Wow! I cannot believe that it’s already midterm time! This semester has been going great for me so far. I’m taking 18 credits this semester and even though I’m constantly busy it hasn’t been as torturing as I expected.  My current classes are Personality & Profiling, International Relations, Natural History of the Region, Microeconomics, Chinese Computers( taught in Chinese), and Contemporary  Chinese Literature( also taught in Chinese).

This is the first semester I have taken content courses taught in Chinese and I have really been enjoying it! In my literature class we read short stories then will eventually write our own.  This class has really given me confidence with Chinese. I am able to read over 100 page stories now! I have also been able to learn tons in my computer class!

International Relations is one of my most interesting classes. We get to read classic authors such as Machiavelli and Thucydides. I feel like I have been challenged to think in new ways in this class which is great! My Natural History of the Region class is a really great course! It is basically a natural science class all about Arizona (my home state). Over the first few days of spring break we will go on a field trip to the Tucson area, I’m pretty excited.

Personality and Profiling is another great course. In this class you get to profile an individual for your final group project.  It has been a very different, yet really interesting project so far. My final class is microeconomics, which I am taking through Yavapai College (the local community college).  This class has also been going well.

This spring semester has been great so far, though I must admit the main thing on my mind is my upcoming study abroad trip to Beijing this summer! Hopefully I can stay focused until then!

This last week has been tons of fun! From the game Humans vs. Zombies to Zombie Prom the campus has been all about the living versus the dead.

Riddle has a tradition of playing the Humans vs. Zombies game ever week prior to Halloween. It is pretty hilarious to watch. First everyone who wants to participate registers on the website solely devoted to the game. Everyone starts off as a human, which is signified by a bandana tied around your arm, except one person is a zombie, shown by a bandana tied around your head. If a zombie “attacks” a human then they too become a zombie, but the human can defend themselves by hitting the zombie with a sock and therefore stunning them for 15 minutes. Zombies, if they do not “feed” for 48 hours will die off, dwindling down the players of the game. Of course there are safe zones, such as class and in the library so it doesn’t distract for studies. I didn’t participate this year but plan to next year.

The game continued from last Monday until Thursday night at Zombie Prom, which I helped plan. We did a conjoined dance with Yavapai Community College where everyone came dressed as zombies, or in costume. It was tons of fun!



Preview Day is Saturday and I am excited! I remember coming to Preview day when I got accepted to Embry-Riddle. I woke early and drove the one and a half hour drive from Phoenix to Prescott with my mom, feeling anxious and excited the entire drive. The day was busy, but tons of fun. I went to many presentations about my major, ate lunch with current students, and even took a picture with Ernie the Eagle. The fact that ERAU is a small school that is very focused within every degree program sold me. Though sometimes I wish Embry-Riddle was bigger, I think it is cool that I can recognize everyone I pass by and that my professors know me by name. I especially love how much my professors care about each student. I transferred from community college and I never felt so inspired to do my best like I do at Embry-Riddle. I know it sound cheesy and that I am exaggerating when I talk about how much I love my school, but I truly do. I was nervous when I first arrived at Riddle, but the friendly and approachable staff and students made me feel at home right away and I knew I had made the right choice with Embry-Riddle. I truly hope many of you who visit the 16th will feel the same way.

P.S.

I was lucky enough to be alble to attend ERAU’ s Army ROTC Military Ball last weekend and had a blast. Here are a couple pictures.

Can’t forget the snowstorm! Here is a picture of the upperclassmen dorms covered in snow by my talented friend David Bretón.

Spring break has gone by so fast! It has been so great having this week off of school. No matter how much I love to learn, a week off of school is always appreciated. Last week was midterms and let me tell you…it was CRAZY! I’ve been spending these last weeks buried in books, studying for all my tests. Also over the last couple weeks I’ve been making some big decisions about my future at Embry-Riddle. I registered for my fall classes recently. I am going to be taking Plant Biology, Chinese 5&6, Intelligence Writing, and Business Statistics next semester. They all seem pretty interesting. I am most looking forward to Intelligence Writing because I am curious about the structures and format of Intelligence writing. Chinese should be fun too. I can’t believe after this spring semester I will have completed my minor in Mandarin in just one year! I am excited to continue learning more and more Chinese next semester. Another big decision I recently made is that next fall I am going to be a Resident Assistant! I am so excited to be an R.A. and hopefully make some students freshman year lots of fun! Who knows maybe I’ll end up being your R.A.!