One Week to Go

There is officially only one week left of school and it certainly evokes a bunch of different feelings within me. Half of me is extremely excited to begin my summer and the other half of me will miss Manhattanville and the friends that I have made here. Summer is tough because you do not get a chance to see the same people that you have been used to seeing on a daily basis for months. I have been very used to eating my three meals with the same bunch of friends and sharing our funny mishaps that occur throughout the week.

Being home for the summer definitely has its perks. Sleeping in my own bed, and plunging into the full refrigerator every 5 minutes are enticing thoughts. Life at home is much more relaxing on the mind and it helps me to escape the drama that occurs every 2 seconds here on this small campus. Living on such a small campus creates many problems and certainly MANY rumors.

While on campus, I have finalized some plans that I had lingering for the summer. I booked my European vacation to Italy for 2 weeks in June, and found myself a little job coaching soccer to young children. I hope that throughout the summer I can find more of a full time job coaching because that id what I truly love to do. I also decided to play with my PDL soccer team, the Westchester Flames. This Semi-Pro team does much traveling on the East Coast and gives me a chance to visit some states that I would not normally visit.

With one week left to go before my summer begins, I have to make sure that all of my final exams go smoothly and that all of my lingering assignments are completed. I also have to make sure that everything is moved out of my room, a seemingly never-ending task! Being a part of the soccer team, I have to make sure that the off season assignments are picked up and followed through out the summer.

Junior year of college has been a special experience for me thus far, but it was not easy. I think that it has been the most stressful year so far, so maybe some really cold Iced Tea by the beach will do me some good! I know that once I drop the last bag off in my room at home, and take a good look around and see how neat and quiet it is, I will miss the 5 roommates that I have at school. Most people think that I am crazy for feeling this way but I enjoy being around people. Silence to me is a killer and it makes me think too much!

Unwanted and Unnecessary Stress

This time of the year for students is probably the most stressful and hectic. The period of final exams for college students is the worst time of the semester because everyone is trying to get the credits that they need to move on with their studies. The final exams of second semesters are always crazier than those of the first semester because school is over and closed before students get their grades. This makes life difficult on students because if there are last minute thigns that need to be handed in, or discussions that need to take place over grades, teachers are no where to be found. All in all, final examinations are terrible, but those of the second semester are 100x worse!

I feel like this semester has been one filled with unwanted stress and pressure, more so than any other semester in my college career. This is a product of classes with tons of homework and group assignments. Group assignments are the most difficult because students all have their own lives, and their own seperate busy schedules, so agreeing to specific times for meeting has been such a hassel. I think that I have consumed more REDBULL and coffee this spring semester than I have in a very long time. I needed these stimulants to stay awake during the long study nights in the library. This semester, soccer was not even in season, but the weightlifting and indoor games took up so much of my time that sometimes my grades were affected by it.

Stress is probably the single most detremental factor to a person, and a student in particular. According to Medicine.net , stress is defined as : "Stress is simply a fact of nature—forces from the outside world affecting the individual." Juggling a social life, an academic one and an athletic one, along with balancing a family life is so much to handle. There were many times this semester when I felt like it was just a huge weight on my shoulder and I was at the breaking point. To handle my stress, I would often go out for a jog or lay outside on the grass and stare up at the sky. I definately feel that when I get overwhlemed, being around people is something I try and avoid. People just put too many thoughts into my head and just add to the frustration. Stress, in my opinion, is one of the most dangerous "illnesses" that exist because it makes people do crazy things. When people feel like their back is against the wall, they will do ANYTHING to ease that pressure. I am grateful that my stress was over nothing major and that I did not have to do anything crazy to relieve that.

With the year comming to a close, my stress this week is still at al all time high, but after this upcomming week, I am positive that I will feel better and that I will have the whole summer to soak up the sun and drink ice tea by the pool. I have a nice vacation to look forward to and many ideas to make my summer an interesting one.

My Heritage

I think that it is definately important for someone to stay close to their cultural roots and really get to know what their heritage is. People today have really lost a sense of cultural identity and have ignored where their ancestors came from. Everything from learning through books and photos to hearing stories and visiting homelands are great ways to never really forget who you are as a person of a cultural background.

I am of Italian decent and my family definately makes sure that I never forget it! My family is really not your average Italian family because they pride themselves on being not Italian-American, but Italian! We still make our very own tomato sauce and wine seasonally, and curate our own olives and prosciutto in the garage of the house. My family believes in doing these unique activites not only because the food tastes good, but because it keeps a family very close together. In the process of doing these things, the younger generation gets to sit with the older ones and learn of past events and history that made the family who it is today. Through cultural activites such as these, I have grown to appreciate being an Italian and what the Italian people have to endure to become the close-knit community they are today.

When Italians do things, it is always in excess! There is never a dish on Sunday afternoon that is not over-flowing with pasta, and never a household that is not playing an Eros Ramazzotti cd while they are getting dressed. I have been to plenty of weddings and parties where the host went above and beyond to show everyone that they had every intention of hosting a good party. One thing I have noticed though, is that Italian's are genuine people who just want to get the most out of life.

I have been to Italy more than a handful of times in my young life, and have already had the opportunity to live there for just about 2 years on my own. This was a great experience for me and really gave me a sense of what being a true Italian really consists of. The ideals and values of the italian people are extraordinary and the lifestyle is so different that the American one. I loved getting up early in the morning and having a freshly brewed cappuccino and hot pastry, while reading the daily sports newspaper. Just walking through the streets, surrounded by such ancient culture, evokes these inexplainable feelings. I wish that all Italian-Americans get a chance to experience what I did, and they would finally really love every aspect of the Italian way of life.