What a slacker!

We are getting close to the last blog of the year, as finals are right around the corner, and I have my last lab and class today. It's very exciting to have the summer so close, and to have completed my first year as a true college student. 

 

The halls are full of talk of moving out, summer plans, and final exams. It can be very stressful for some people, however I try my best to avoid all of this hullaballoo. Instead, I have spent a lot of my free time recently being a slacker. Literally.

 

You see, recently I picked up the sport of slackline. If you have not heard of this before, it can be compared to tightrope walking, but with less of a circus theme. It involves a piece of tubular webbing (equipment often used in rock climbing),

 which is much like an inch-wide strap of nylon, and two anchors (usually trees). The webbing is strung between the two trees and what comes next is hours upon hours of off balance fun.

 

The first thing one must do is learn to balance on a wobbling, 

swinging, and oftentimes frustrating string. This can be done with a little help from friends who enjoy acting as spotters. After this, on

e progresses to balancing alone. If this is mastered, walking is next, and the trend continues until jumps, spins, and even flips are conquered!

 

To many people, this type of activity is very odd. You don't often see people tightroping between two trees, so it gets a lot of heads turning, but as soon as those reluctant individuals try it, the addiction takes control and the sport gains another fan.

 

It is a great way to socialize, as a lot of my friends have become very interested in slacklining as well. When the weather is nice and warm, the slackline is up, and lots of people are walking, talking, and laughing around it, just having a

 great time. We all support one another and offer tips and suggestions to improve balance, coordination, and enjoyment.

 

So while all of the other students are stressing over finals,

tearing out their hair, and trying not to cry, my friends are slackers, using our balance to relieve us of stress, strengthen our bodies, and to just have a good ol' time!

 

I'll see you at the end of the year!

Peace,

Collin

Photos taken by my buddy Abby

Photo 1: me

Photo 2: me again

Photo 3: Abby and me

Photo 4: Elsa

What a week!

Hello everyone, I hope all is well in all your lives and spring is giving you a bit of warmth inside and out. 

Well, I must say, I have had an exciting week since I last posted, and I also have a confession to make. I will start with some of my activities, and will end with a secret that I have been hiding from all of you, just to keep the suspense level up (are you curious yet?).

 

Well, as you may know, preparations for the year's end are being made. Finals will be here in just about two weeks, and there is definitely an excitement, but also a bit of stress, in the air. Our Paideia papers are back, we finished our second-to-last bio exam, and it has been hard to stay focused as the spring warmth floods our nice, little campus here in Decorah. As of now, I have the feeling that my finals will not be too terribly difficult, but it is a little difficult for me to know this early. It is nice to have a sense of what to expect, having gone through the motions at the conclusion of fall semester. However, it is a new set of classes, material, and professors, so there are bound to be some surprises.

 

There are also the preparations for living situations next year. I got a last-minute roomate, since my current roomate is leaving after the year to head back to Sweden. He is a swell fella who lives on my floor, and we will undoubtedly have fun together. I have to go through room draw on Tuesday, so I'll have to wait until then to see where I end up. It is up in the air as of now.

 

In other news, unrelated to school, is the bike race I had today. It was the annual Time Trials here in Decorah. The weather was quite nice for it, contrary to what was expected, having lots of rain in the last few days. This year's race was a little rough for me. I didn't eat anything but a banana for breakfast, and part-way through the race, my energy level dropped, and I had quite a hard time for the remainder of the race. It is always a good race in which to participate, so if anyone out there rides mountain bike, show up next year for the race on last Sunday of April.

 

Okay, so here is my confession. For quite some time now, I have been considering a transfer to another college. The college is one that I had been looking at since last year's college search, and it has been in my radar ever since. It is not that I dislike Luther; that is not true in the least. It is simply the fact that I have lived in Decorah for 13 years now, and I don't want to miss out on anything the rest of the world has to offer. Because of this, I applied and seriously was considering attending another school in the fall. This past weekend, I went for a visit to this particular college (my first visit, as it is on the west coast) and didn't know exactly what to expect. Let me tell you, going through the college visit is extraordinarily different after having completed a year of college. I was constantly comparing everything I saw to what I was familiar with at Luther. And, to be completely honest, this other place didn't stack up. The campus was absolutely beautiful - old growth forest, surrounded by protected state park, and a huge emphasis on all things natural - but besides that, I wasn't all that impressed. It seemed to me that every time I was expecting to find something more appealing than that which is at Luther, I was unable to do so. It made me realize that I do not really need to branch out at this point in time, Luther is a good place to be. There will be numerous times for me to explore more of the world, and I am looking forward to those opportunities, but for now, I am content. It also made me realize all that I have to appreciate at a place like Luther or Decorah. It is one of the cliché ideas that all things familiar tend to be taken for granted.

 

I am not saying Luther is for everyone, and that is just a fact of life. However, at this point in time, I am pretty confident in saying that it is a pretty good fit for me.

 

Have a fantastic week, and I will be talking to you soon!

 

Peace,

Collin

One year later...

It seems appropriate at this point in time (as the school year is winding down) to head back through the past months and put myself, once again, into the position that many high school seniors are in right now. It is hard to believe that I have been a college student for around eight months. It hardly seems that long, but I have surely grown into the position.

 

As I recall, the college decision was nowhere near easy. I was constantly weighing the criteria, including financial aid, campus beauty, distace from home, friends' school choices, and numerous others. However, these concepts do not always balance out, which makes it even more difficult. However, no matter how big of a decision it is, it is not irreversible, and chances are, something good with come of whatever decision is made. The experience you will have wherever life turns next is invaluable and should be viewed as that - it's never a mistake.

 

My choice turned out pretty well. Luther is a nice school that has a lot to offer. Granted, I knew that coming in, since I have grown up around it, and kind of know the ins and outs of the school, but I was pleased to find that there are still parts for me to learn and experience. It offers me a new perspective on the community and campus, and gives me a new place among all of the residents of the college and town. I am sure I would have had an experience that would have been rewarding in other ways if I had attended a different school, but that is all hypothetical. There is little one can lose when attending a school such as Luther or all the other schools that are very similar (except maybe some money).  Do not worry about the decision itself, for the college experience relies more heavily on what you are willing to do with it, than the place at which it is done. Your success at school is more closely related to your ability to adjust and be flexible, taking advantage of everything your school has to offer. So consider that just as much as how big the dorm rooms are, or how tasty the cafeteria's food is. I wish you all the best of luck with whatever decisions need to be made in the near future, whether they are school related or not, we all need a little help sometimes. 

 

Peace,

Collin

Catch up

Hey everyone, sorry it has been a while since the last post, it has been a little hectic getting back into the swing of things after spring break.

 

I suppose I must tell you all about my spring break in Colorado. First off, I must say that it was a fantastic way to spend my break. I had a great time with all the lovely people in an amazing part of the country. We left Decorah on a Thursday morning at six - not bright yet, but still early - and drove for around 18 hours. It was a long, partially boring drive. The scenery was quite flat until we got into the mountains, but by that time it was dark, so we didn't see much. I was one of the few who could drive a stick shift, so I did a bit of driving, considering that is what kind of car we had. We rented a couple hotel rooms in a city called Carbondale, which is about 30 miles from where we did our skiing and got a good night's rest.

 

The next morning we got up early, as we would for the next 3 days, and headed off to Snowmass mountain. There are four mountains that make up the Aspen ski area, and we visited two of them during our three days of skiing. We arrived at Snowmass right as the lifts were opening, and spent most of our time at the top of the mountain, skiing on very nice light snow, whereas the bottom had a little wetter snow (it was spring skiing after all). I was on skis the first day, and felt pretty good about it. The second day, we also spent at Snowmass but I switched off halfway through the day to a snowboard. I kept that for the third day, which was when we head to Aspen Highlands - a different mountain. The main reason I switched to the snowboard was because on the second day we got a really nice snowfall of about 4-5 inches, and it is really fun to snowboard in powder. So I split it half and half between the two modes of transportation, and I was really glad I did that.

 

The last day at Aspen Highlands was cut a bit short. Typically we skied from about 8:30 or 9 to 4 or 4:30, but there were rumors of a nasty storm hitting the area, and we wanted to outrun that on the way home. We left about 2:30 and drove for about 8 exciting hours before settling in for the night in Nebraska. We rose again early and drove the remaining 10 hours through the flat country and lots of rain before finally reaching Decorah and having a nice warm dinner in the caf. What a treat.

 

The skiing was fantastic, but something that was really neat and should not go unmentioned was the time spent with the people on the trip. The car rides, dinners, ski and hotel time were really great because of the conversation and developing friendships. I rode in the car with some really cool people and that made the trip fly by in a way it would not have if I had been making the trip alone. That is one thing all you prospective students have to look forward to. There are some really amazing people at Luther, and when you meet them and spend time with them, it really can change your outlook on things. You can make invaluable connections with the most unlikely people. It is fantastic.

 

I hope you all had a great couple of weeks. This is just a taste of something that happens at Luther that is available for students to take advantage of. Like I said, it was a fantastic trip and I would go again in a heartbeat. So all you students coming in the next years, hook up with the Backyard Wilderness Pursuits (BWP) group. It is a great thing with which to be involved! See you next time.

 

Peace,

Collin

Spring Break

Hello everyone once again. Here I am at my home in Decorah, Iowa, and not the one on Luther College's campus. That's right, many students have migrated to their hometowns or to other parts of the globe to spend spring break as they wish. 

 

I will be in Decorah for a while, but like I have mentioned before, the Backyard Wilderness Pursuits (BWP) group is heading out to Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado for three days of skiing. We will be leaving Decorah bright and early on Thursday morning, so I've got some time to relax at my house before leaving for another adventure. 

 

Well, I just wanted to let you all know what was happening at Luther, in Decorah, and elsewhere. Sorry it is so brief, but you can expect a more extensive write-up of my spring break travels when I return. Until then, take care and enjoy the first days of spring!

 

Peace,

Collin

Yellow Paper

Hello everyone-I hope life is treating you all well and you find yourself in good fortune and health. I am feeling well, but am lacking a resonating voice after a short illness. However, it is warm, the birds are singing, and everyone is letting out a huge sigh of relief.

 

Paideia papers are in and once again, a little relaxation is attainable. We had to turn in our first drafts of our papers on Monday, so you can imagine that the weekend was a little stressful for everyone. I must admit, I procrastinated a bit, but not up to a point where I hit the panic line. I finished it, and feel decent about how it turned out, so I am not worried. Sunday night holds the record for the most people in the Brandt study lounge at one time for this year. I have never seen so many people focused so intently on their computers and all working on the same project.

 

I really enjoyed researching my subject (relation between the practices of the Griots of West Africa and hip-hop of the modern world), and it was a really nice breath of fresh air when all the other papers had to do with Scandinavian immigrants and the such. I expected to have difficulty finding sources on my topic, but it was surprisingly easy. It is amazing how many scholarly articles have been written on hip-hop culture and related topics.

 

In other news, last Monday was the Ben Folds concert here on campus. It was a lot of fun. A fella by the name of Eef was the opener and had some interesting lyrics to share with us. Ben rocked the stage as always, and played a lot of music that has not come out yet, but is in the process of becoming a record. The crowd at Luther will be included in the record as cheering and sound effects! How great. But really, it was a good time, and if he is ever playing in a town near you, definitely check it out.

 

Well, kiddies, that's all I got for now. I predict that I am going to have a hard time focusing on a computer screen as the weather continues to facilitate outdoor activities, but I suppose I can make some time for all my Internet buddies. Thanks for reading!

 

Peace,

Collin

VDay

Hello all - I hope you have had good health and sunny days like we have here at Luther College. Yesterday it was 51 degrees! However, I am not going to bore you with talk of the weather.

 

So it has been a busy week/weekend. Paideia is taking up the majority of everyone's time. If you are unaware, Paideia 1 students have to do a research paper during the second half of the year. Each section's professor assigns a general topic (in my case "Ethnicity in the Upper Midwest") that leaves it pretty wide open for students to find a more specific topic to write about. I am doing a study on the hip-hop scene in the Twin Cities and how it arose from the Griots storytelling of western Africa. It will be an interesting topic I think. However, a lot of work is involved; we need to have scholarly and primary sources, an annotated bibliography and endnotes, and all citations must be in the correct format. Also, there is a plethora of information that needs to be sorted through and compiled into a coherent, and interesting, essay of about 12 pages. It is a bit daunting, but it will be over soon.

 

On Saturday I went to a performance of the Vagina Monologues. It is a set of monologues written by a woman after several interviews with women of all walks of life. It is incredibly funny, but also has parts that really make you think. It is a fundraiser for an international group that is centered around the Vagina Monologues and works to create safe environments for women and girls across the globe. So not only did I get to watch a fantastic performance, but it is also aimed at helping people. Wonderful.

 

Today is the due date for my study abroad application for next year. I am applying for a semester program in Tanzania that centers on wildlife ecology and conservation. It seems like an amazing program and I hope it works out. If not next year, I am hoping for junior year. It took me a while to fill out this application - it consisted of 14 pages of paperwork, plus two essays, and a lot of reading on cultural learning. But I have completed it, and I am satisfied.

 

Well, I have to get to Biology. I hope you have a nice winding-down-of-winter period. Take care all.

 

Peace,

Collin