Weekend Getaways: Boston and Lake George

Over the past couple of weeks, I have certainly had my fair share of mini-vacations. For the Fourth of July, I went with my family into Boston to enjoy the Boston Pops and the fireworks over the Charles. Then this past weekend, I traveled with two of my Stonehill friends, Kait and Kathleen, to visit our friend Carrie, who is my roommate next year, in her hometown of Queensbury, New York.

But let's first start with my family's trip to Boston. Even though we only live an hour from Boston, we have never gone into the city for the famous 4th of July celebration before. It was something I have always wanted to do, so it was definitely the year for us to go! We spent all day on the 4th walking around the city. We ate lunch in Quincy Market, walked through Boston Common and the Public Gardens, and enjoyed the atmosphere by the harbor where we stayed at the Marriot Long Wharf. Here's a picture of my sister, Lindsay, and I at lunch at Ned Devines and my mom, my sister, and I at the Swan Pond.

That night we headed over to the Esplanade to find a spot to sit and listen to the Pops perform with Neil Diamond and watch the fireworks. The best way to describe what it was like down by the Hatch Shell is...crowded. There were so many people! We got there comparatively late, and because there were so many people, so we were lucky to get a pretty good spot where we could see the fireworks in between the trees. Here's a couple pictures of our place to sit and the fireworks:
This past weekend was the second annual trip to Queensbury, which is only about twenty minutes from Lake George - somewhere I used to love to travel to with my family for camping trips. I really enjoy returning. On Friday afternoon, we all relaxed by Carrie's pool, then had a delicious dinner that Carrie's mom cooked for us, and then went to Carrie's friend's house for a bonfire. On Saturday, we were all a little adventurous when we hiked out along the edge of Lake George to get to Calves Pen, our location for cliff jumping! I really enjoyed the hike, but I only jumped from the lowest rock into the lake once we arrived at our location. I didn't mind the jump, but the water was very choppy because of impending storms. Here are some pictures of hiking, Lake George, Calves Pen, and cliff jumping. The first is the first official senior year roommate picture of Carrie and I!

We were lucky enough to get a ride on a boat from some friendly people on the lake rather than having to hike back out of the woods. The hike that took us over an hour we covered in a couple minutes by boat! This was great, but unfortunately, in order for us to get out to the boats, everything - towels, shoes, clothes, and food - got soaked!

Hiking, swimming, and jumping was very tiring, so by the end of the day, we were starved, so we went out for Mexican food and ice cream in Lake George. It was all very yummy! Then all day Sunday we ate too! We went out for a big breakfast at The Silo, where Carrie's friend works, and where you can also find the best fudge! So of course, I got some fudge to bring home! Then, to get home we had to drive right past Kathleen's home town of Clifton Park, so we stopped at her house where her dad made us pizza and salad for lunch. By the time I was home, my stomach was full of good food, and my mind was full of good times with friends.

Kathleen, Kait, me, and Carrie (left to right) before going out for Mexican.

So that's what I have been up to during my weekends, check back soon for an update of what I have been up to during my weeks: working at summer school!

OrientatiOn 2OO9

That's right, Summer Orientation for Stonehill's largest class ever has come and gone. Last week, over two sessions, the Peer Mentor Team welcomed over 700 students (and their families) that make up the Class of 2013. Despite the unseasonably strange rainy weather, everything went smoothly and everyone had a great time. This year I was an assistant coordinator for the program, so I had the opportunity to observe the overall picture of Orientation.

As always we had an overly energetic, enthusiastic, and excited fabulous group of Peer Mentors. Take a look at the Peer Mentors welcoming the incoming students - with balloons, posters, and the traditional Stonehill cheer.

During Summer Orientation, all of the incoming students are a part of smaller groups of about 13 students lead by two or three Peer Mentors. Together the groups go to panels and informational sessions with Campus Ministry, Residence Life, Academics, and Community Standards. The students also spend a lot of time in their groups with Peer Mentors meeting new people, asking questions, and bonding with new friends.

Students also have the opportunity to meet with advisers to get their courses approved and have their ID pictures taken for their Hill Cards (which has both our meal plan account and our Hill Card account - which is like a debit card that we can use at the Information Desk, vending machines, the bookstore, Bertucci's, and CVS). The students also attended a classroom experience. Next year the entire college will be involved in examining what Socrates meant by "The examined life is not worth living." Astra Taylor has directed a documentary entitled "The Examined Life" which interviews several philosophers on the topic of the examined life. The classroom experience during this year's Summer Orientation focused on the examined life. In the fall, we will host viewings of the film, Astra Taylor will be speaking on campus, and there will be a series of lectures on the same topic.

Orientation '09 was not without a couple of our favorite sessions that we have had for several years now. The first is called Playfair. There is no way to describe it other than as a huge meet and greet. The Peer Mentors and the freshmen all run around usually outside on the football field, but sometimes, like on Tuesday, we hold Playfair inside Merkert Gymnasium because of the rain. The mingling and get-to-know-you activities that Newton (our favorite Playfair facilitator) leads us in are just a whole lot of fun.

Another of the favorite Summer Orientation activities is listening to Michael Miller. Michael is a friendly face to Stonehill. He worked for a short time in our Student Activities, which is the office from which Orientation comes from, so some of the Peer Mentors have known him well over the past couple years. Michael travels around the country using his undying energy and humor to teach people how to get what they want out of their lives. Michael spoke this year to the parents as well as the students, and everyone really enjoyed his sessions.

Overall, Orientation was a blast. It was my third year participating in Orientation as a part of the Peer Mentor Team, not to mention my own Orientation! Orientation is special for the Peer Mentors every year in many ways. Not only do we get to give back to Stonehill through being role models for the incoming students, we also become friends with each year's incoming students, and nothing can compare to the strong bond that forms between the members of the Peer Mentor Team as we train and prepare from January to June. I am so glad to have been involved in Orientation during my time at Stonehill. Some of my closest friends and dearest memories are from my four years of Orientation. Luckily, it's not over quite yet because we still have Fall Orientation and a whole year to spend together!

The Orientation Coordinator, Christine, (right), and the Assistants, Katrina and I.

This year's senior Peer Mentors. We now officially have one year to go!