lauren_wappelhorst

Way to go Boys!!

I would like to tell you all about the football game last weekend. Yes, there was a game yesterday, but we got slaughtered, so I am more inclined to tell you about our victory last week. To start off, it is only our second season and we have already moved up a division. That is amazing, but that is a lot of pressure on a new team. We hadn't had any wins this season, but then our boys came together as a team and held their own. The entire game they were up or tied, which took a ton of effort. The time ended with a tie, so we went into overtime. The other team got to make their play first, and the succeeded!! OH NO!! We were devastated! However, they didn't get their extra point. Then it was our turn, and our guys were not ready to give up. We got the points, and then to the excitement of everyone in the UIW stands, WE GOT THE EXTRA POINT TO WIN THE GAME!! Yes, I realize that I am not using legit football terms, but everyone reading this will understand exactly what I am talking about. It was an amazing win, and it was on such a terrible night as well! It had been rainy all weekend, but we still had a great number of fans! It makes me so happy when people come to cheer on our Cards despite weather conditions. Last night with better weather, yes, we had a much BIGGER crowd, but it's the fans with undying loyalty that I salute. The RED C is getting larger, and I am very excited, because we are starting to designate our section. At the football games we are right next to the band and dancers, which is AMAZING!! They play for us, and we dance, and we all just have a grand ol time! If you ever come to check out one of our games, feel free to sit with us!!

OUR NEW STUDENT SECTION OF AWESOMENESS!!!!

Last night we went out to the volleyball game with one sole intention: CREATE A LEGIT STUDENT SECTION!!!! I was talking to Stephen, the President of SGA, and I told him that we wanted to unify the stands and create a student section. He told me to just do it. Just do it?? HOW? There is no actual student section. That's the beauty of it, according to Stephen, because we can make it up however we would like. Last night we came in carrying a giant banner that said student section and we put it back up against the top of the middle of the stands. We then proceeded to gather all of the students that we saw to come and sit with us. It was a blast! We are starting to unite students and athletes. Not only that, but the athletes came together as a whole. Usually when we are watching games, the athletes will sit apart with their own team. We are trying to break down that barrier. I mean, I think it is awesome that people come with their team to watch. We want students to sit with their teams, but we want all of the teams to sit together in the student section. It was a good start, but I think we are going to totally blow out the student section at the football game on Saturday. If ever we have ideas, it is best to try them out at the football games where we have the most intense fans. This Saturday we are going to try a group song to jam out to before the game starts and after halftime. We are going to either put rope or streamers down to guard the student section from parents. We are going to have tons of banners and posters, and tons of students are going to put on war paint and go crazy dressing up. Maybe once we sell all of our shirts we will have money to give out prizes and make noise makers and other awesome apparel. I am so excited for the RED C! People in my classes are probably sick of seeing my shirt all of the time, but at least people know when the games are!! I hope you get a chance to come out and see the RED C on fire at one of the home athletic games!!!!

Start Saving Your Pennies

Everyone start saving your pennies, because we are officially prepping for SPRING BREAK 2011!!! My cousin Mark, my roommate Katie, and I are headed to Peru. I don't know how long you have been following this blog....maybe this is your first ever read, or maybe you know that I studied abroad in South America last year. Either way, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Peru almost a year ago. I went on a ten day bus riding trip with one backpack and six other amazing people! We had an amazing adventure waking up at 3am and hiking up to the entrance to Machu Picchu to be one of the first two hundred people standing in the line. Then we hiked that other mountain on the side of the ruins. It was one of the most intense hikes I have ever been on, but I loved it! It was worth every moment of pain. Then of course we got to see the city and tons of surrounding cities and eat delicious Peruvian food. Alpaca became my all time favorite meat, and I fell in love with their beautiful Spanish. As it turns out, I will be returning. I am kind of nervous to go for spring break, because I know it will be very hard for me to come back to the US after that. I am so thankful that I had the chance to study abroad, because now I am planning to get back down to Latin America after graduation. Ok, back to the point. I have officially started working at the HEB next to my house, and I am going to save every penny possible for the best spring break trip of all time!! I just finished training to be a cashier, so now, if you guys ever stop in the store, I can ring up your groceries! It's a really fun environment, and they are super flexible with my school schedule. Every day I work will be one day closer to the excruciating pain of climbing the famous world wonder again!!

Breathe

I just wanted to take a minute and talk about Breathe, which is a new faith community on campus. As Catholic Universities around the country expand to create new opportunities for their campuses, they all seem to be facing the same problem. Catholic Universities are losing their Catholic identity. In an ever increasing effort to include all religious backgrounds, people seem to forget that their roots are Catholic. This is by no means saying that Catholic is better or that if you are not Catholic, you should not go to a Catholic school. Absolutely not. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!! However, in the strive to make sure no one feels rejected, it's almost as if the school as a whole is afraid to embrace their Catholic identity. Some students have taken this into consideration and have started up a new community on campus. The long held debate was whether to call this a ministry or community, but they finally settled on community, because that is what it is all about. Every Wednesday night students meet in the chapel for fellowship and prayer. It's a way to meet new students and celebrate the faith. Everyone is welcome, and it's a perfect opportunity to find out more about Catholicism if you don't have any background in it. The main core is to root the night in prayer, and there are several different types of prayer to be had! It's very exciting seeing people from all over campus come and share in small groups, sing together, sit in silence, and express their own faith and beliefs. I am very excited to see this group come to life, and I hope that you can come join us on some Wednesday night. There is always food and fun to be had while you are strengthening your own faith, no matter what it may be.

Perfect Chance

Last night I went to bible study with Crossroads. I think I have mentioned Crossroads before. For all of you who don't know what that is, Crossroads is a college ministry put on by the Episcopal Church here in San Antonio. The Diocesan center is literally located around the corner from the school, behind Central Market in that neighborhood. I mentioned I went the other week, because I went and met a whole bunch of students from nearby Universities. Last night we officially started a bible study that is going to focus on a specific book at a time. Greg Richards is a brilliant guy, and he is in charge of running the night. After it was over, we had a great conversation. I was telling him that I am unsure about whether or not I still want to go into prison ministry. He said that there may be an opportunity to go to Uganda over the Christmas break. Are you kidding me?! That would be amazing!! He says that it would be the perfect opportunity for me, because I could get some first hand experience with restorative justice. In Sociology there are typically two types of justice that people talk about when a criminal is sentenced. The past form of justice is just to lock up the criminal and move on to the next case. However, restorative justice looks at who has been hurt and how they can be helped. Now, some people are immediately turned off from this, because it provides a form of therapy or rehabilitation for the offender. One thing to keep in mind is that if someone commits a crime, there is obviously something lacking from them having a well rounded personality. In many cases, criminals have been abused in the past and raised in a very unhealthy environment. That never excuses behavior, but, at least, it provides a clearer picture and better understanding. Also, the most important factor is the victim. When criminals are locked up and the justice system moves on, the victim is left to fend for themselves. In many cases, people have psychological problems after being the victim of a crime, especially a uniquely violent one. Restorative justice really focuses on the victim and how they can help. Going to Uganda would be an amazing opportunity, because I would be able to meet people who have committed crimes and been the victim of crimes and the role of restorative justice in their life. I am so excited to learn more!!

Study Abroad Fair

Today I got to wear my sweet bright yellow shirt to campus. I don't know if I already told you this, but study abroad is having a GO AWAY campaign. They gave everyone who studied abroad a free bright yellow tshirt that says GO AWAY and has the top destinations on the back. They are pretty cool, and it has taken a lot not to wear it to school before today. Today was the huge study abroad fair. It was amazing!! First off , the ballroom looked really cool, because they had flags representing tons of countries from around the world. Every turn there was a new culture!! All of the international students had presentations about their country set up on the table, and lots of people were dressed up with clothes from their native country. I was trying to think what I would dress up as if I were representing Texas. Yes, I know, I am from America. I have just come to realize that America is such a diverse country that each state truly has its own unique culture. Not only that, but Texas is amazing! I have major Texas pride :) I was thinking, I would have to dress up country, complete with boots and a hat. I would probably rock a button down shirt and jeans. I feel like that could truly encompass a Texas look. Also, Texas has a ton of great cities and lots of natural beauty! Today I didn't represent a country, but I did get to talk to students about my experience abroad. It's just so sad, though, because after the earthquake in Chile, the school that I was studying at had to drop their international program. Maybe they will start it up again if funding comes back through in the next few years, but traveling in and out of countries that have had natural disasters is very tough, especially trying to get all of the paperwork through for students. In that case, I am just pushing people to Argentina. I would LOVE to go back to Argentina. I am thinking Buenos Aires is on the list of possible places to live after graduation. I guess we will just have to find out in May! I have one more class and then it's weekend time. I am just glad that I got to participate in the fair, because it was a bunch of fun!

Gender Stereotypes and Food

We had to read a few articles for my food and culture class, and I have realized that I have very strong opinions about them.

We have read three different stories that absolutely brought to light the stereotypes associated with food in our culture. Though the first story talks about women in the past, it shows the link between anorexia and emotion. Though anorexia nervosa has existed for years, the term wasn’t necessarily coined or widely used until more recent years. This story shows that women throughout time have been obsessed with their bodies. The second story sort of counteracts the first, showing that men obsess with their bodies as well, and this phenomenon has become culturally accepted in recent years. I have one thought for all four stories: It’s our fault. I know that is a very harsh thing to say, but every single person together makes up our culture. One person is not responsible for culture. Not one single person can stand up in front of a crowd and say, “This is what we are going to believe now and feel about it.” No. It takes time. It takes influences, and we all eventually become a part of it. First off, we need to stop feeding into media stereotypes of what bodies should look like. The whole world is not like us. Other cultures learn to love their bodies. My professor in Chile said that Brazil was his favorite country, because you would see EVERYONE at the beach. Old women and overweight women alike would dawn their bikinis and hit the sand. This thought would send chills down peoples’ backs, but it shows such a different view of the body, one of love. Our society tells us that we are never good enough, and we buy into that. OBVIOUSLY, because ccertain types of magazines are flying off the shelves and people are spending billions of dollars every year on quick fixes for their body flaws. Why is that? OUR CULTURE. We subscribe to these views and make profit for the people promoting them. What does that say about us? We are all raised with gender stereotypes, and they show through in all of these articles. I think it is a very interesting topic, and I cannot wait to get to class tomorrow and learn more. Especially being in the college setting, this has an even deeper impact. Guys and girls alike come into college freaking out about the freshmen 15. Freshman year is tough, because you go through a lot of changes in lifestyle. However, if you just learn to maintain balance, you will have a great experience without having to worry about your body.

San Antonio Universities

My first two weeks of senior year have been amazing!! First off, I can't believe the number of seniors I have met for the first time. I do love Incarnate Word for being a small school with small classes, but I never think of it as small. When other people tell me about the amount of people at state schools I just find it terribly overwhelming. I mean, UIW is considered a small school and yet I am meeting new people all of the time! Not only that, but this year I am really trying to branch out and make friends at other Universities. San Antonio is a very unique city, because there are tons of colleges and Universities in such a small area. First off, Trinity is LITERALLY down the street. I could walk from our campus to theirs in ten minutes. It's really nice, because our neighbors are seniors at Trinity, so we have been meeting some of their friends as they trickle over. Katie, my roommate, goes to college ministry at the Episcopal Church, and I have gotten involved in that. There are students from our school, Trinity, UTSA, and SACC, San Antonio Community College. Last night Katie's parents were in town, and we all went out to eat dinner, and her cousin Cameron came out. He is starting up his freshman year at UTSA, so that was a lot of fun comparing schools and learning about his experience. Finally, I have just started working at the HEB around the corner from our house, and there are students there from all four of the main Universities as well. Though, I have to say I am leaving out OLLU and St. Marys. I have to add them last, because they are our rivals here in San Antonio :) The fire is at our school, and we have connections to those Universities through that. It is so exciting meeting all of these college students!!

Food and Culture

I am in a food and culture class this semester, and I love it!! It is so much fun! Kate is the official anthropology teacher for our university, and she is a blast to have. If you are ever interested in taking an anthropology class, you need to take a class with Kate Herrel. She loves the major, and she has done so much traveling and research that she has a wealth of knowledge to share with everyone. The class I am taking this semester is all about how the way we eat and what we eat is formed by our culture. Everyone in the world has to eat, but humans take eating to the next level. We actually prepare our food. We put importance on who we eat our food with. We turn food into an art with our presentation. This has got me thinking a lot, because last night we had a new friend from Spain over to the house. We were all set to make pasta, but he decided that he wanted to cook for us, which was really nice. He cooked two Spanish dishes, and they were amazing!! This turned into an hour long conversation about the differences in meals between the United States and Spain. It is so funny how the anthropology class that I am taking can so easily be applied to my real life. I am really excited, because our major project this semester is going to be a pot luck. Everyone has to cook something, but we can cook whatever we would like. First, we have to find a legit cookbook. We are not just allowed to take a recipe offline, because each recipe book on the shelves is different. Dishes are described with exquisite wording and just reading the recipe book alone can give insight to the culture. I am excited, because I want to make food from a country that I know nothing about. I know this sounds bizarre, but I think I want to cook bugs. A lot of other countries eat bugs as a legit source of protein, but it is a taboo in the United States. I think it would be interesting to see what other countries write about the use of bugs for food and different ways to prepare them. Who knows if anything will want to try my dish, but I am very excited!!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Stay safe :)