@Hall_Gabbi and I finished our book! And other stories

Sorry for the long delay on the blog post.  Everything has been so busy, but I have a lot of good news!!

The day has finally arrived.... Gabbi and I have finally finished THE BOOK.  After almost a whole academic year of hard work, we have finally produced our final product and are in the process of sending it off to get "perfect bound" (when it actually looks like a real book).

Our book!! Printed by the Saint Michael's College print shop.

We were in Bergeron every day the week before the book was finally due with a goal set for each day.  The awesome thing about being a media studies major at St. Mike's is that whenever big projects are due for different classes, Bergeron is filled with all of your classmates and fellow majors! It really builds a community within the journalism department, so spending hours in Bergeron is never as bad as it seems because there are always tons of other people with you.  At that same time, the Global Communication class also had a big project due too, so the labs in Bergeron were packed every night.

Ready for our practice presentation! Photo by my bff Alex Byrne. 

Gabbi and I also did our in-class presentation, which was a huge success.  We had the class live-tweet our presentation, implementing one of the aspects of the new social media environment that we discuss in our book.  After the presentation, we took several questions from the Twitter hashtag (#mediaevents) as well as questions from the audience.  It was a very successful presentation, and I'm relieved it is finally over.

We also had the second PALS dinner this year a few weekends ago.  We had about 25 students, both national and international, come to the event and we ate food from Moe's and hung out all together for a few hours.  I cannot express enough how enriching the PALS experience has been for me and how much I love speaking and spending time with international students.  As I write this post, my PAL is sitting across from me at one of the many homework "parties" we've had this semester.  Even though we're doing something as simple as homework together, there are still so many opportunities to learn something new about her culture or teach her something new about mine.

Cake! 

Me and my PAL! 

Me and my friend Jonghoon! 

Wait... what is Chanhee's name again? 

The last bit of good news is that I was inducted into two honor societies this weekend – Phi Beta Kappa (liberal arts) and Kappa Tau Alpha (journalism).  It was such an honor to be chosen out of my classmates for induction, and it was even more fun to have my family visit and meet friends, professors and faculty members at the school.

Kappa Tau Alpha! 

Inductees and professors in the MJD department (from left, adjunct Professor Mike Donoghue, Professor Jon Hyde, Professor Traci Griffith, Professor Jerry Swope and son Henry, me, Colin Ellis, Chris Moskal, Professor David Mindich, and Professor Kimberly Sultze)

Getting ready for the Phi Beta Kappa secret handshake! (Yes, I'm serious)

Me and my parents!

My sister Katie and me. 

From left, Adrianna, Anthony, President John Neuhauser, me and Jill. 

Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie and me. 

Professor Dameron from the History dept. and me.

If you have any questions about my life at Saint Michael's College, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu) or Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC)!

Ciao xoxo

New Design and Title

Hi everyone,

As you can probably see, I gave my blog a bit of a facelift and I changed the title.  I hope you like it!

My reason for changing the title is simple: even though I defined myself as a journalism major for my first few years at St. Mike's, I can't define myself as that anymore.  I am technically a double major in media studies, journalism and digital arts and history, so the title seemed a bit misleading.  "Wonderings and Wanderings" seemed a bit more relevant since the mission of the blog is to tell you all about what I think about St. Mike's and what I do here.

Again, I hope you like the new layout.  If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC) or email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu).

Unfortunately, Formspring has announced that it will be shutting down its site, so any final questions can be sent via that site until March 31. Until then, please feel free to contact me that way as well (lizmurray3).

Ciao for now!!

Spring Break!!

Hi everyone!

I am currently on my Spring Break, so I decided to take the opportunity to tell you about current happenings.  As much as I wish I was lying on a tropical beach or exploring a land where the sun always shines, I must tell you that is not at all how my Spring Break has panned out.

I traveled home for the first half of Spring Break, bringing my two friends Suyeon and Akane with me for the trip.  It was a very relaxing first half – and the weather was actually pretty warm for Massachusetts at this point of the year! We slept late every day, made homemade pancakes one morning, spent time with my family and went shopping.  Even though there was not a lot to do (and even less to do without the use of a car before 2:30 since my sister used it for school), we were still able to have a nice visit.  We did manicures one evening and hair curling another evening, and we watched movies every night! It was tons of fun and really relaxing.

First night home (from left, Suyeon and Akane)!! Petting Chloe and visiting with family :)  

Grocery shopping! 

Curled hair and red lipstick! Such gorgeous girls!

Selfies in the backseat of Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie's car

So much fun :) 

Now, I am back at St. Mike's for the remainder of my break.  It is crunch time for my senior seminar project, as my book is due on April 3 (about 2 1/2 weeks from now).  As of right now, Gabbi and I are about 6 chapters (almost halfway) through writing our book – and we still have 2 more days of break! We've each been writing one chapter per day since I've come back to campus, and I think we're in pretty good shape.  We have a few interviews set up within the remaining time, so it should turn out to be a pretty good product!

Our working book cover.  That's my picture on the front! 

Other than that, I'm just using the remaining time during break to prepare myself for the storm of business that will hit when break ends.  I am applying for jobs and doing other homework as well with the free time I have.  Graduation is getting close, so it's time to get going on everything!

If you have any questions about my life as a student at St. Mike's, do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu) or Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC).

Ciao for now!!

Awesome Tap Club Happenings

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share with you all a cool thing the Tap Club and I got to take part in on Friday, March 1: The Annual Dance Team Showcase! Below, you can watch a video, taken by my friend Lauren Simano, of our performance.  

In case you didn't know, the Tap Club was formed during my freshman year by me and my friend Mary Jo.  We both loved tap dancing and had different backgrounds in the dance form (I do mostly rhythm tap, and she does broadway style tap), and we wanted an outlet on campus for our interest.  We've come a long way since then, and I'm very proud of what the club has become! 

This particular dance was choreographed by Katie Copp and me, and it took a few weeks to put together.  Enjoy!! 

If you have any questions about my life at St. Mike's or clubs on campus, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).  Hope to hear from you all soon! 

Ciao ~ 

Reuniting with Rui!

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the short hiatus. Things are REALLY super busy as my senior seminar project is due in just one month! WAH! *insert mini freak out here* By today next month, Gabbi and I will officially be done with our book and impending published authors!

Anyways, the real point of this blog is to quickly update on a pretty awesome thing that happened this past week:

MY FRIEND RUI CAME BACK TO AMERICA!!

Look!! It's Rui!!! :)

Even though it was only for a few days, it was still so nice to see her and catch up with her.  Now, I've spoken about Rui before on my blog, most notably as my Japanese friend who came home with me for Thanksgiving during my junior year.  When I left to go abroad, Rui left to go back to Japan.  We have corresponded a few times, mostly via Facebook, and have also been able to Skype once.  Other than that, it's been difficult for Rui and me to stay in touch, mostly because of the humongous time difference between here and Japan.  So, it has been about a year since I have seen Rui in person.

During her break from school, Rui decided to pay a visit to Boston and then to us up in Burlington! I cannot express how wonderful it was to see and bond with an old friend!!  My schedule was very busy last week, so our hangouts were mostly limited to my townhouse, but it was awesome nevertheless.  We bonded over my making ramen for the first time (yes... I am a college student), catching up on our lives since we left each other, and having fun with smartphone apps like Line and Snapchat that can help us stay connected even better while miles and miles away from each other.

When it came time for Rui to leave, the second good-bye proved even harder than the first.  However, I realized later when I received a Snapchat from Rui from Japan, that it wasn't a good-bye, but rather a "see you later."  Hopefully, I will be able to visit Rui in Japan someday (as well as all of the other Japanese friends I have made over the last few years)!  St. Mike's is awesome because I have been given the opportunity to make not only great American friends, but amazing international friends as well.  Every time I speak to them, I learn something new, and that, for me, is awesome.

If you have any questions about my life at St. Mike's, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).

Ciao ~~ xoxo

What Is It Like to Be An Editor for the SMC Defender?

Hi everyone!

This week I thought I'd shake things up a bit.  My friend, senior seminar partner, fellow Defender editor and fellow blogger Gabbi Hall and I have created a vlog for you so we could talk about being on the Defender staff and what it's like to be an editor (as well as other random things).  This is my first vlog (though Gabbi is a vlog veteran) so I hope you enjoy it! It was fun to create and involved way too much giggling, so there will probably be more to come.  Thanks for watching!!

~ Liz

Thursday Night Glee Night

Hello!!

With new semesters often come new weekly rituals.  One of my new favorite weekly rituals happens on Thursday nights this semester.  At 9 p.m., my friends Suyeon (from South Korea) and Akane (from Japan) come over to my townhouse so we can all watch Glee together. Glee has been a favorite show of mine for a few years now, and Suyeon became interested as well when I showed her that the cast did Gangnam Style on the show.  Akane was interested in seeing the show too, so we decided to start having weekly Glee nights!

From left, Akane, Suyeon and me earlier in the semester at Starbucks in downtown Burlington.

The biggest difficulty so far is that we have not been able to figure out how to make the English subtitles on the television work.  Since English is a second language for both girls and characters on the show often speak fast or use American slang, it is much easier when they can see English subtitles.  To remedy this problem, we mute the television at each commercial break, and I then explain to them what is happening on the show if they do not understand.  Of course, some of the context gets lost because of this difficulty, but I try to fill in as many details as possible (even giving some background information when necessary – I am such a gleek!).

After the show ends, we often chat about interesting culture differences or watch videos on YouTube and giggle our heads off.  I love having international friends because not only are they lovely people, but it is also interesting to learn about their cultures and how they see American culture.  It's also a chance for me to explain American cultural things that they might not understand and learn some new words in either Korean or Japanese.  I am now able to say the word "eggplant" in at least 6 languages, though I'm not sure why just that word!

Needless to say, Suyeon and Akane have become some of my best friends, and I enjoy hanging out with them and the other international students so much! I am so excited for our Thursday Glee night tradition to continue.

If you have any questions about my life as a student at St. Michael's College, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (@LizMurraySMC) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).

Ciao!!