Amy Gunderman

Back to Cleveland...And No Regrets!

Hola!

It's been ages, and I apologize...but I'm sure that you understand that it was such a relief to finally be presented with summer and long afternoons of lazy sunshine. I couldn't bring myself to turn on my laptop. I just kept telling myself that everyone else would also be enjoying the well-deserved break too and that nobody would even try to read my blog until June.

Well, now June is here, and my life is starting to get busy again. I spent the first few weeks of summer working as a waitress at Big Boy so that I could earn some extra cash for next fall. As of June 8th, however, I will be living back on campus at John Carroll! I am participating in the Poverty and Solidarity Internship.

Only 4 Finals till I'm a Sophomore!

Wow. I never really thought this time would actually get here, but as of last Thursday (2 days ago), I am officially done going to any of my freshmen classes! I am almost done being a freshman! That's as fun to say as it is scary...I really like living here at Carroll and even taking classes isn't too bad. I really like learning, and as I get my core classes out of the way, I can take more classes towards my major and more focused upon my interests.

I begin finals week at a sprint...I have 3 finals on Monday, all back to back. Speech, Bio 2 Lab practical, and Spanish. ...super fun! NOT! But, on the bright side, after my last exam on Friday, I am officially a sophomore! I can already feel the power.... just kidding.

Oh No! Mono! :(

In the past few months I have come to learn that college life is all about being tired....however, I never really realized the true meaning of the word until a week before this past Monday. I woke up feeling extremely tired and sore all over. The very last thing that I wanted to do was drag my body out of bed and to my 8 a.m. Biology class in Dolan Science Center. I usually workout every morning, take a shower, and then go to class. But I knew that there was no way a workout would be possible that morning. It was my first "day off" since spring break.

I sucked it up and made it through the day. By lunchtime my lymph nodes were swollen and throbbing. I called my dad, who is my favorite doctor :) , and described my symptoms. He thought I might have mono, and I was pretty sure that he was right. I had to wait an entire week before I could get tested though, because mono takes a week to show up in the blood. 

A Friday Night with the Monsters

This past Friday night was an evening of Monsters....no, I don't mean the scary kind that live in our closets, or the friendly ones from Monsters Inc. Friday evening was a night with the lake Erie Monsters, a professional hockey team. The Seeds of Hope organization (a branch off of Big Brother/Big Sister) that I participate in took the kids to the Q in downtown Cleveland for the hockey game. For most of the kids, and myself included, this was our first hockey game ever. Truthfully, i had no idea what was happening. Basically, I understand that the purpose of the game is to get the puck into the net and to not get killed in the process. As I quickly learned, this is often easier said than done. :)

The game turned out to be the best first hockey game ever. Not only was the score close the entire game, but the teams also went into overtime, with the Monsters comming out on top! What an exciting evening!

Invisible Children...Not Invisible to the Heart

This past Wednesday evening the Arrupe program sponsored a showing of "Invisible Children." This well known program travels all over the United States, spreading awareness about the displaced children in Africa as a result of the war raging there. As I watched the presentation, I felt as if my heart were being wrenched out. Some of the children were not even 3 yet. It was so sad. All they knew in their lives was fear and hopelessness. The children were forced into camps of hundreds. Rows and rows of tiny, straw huts filled the camps and offered a small amount of protection.

The presentation focused upon one specific child, a 15 year old boy named Sunday. Sunday was a brilliant boy who faced the world with a brave face. despite the odds against him. He was determined to continue his studies and become a doctor. There is so much that we can learn from these children, and the presentation showed me many ways in which I can help. Now is the time for each and everyone of us to give back.