Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The blog formerly known as "Belgium Adventure"

It's been over two years since my return to the United States, so obviously, quite a lot has happened since I've last posted here.

After my return to the US, I spent another year at my community college before transferring to NDSU to double major in Economics and International Studies.  I'm now in my second (and final!) year here seeing as how I'll be graduating in the spring.  I did another two seasons of RCR, getting into finals and winning fan favorite both of those years.  I also had the great experience of meeting DrumSpirit on the floor once more.  It's amazing to think about - the first time I saw them, we tied at World Finals in 2010 and were the sole reason I chose to study in Belgium.  In 2012 I was able to march a season with them, which included doing a new type of program for me (a theatershow).  And in 2014 I got to compete against them once again at finals, and cheer them on as a former member.

Sharon, myself and Lien at world finals in 2014

A lot has happened in my personal life as well.  I've met some amazing people, been to some great concerts and had my childhood home sold.  I've traveled quite a bit in the US, including driving to Philly for a great IHS convention and late night conversations and driving from Fargo to Chicago for the weekend with my brother just for a festival.  I've gotten to experience living in a dorm, and now living in a house with roommates who I was actually able to choose.  I've also lost my oldest dog (Skeeter) but gained another (Zinc), so at least I'll still have two dogs to cuddle when I go home.

Zinc!


But, something new is starting.  Starting sometime in the Spring, I'll be moving to Seoul and attending Korea University for the final semester of my undergraduate career.  This time, I know that no matter what I do to prepare, I'll still be floundering around like a fish out of water the first few weeks.  This time, I know I should definitely study the language beforehand and not fall in the trap of speaking English to everyone (which will probably happen anyway...).  And this time for sure, I'll know that I need to make the most out of it, because 4 months is so much less time to experience the country than the year I had in Belgium (mathematically, it's about a third of the time!  Imagine that!)

For that exchange, I'm planning on updating this blog again. It may not be every day, or it may continue to include all the little insignificant things no one cares about, but I will be using this as a way to keep everyone updated on my goings on and to help me remember the experience later.  Because, you know, no one is forcing you to read this, so I can really say whatever I want.

So yeah, basic filler post until I start getting information about the exchange past an email saying I'm allowed to do it.  Crazy to think that in 4 months I'll be there!