Busy But Happy

Two days ago I began my day as per usual with a quick breakfast in the dining hall before class, I did, however, manage to mix up my meal just a bit, with tater tots instead of cereal. The tater tots were great, and they upheld our Proctor Group mascot, the potato. 

After breakfast, we headed to our last regular class of the week (we have class on Saturdays), It began with a walkthrough of the format of our final speech which will be on a major policy issue of our choosing. We diligently took notes on the framework of the speech, including very detailed notes on each distinct part, and did our best to absorb all of the helpful tips he gave us in order to make our speech as powerful and as well received as possible. 

My friend Ellen working away during class

Soon lunch had flone by in its usual fashion, full of laughs and the usual suspects of salads, pizzas, water, and potatoes in various forms. We returned to class and pivoted from our final speeches to a discussion and lecture on Ideological criticisms, which in  Dr. Koch's helpful explanation boils down to rhetorical critics putting on metaphorical glasses that allow them to see the values and assumptions that lie underneath the ideologies through which we all interpret the world. 

We did an example of ideological criticism in small groups to get a feel for the discipline by choosing an ideology and answering the ten key questions of an ideological criticism. My group chose to do Puritanism particularly in relation to alcohol (or in other words, the temperance movement). This proved to be very helpful in walking us through the steps as we will be conducting our own ideological criticisms when we make our field trip to The Hermitage, or Andre Jackson's house, located right near Nashville. 

When class ended it was time for the last day of this week's ACE which consisted of us taking all of the skills we had learned over past days and applying them to either a more advanced teacher-led project, or something of our own desire, with all the materials at our fingertips for the last time. I elected to follow along with the guided lesson and created quite the masterpiece on Ana if I do say so myself. 

Me posing along with my work

Following my ACE, the coveted hour of free time was used to do a bit of work for class and some group game playing with a new people who Ana, Hawi, and I met while trying to find a place to work. The game was very confusing bu Hawi joined in none the less and we all struggled to understand what was going on, still, we enjoyed ourselves in the process. 

Dinner passed quickly, and soon it was time for the main event of the day, an all VSA trip to the Adventure Science Center here in Nashville! 

The Adventure Science Center is an interactive science museum full of science exhibits that you can touch, smell, hear, and climb on or in, basically, it is my perfect museum. VSA had rented out the entire space so it was a total free-for-all, in groups of no less than 3 of course. 

We started by attacking the central climbing structure which spans several floors, seeming towering endlessly higher. The structure was filled with various science-themed interactive installations on each level, and even though many of them were sized for small children, our adventurous spirits didn't let that hold us back. 

Hawi and I at the top of the dower looking our on Nashville

The rest of the museum was also full to the brim with interesting exits galore, all of which (I think) we visited, including some on our solar system, space exploration, the human body, light, and much, much more. Overall the museum was an absolute blast. 

I took some time to call my parents before bed, this also was the day that my sister departed for China where she will be spending the next two weeks, and with all of us spread across the glob it was nice to chat with them for a bit about fermiliar topics, namely my dogs and the weather. 

Not long after my mom had said goodnight, I was fast asleep. 

Saturday started mercifully an hour later than the rest of our days here at VSA. Waking up at 8 was much appreciated because as much as I enjoy my class, getting to sleep in is a treat that if practiced in moderation, like all things, can serve as a helpful pick me up. 

Our half day of class began. Yes, we have class on Saturdays here because, as the veterans of VSA affectionately call it, this is nerd camp, and honestly my class is so interesting that I didn't mind at all. 

Before lunch, we took some time to check in with our Profesure and TA on where we were at in the several projects that we currently have underway, as well as to work uninterruptedly on those projects. This was a nice time to reflect on what we had done so far in the class and what is still to come. 

After lunch, it was time for TA time, or the two hours every week that we have to spend with our TA doing whatever our classes collective heart desires. My class chose more mafia, which we are starting to become professionals at, and later some funny cat video watching. In a very academic and scheduled environment, I have found that VSA does a great job of having time for us to just let loose, that this was a perfect example of one of those times. 

Part of my lunch today

Since it was Saturday and our ACE's were done for the week, we had a SOFT time period in the afternoon, during which I once again chose to stay in. It may sound a bit boring or like I never get out, but as an introvert, I find it really nice to have some less social time to recharge between activities. Still, it was spent it in the always wonderful company of Ana. 

After this extended free time and dinner had passed, Saturday's big daily item commenced, the first of three VSA dances, this time sponsored by S house. 

After some warm-up dancing on our floor, we all made our way to the hall where the dance was being held, with our house making a grand entrance as the last house to arrive. We entered the dance with its low lights and loud music chanting "V- House" louder and louder with every step but were soon drowned out by the volume of the room. 

On our way to the dance!

During the dance Anna, Cyndi, Maddy, and I, along with many others opted to spend most of our time in the board game room. We chatted, laughed, and played a highly coached game of checkers while the music boomed just on the other side of the wall. 

Towards the end I joined in with the dancing, bringing Anna with me, and well enjoyed singing and dancing along to some classic songs.

We returned weary and ready for bed. 

Today was another spectacular day, but in the interest of preventing this post from going on for too long, I will add it to my next one.

For a quick sneak preview, it involves petting goats, so don't forget to toon in tomorrow.