than they were before. I certainly have nothing against missions and service trips, there’s no doubt that they save lives and improve conditions for thousands of people, but I believe the best way to serve people is to teach them how to serve themselves. What I like most about the Peace Corps is that volunteers don’t just bounce all over a country building wells or schools, they become part of a community and work in solidarity with those people. I want to get to know my neighbors, find out what their needs are and help them meet those needs in a way that is sustainable long after I’m gone.

I’ve participated in a lot of temporary or one-time services projects; working in a community garden, packing groceries at a food bank, building houses or cultural centers, and sending care packages…but I’ve never had the opportunity to be involved in something long term. What I look forward to with the Peace Corps is the chance to roll up my sleeves and tackle more complex issues that can’t be solved in a weekend or over a summer. I want the opportunity to stand back at the end of two years and know that I helped create something that will make a lasting difference in people’s lives.

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised

I had my interview with the Peace Corps on Friday. Overall I think it went well...best advice I got was just to be myself so that's what I did. Of course its impossible not to replay something like that in your head and not come up with at least 10 more things you wish you'd said. I wish I'd talked a little more about wanting to make a difference in peoples lives on a personal level. I've definately got a heart for service, but I was afraid of coming off as one of those idealists who thinks they can save the whole world. I also talked a lot more about my interest in Environment than my interest in Health, which is technically a much better fit for my major and skill set. From what I've heard most people didn't get a nomination until about a month after their interview, so for now I'm in an odd sort of limbo and I have no idea whether or not I'll get in.

I didn't realize it until this weekend, but I've kind of put all of my emotional eggs in one basket on this one. Its not like I'm banking on getting into the peace corps in order to survive after college...I'm still applying for other jobs...but so much of my planning and forward thinking in the past year has included the peace corps. I've got to work on not getting my hopes up too high or counting any unhatched chickens.

Planning is difficult, especially about the future. Those are Yogi Berra's words, not mine. Sure, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that doesn't stop it from being true...

Not knowing for sure about the peace corps also puts me in kind of an awkward situation when applying for jobs. If I knew I would be leaving for another country in the next year I would only apply for jobs in New Jersey so I could live at home and save as much money as possible. If I knew I wasn't going to get into the peace corps I wouldn't want to go back to Jersey and I'd be applying for jobs in DC, Colorado or somewhere else out west. I don't want to commit to a job in Jersey just to find out that I'll be stuck there for the next 5 years, and I also don't want to pass up a great job just because I think I'll be leaving in a year.

I guess I'll stick to Jersey for now and just keep hoping for the best.

My first voyage into the world of web design

Last semester when the Honors program offered to pay for part of my trip to Chile Dr. Orth asked me to design a website about our trip to link from the Honors website. Since I'd never done anything like that before I knew it would be a fair bit of work to have to teach myself. Apparently the hardest part of building a website isn't learning how to use a MAC, designing the site, or writing the code....its getting the darn thing from your computer to the internet! It took about a week of tinkering, but I've finally got everything squared away and all of the links are working (no more little broken picture box!).

So, without further ado....

www.longwoodgoestochile.com


TA DA!