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!!

Global Eyes (or "Globalize")

Hi everyone!

Lately, I've been going through all my pictures from my semester abroad to choose the three I have now entered into a study abroad photography contest at St. Mike's called "Global Eyes." Before I left to go abroad, the director of Study Abroad Peggy Imai told all of us students going abroad about the contest details.  Returnees are allowed to enter a maximum of three pictures into these categories:

- City Life
- Creative/Artistic
- Culture Most Distinct from SMC
- Landscape
- Nature and the Environment
- People and the Human Spirit
- Politics/Peace and Justice
- The Essence of Study Abroad

With those categories in mind, I photographed away, taking pictures not only on tours and of myself and my friends, but also of random people and details that others may not have noticed.  The judging will take place later in the spring, and contest photos are displayed in the Daily Room in Durick Library.

I took at least 1000 photos or more abroad, so needless to say, the elimination process was tough. With the help of some of my friends, I was able to narrow it down to the three pictures I would enter.  Here are the three I have chosen.  The descriptions accompanying them are also the descriptions I also provided on my entrance forms.


Creative/Artistic:

The day my tour group and I visited St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, was a beautiful, sunny day.  Not only was I struck by the beauty of the architecture inside the basilica, but the light streaming through the windows created an almost heavenly atmosphere.  As my Czech professor spoke about the features of the inside of the church and urged us to go “steal pictures” of the deceased pope displayed in the church, I could not help but stare in wonder at the natural light that created such an awe-inspiring scene.

People and the Human Spirit:

In Venice, we stayed in a hotel near the main canal.  Every day, my friends and I would leave our hotel and see an old man playing an old, battered violin.  He would greet us with a polite “Buongiorno” in the morning while he played a beautiful solo, and he would still be there in the evening playing the same melody.  “Buona sera,” he would greet us (“Good evening”). He never collected much money in his violin case, but he would be there every day without fail in the same location playing the same tune. 

The Essence of Study Abroad: 

The John Lennon Wall in Prague is one of the only places in the world where it is completely legal to graffiti. Thousands of people visit the wall every year from all over the world, meaning the colorful drawings and beautiful messages, song lyrics and inscriptions are different every time one visits.  Most of the messages center around world peace, of which John Lennon was an active advocate during his lifetime. This wall is the very essence of studying abroad as people from different cultures all over the world come together to read the messages left by past travelers and write their own for future visitors. The wall connects people, whether they realize it or not, and it is that cultural connection and curiosity that is one of the most important aspects of studying abroad. 

To see last year's contest winners, please click here.

Hope you enjoy the photos! I'm really excited for the contest and curious to see what the other returnees entered.

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

Ciao!

Back to School: The "Last Semester" Edition

Hi everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've been crazy busy trying to adjust to my new schedule and get back into schoolwork.  I'm officially back for my last semester in college as an undergrad... EVER. As weird as it is, I've made it my mission to make the semester count by keeping up with classes, making some awesome final memories with friends, and doing activities I have not done yet (like going to the Mardi Gras parade in Burlington or going on LEAP).  So far, it's been a good two weeks back and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester.

One big change from last semester is I have a new roommate, Amanda! My roommate Jill graduated a semester early, so Amanda moved in with us after returning from studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain.  I miss Jill A LOT, but Amanda is turning out to be a pretty awesome roommate.  Since pretty much everyone knows I will take just about any opportunity to talk about studying abroad, it has been really fun to bond with Amanda over all of our experiences.

From left, Tori, Amanda and me on the bus back from Burlington.

My class schedule this semester is pretty awesome, and I'm more than happy to say I am back in Bergeron again in full force.  Last semester, I had no classes in the journalism building (and really had no good reason to be there), so I felt pretty displaced.  I am taking both Social Media - Theory and Practice and working on The Defender again as well as spending time working on my senior seminar book with Gabbi, so I will be in Bergeron A LOT this semester. I am more than ok with that.  I really love all my journalism classes, especially the social media class. This is the first time St. Mike's is offering a social media class, so I am really excited about the skills I will gain from the class that I will be able to take with me into the 'real world'.  For example, we recently got to follow the Inauguration via Twitter feeds and Facebook pages of different news sites and later analyze how the different news sites used the tools.  It was really fun.  Never have I ever heard the words, "Ok class, grab a computer and log onto Facebook," until now.  The final class I am taking right now is called "Deviant Women," and it is also super interesting.  We are currently learning about witches, and will be learning about more women who 'misbehave' throughout history during the semester.

Lastly, I've been trying to spend time with friends.  This past Friday, I met up with my friends Suyeon (from South Korea) and Akane (from Japan), and we went downtown to Starbucks.  I was able to have dinner with them and more of their international friends downtown at the Asian Noodle Shop afterward.  It was a lot of fun, and definitely an interesting cultural experience!  Instead of giving the food recommendations, I was able to be given recommendations for food at the restaurant.  It was a little intimidating to have to use chopsticks in front of all my international friends, but it was so much fun in the end! I really enjoyed the experience.

It's a little blurry, but (from left) Ah Young, Suyeon, me and Akane on Church Street last Friday!

From left, Akane, Suyeon and me at Starbucks on our coffee date!

Also on Friday, I was able to cover a concert downtown at a place called Nectar's.  I went with another Defender editor who was writing the review, and I took pictures during the concert.  The coolest part was we got to get in for free because we were "with the press," and the music was REALLY good.  The main act was a band called Spiritual Rez, a reggae funk group based out of Boston, MA.  Not only  were they impressive, but their opening act (Richard James and the Name Changers) was also really good.  Of course, the way they caught my attention was by playing a lesser known Beatles song, "Taxman," and turning a two-minute song into a really funky eight-minute jam.

If you have any questions about my life at Saint Michael's College, do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LizMurraySMC) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3), and I will do my best to answer them!

Ciao ciao for now :)

Sharing Christmas Traditions

Hi everyone!

Today I want to tell you about the special opportunity I had this Christmas.  As you may know, I am one of the founders of P.A.L.S (Partners Applying Language Socially) which pairs international students and four-year American students together based on similar interests to enrich the college experience for both partners. My P.A.L. Suyeon (from South Korea) and I have become GREAT friends, and I consider our friendship one of the many success stories we've had with P.A.L.S. so far.  Before the holiday break, Suyeon and I were sharing stories about our different holiday traditions.  This was when Suyeon told me that she had never had a real Christmas, which had always been a wish of hers.  Suyeon said it was because her family was not religious, so her parents never felt the need to celebrate Christmas.  This left Suyeon to have little celebrations with her friends, including decorating a mini-tree and exchanging presents.

So, my family and I made it our mission to give Suyeon her first real Christmas - an American Christmas! My family invited her home with us for about two weeks, and she became practically another member of our family.  Though Christmas activities were spread out over the two weeks, we still kept ourselves busy! Not only did we go Christmas shopping to find presents for family members, but we also...

Putting the first ornament on the tree! 

Ta-da!!

Me and Suyeon in front of the finished tree :) 

Making paper snowflakes!
 

Oooh how fancy! 

Our "special" snowflakes.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies before the oven...

...and after the oven. We didn't add enough flour, but they tasted pretty darn good! 

Decorating Christmas cookies :)  

Aunt Jackie helps out! 

Suyeon got to keep the first ornament she put on the tree! 

 Suyeon even came with my family and me to a Catholic mass on Christmas eve, and then to my aunt's house for a pre-Christmas gathering.  On Christmas morning, she got to share in the excitement of opening gifts, eating Christmas dinner, and spending quality time with the family.

Christmas morning! 

Christmas break wasn't all Christmas preparations though.  We also attended my sister's high school's production of A Christmas Carol and visited the fourth grade classroom in which my mom is a paraprofessional.  Suyeon is an English and Education major, so she told me it was really interesting to visit an American classroom.  The fourth graders were able to ask Suyeon about South Korea and her experiences in the US so far.  Suyeon didn't think the children would ask so many questions, but they really knew nothing about South Korea so they were very curious. Does Korea have television?.... Did you drive here?... Can you say something in Korean?  It was all very interesting to watch and listen to Suyeon's reaction afterward.

The best part of Suyeon's visit was the little things – the inside jokes, learning Korean, trying to find English subtitles for movies, trying out a Korean aloe face mask.  That is only the short version of the many memories though – there are too many to count! We both had so much fun together, and I think I can speak for Suyeon when I say she gained an American family.

Asian pose :) 

Me, Suyeon, John and Katie.

Suyeon and Dad.

Suyeon and Mom.

Uncle Tim, Suyeon and Aunt Jackie when we dropped Suyeon back off at SMC!

If you have any questions about my life as a student at Saint Michael's College, do not hesitate to contact me via email (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Twitter (@LizMurraySMC) or formspring (lizmurray3).

Ciao!

My History Major Side

Ok, so I know the title of my blog says I'm a journalism major... But I actually created this blog before declaring a double major at St. Mike's.  This was before the 4-4 curriculum (4 classes per semester, 4 credits each) was implemented and it was no longer required to have a minor with a journalism major.  Before this, history was my minor since I came in with a lot of history credits from AP classes and an introductory college course I took one summer.  I declared a double major when I figured out I had room in my schedule to do so when the 4-4 curriculum was implemented.  So, if you want to read more about the journalism major, click here. My friend and senior seminar project partner Gabbi Hall gives a GREAT description of what the journalism department is all about.  However, I want to talk about my history major since it was this semester more than any semester that I really got in touch with my history major side.

Even though this semester has been one of my most challenging as far as the history department goes, I've really come to love the history department as much as I love the journalism department.  Even though I'm a self-declared American history nerd, the department has really helped me broaden my history horizons.  I've taken classes like Modern East Asia, History of Rome, World War II in Europe and Race, Women and Culture in the Americas while at St. Mike's (not to mention History of the Italian Mafia while I was in Italy).  Each class has sparked my interests in a different way.  It is required by the department to take a variety of history classes in a variety of historical areas to fulfill the major.  History majors can even specialize by adding an American Studies, East Asian Studies or Medieval Studies minor.  It is also required to take a certain number of introductory courses as well as some upper-level seminar classes (which are usually smaller and more specialized).

I have found history classes especially useful in learning research and presentation skills, since those are also vital skills in my journalism major. This semester in particular, I had the opportunity to do some research in the St. Michael's library archives regarding the Edmundites during WWII in England, and it has been one of my favorite projects I've ever done in college.  I also wrote a senior thesis this semester that combined history, media studies and politics (one of my other interests that did not pan out into a major or minor). The professors in the history department were all very supportive and helpful throughout the entire process. Both of these projects required a lot of long-term research, self-motivation and patience.

Me holding my finished senior thesis - Media Effects on Presidential Elections: Television vs. the Internet.  This was the longest thing I have ever written, numbering 64 pages by the end (not counting bibliography or cover page).  I was recently given Honors Program credit for it!

As is true with many other departments on campus, history professors are very approachable and more-than willing to help students. It's a pretty small department like the journalism department, so it's easy for students to get to know the professors outside of class too.  After studying abroad in Italy, I was told by both Professor Dungy (Latin American studies) and Professor Dameron (Medieval studies - with a focus in Tuscany in Italy) that they wanted to meet with me so I could tell them all about my trip.  The best part about the history professors at St. Mike's is they are passionate about their areas of research.  Professor Purcell (British history) is constantly saying, "I'm so excited about this! Aren't you guys excited?" when teaching about a specific topic in her World War II in Europe class.

Being a history major is awesome, and I highly recommend it.  It has been really fun getting to know the history professors in the department and get to go more in depth about really cool history topics.  The classes (especially the upper level seminar classes) have really sparked my interest in a variety of topics.  The last class I will take in the history department next semester is called "Deviant Women," and I am SO excited to dive right in!

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

Ciao!

Update

Hi all!!
Just writing a quick post to let you know I'm still alive and will be getting a real blog post together really soon! I really did not have much time during Thanksgiving break (ironic, huh?) to actually sit down and get things done, and this week is going to be VERY busy since I have my presentation of my history thesis and my journalism senior seminar proposal both due by the end of the week.  Alas, the life of a college senior. I will do my best to write again as soon as possible! Thank you all for understanding!
Ciao!
Liz