Townhouse Livin'

     One of the many perks of being an upperclassman is the ability to live in a townhouse.  There are four different townhouse sets: the 100s, 200s, 300s, and 400s.  I lived in the 400s last year and now live in the 200s.  I have to say last year was one of my favorite years with housing, but this year takes the cake!  I get to live with two of my best friends and all of my other close friends are within walking distance! 

Here are some pictures of my house this year in the 200s

What do you get in a townhouse?

1 Couch
2 comfy chairs
2 coffee tables
Kitchen table and chairs

-In your bedroom you get

desk
bed with draws underneath
fabulous closet

What do you not get?

In the kitchen you are not given pots or pans, kitchen utensils, or plates etc. 

Also the meal plan is slightly different when you  live in a townhouse.  You are put on a reduced meal plan, meaning you get 40 swipes into Alliot or Sloane.  Don't worry though, you can still opt to get the full unlimited meal plan if you so choose. 


In the 200s there are 4 single bedrooms with a large bathroom upstairs with a private toilet and shower, and double sink. 

Here is a picture of my bedroom:

The 400s townhouses are slightly different.  There are two bathrooms and five individual bedrooms.  Here are some pictures of my house last year:

 

 

 

     Living in a townhouse has been my favorite living situation!  I lived with 4 fabulous girls last year and 2 of my best friends this year.  Who could ask for anything more?!

 

 

I hope this helps you with understanding some of the dorm living situations here at SMC!

 

Check out the new Tumblr for all SMC blogs:  http://saintmichaelscollege.tumblr.com/

 



Let's Recap...

     Well I've been very busy and that's why I've been absent for a while.  So here's what I've been up to:

Spring Break:  I went to Daytona Beach and then Orlando with my Mom

Since then, I've been working and working and working.  Classes are getting tough but it's coming to an end!

Baby it's cold outside!

SNOW

 

 

 

SNOW SNOW SNOW! 

I got on the website!!!

     So if you remember back in October I had a fantastic breakfast reunion with my first year seminar in the teaching gardens (here's the blog post).  It was such a blessing to have picked as nice a first year seminar as I did and to have made such lasting friendships from that class!  Recently my professor from the partner class of my seminar emailed us with this image on this page on the smc website!!!!

It's us from the breakfast and I'm the one in the white sweater amongst all those happy people!

Well, enjoy the snow!

Kayley

It was supposed to be an easy semester...

      But it's not!  To be quite honest the classes I am taking are quite challenging, add an internship, tutoring, trying to blog, extracurriculars, and personal health (aka the gym) I am very busy.  This semester I am taking:

Testimonios: my Spanish 435 course where we study the development of testimonial and autobiographical narratives (documentary, writing) from Latin America

Poetry: my French 445 course where we study the evolution of French poetry over the centuries

Breaking Silence:  Women Writers in the Francophone World: my last and (favorite) French  435 course in which we read, analyze and interpret works written by contemporary women writers in the Francophone world: Kuessipan ; À  toi by Naomi Fontaine, Ru by Kim Thúy, Lettre d’une Africaine à ses sœurs occidentales by Calixthe Beyala, Celles qui attendent by Fatou Diome, Barbe bleue by Amélie Nothomb, “Fichues racines” by Gisèle Pineau, Sortilège haïtien by Jessica Fièvre, and Des rêves et des assassins by Malika Mokeddem.

 

 Cool right? One of my books that I had to buy from Canada that the author signed!

As you can see, I have a ton of reading for two of my classes and lots of interpreting poems for my other class.  It's very time consuming, however I really enjoy all three of these courses and it just happens to be good luck that I love to read! 

Kayley

Class Survival Tips

     Let's face it, sometimes it is hard to get through classes in college, especially the classes that you are not quite so interested in.  However, as a nearly graduating senior, I think I have mastered the art of being a student.  It has taken me 21 years, but I have done it.

1.  stay awake: bring gum, water, tea, coffee, take a nap before class...anything to keep your eyes open and mind awake in class

2.  be prepared: there is nothing worse than being called on in class and not having any answer.  Do your readings, they are important!

3.  homework: put post-it notes in your readings, highlight, write a quick paragraph about the reading, it's unreasonable to "review your notes before and after class" but it is reasonable to do these shortcuts while you are doing your work!

4.  don't yawn: it is very bad to yawn in class, that is when the professor picks on you to answer the question, read the poem out loud (true story...happened to me), or comment on the reading...see #1

5.  try hard and be honest: if you don't know the answer to a question it's ok to tell the professor that you have no idea!  They understand, admit that you had trouble instead of squirming in your seat trying to make up an answer

So, that's it for now folks just keep these in mind in the coming weeks

Kayley

French Film Festival

The French Film Festival-try saying that 3x fast- is happening now! It's presented by the Modern Language Department and naturally I am there!  So far I have seen Le Bonheur d'Elza which was absolutely awesome and tonight is La Pirogue, 7 pm in Cheray 101.  Don't worry though, there are English subtitles for non-French speakers and snacks too!  It's a really nice experience and a fantastic break from homework!  Check it out!!!

https://my.smcvt.edu/Lists/Daily%20Digest/Attachments/800/Tournees%20French%20Film%20Festival%202014.pdf

Emergency Response

     Many of you may be wondering how SMC responds to an emergency.  If you have seen the smcvt.edu website today you would notice a banner on the top saying that the residents are all safe following a fire in a 100s townhouse. 

     I have not been out of the house yet this morning, so I don't know the extent of the damage but that's not the point.  The point is that the fire and rescue crew worked quickly enough to isolate the fire and get everyone to safety. 
     In addition to the fire and rescue crew's work, we also have a campus wide alert system.  This system sends a text message to everyone's cell phone, sends an email to our email accounts, and is clearly posted on the smcvt.edu webpage.  The priority is to ensure that everyone is aware of the issue and stays safe.  We have also gotten alert messages for extreme weather and if there are power shortages. 
      Although the fire is very unfortunate, it was dealt with accordingly and it's nice to know that we are on a campus equipped to handle emergencies of all kinds. 

Making the BEST of things

     So if you have seen the weather at all you know that we have been pounded with snow just as most of the country has!! In fact 49 of the 50 states have snow somewhere in them, save Florida.  Since the snow is here we are all a little trapped indoors, so we have been making the best of things and I'd like to show you a small glimpse into our diversions...


Friday we pushed each other in the snow....

Saturday we made HOME MADE cinnamon buns!!! They were beyond belief delicious

So so so so so good!!!  This was a delightful weekend, full of food, friends, and fun. 

Kayley

Internship Heaven?

     So what have I been up to? Mondays and Fridays I have been teaching at an International School in South Burlington with another classmate.  We have been teaching Spanish on Mondays and French on Fridays to children from preschool age to second grade.  It is quite an experience to say the least!  To begin with I have a large work load: I must make lesson plans, dittos to hand out, plan "props" to bring to class, and keep up a journal.  It's a ton of work but it is rewarding to know that I'm actually teaching and children are learning because of me!  During the week I meet with my French professor to discuss what went well during the classes and what we need to work on and we plan the upcoming class material.  It's interesting work and will definitely help me on my journey to becoming a teacher. 

So how do you get started with an internship?  I just had to ask my professor, but you must do research on your own and MUST GET IT APPROVED BY THE INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR IN KLEIN. 

Internship checklist:

• transportation: whether it is the public bus or your own car, make sure that you have this figured out or it will be a BIG pain
• check with the internship coordinator in Klein...your internship has to be approved first before you start!
• make sure you can handle with extra work that you will have to do along with school work
• decide if you would be better suited waiting until the summer to do an internship
• will you like the work, or will you hate it?  This is the question that will save you a ton of grief and annoyance.  If you think you'll hate it then you should not participate and look for another internship.  There's no point taking so much time to do something if you won't get anything out of it

So that's it for now.  I'm warm inside instead of battling the snow, so safe travels everyone

Kayley

Tejas 2014 Y'all

     This winter break I went on an extended service trip to Beaumont, Texas.  I came up to school on January 2 and we left for Burlington Airport on the 4th and came back on the 11th.  Simply, it was a fantastic trip and the opportunity to travel with a group of 10 SMC kids and make new friends was an invaluable experience.  I'll get into how to participate on an extended service trip in another post, this one is just to give you a quick view into what I was doing:

 

clearing brush around some trees

 

Trifoliate Orange, the killer invasive species with HUGE thorns

 that we were chopping down for 3 whole days

 

all of us on a 200 yr old tree

 

delivering for meals on wheels

 

 

So overall it was a wonderful trip, and such a beautiful experience.  I recommend this to anyone willing to donate any of their time to others. 

 

Well adios, time for homework

 

Kayley