Update on the Past Few Weeks!

Hello everyone! Apologies for not blogging sooner - I have had an extremely busy few weeks! The day after I arrived home to New Hampshire after finals week in December, my family went on vacation to Hawaii. We came back just in time for Christmas, then headed to New York to visit some family. Just over a week later, I left good old America to study abroad in Ireland.  Between deciding on a country to study in, picking a school, applying, booking flights, and packing, my preparation for going abroad was extensive to say the least.  I arrived in Ireland very early on January 8.  I can't believe I've been here for three weeks already!  Time is going by so quickly.
 

One of my favorite pictures from Hawaii.
So lucky to be able to go from one beautiful
place to another!

Many people have asked me while I decided to study in Ireland, and I always give the typical answer: because I am part Irish and wanted to see the beautiful country my family came from.  However, that's only part of the story.  When I was thinking about where to study, Ireland just happened to pop into my head and I decided to go with it.  After attending a study abroad fair at Saint Mike's, I decided to go through a program called API, which stands for Academic Programs International.  An API representative gave me the name of a girl who also goes to SMC and studied in Ireland last year.  After getting in contact with the girl (named Katie), I asked her some questions specifically about Galway because that's where she had gone and I was seriously considering it.  Katie had nothing but good things to say about Galway, which made me feel very comfortable that I was considering it.
 
As great as Katie said Galway (and specifically National University of Ireland in Galway, which is where I go now) was, what drew me to the school was the opportunity to take a class called Learning and Literacy in the Community.  This class is specifically for students from the US and is centered around service learning at a primary/secondary school homework club in Galway.  The course description reminded me of my first year seminar, called Horses & Healing, where a huge part of the course involved traveling to a horse farm each week to volunteer.  I love working with kids, so being able to do that while abroad seemed like it would be especially rewarding.

The school where homework club takes place!

I have now been to homework club twice and I absolutely love it.  Even better, I love my professor, which makes Learning and Literacy my favorite class here.  In addition, I'm taking: Ireland in a Global Context, Family in Modern Ireland (which combine to fulfill my Historical Studies LSR - Liberal Studies Requirement), Forenic, Abnormal, and Clinical Psychology as well as Applied Organizational Psychology (which together count as an elective towards my psychology major), and Social Issues & Policy Responses, which goes towards my sociology minor.
 
While I am technically here to study, I'm also planning on traveling in and around Ireland as much as possible.  Fortunately, I've met some great people who are just as excited to travel as I am.  My friend and fellow blogger Alex, who is studying in Dublin, came to visit me this past weekend.  We will have the opportunity to travel together as well, which I'm super excited about!  We'll also be meeting up with our friend and blogger Lauren, who's studying in Coleraine, Ireland.  It'll be like a mini Saint Mike's reunion across the world!  So far, I have trips planned to Copenhagen, Paris, and London, with my friends Sara and Kiersten, who are both American but met here.

 

Alex, Sara, and me. It may be rainy here, but it's never
too cold to enjoy some delicious milkshakes!

 

Kiersten and me enjoying a night out on the town!

When I was thinking about what to include in this first post about being abroad, something from freshman year orientation at Saint Mike's came to me: "You are not alone."  I don't want to give away the context that this message was presented in, but the point is that, especially during the first few days here, I was taking my time to adjust and I definitely missed my family (both nuclear and Saint Mike's).  However, even being here for a short time has shown me that although most of what I refer to as "my people" are across the ocean, they're always with me in my heart. I have become immensely grateful for technology and the ability it provides me with to communicate with the people I love (while also doing my best to live in the moment and make strong connections here in Ireland).  I can feel myself growing and learning every day, and knowing that I have a huge support system back at Saint Mike's allows me to feel confident in what I'm doing - whether that be academics or joining clubs (or "societies" as they refer to them here) in order to make new friends.  I know my journey here is just beginning, but I'm sure that everything that being at college has taught me will help me to make my study abroad experience one I'll never forget.
 
I will be sure to post again soon with more details on what I've been up to for the past few weeks.  Now it's time to go get ready for bed so I'm well rested for class tomorrow!
 
As always, thanks for reading my blog!
~Merrill

Yes Mom, I'm Being Taken Care Of

Happy Sunday! I wanted to share with you a few things about all the amazing people here at SMC who have helped me out over the past week.  I could probably go on forever, but I'll try to cut to the chase.

Last Friday, I unfortunately found a nail in one of my tires.  Although I'm perfectly able to get gas, fill up my tires, get a car wash, and other basic things like that, I'm rather incompetent when it comes to bigger issues relating to my car.  Long story short, I ended up needing a new tire.  Since I don't live in Vermont full time, I wasn't sure what I should do to find a truthworthy and reliable person to replace my tire for me.  I ended up calling my mentor of sorts and the Lit Choir director, Jerome, and asked for his mechanic's information.  Rather than giving me a name and number and leaving me to my own devices, Jerome called me back with a plan to take me to a number of different places to ensure I found a tire that would be compatible with the rest of my tires.  The next morning (which was a Saturday), he took time out of his day to accompany me in my search for a new tire, which ended up being a success.  He even called his mechanic to make sure they thought my new tire would work with my old ones.  Before calling Jerome, I had thought about driving all the way home to my own mechanic, but I'm so glad I didn't.  I felt so blessed to have Jerome's help in what otherwise would have been quite a difficult situation for me to handle by myself.

Marianne (who I met through Jerome), myself, and Jerome

This past Friday brought with it a whole different adventure of sorts.  After attending the Career Symposium (which was a fantastic event, more to come later), I really didn't feel well.  I thought after I got some food in me I would feel better, so I headed to my friends' house for some pizza.  Unfortunately it didn't make me feel any better, so I decided to go home and go to sleep.  My wonderful friend Sharon came up North with me, missing the shuttle back to Main Campus to make sure I was alright.  I was so grateful to know that I had someone there if I needed anything.  I ended up sleeping for a while and feeling much better by the end of yesterday.  Both Sharon and my friend Cait checked in on me multiple times, which made me feel really special and important.  Not that I like being sick, but in a sense it served as a reminder that my SMC family will always be there for me, especially when my immediate family can't be.  Usually when I'm sick, all I want is my mom (which may sound childish, but oh well).  But this time, I was totally content (well, as content as I could be while sick) to have my friends take care of me.

Sharon and me :)

Sharon, myself, and Cait being a little crazy

Not only does my SMC family make me feel better, they help my mom and family out as well.  When I first came to college, my mom, being her wonderful and loving self, wanted to make sure that I would find people who would always have my back when she couldn't be there for me.  I would definitely say that I've done just that.  I couldn't be more grateful for the amazing people I've met here, many of which aren't included in this post (by name, at least).  I know I've said it before, but I honestly couldn't be happier to have attended Saint Mike's.  The community that I've been immersed in has been so welcoming and continues to help me in whatever way I need.  I am going to miss it immensely when I'm abroad next semester!

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday!
~Merrill

Appreciating the Scenery

Hello everyone!  It's now arguably the most beautiful season in Vermont - fall.  Personally I think the Saint Mike's campus is gorgeous all year round, but there's something about fall that stands out.  I have been extremely busy with classes (we just had midterms), but it's so refreshing to be able to see the beauty of nature right as I walk out of my dorm or my classrooms.  I wanted to share some pictures I have been collecting over the past few weeks:
 

A gorgeous tree up on North Campus, where I live this year.
Red is my favorite fall leaf color!

A view of Camel's Hump from the field across the street from SMC.

I love these clouds! On the highway right near SMC :)

Some more cool clouds across from SMC.  I also like this photo because to me, the biker is
so "Vermont" - many students (including me) ride their bikes around campus all the time.

Lake Champlain is just beyond this photo, taken in
South Burlington where I babysit.  I love the sun shining through the trees!

We've had some fantastic sunsets as well, but my camera never seems to do them justice!

Anyway, in addition to the scenery, I think it's extremely important to take time out of our busy days to appreciate what's important to us - especially the little things.  This year has been particularly busy for me (hence my lack of frequent posts, my apologies for that!), so whenever I get the chance to spend some time relaxing or hanging out with my friends, I am very grateful.  SMC students had this past Monday and Tuesday off, so I was able to go home for the weekend.  It was great to see my family and some friends and take a bit of time off from homework.  However when I returned, I was reminded that while I love being home, I love Saint Mike's and the people here just as much.  I've said this before, but I really am so happy to have found a place like Saint Mike's which is truly beautiful from the inside out. 

I hope you can find time to come visit us - I promise you won't regret it!  In the meantime, feel free to email me with any questions you might have or find me on Twitter to get some little tidbits about my life here at SMC.

Thanks for reading and have a great night!
~Merrill

Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

Hello everyone! Hopefully this post finds you settled back into the school routine.  These first few weeks of the semester have been pretty busy for me, but I'm doing my best to enjoy every minute.  This past weekend I was able to get away from all the craziness and go on a retreat with the Liturgical Choir.

As some of you may know, I have been a singing with the Lit Choir here at SMC since my freshman year.  It is my absolute favorite activity on campus, not just because it got me to sing (something I never did much of before college), but because the group has truly become like a family to me.  Saint Mike's is known for its community atmosphere, and I consider Lit Choir to be its own community within SMC.

Last spring, Jerome (the Lit Choir director) began to think about having a retreat for the choir and he asked me if I would help him plan it and give a "talk" during the weekend about prayer.  (As you may remember from my last post, I returned to SMC a few days early to have a "team retreat" for the core group of students working on the retreat for the whole group).  After lots of hard work throughout the summer, everything finally came together.  The retreat was held at Saint Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte, Vermont.  It was an absolutely beautiful location for the retreat.  Our group (along with the men's basketball team) was actually the first to stay at the Shrine.  All of the staff were extremely friendly and provided us with delicious food!  Here are some of the beautiful views from right outside the cafe:

 

As I mentioned, Jerome asked me to give the prayer talk on the retreat.  I honestly feel so blessed to have had this opportunity, especially because I never would've expected anything like this to come about from simply deciding to sing in the choir.  Being a part of the choir has shown me that something that seems so small can really have a big impact.  I look forward to Mass each Sunday because I know that I will see many familiar faces who all share my love of prayer and worship through music.  The choir is a place that makes me feel comfortable and confident expressing myself, through faith and through the silly jokes that I bring to the group each week (which usually involve pirates).

One of the things I loved the most about the retreat was that it brought old and new members together.  Some of the people in the group have been singing with Jerome for many years, and it's awesome to hear about their past SMC experiences as well as to know that even after I graduate, I will still be welcomed back into this SMC community.  The fact that a 2013 graduate returned tonight to play violin with us goes to show that once you are a part of the SMC (and Lit Choir, in this case) community, you never really leave it.  It comforts me to know that the place I've come to call my second home will always be there to welcome me back.

I hope that the Class fo 2017 is starting to feel like SMC is a second home and that those in the midst of the college search will come see what SMC is all about :)

Until next time, I'll leave you with some more pictures from the retreat.  Thanks for taking the time to hear what I have to say and have a fantastic week!
~Merrill 

Marianne (one of Jerome's friends who helped us plan the retreat),
myself, and Jerome

My lovely roommate Emma, enjoying the sunset on the beach!

Group photo!

SMC...No Place I'd Rather Be

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a fantastic summer.  Mine was jam packed with camp counseling, babysitting, math tutoring, vacationing, hanging out with friends, and of course getting ready to come back to Saint Mike's.  I absolutely loved being at home in New Hampshire, but I couldn't be happier to be back at school.

I was able to come back to Vermont a few days early because I'm participating in a retreat for the Liturgical Choir, so I've been here almost two weeks.  This past week was the first week of classes.  I have a lot of work to do, but I really like what I'm taking and I'm starting to get back into the groove of balancing studying with relaxation and time with friends who I haven't seen all summer.  Here are the classes I'm taking:

Religion and Science, which meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:45 - 10:50.  It is an honors course which also fulfills my upper level Study of Christian Tradition and Thought Liberal Studies Requirement (LSR).  I have always been interested in learning about how religion and science interact (or don't), and this class seems like it will be the perfect fit for me.  I have an Irish professor, which is perfect because I'll be studying abroad in Ireland next semester.  More on that later!

Adolescent Development, which meets every MWF from 11 - 12:05.  If everything goes as planned, I want to be a high school counselor.  The three class periods I've had so far are already confirming my plan to work with adolescents, which I'm really happy about!  Professor Susan Kuntz teaches the class, and while I've never taken a class with her before, she seems like a great professor who I look forward to working with.

Sociological Theories, which meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:45 - 11:20.  Last semester I decided to add a sociology minor to my psychology major.  This is the second sociology class I've taken so far.  We have been reading philosophy which is challenging for me, but the discussions we have in class have helped me to better grasp the material.

Abnormal Psychology, which meets every T/TH from 11:30 - 1:05.  I'm really enjoying this class so far.  We have been working on distinguishing between disease, illness, and sickness and applying these terms to mental disorders we are familiar with through everyday life.  From what I can tell, this class is really going to help me in thinking critically about how I as well as the general public view mental disorders and people with them, which I think is very important.

I love my schedule because I'm interested in what I'm taking, but also because I don't have class earlier than 9:45 every day.  Also, having my classes back to back works really well for me.  That's one of the many things I love about college - you are able to create a schedule that works for you.

As I've written about before, I believe that attending a residential college means so much more than just taking classes and getting a degree.  There is something unique and special about living with your friends around you and being able to participate in so many different activities.  I mentioned above that I will be participating in a retreat for the Liturgical Choir, which is why I came to VT early this year.  I couldn't have asked for a better start to the year than having the opportunity to come up early and spend time with other people (students as well as adults) who will be on the retreat.  I don't know how else to describe it other than to say I could feel myself growing (intellectually, that is) the moment I arrived back on campus.  I didn't realize how content I had become at home and how much being at Saint Mike's allows me to develop as a person.  I have met so many amazing people during my time here and look forward to meeting more throughout the next two years.  I can't believe I'm a junior already - it feels like just yesterday that I was moving into Lyons, my freshmen dorm.

Okay, enough with the reminiscing.  I would like to end by extending a huge warm welcome to the Class of 2017.  I have loved meeting some of you and can't wait to meet more of you as the year goes on.  Cherish your time here at SMC because it goes by way too quickly!  And for those of you who might be just starting to look at colleges, best of luck in your search!  I'm glad Saint Mike's has caught your eye...it really is a spectacular place.

I'm off to do a little more homework before getting ready for another week of class.  Thanks for reading my blog and have a great week everyone!

-Merrill

Family - in New Hampshire and at SMC

Hello everyone! I hope all my fellow SMCers are having a wonderful summer so far - I know I am!  I've been able to see some of my friends from home, spend some quality time with my family, and catch up on TV, sleep, and reading.  And of course, I've been hanging out with my pet goats :) I officially start work in a few weeks so I'm enjoying the time off for now!

My best friend Paige and me :)

King Jack!

As crazy as it may seem, I missed being at Saint Mike's almost as soon as I arrived home to New Hampshire.  I have been thinking a lot lately about how far I've come in terms of my comfort in being away from home.  Before going to college, I was a nervous wreck and honestly didn't really want to leave everything I knew and loved in New Hampshire.  But I'm so happy to be able to say that I couldn't have made a better decision about where I wanted to go to college and, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm so thankful for the wonderful people that are part of my SMC family.
 
Luckily for me, I started to form my SMC family before arriving on campus the fall of my freshman year.  The reason I was able to do this is because I decided to go on POW, which stands for Pre-Orientation Weekend and is one of five summer programs for new students.  I'm sure you've read about it in the New Student Guide you received in the mail.  I met my friend and fellow blogger Alex on POW.  Seeing some familiar faces (which included new students as well as my POW leaders) when I arrived on campus in the fall definitely helped ease some of my anxiety about being in a new place.  Speaking of the leaders, I wanted to give a special shout-out to someone you've probably read about before on my blog: one of my best friends Cait.  She is going to be a POW leader this summer and I'm so excited for her and all the students she will get to meet!  (On a side note, Cait is a biology major and just started her own blog about her internship at an aquarium this summer, so be sure to check it out!)
 
So, the moral of the story is that I highly encourage you to sign up for one of the summer programs SMC offers if you haven't done so already - you definitely won't regret it!  It is a great way to meet new people and get even more excited about living in Vermont. :)  Also, if you are in the position to sign up for a summer program, that means you've committed to SMC, so a huge congratulations are in order!  I hope every member of the Class of 2017 comes to love Saint Mike's as much as I do.

I will keep you posted about anything exciting that happens here in good old New Hampshire over the summer!  As always, thanks for reading my blog!
Merrill

The Journey to Summer

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - finals week got the best of me! But I am happy to tell you that I survived and it is now officially summer!

The last day of classes was last Wednesday, and finals went from Friday - Wednesday (yesterday).  Luckily, I managed to pack a lot of both studying and fun into my final days at SMC.  I finished up my last final yesterday morning and I think it went well!  Since yesterday was the last day of finals, most people had gone home or would be on their way shortly.  But because I am in the Liturgical Choir, I am lucky enough to get to spend a few extra days at SMC so I can sing at the Baccalaureate Mass on Saturday.  I'm really excited!

To celebrate a great year of both singing and academics, Jerome (the Lit Choir Director) took us out to lunch in downtown Burlington yesterday.  We went to Sweetwaters, which is one of my favorite spots.  It was a gorgeous day, so we were able to eat outside.  Then we headed over to Ben & Jerry's for some delicious ice cream! 

All smiles :)

Afterwards, we walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the view.
 

Beautiful sunshine!

We then returned to campus to gather our things, and headed to Jerome's house for a BBQ complete with burgers, dogs, pasta salad, beans, drinks, and of course s'mores!  We even rehearsed the songs we'll be singing for Baccalaureate.  It ended up raining, but overall it was an awesome night and a great way to kick off summer!

Today I was able to sleep in and then go out to lunch with my roommate Emma (who is also staying for Baccalaureate) and one of my best friends Cait (who is staying to work senior week).  We had a great time relaxing, especially because now we don't have to worry about schoolwork.  I've spent the rest of the day packing...I'm so sad to be leaving! But I have a great summer ahead of me, full of camp counseling, tutoring, babysitting, and of course, spending quality time with my friends and family!

I honestly can't believe I am now halfway done with my college career - the time went by way too quickly!  However, this realization is definitely helping me to enjoy every moment, even the more difficult ones.  There are definitely days where work or other issues can be stressful/overwhelming, but I know that I have made a home here at SMC and that I have many people looking out for me who I can truly call my SMC family.  I'm so thankful for them and I will miss them dearly over the summer!

For those of you who have officially decided to make SMC your home away from home in the fall, congratulations!  Enjoy the end of your senior year and make it one to remember!

Until next time, make sure to get out and enjoy the sunshine!  And as always, thanks for reading my blog!
Merrill