Five Possible Worst days: Kidney Stone ordeal

My Kidney Stone Ordeal: The Five Possible Worst Days of My Life

You know, I understand that life is “not without a struggle”, but why can I not live my life in one piece more than a whole year without any obstacle?! My experiences by far at Stonehill have truly been some of the happiest days of my life.  At the same time, it has also been a true roller coaster! For a period of time, life is great and the people around you become even greater.  You find yourself high off life; floating like a butterfly, you become invincible (at least you think). And then the next moment, you get a rude awakening and it brings you back down to reality. It is almost as if God is telling you to stop getting too far ahead of yourself. But anyways, enough of the philosophical talk. The point is, my experiences at Stonehill by far have been bitter sweet. What are the sweet times? Becoming a member of ALANA-A Big Brother Big Sister (ABS), the Peer Mentor team, and getting to experience the 2012 Spring break in NOLA New Orleans. And then came the bitter, the rude awakening of a lifetime; losing a friend/hall mate in the worst way known to man. Like DAMN Stonehill, what else do you have in stored for me over the next few years? I mean, should I even be looking forward to my junior year? Absolutely! But seriously, how annoying! At the same time who or what should I be annoyed by? God? The world? Society? My immune system? I can’t really say God because God is after all the reason I’m still here in the first place. The reason I am able to keep pushing through my struggles. I can’t really blame my immune system either. Well, because it’s not always that I get that sick. As a matter of fact, never have I been that sick, at least as long as I can remember. Kidney stones? What the hell is that? My usual illness is coughing my life away once every random period of the year. Colds don’t even have a chance because I usually kick it to the curb. And then all of sudden Kidney stones? I guess I’m not nearly as immortal as I think I am after all. My unusually painful discovery of Kidney stones was that reality check I needed, unfortunately. A few Wednesdays ago, the 19^th of September was truly one of those days I’ll never forget. Sitting in my Elementary Spanish class, waiting for the last 20-minutes of class to end, I started feeling a pain in my lower abdominal, Physicians would say.  I completely underestimated the pain, even after class. Went to get breakfast, a cup of fruit to be exact, no help. Used the bathroom, no help. Took my keys and decided to take a trip to the health services. It became the longest 3-minute walk of my life. I had to stop twice to make sure I wasn’t going to lose my balance; by the second stop, the pain had moved to my left lower back. Oh boy, I thought that was the end of time for me. I walked into Health Services and within 5-minutes they called the ambulance and I was admitted to the hospital. Admitted to the hospital? In an ambulance? When had that ever happen to me? Never! Like they say, there’s always a first time for everything. There surly is a first time for everything because from the uncomfortable ambulance ride, with IV stuck in my arms and oxygen in my nose even though I didn’t even need it; to life in the ER for about 5-hours. After rolling around for a solid half an hour, I was finally given meds to slow the pain. During the 5 hours I was in the ER, I came across about 5 or 6 different physicians, all specialized in different things. From an IV by a student nurse, to a blood drawing, to a urine test, to a CAT scan. The CAT scan and the Urinary specialist who was my main nurse were my personal favorites. They had personalities much like mine; relaxed, friendly, outgoing and always wanting to get to know more about someone on a personal level. I pretty much became best friends with the CAT scan dude. Quick facts: He was this small built man, born and raised in Haiti until his sophomore year of high school. He played soccer for a couple years and could have gone on to play in college but chose not to. He chose to focus on the academic aspect of college instead of the social life of a varsity athlete. This was where we connected because I personally also had the choice to play a varsity sport, football but I chose to focus more on the academic and leadership aspect. He then went on a rant about how I made the right decision because of how short an average football player career is, and how even with college football you aren’t guaranteed a spot at the pros. He then made a very important point about how he’s been in the business for 12-years and can go on for another 30-years if he wants to, unlike a pro football player. So how did I find the time to know all this about the specialist and have such a life conversation? Well, this all happened between him giving me two giant plastic bottles of what he called “banana smoothies” and the trip to the CAT scanning room, and in the middle of undergoing the treatment. I am not sure if this was all to distract me from the pain, but it most definitely worked. As for my lady nurse she just wanted a pee sample and I just could not pee! For hours and hours of being drugged up, I just kept knocking out and waking up. I felt like I needed to pee but it just wouldn’t come out. She would come in like, “do you have to pee yet?” The usual response was “nope!” I was then finally discharged with Percs for the pain and who knows what else, to smooth out my 2-millimeter Kidney stone. The nurse came in once again like “still haven’t peed yet? All I want is a tea spoon!” This made me laugh a little even though I wasn’t in this best mood to laugh. She sounded somewhat frustrated but I did end up giving her what she wanted and got out of there as fast as I could. What amazed me the most that day was the amount of teamwork it takes to diagnose a problem. Everyone came in, did what they needed to do and left. It was pretty cool to see everything I’ve learned in healthcare so far in full action. I mean of course I would rather not have seen it take place on me, but hey what other options did I have? What I did take away at the end of my overall ER experiences was how terrible of a customer care system the Good Samaritan Hospital has. It wasn’t necessarily the specialists, because they were all great people, it’s the hospital system. I haven’t been to enough hospitals to judge based on all hospitals, but from my short-terms personal experiences, I am willing to make the judgment against the Good Samaritan. I realized that my second trip into the ER for extreme nausea. For a solid day and a half I could not stop throwing. I probably puked about six times between Thursday night and Friday until I left for the ER. I thought it may have been from the hard medications, but nope, according to the doctor it was effect of the pain. Throwing up is apparently a usual reaction to pain caused by Kidney stones. Well it surely was great to hear that, because my girlfriend (MaryCharlotte Buck) and Stonehill’s health services thought I was dying or something. Well anyways, now that I was back in the ER, I could not get a bed! I waited for a solid TWO hours along with my friends who I feel like I owe my life to: MC, my roommate and brother from another mother Austin Alfredson, his girlfriend Tori aka Vicki Kane and Julia Kennedy. While sitting around waiting for medical attention, the meds had worn off and the pain had kicked in. The longer we waited the more the pain progressed. I suppressed the pain, took a nap, woke up, and still no help. When I finally did get a bed, it took me another couple hours to see a doctor.  I got there at 5-ish and didn’t see a doctor until 10:05PM to be exact. All I wanted was quick medical explanation to why I had been puking my life away and how to prevent it. A process that could have been dealt with really within 20-minutes! Such torture I went through that night. I understand that with hospital systems, services are not always given on first come first serve basis. It is mostly based on the intensity of a situation, or who is in need of the most medical attention. Which is completely understandable as a Healthcare Administration Major, but all I wanted was some type of meds to knock me out! I didn’t mind lying there peacefully or waiting patiently until those who needed more medical attention were taken care off. The problem was it was not a peaceful wait! As my girlfriend saw, I was rolling around on the bed, in pain like I’ve never had before this whole ordeal! I would love to have been exaggerating this situation, but exaggeration is the farthest thing from the pain I felt those first couple days.  There’s really no way to actually describe the kind of pain Kidney stone patients endures. A student IV nurse told me he’d met a few parents who have had kidney stones in the past who said it was more painful than giving birth in most cases. That is pretty much the best way to articulate the pain caused by kidney stones. Looking on the bright side, that night was really the last night of the most painful stages of my kidney stone experience. I do remember the nurse stating that the pain level would drop as soon as the stone falls into the bladder. What she did not specify was how I was going to feel next.  UTI anyone? Urinary Tract Infection? Yes UTI! Men much like me before this experience, wouldn’t know a thing about UTI, but women can surely attest to everything I am going to say about UTI. So after my last night (Friday) at the ER, I realized the difference in pain. It was no longer the giant cramp kind of feeling down my lower Abs; the pain became more of a constant burning sensation. The most uncomfortable stage of passing Kidney Stones; From Saturday morning until the passing of the Stone on Monday evening, I felt as if I had to pee every second. Imagine the feeling you usually get in the middle of the night. The feeling of wanting to pee really badly. The experience that causes you to wake up in the middle of the night and run to the bathroom. Imagine that experience but every second of the day.  And did I also forget actually having to go to the bathroom every fifteen minutes of the day? And waking of 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom? How else can I express how miserable I felt? The Monday evening after my Urologist appointment, I passed the stone. No pain like many people expected. What shocked me the most was the color of the fluid I saw coming out of my body. It was not pee for a fact. Someone once told me it may have been blood; it did not look like blood! This fluid was more mud water looking than anything; brown! With the brown fluid came the Stone of course, which I was able to keep track of. I had to pee in a medical funnel for the entire five days. Attractive isn’t it? I did not use it at all times of course because I refused to take it with me when I finally left the house. I just hoped it didn’t pass when I was out; the physicians wouldn’t have been so happy with me. What I found even more interesting was the before and after effect; the night and day feeling. I came from having this painful sensation in my bladder to being alive again! All within seconds. That particular experience was quite strange, but it made me the happiest man alive. So why and how did I get a Kidney stone? Long story short, it is really a matter of luck. Luck because Kidney stones are made from a high consumption of calcium. Since when have calcium been a negative effect? Dairy products? Ice cream? Vitamins?  What?! Did I also mention high consumptions of proteins? I am African for Christ’s sake. All we do is eat meat! Well according to the Urologist, I have a 10% chance of getting another one within the next 10-years. His recommendation? Drink, Drink and Drink! Not alcohol of course, but lots of fluid. You don’t have to tell me twice! Not going through that again.

 

 

Ron Burton Training Village 2012: Part II

RBTV Messages, The Great Paul Burton

If I am not mistaken I did mentioned a little about motivational speeches as one of RBTV’s common activities. Well these speeches are mostly prepared and presented by the great, the one and only, the legendary Paul Burton. A quick bio about whom this man Paul is. Paul Burton is the youngest of the Burton brothers and sister. One of the hardest working men I know. Why is he such a hard worker? I mean, his educational Statistics prove it all. He has “BA in Communications, Masters in Journalism, and Masters in Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry”. Anyone who is associated with the Burton camp and is familiar with PB’s camp responsibilities and commitments would wonder, when and how in the world did he find the time? As a journalist, Paul is the major face of Ron Burton Training Village. If Paul isn’t doing his normal everyday motivational speeches, he is either preaching his one of a kind sermons on Sundays, recording camp activities for the end of the year conclusion video, organizing important camp events like Ron Burton Day (Mr. Burton’s birthday celebration with all sponsors), or even mowing one of RBTV’s 300 acres lawn! Taking about humility huh? Did I also mention his yearly Boston marathon running events in behalf of the camp? Well there you go; he truly is the face on the Ron Burton Training Village. Aside from being the legend that he is, Paul is personally my mentor, my father figure, my go to guy, my friend, and my inspiration. Clearly someone I want to be like when I grow up. Anyways, just thought I should display how valuable PB is to the Burton camp before talking about the messages, his messages that had made such a great impact on many of our lives over the past years. For as long as my young mind can remember, Paul has always been the major motivational speaker at camp. One of my favorite messages of all time by Paul is “stepping in the wheel barrel”. The message behind this quote is about trust and faith. Never in life are you given a visual outlook of your future. Even more profound, life doesn’t guarantee success. As any good individual, you learn to live life according to faith, hoping and trusting that your hard work and dedication will pay off. The key words are Hope, Trust and Faith. By stepping in the when barrel, you are basically saying yes, I am willing to have faith in God and trust that he will make it happen. Whenever the word faith comes to mind, I think walking in the maze of life, blind-folded. You can’t see anything, but you just hope that you are walking towards the right direction. This message was presented my possibly 2^nd or 3^rd year of camp and it stuck with me all these years. Proximately four years ago, PB discovered the idea of creating a yearly theme. Themes such as “Not Without A Struggle” “Maximize The Moment” and “Embrace the R.A.C.E (Reaching After Christ Everyday)”. This year’s theme was “The Urgency of Now” The urgency of now in my understanding is basically maximizing the moment. Realizing that life is short; I mean, according to the books, “A man’s life is nothing but a breath”. Literally, a BREATH. In other words, any second can be the end; so why not live best of the life that was given? The URGENCY, meaning now! Not next year, not next week, not tomorrow, but now! Wanting something, now! Setting a goal and going after it now! There’s really no other way to explain it. How does he come up with these themes? I have no clue but it really gets you thinking about your place in life; where you belong and how you’re going out. AKA your legacy. I guess that’s where Masters in Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry takes you.    Throughout the five weeks, Paul incorporate messages in his sermons relating to the theme; messages that would allow campers and staff to fully comprehend the true meaning of “Urgency of Now”. “Living on both sides of the fence”; “you have one walk in the garden (the garden of life). If you do it right, one walk is all you need”; and my personal favorite, “Busted and Disgusted!” These are all my favorite quotes from this summer’s sermons. Living on both sides of the fence is phrase for lukewarm Christians; living a double life. This phrase pretty much relates to all young adult Christians. Paul’s explanation was, basically one moment we are living a holy life, we are the perfect child at home, in the presence of our parents; the second we leave the house, back to school, at parties, everything changes. “You become the master your domain”He said. The truth and nothing but the trust, what else can be said? Reality check really. The garden walk quote really goes back to the urgency of now. We realistically don’t have many lives, neither are we always given second chances in life. The first walk you get in the garden might be your only walk. And like Paul said, if that walk is right, one walk is all it takes. And there is “Busted and Disgusted!” a phrase supposedly used back in the days at camp when a person was caught in the “act”; the act, meaning doing something wrong of course. The word “disgusted” in the phrase on a personal note is the overwhelming feeling you get after being caught in the act. The guilty, uncomfortable feeling no one ever wants to come across. This phrase is pretty much what happens when we’re caught on the wrong side of the fence. “Busted and Disgusted!” And of course I’ve abused the phrase all summer and I most likely will all year for my own amusement. Got to love it!

Huddle 5: 2012’s Best Huddle!

Going a week late to camp this summer from orientation as a Peer Mentor, I did not know what to expect. I felt anxious, I felt excited. Excited for what the 2012 summer was to bring.  I was excited for who I was to have in my huddle, my partner or partners for the summer as well as my roommates. My hopes were really for a great group of guys on and outside the field. 14 group of guys who are willing to be good listeners, hard workers and great competitors. Everyone knows I hate to lose. Upon my arrival, people told me, you have a good huddle but your co-huddle leader is a clown. “He jokes around a lot, he acts like another camper”. My response was pretty much, “we’ll see”. When I finally got to meet with my huddle members as a group, I promised them we were going to be the best huddle at camp despite what other thought. And if they do their jobs as campers I was going to do my part as their huddle leader and nominate them for whatever award they felt like they deserved towards the end of camp. Not to be cocky but we were sure enough one of the best huddles at RBTV 2012. Realistically we were not perfect of course. We did not always have neatest beds, nor did we have the best bunk area. We may not have come first in order for breakfast every morning but we sure were up there majority of the time! And yes, at RBTV we eat in the order according to how neat and uniformed our huddle’s beds are. Bed making and good hygiene is one of the major disciplines at camp, an everyday norm.  Besides, I did not promise them perfection. Being one of the best I believe doesn’t mean perfection; it means consistently competing to be on that podium when appropriate. It might not always means first place, but at the end of the day you should make that podium no matter the cause; and that’s what we did, majority of the time. As for my co-huddle leader Dorian Hunter, he turned out to be nothing like everyone said. I mean, he is naturally a jokester; that’s his personality and it should not be taken away from him. When it mattered he stood up and did his job as a leader, better than I ever expected; especially as a young leader at that rate. I could not have asked for a better partner to replace by brother from another mother and ex-partner of two years Austin Alfredson. Well “replace” is not the exactly the right word to use because two years of sold brotherhood can obviously never be replaced. But only an upcoming junior in High School, Dorian was there whenever I needed him. I did not ever have to tell him what to do; he knew his place as a leader. Almost as if he read my mind every time. The communication itself was off the chart! It was over all an outstanding partnership between Dorian and I and it could not have gotten any better.

Then there is my huddle! Huddle 5, 2012. I cannot express in words how much I love those kids and their personalities. We had our ups and downs, we fought like every brothers do, but by the end of the day we were family. But then again out of every great family, is a black sheep. And out of every delicious garden, is a bad apple. Why the analogy? Well…that’s exactly what happens. There is always that one kid who drags the rest of the group. That one kid who refuses to follow orders, that one kid who refuses to cooperate, that one kid who is always negative, and then there is that one kid who’s constantly starting a fight. Oh my goodness, headache! This little individual truly tested my patience as a leader. I loved this kid to death, but I hated his rebellion ways! I just couldn’t get him on my side. It came to a point where I was like, “you know what, I give up. You’re on your own buddy; I no longer have your back. You do what you pleased and if you do get kicked out, then let it be”. But then I couldn’t do it, I didn’t have the guts to look him in the eyes every day and just not care. I remembered telling myself, Dorian and the rest of the huddle towards the last couple days of camp, “There’s is no way on this planet is he getting an award, he doesn’t deserve it!” But then once again, me and my soft hearted self couldn’t commit. As we went down a long list of awards, we couldn’t find any award that represented this little individuals’ character. Not sportsmanship, not sweetness, and God knows not Ron Burton award! And then there was “Ironman”. The Ironman award is presented to someone who pretty much is physically an Ironman; someone who goes hard on the run, on the obstacle courses, and someone who consistently goes hard in the gym. Well, although this little trouble maker wasn’t consistent on the run, he no doubt was an Ironman. If there was one award he deserved, it was the Ironman award and I could not deny him of it. I somehow managed to convince my co-huddle leader Dorian and the nomination became official. But then of course the award wasn’t guaranteed because it still had to go through the Burton family and the rest of the head staff. Apparently they did agree with me because at the end of the ceremony Mr. Ironman came up to me and said, “Thank you for the award!” It was almost as if he was also saying, thank you for not giving up on me. What do you say to that? I don’t even remember what exactly I said to him but I surely am glad I did not give up on him. I am not sure if he took anything away from this entire experience but I know I did. What did I learned? I learned that I am one step mature than last summer and I am a better leader and overall a better person than I was a year ago. As for the rest of my campers, I would love to talk about every one of their individual personalities in details but that’s just craziness. There’s way too many of them, 10 to be exact. Shout out to huddle five! Dorian Hunter (Ohio), Zac Coaston (California), Owen Boucher (Newton), Sabree Edwards (North Carolina), Leo Kotomori (Boston), Nate MacDonald (Hopkinton), Angel Machicote (West Borro), Kane Medina (Newton), Luis Rivera (Boston), Freddy Simones (Framingham) and my big boi aka future NFL star, Jeff MacArthur (Natick)!

Ron Burton Training Village 2012: Part I

Ron Burton Training Village From My Perspective

Introduction:

Ron Burton training village (RBTV) has been my save haven for the past 9-years. 5-years as a camper and 4-years as a leader. Located down in the jungles of Hubbardston Mass, the RBTV is one a kind. Literally, the only training village in the world. Kids from all over the U.S and of all sports and all skills are invited. Well that’s’ if you’re blessed enough to make it pass the 2-years waiting list. The RBTV is a Christian based training camp with great morals and values. Morals like “God first, Others second, Me third” and “Love, Peace, Patience, and Humility”. Because it is a training camp after all, we wake up at 4:30 in the morning, run 7.5-miles a day, 5-days a week, for 5-weeks. Yes everyone is required to run. From an 11-years old going into middle school to a senior in High school. As long as you are an athlete you are obligated to do the run despite your individual sport. It can be golf, tennis, and swimming, or baseball, football, basketball, track or wrestling, everyone means everyone. Even as a leader in college you are strongly recommended to run. Why? Well because that’s what great leadership is; leading by example. Why is it an obligation for campers? Because the 7-mile run is really more than just a morning run. It’s all about mental toughness, going the extra mile, pushing on to the finish line even when your body says no and of course never giving up. As an 11, 12, or 13 years old, it is a challenge understanding from this perspective, but as the years go by and as puberty and maturity kicks, you start to see things differently. That is really when the real camp begins. It becomes more than just having fun for five weeks with 130 friends, it becomes more about training for the next level of life, mentally, socially, academically, athletically, and of course spiritually. Behind the morning run, there are trainings like the obstacle course, clinics for individual sports, stations on rainy days, sprints in the form of cat and mouse, four corners, relays and more. Aside from the physical aspect, there is reading time for younger campers, who unfortunately have to deal with the struggles of summer reading, and SAT sections for the older campers, from freshman year and up. College recruits, sponsor visits and motivational speeches are all a common way of life at RBTV.  Singing praise songs, praying before every meal as well as 15-minutes of quite time to focus on God, meditate on everyday life privileges and struggles are common spiritual activities at the Ron Burton Training Village. And of course, Church on Sundays and nightly Bible study. Not your typical summer camp huh? Absolutely not!

Limitless Opportunities:

The opportunities provided at RBTV are truly limitless. I mean, what other camp in the world do you wake up at 4:30am and run 7.5-miles anyways? Where else on the face of the planet do kids go away for 5-weeks and train physically, mentally, and spiritually? But then again where else are kids given 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th chances in life and are fully loved despite their past? Finally, what other summer camps that exist at this moment where campers get to be recruited by some of the top colleges in the country for the opportunity of a full ride, all based on their individual characters?  There’s truly none. The opportunities really are endless when the kids choose to grasp it. I know I did, and my life was forever transformed. How so? I mean, I am on a full ride at Stonehill College, my dream school for as long as I’ve been associated with the camp; only because of my character.  Only at the RBTV would you fine such an opportunity I believe. This past summer was hands down one of the most exciting summers I’ve spent at RBTV. For the month I was at camp, I got the opportunity to meet the President of Reebok worldwide, the President of Hill Holidays (the biggest advertisement company in Boston), the President of the Yawkee foundation for the second time, and many more important business owners. People who really have been there, done that, and now are living their dreams. I also got to meet, trained and lived with representatives from the Naval Academy, West Point, and the Air Force Academy. One of my favorite things about getting to meet these individuals is getting to listen to everyone’s stories and experiences. Basically how they get to where they are, and what it’s like being where they are.  Once again, only at RBTV. On the 20^th of July, a week before camp, we went on a fieldtrip for the first time in ages. We were fortunately invited to the Reebok headquarters, the home of cross-fit fitness for a full day experience. While there, we got a taste of a typical cross-fit workout and participated in a friendly competition in sports such as volleyball, soccer, kickball and basketball. I personally took part in a game of volleyball on a team with a reebok employee who was once a volleyball star. I played next to this beautiful Sweden lady not realizing how big of a deal she was. She was literally a boss. After getting to talk to her at lunch, I discovered that she was the boss of Reebok’s advertisement department. She basically over sees everything associated with Reebok worldwide, having to do with posters, logos, billboards, and TV commercials. Like I was saying, only at RBTV would you get such an opportunity. In closing of the Reebok adventures, we were surprised with a special guest; a future hall of famer and member of the Reebok family, Demarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys. One last time…Only at RBTV! Well not exactly, but the point is very obvious. The opportunity truly is endless and I am blessed to have been part of it for the past 9-years of my life.       





Orientation 2012 at Stonehill!

The Training:

This was my very first orientation experience as a peer mentor. All I can say is, love it, love it, loooveed it! The training itself was over all an entirely different experience of its own. I walked in late to the first meeting due to my Stats class and was put on a complete blast. My brother from another mother Johnny Jo figured it would be amusing to get all 60 people to clap for me the second I arrived. I have to admit I did feel a little embarrassed but at the same time I felt honored. That moment was really the beginning of a great week to come. Favorite memories, I would have to say are all of the night time activities. From salad bowl to capture the flag, to where the wind blows, to sardines in the  Creepy Sem, and my personal favorite, touch someone who. Salad bowl was just hilarious as hell. That’s about the right way to sum it up. Capture the flag was fun and all but it was not in comparison to the intensity of RBTV’s old school capture the flag. The RBTV’s old school capture the flag course consists of giant cinder blocks that can be used as shields. It makes the game twice as intense but also forces you to be more alert when running. Then there is of course the newer version, on an open field, much like the capture the flag played at orientation. Where the wind blows is basically the best way to expose a person’s privacy. You could walk in with your deepest and darkest secrets and by the end of the night pretty much everyone will most likely know your business. It’s also a way to call out a friend or to be called out. In the words of the great Paul Burton, “busted and disgusted”. God knows I’ve been victimized many times. The worst call outs are those indirect ones where it’s not directly targeting you but yet you were somehow involved in the act. Somehow it is the group’s favorite activity. You just got to love it!  Touch someone who is my personal favorite because it’s really a way of recognizing who has had a positive impact on your life.  For example, “touch someone who made you smile, or touch someone who you admire.” Aside from the recognition aspect, it is nice to know that there is someone one out there who appreciates you for just for being you, making a difference in someone else’s life. Personally for me, I get pleasure out of doing good deeds for people, or just making someone smile.  There’s really no better feeling than that. I heard the values game was pretty intense as well but I unfortunately wasn’t able to participate. I was too busy studying for my stats exam back at home. The info sessions were most definitely my least favorite. It really wasn’t that bad, I’m just not a fan of listening to long conversations in a million degree weather. My concentration goes from 100% to 0%. I‘m actually surprise I stayed up in almost all of the sessions. The small groups in the form of speed dating really did the work, or else I would have been dozing off in every session. It truly was a learning experience, although it was mostly information for the mentees. I feel as if I know more about all the opportunities offered at Stonehill more now than ever.  My overall personal favorite part of the orientation training process? The FOOD! What else can it be? The food really wasn’t all that great but it was all free! I really can’t complain and no other PM should either because it was all given.  Besides, all it really takes to make this man a happy camper is food.

Orientation, The Stress!

First day of orientation was quite a mess thanks to someone who I thought I could depend on. Well, it really all started the Sunday before the first orientation and my stats final. I left earlier that morning to go home and prep for my final; which I did, all hours of the day until 3am. Rewinding a week before, I had asked a friend of mine to give me a ride back to school ASAP after my Stats final. He texted me saying “blah blah blah… I’m not working on Monday I got you with a ride.” He’s always been loyal to me about rides, about everything, so I had no reason not to trust him. The week had flown by, it’s the day before my Stats final and the first day of Orientation, my very first Orientation, the day I had trained hours and hours for. I texted him, “hey buddy you still got me tomorrow?” No response. Called, no response. “Hey is everything alright? Can you still take me tomorrow?” Zero response. At this point I want to get nervous but I don’t have the time to get nervous because I needed all the concentration on my study. It’s now 10pm and I’ve gotten no response so I thought I would send him a quick message on Facebook. “Hey buddy I’m not sure what’s up with your phone but I hope you can still scoop me tomorrow. I really need to be there...blahh blahh pick me up at FSU at blah time and I’ll be ready to go blahhh blah blahh.” I went back to my studies until 3am. Exhausted and brain dead, I decided to check my Facebook for the last time, hoping I finally got a reply. Well, I did get a reply, it was more like “blah blah my phone broke, blah blah I’m going to try and get a new one tomorrow, blah blah sorry I can’t give you a ride, blah blah blah.” Holy crap if I wasn’t stressed enough before for my exam, imagine how I was feeling now at that moment. My emotions? Angry, betrayed, angry, confused, anxious, more angry, angry and very furious! It’s 3:00am, who in the world can I call or text at this moment that’s actually going to pick up? The most I could do was text a couple dependable friends, hoping one of them would come through for me. 7:30am and I still haven’t heard from anyone. Then all of a sudden, almost back to back, I get a text from 2 people stating that I was basically out of luck. I dressed up, went to my exam, hoping I would get lucky with the last guy. I most definitely felt like the luckiest man alive because I received a text on my way to FSU saying, “don’t worry Tom, I got you”. My very last hope of making it to Orientation. Everything I’ve worked for, the interviewing process, the essays, the evaluations, and the hours and hours of training. Everything I worked for since January was almost taken away from me only because of one person’s selfish, unprofessional act. Basically who knows what could have happened if I chose to assume I still had a ride and hadn’t Facebook messaged this individual? That would have been the end of it for me. But hey, I recently read a scripture; “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 This scripture definitely made me realize that I do have forgiving problems. I mean I think I am pretty forgiving but I really don’t forget. So basically what I am saying is that I no longer have any anger against this individual, but I am also no longer willing to trust this individual.  At this point there are really only a few people outside of Stonehill and the Ron Burton Training Village, that I can call trust worthy friends.  It doesn’t bother me much because that’s just the many Realities of life.

Orientation, The Fun Begins!

Though it was such a hectic process to get there, I did make it, and yes it was hands down my best experience at Stonehill by far. I don’t think I have ever been so consistently enthusiastic about anything. I didn’t know what to really expect of the kids arriving so late, but I couldn’t wait to get to finally meet them. I got there, introduced myself and all I really did from there was be myself and kept it real.  Within a short period of being there I noticed how fast they were coming around. I was no longer the random new guy in the group. Well never mind the fact that my lovely partners surprisingly made a flat head of me on a stick to pass around to the kids until I got there. I came and they all already knew what I looked like, the most hysterical occurring of the week. While at the store trying to figure out how we can bring MTKC alive, we came across a slap on bracelet that said “Be your-self”. The “Be Yourself” Bracelet was to be passed onto a group number who was being themselves at any point during the orientation. Being yourself could mean stepping out of your comfort zone and getting to know someone you wouldn’t normally talk to. This idea was inspired by one of the many silly PM activities called the “Awkward project”. The mentees really grasp the idea of the bracelet which made Mama Kristen aka KK very proud! I say this because I was surprisingly given the bracelet by one of the girls. I was in complete shock but yet it was a special moment. Her reason for giving me the bracelet? According to her I came as the new guy in the group and didn’t really act much like the new guy. In other words, she appreciated my personality and me being myself in order for them to have a great time at orientation. We really lucked out with both orientation groups! We had awesome group of kids in both groups; they were motivated and excited for the overall orientation experience as well as the full experience at Stonehill. Of course there’s always that awkward elephant in the room at first but the awkward barrier was broken soon enough. It was really cool to see how they all transformed from awkward little turtles into their true personalities. What I found the most interesting about orientation was getting to see and experience the differences; differences as in orientation as a mentee, and orientation as a Peer Mentor. Being a Peer Mentor really is a piece of work, work that is completely under-rated. So much time, planning and excitement goes into it that you don’t normally see as a mentee. I mean, the excitement by itself can be exhausting. I have so much more respect and appreciation for it now that I’ve personally experienced it.     

Group Name/ Partners

Hands down the classiest group name of the year! The name MTK was created the first day we were introduced to our partners. Yes it only took us one time and maybe five minutes of knowing we were going to be working together. Now that’s connection and team bonding. The meaning of MTK is as obvious as it gets. M as in Mallory, T as in Thomas and K as in Kristen. As simple as it is, we take a lot of pride in our group names and slogan. MTK was later expanded to MTKC when the mentees became involved. Well towards the end of training, using the lottery method, we were told to pick from a list of words that could potentially be our group names. Being a first year Mentor, my partners chose me to do them the honors of choosing a word out of a brown paper bag. The word was “Classy”!  “Oh we classy huh?” This phrase later became the group’s slogan, slightly stolen from the original song “oh you fancy huh”? The group then became MTKC, with a twist on the “classy”. The word “classy” was replaced with “Crew”, Mallory, Thomas, Kristen and Crew! Pretty creative group of classy leaders aren’t we? Well the creativity didn’t exactly end there because Mal and KK decided to come up with another meaning for MTKC, Mighty Tighty Kids with Class! Yes, lots of thoughts and creativity when into the full group names. Why, cause we keep it classy! I personally emphasized the word class to the mentees because I really wanted them going into the their first semester at Stonehill being smart and thinking twice about their decision making. Not being the typical freshmen and get transported or documented for dumb things but having a good time with class; and if they do choose to drink, drink with class.  

As for my partners? I honestly could not ask for better people to be pared with for my first Peer Mentor experience. The both of them are so special in their own way it’s difficult to explain in words. KK aka Kristen Kennedy, hilarious! So relaxed and just a ball of energy. So many times during orientation I found myself being more and more like KK. So responsible, so real but most of all, she just goes with the flow. If something doesn’t work out, Oh well, things happen; let’s make the best of it and move on. No one is perfect. I love that mentality! Well, mostly because that’s exactly how I am.  A then there’s Mal Mal!  Coming into the group I had no idea who Mal Mal was nor did know what to expect of her. Now I literally cannot come up with the right words to describe Mal’s personality. I guess the best word for it is beautiful! Just always calm, peaceful, so organized, so relaxed, so mother like. Let’s just say if it wasn’t for Mal being there to keep everything under control, who knows what would have happened? Guess we will never know! Why? Because Mal was right there leading us as the most experienced in the group, keeping everything under control at all times.  In terms of leadership, we are all so unique and so creative in our own ways. At the end of the day, end of orientation, our individual personalities and creativity came together as one, MTK, which later became MTKC (Mighty Tighty Kids with Class).  "Oh We Classy HuH?!"

Final Reflection/The Full Experience #2

Conclusion/Introduction: Controduction

 In conclusion of the first semester, it was quiet and experience. Not exactly the kind of experience you would consider pleasant, but it was most definitely a life changing experience. I almost feel as if I am a new man. I live my life differently, and maturely, if that makes any sense. I just overall have a different perception of life. I am more appreciative of life in general, not that I was ever not appreciative prior to the incident, but I thank God for every morning I wake up and I am alive. And what other ways do I feel alive? Seeing other people smile, seeing other people happy, because you just never know what someone might be going through. One move on your part can either greatly impact someone's life or it can lead to their demise; like in the case of bullying. But that's a whole other topic I would rather not get into. Plus what can you possibly lose from making a great impact in someone's life? Absolutely nothing.


Academic/Overall  Accomplishments:

 Second semester was academically a huge improvement. I Love Science, specifically Bio but I couldn't do Chemistry to save my life! Withdrawing from General Chem. with a C- after midterms, I was questioned; "But why did you leave? You should have stayed with it, it gets easier as you go..."Well....See..the problem is...I know myself pretty well and I know what I am capable of academically and there's no way that I could have survived Gen. Chem. I, II, Organic Chem. I and II, successfully. The word is successfully. Not a D- or a D or a C-, successful as in an A-, B or B+. I can no longer allow myself to be an average student; I just refuse to let that happen. Yeah I did not have the best grades in high school nor did I have the confidence. But guess what?  I see high school as "That was then, This is now!" One of my favorite books of all time by the way. Anyways, switching from Bio to Healthcare, I thought life was going to be a piece of cake! I wouldn't have to spend my whole entire college career in the Shields Science Center, not a lot of homework, and more socializing with friends. I did expect some reading and writing in Literature and Philosophy. Was I right? Of course I was! As for picking up a minor in Studio Art, I really had no expectations in terms of difficulty. I was just overjoyed to be able to get back into something I was absolutely born to do, especially at a college level. My intentions were to make it more of a stress relief factor, but that was actually not the case at all. Taking Portrait Workshop and Figure drawing back to back actually became more of a stressful activity, especially during finals time. Both professors were absolute experts in their fields and had expectations like no other. They truly introduced me to the world of getting out of my comfort zone as an upcoming Artist and feeling more comfortable and confident in challenging myself to that next level. The level didn't think existed. My overall GPA first semester wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. I did not expect it to be my best, but I also did not see it being as low. So low I cannot publicize it.  Second semester was a complete turnaround for sure. A 3.43 from a low 2 GPA? That’s some serious improvement if you ask me! The dramatic improvement did bring up my overall GPA but not to where I wanted it to be. If I am not mistaken, my one of my major goals for the second semester was to bring my GPA up to a low 3, at least in the 3 range. I unfortunately came short of it for obvious reasons. It was extremely unrealistic, especially having a low of a GPA as I did. I mean it would have been realistic if I was a straight A’s student.  As much as I do not want to publicize my overall GPA, I will admit that as of now it’s at 2.88. Would it cross that 3.0 mark after my summer Stats class? I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see. Besides, I am not ashamed to publicize my GPA because it is only temporary. Aside from my lack of confidence coming into college, I did make a lot of mistakes in terms of time management and study strategy. But I did learn from my downfalls, I did discover what works for me and what doesn’t academically. And as for time management, ask anyone who knows me on a personal level. Like how the great Michael Jackson was the king of pop, I am the king of time. My whole entire life as of January 2012 has been about time. From the moment I wake in the morning until bed, time, time and TIME! And why is this relevant? Basically what I am saying is that I am not ashamed of publicizing my overall GPA because as of this moment, it is just going to increase. I know what it takes to become a successful student after all these years and I cannot wait to see how much more I am going to grow academically, and socially over the next three years.


Although I did not accomplish the goal of bringing my overall GPA up to a low 3, I was successful in everything else. My other goals going into the second semester were, apply for the ALANA-A Big Brother and Sister, the Peer Mentoring program and to participate in KRUP, the Katrina relief community service in New Orleans. Went through the whole interview process and was accepted into both programs. ALANA-A I felt like was more of a given because I was a part of the IEP family all year. And they knew me well and what I was capable of in terms of leadership. Peer mentor on the other hand was more of a, “leadership had been implanted into my head for the past eight years at the Burton Camp, so let me give it a try and see what happens”. It surely was worth the try because that is really where some of the realest people at Stonehill aside from my ABS family. People I can fully trust and depend on in difficult times. I cannot forget my Bible Study crew of course. Those dudes really keep me sane; talking about guys I can fully give my heart to. Talking about my Bible Study crew, KRUP was hands down the best experience I’ve had at Stonehill without being at Stonehill. Talking about NOLA, I recently made a comment to a coworker about not being like the others and she responded, “I know right? A kid from beaver, in college, full time”. Beaver being the “ghettoest” part of Framingham, where I guess everything goes down. This comment goes a long way because it reminded me of a quote by Pastor Burnside whom I met while in NOLA for Spring Break. It goes “Sanctification by association”; meaning making an impact on your surrounding and not letting your surrounding impact you. Like a close friend once said, “you’re hungry for success”. That explains it all. It’s been an awesome year and I cannot wait to see where Stonehill takes me in the next three years or so.

Final Reflection/The full experience #1

Introductin:

One statement about this past academic year? The Roller Coaster ride of a life time! From losing a friend almost directly in my own hands, to withdrawing from a class for being endanger of failing, to getting one of the best jobs on campus, to Spring break in NOLA, to becoming an ABS leader and a Peer mentor, to being awarded First Year Class Leadership Award, to just going all out and beasting academically this semester. This blog is basically the final reflection of my first year at Stonehill College; first and second semester.

First Semester:

I went in three weeks earlier as a Biology major through the Summer Bridge program and it was quite a wake up call for what was to come. From a load of reading to lots of writing, to four hour lab clases to hours and hours of lab reports. It was a pain to be in class three weeks earlier than the rest of campus on the nicest summer days, but it truly prepared me for the real stuff. It made the academic transitioning alot smoother than most incoming froshes. I felt like I had been on campus for years by the time everyone else got there. I knew alot of great people, had a couple friends, and I was known as the Brace kid because I was the Bridge kid who mostly hung with the ACE kids. Talking about ACE kids, I am actually living in trailer housing with six of them for the next couple semesters. My brother from another mother Austin Alfredson, Kevin Zuniga, John Lamb, Stephen Pike, Julian Ramos, Bobby Dickey, Tom Wood, and the newby George Farah. George wasn't apart of the ACE program but it's all good, he's still family.
 The overall first semester was a struggle, especially being a Bio major. Bio was a peace of work, I had no clue what was going on in Chemistry even tho I had one of the best professors on campus, and because both of those classes took so much of my time, I started slacking in the others. Between history and religion, I had an enormous amount of reading every night and I couldn't ever keep up with it because I was too busy doing Chem or Bio homework or lab reports. Yeah I had school work and all but that wasn't really the end of the story. I am no longer a varsity athlete and so I had no major commitment outside of academics. I am also not much of a person to sit around and study all day, never have been. So what was my alternative? I figured I'll occupy my time by getting involved in the Stonehill community. Hands down best decision I've ever made. One of the first clubs got involved in was the Good News club aka Bible study group. Through the club I met some of the realest group of guys on campus. I love the college life and I love to have fun and all but I went with the intention to not lose who I am, where I am from and how far I've come. As a Ron Burton scholarship recipient, I know I definitely can't  afford to screw up. It is the opportunity of a life time and the best I can do is take full advantage of it. I depended on the Bible study group to keep me in check at all times and that's exactly what it did. I got the opportunity to go on a couple retreats, something I never got a chance to do in high school. It surely was a blast from the past and I loved every minute of it. I was also involved in other clubs such as, Diversity Committee, MOSAIC, and the Holy Cross' E-Board as a Publicity Coordinator. Intramurals and working out was obviously in the picture because what can I do without sports and exercise? Not much as far as I know. I over all had some great experiences and met some really cool people, but it still was a struggle. In other words, the transitioning wasn't as smooth as I hoped.

 Tragity of a Life Time:

Reality truely checked in for me at the end of the semester when a hall mate/friend of mine committed suicide in his room. I have never really talked about this publically but here I go...It was about that time of the year, AKA finals were around the corner. It was the Wednesday before finals week to be exact. I spent the entire morning working on Bio note cards until another friend of mine hit me up to go work out at 2:00pm. While getting ready to head out, I heard alot of commotion outside. My first thought was, "its a typical day out in the hall". Well, it really exactly the typical day I expected because the comosion did not stop. I listened closer and heard "some one call the RA!" I ran out scared out of my mind and asked what had happened. Another hallmate shouted, "....hung himself!" My first thoughts? Ohhhh crap, I've never seen a dead body before. How did I know this individual was already dead? I didn't, it was fear of the worse. I stood in shock, and did not know how to react. I felt like I needed to do something but I could not find the courage to move until the RA's roommate ran into the room and requested for someone to help get the body down. I ran into the room not knowing that my life would never again be the same. My entire experience from that moment is something I can not publically discuss, for obvious reasons. What I can say is, that experience marked the begining of my life as a mature adult. I felt like it was almost my induction into man hood. Before this incident, I had never seen a body, nor did I ever go to a wake or a funeral and never did I anticipated on doing so. All that innocense was gone in a matter of seconds. In such situations a person usuallt questions.."Lord why me?" I couldn't do so because God definately placed me in that situation for a reason; I was literally seconds away from leaving to workout. What really hunted me for days was the gilt. Guilt of not being there on time, guilt of not being able to bring him back, and the gilt of facing his parents. I cried for hours and hours and hours, not because I knew the kid or because I was friends with him. I cried because of the guilt of not doing enough. Obviously it took me a while to fully forgive myself, but it was an experience I would never forget, even if I wanted to. I remember waking up two days after the incident at 5am and writing a journal. I am usually not the journal type and I hope to never again have to write a journal, but that's not the point. I havn't gained the courage to revisit the journal but what's in there are the questions that flows in my head once in awhile. Questions like; how bad can life possibly get in order for a person to take their own life? How can such a thin piece of metal hold up a 200 pound  kid? Did he even try to fight his way out? What were his last thoughts? These are all obviously profound questions that can not be ansewered. I guess only God really knows.
  .

It's about that time of the year!

Rando!

"First off I just wanted to give a shout out to my brother, Austin. Roomies next year in Sagamore, it's going down. Get it poppin! RB in the building!" I obviously did not write this quote, but nice try Austin, you got busted! Still love you though...we need to get started on that bucket list ASAP! Anyways, I have been slacking on updating my blog on time, no doubt. It's that time of the year, the time where academics take over your life completely.Yes, finals are officially around the corner. Lots to do and less time for bloging.

Academics:

Although I hate admitting to having easy academic weeks at Stonehill, I will say that last week was a little less stressful. Doesn't mean I did not have much to do last week, it just means I didn't stress as much. Because last week seems so long ago, it is best to just go down the line in order of days and make life easier for myself. Well, it is finals season and I am currently working on my portrait workshop and figure drawing finals. I think I did dicuss how complicated my portrait workshop final is a couple blogs ago. It has been about two full weeks going to three weeks since the project was assigned and I have not put in as much time as I should for a couple weeks worth of work. Apparently so did the rest of my class because the professor almost lost her mind last week in class. We presented the  working progress and lets just say, she was not too please about it. She got so angry she could no longer afford to see our slacking fases. Her solution was to send everyone home for the day to continue working on the final projects and submit it at 4:30pm the following day. Lets just say I have been working my ass off on the project since that incident.  For some reason I have been on a role in terms of grades over the past couple weeks. I got my literature paper back after like three weeks of Howe holding onto it, and I got a B+! The paper was about the use of  satire in Gulliver's travels. Although I did well in analyzing Swift's use of satire, I made the silliest mistakes to man-kind. I did not include a title and I forgot to cite my source. Thats about as silly of a mistake as it gets. I am not sure how it affected my grade but I surely am Glad about the B+, especially know how tough of a grader Howe is. Definately one of the toughest I've came accross by far. I also got a 90% on my healthcare quizes, well for the second week in a role. Since the first couple quizes, I always feel like I did terrible, because I am not studying as much, but yet I keep beasting on them.

 Favorite assignment of the week? My philosoply paper on beauty. Of all my options I chose to make a theory on beauty. No wonder I handed it in late, I couldn't think of anything to write about! When I finally got my act together, it came out very philosophical. The entire paper was basically about me indirectly rejecting Kant and Burk's theory of beauty as sublime. It went something like this; "My perspective is that beauty is not always sublime or cute and charming (Burke). It is not always overwhelming or some kind of mental obstacle that needs to be overcome, nor is it ever about fear and overcoming those mental fears (Kant). Beauty can be subjective; an idea, or  the act of something; or an objective, it is tangible or sight". Pretty bad thesis, but I always kill the arguments with my philosophical thoughts. I think I need to see the Thesis gods or something because I truly suck at writing it. Well, I just gonno have to wait and see what Velazquez thinks. I can not wait for my last bi-weekly paper. Now that's going to be a blast because I will be analyzing the biblical scene where Satan  manipulated Adam and Eve into eating the apple, in comparison to a stranger/rapist/creeper tricking a child with candy. Now that's exciting!

I unfortunately didn't get to creep on any applicant's college essay this past week because I didn't work. I was caught up in doing last minute school work and I had a Doctor's appointment on friday. Talking about Doctor's apointment, I actually barely made the appointment. I made it thirty second before the deadline. And as for the rest of the weekend? Well, it was Spring Weekend. That basically explains it all. What matters is that I am still here and ready to go hard in the books for the rest of the semester. Lots of plans going on this summer, I can not wait to blog about it!





Week Back From Easter!

Easter Break, The Benefit of a Catholic School

I had so many plans for staying ahead with work and catching up with rest during the easter break. Like usual, that plan went down the drain. I requested to be scheduled for work all week. From wednesday, the same day I left the Hill, until monday before returning to the Hill. I think I may be the craziest person I know but oh well, there's no such thing as rest for an individual who is hungry for success. Of course I did not work on Sunday, it was my only day of rest. Much like God who worked all six days, rested on the 7th day (Sunday), and nothing like Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. Random connection but I just thought I would test my Biblical skills a little. The last thing I actually got to do all week was rest. I was literally hopping from place to place socializing with friends, and family. I did not once open a notebook to attempt catching up with school assignments. Well, atleast I taught about it a couple times? Just thinking about it definately did not  help me much coming back to school.

Academic Week 

It wasn't that bad of an academic week, suprisenly. Actually I lied, what I meant is I did not stress as much as I usually do, but it was still a challenging week. Major assignments; Reading Response for Literature, a Philosophy paper, usual Healthcare chapter assignments, a quiz and a Scenario. For the literature reading response, I had to write about an artlcle called SF and the Human Imagination. In the passage, the author basically questions; “Why do we so frequently put monsters at the edges of the maps, or under the bed and also_in some of its form_in stories of the adventure-romance type?” Such an interesting question. I Basically responded by admitting to never being aware of monsters being frequestly put at the end of maps. I also testified to only being aware of monsters only being associated with darkness and how they are usually known for living under beds and in closets. The passage then went into Utopia, Distopia, and all that good stuff. I personally love Philosophy because it always requires writing about cool topics and putting my Philosophical skills to the test. For my bi-weekly paper I chose to basically make my own theory about morality. My thesis went something like this; "Much like Burke, I believe that we as humans have similar morals on a basic level. On a complex level, we tend to have different views of life and develop different morals due to individuality". Looking back at it, it is somewhat of a weak thesis but I think he got the point cause I got a "B" on it. I didn't do as well as I expected because I guess I did not provide enough objective. Or atleast I did not gave a detailed enough objective. Besides getting a 90% on my last Healthcare quiz, my Scenario went pretty smooth. The task was, I'm an adult who recently moved into Chicago, Illinois. Because I am new into the environment, I am responsible for finding an Insurance, a Hospital, and a Primary Physician. I did a couple researches through google, came across a couple good government websites, but they weren't relevant to the info. I needed. So I called up an emergency plan, my cool friend Vikki aka Victoria Kane who is actually from Chicago. Well, she basically got on the phone with her mother and just like that, problem was solved. As for my art classes, my overall work from this semester will be publicized soon. Most likely on facebook. At this moment I am working on my final project for portrait workshop. It is pretty difficult to describe in words but it is definately going to be one of the sickest projects I have ever done! It's going to take three pages of 24X26" papers. Yes very big, very exciting, extremely creative, lots of time but very worth it!

General Taughts:

So once in a while I tend to creep on a couple applicant's college essays so I can find something interesting to write about. Last week while doing my usual job, I came across a kid who is basically living my dreams. Literally, this kid has the almost perfect life every adult wants, but he is living it at only 17 years of age. He was born in England, raised in Ireland, and currently an American citizen. He speaks three languages, English, Irish, and French. He also understands lating because he's been studying it for six years! What the hell? You would think, how the hell is this kid only 17? But thats not enough, it doesnt stop there.  He plays Scoccer, Lacross, Football, Rugby, and Tennis! What?! What is he, Superman? Well anyways, This kid is the official traveler everyone wants to be like when they grow up, and he's not even grown! Why? According to him, he has been to Asia, Europe, and obviously North America. Where in Asia? China, the Forbidden City, Terracitta worriors (not sure who they are), the Olympic stadium in Beijing, Walk on the great wall of China! Hong Kong, and Bairritz, France! This kid is seriously living the Dream. According to him Stonehill has a good rep. world wide. How exciting is that? That's how he found out about stonehill. Oh of course his Gand Uncle was a student here in the 1970s. Now thats some good facts. Well thats it for last week. I am loving this blogging stuff more and more every week, and it is getting longer and loger every week. Lets see how what this week holds. Spring Weekend coming up! Woop Woop! Lord have Mercy. 

My NOLA Experiences: The series V

Part V: The Story of Paster Robert Burnside

Direct/Meaningful Quotes:

"I Love People!"

"It's not about religion, it's about your personal relationship with Christ"

"Sanctification by association"- Making an impact on your sorrounding and not letting your sorrounding impact you...

The Story of Forgiveness:

The story of Paster Robert Burnside is one of the most inspiring stories I've ever heard, if not the most inspiring. Talking about an individual who has overcomed obstacles. Paster Burnside is the man behind the scene, the reason why most residence are gradually getting their life back in the community of the 9th ward in New Orleans. He has devoted his life to his community (the 9th-ward), by rebuilding houses as well as the lives of ressidence who never thought it was worth going back. Hint: the 9th-ward of New Orleans suffered most of hurricane Katrina. Paster B. himself was strongly affected by Hurricane Katrina. He unfortunately lost his mother in a nursing home. Him and the rest of his family left to Mississippi after being warned to evacuate the city. He left with the intentions that his mother was going to be transported to Mississippi. The person in charged was selective about who was to be transported and who was to stay. Unfortunately, the Paster's mother was one of those who was left behind. According to him, he never got to say goodbye to his mother, never got to open her casket or have a proper funeral. There were many questions that couldn't be answered. Now Paster Burnside lives an anger free life, with full unconditional love for the man who was responsible for his mother's death; while his sisters still live with anger and hate. Truely an inspiring story of forgiveness.

The Full Transformation:

 Paster B. was saved, AKA became a christian 19-years ago. Before discovering God, his life was a total roller-coaster. Long story short, Paster Burnside got caught up into the street life like most under privilege kids; robbing banks, dealing drugs and living the life of crime. Paster B now carries the burdon. As of today, four of his nephews are incarcerted because of his influence and introducing them into the drug game. In other words, he thought them everything they know. Paster Burnside was also an ex-convict, charged for second degree murder. The roller-coaster life continued for Paster B even when he became a paster. God truly had a purpose for his life because with the the kind of life style he lived, he probably shouldn't be alive right now. Paster B shared with us a couple shocking stories about his life as a christian. According to him, he once met a man who confessed to attempting to put a hit on him, AKA get him killed. "Man..I have been trying to kill you all along, but I just can't. I can never to seem find you". Well the quote is not exact, but it went somewhere along those lines. Point is, he truly had God looking over him because not too long after the confession, the same individual put a hit on someone else who got shot in the head in broad day-light. Paster Burnside also shared a story of a gang member he once knew name Chuky. According to him Chucky had 3-bodies; meaning Chucky was accused for killing three people, but not found gilty at that point. During the lowest point of his life, Chucky made the decision to turn to God. He was saved and became a christian. Unfortunately, Chucky was killed three days after he was saved. How insane is this story? Where did Chucky go? Heaven or hell? Guess we will never know...Couple things I took from Paster Burnside's story; If God says no, no one else can say yes. He is in control at all times, no matter how much others want you dead. Also, life is short, and you just don't whenyour time is up. Crazy stories like the ones Paster B. shared reminds me of the TV show, a 1000 Ways to Die. One second you're here, and the next you're gone..Such a crazy and cary taught, but that's just how life works. NOLA definately opened my eyes to all the realities of life. 

 

Truly A Week from Hell

General Thoughts/Academic

Two people read my mind extremely well this week. They mentioned exactly what was going through my head all week, "the week from hell". First person was my good friend/study buddy Ryleigh who's status stated, "This is the hell week of all hell weeks" Friday at work, I over heard one of the admission counselors saying "this is the week from hell". It is amazing how when you think you are alone, you realize that there are people who are going through the same struggles or possibly having it worse than you. There is no better feeling because it sucks having to be alone in any situation, not only through struggles. Where am I coming from with this? well, it really has been a sucky week. Academically, not so much socially. But then again, isn't every week sucky academically? True, but this week was by far the suckiest of all, if thats a word. Healthcare killed me this week like usually does. Switching from Bio, I didn't think I would have such a busy semester academically. Healthcare, Glavin and my Art classes definately proved me wrong. Had my usual 10 hours homework for Healthcare along with an article, summery and reflection of the next chapter,  on wednesday, two chapter quiz on friday, and a research paper that was originally scheduled for Sunday at 5:00pm. Thank the good Lord he porsponed it until Tuesday at 6:00pm  because it would have been an impossible task. Just when I thought the week couldn't get any worse, I found out last minute I had to have my Literature paper on Swift's use of satire in Gulliver's Travels, done by thursday for an in-class workshop. Life would have been even worse if it wasn't for Valazquez's late three day policy. Why? Because I also would have had to turn in a Philosophy paper! It makes me angry talking about it. All this madness doesn't even include my art projects for class. If I hadn't used my time wisely by skipping a couple unnecessary classes, I wouldn't have been able to turn in anything on-time this week. And of course after having such a sucky week you would think I would have all the time in the world to finally get some rest over the weekend. NOPE, I had an ABS Training from 9-5 on Saturday, and PM training from 12-2 on Sunday. Now it makes more sense why it would have been an impossible task to have my research completed by 5:00pm on Sunday huh? Mhm...Though it may sound like I am complaining, don't get me wrong though, I am not complaining. Well maybe academically, but I love the ABS and PM programs. This week just really got me thinking of my mentor Paul Burton's famous quote, "I wish..I had..more Time". Exactly what it is, can't explain any better.

ABS Training

One of the activities we did for the traing was to draw the idea Image of an ABS leader. Not going to get into details about it but one major charateristic my group's little ABS leader had was being open-minded. We literally drew him open-minded with symbols coming out of his head. A globe, a peace sign, a gay pride flag, and the cross and other religious symbols. The point is,  I have always been an opended peoson, but since I've been at Stonehill and involved with the Diversity program and ABS, my mind has been expanded. Well, mostly in a different way I can not explain. Being at stonehill definately made me realized not everyone come from the same walks of life. AkA not everyone grew up in a diverse environment, we all have different backgrounds. I am constantly reminding myself, mostly through Aristotle's philosophical theory of the identification of catharsis. AkA putting your  self in someone else's shoes and identifying with that person. This help me understand majority of the time where people are coming from when they are being ignorant. In other words, stay patient and keep my cool. Patient and cool is definately not what the high school Thomas would have done. The aggresive, homofobic, sometimes ignorant and unaware Thomas. The don't give a dam what you think or say about me Thomas. In other words, I thought I knew it all.   

My other favorite activity wasn't much of an activity, it was a movie called "The Walkout". It was basically a documentary about five students from East L.A who decided to make a difference. They stood up for their rights to a better and equal education against the school district. Persistence allowed them to continue to push on, despite the police brutality attempt to stop them. Despite all obsticles, they won over the school district and the public by starting a walkout. All it took was five brave and determained high school kids.

The gneral story reminds me of my own personal project, starting a wrestling club at Stonehill College. I currently have the support of Dean of Admissions Dan Monahan who is willing to coach, if everything go as planned. Unfortunately the Athletic Directors refused to get on board with us. Their excuse? "Budget cuts..Too many clubs, blah blah blahh..." Typical excuse they've given to students in the pass who attempted to start a program. Thanks to determination of those five students, I am not giving up anytime soon. I have three more years to make it happen! 

Does Anyone Deserve to Die Because of their attire?

Academics:

The past week was the week coming back from Spring break. The overall weather was a beautiful transition from NOLA to Mass. Academically, it absolutely sucked! I had a load of work that were meant to be done over the break, which I obviously didn't get to as a result of my exciting adventure to NOLA. Healthcare was a pain in my behind like usual. I had to do a movie writeup on a movie called Lorenzo's Oil. Lorenzo's Oil is documentary of two parents who refused to give into the deadly affects of Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD); an inherited disorder, usually from the mother; the X gene. It affects mostly males, from the ages of 5-10. All boys with ALD unfortunately dies within 2 years of diagnosis. It is insane how sometimes you have absolutely no control of what happens in life. Then of course I had my usual 40 page chapter reading for friday; 3 questions that take about 2 typed pages and a 2-3 paragraph response, AKA "Point to Pounder". Why do I have to end up with the hardest professor in Healthcare?! Wel, he is my academic advisor so I can't get raid of him even if I tried. As for Literature and Phisolophy? Bested on my Philosophy mid-term exam on thursday. I will be an extremely unhappy camper if I do endup with anything less than a 95.  Literature? It was quite an adventure. Talking about adventure, I had to read The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland in two days period. Well that was the original assignment atleast. All I can say is, Thank GOD for SPARK NOTES! I mean, I did tried and got through about 25% of it, just wasn't having it. Portrait workshop and Figure drawing always drains me of course. So time comsuming! But hey, it what I love to do, so I can't complain much. I actually came up with my best work, working with my favorite model by far in figure drawing.   

Random:

I don't often read people's essays when I am at work (Admission's office, Admission's assistant), but when I do finally decide to do so, I come across some really awsome ones. This past wednesday, I came cross one of those essays that get you really thinking about your priorities in life. In the essay, a kid from Barthel Mass (Gardner High School), talked about the experience which almost took his life. According to him, his apendix ruptured while away for boys state leadership program. He suffered from a severe infection and was transported to three different hospitals. What kept this poor kid going? Where was his motivation to survive? Visit from friends and families, text messages and phone calls. Simple things we take for granted everyday. "It is true, we do reap what we sow" AKA the power of being a good sincere, loving person. Anyways, What did he learn? Great amount of emotion and mental strength. "That it is not take anything in life or granted because everything could change in a split second". Such a smart kid. But you know what I find interesting about this situation? It takes a near death experience or some type of tragic event to come to this realization. I know I can surely testified to that, it hasn't been that long since my personal experience. Anyways, another leason he learned was; "work hard for things you want and never let someone tell you, 'you cant". Aman to that kid! Its a constant struggle, but its all about the mental toughness.

I also came accross another interesting story in my MOSAIC (Men of Service, Academia, Integrity, and Character) meeting this past sunday. The Story of young Treyvon Martin. Whay a sad story huh? I noticed all the publication on it through facebook but never was aware of the full story until sunday. My reaction? What kind of society we live in today, where a person as young and innocent as Treyvon can't look comfortable in public? Since when has it been a crime to wear hoodies at night, in a cold rainy weather? Since when is it ok to be followed, stalked by an adult who feels the need to be a neighborhood hero? Didn't we all learn as kids to runaway from strangers? It really is a shame how terrible the American society is at times. Why do we continue to live in hate, stereotypes, and discrimination? Talking about profound questions...

Anyways, I had quite an interesting interaction with my portrait workshop professor this past monday. well, the question is, how often do a professor leave her work to come examine your traps in the middle of class? As far as i know, it doesn't happen at all. Well, in my portrait workshop class, anything is possible. While helping out a partner who is was modeling for, she randomly goes; "Oh my gosh, Thomas, look at those traps! How often do you workout?" Not really taking her serious, I asked her maybe five seconds later, "is that a serious question?" And so I told her how I workout 3-days a week for about an hour each. Then comes the unexpected, "Oh woow now I feel like I have to touch you!" HUH? I laughed hysterically with the rest of the class, ignoring her comment. About a meeting later she gets up and start walking over. "I told you I have to touch you! Ladies don't be jealous". And so she comes over and starting examining my Traps and Delts. How do you possibly react to that?! I basically just sat there and laughed my butt off. And yaeah, of course it was the same professor who put me in a really awkward position o the first day of class, "OMG we should draw you! You have the greatest face!" Such an interesting class I have. Even better, What a professor! She brings light into my life, even when I am not in the mood to laugh.

Oh yeaaa of course, Shout out to my official study buddy, whose been on my back to include her in my blog! Ryleigh Failla, aka RyRy, aka RyRy-licious, aka partner in crime at the Shields Science Center, aka "Word to ur MAMA!"    

My NOLA Experiences: The Series IV

My NOLA Experience 
Part IV: Captain Sal's fried Chicken Gone Wild!

The overall week at the Olive Tree (name of where we stayed) was quite organized. As a whole, the KRUP crew was organized into 3 separate groups. Everyone in group were assigned to the same worksite and assigned specific chores throughout the week. Yes we had to do CHORES! As group 2, we didn't have meal making chores or bathroom duties. Thank God because I surely weren't willing to wake at 5:30am to make breakfast. Breakfast was open between 7-7:30am and I only made it on time twice out of the entire week. Not really a fan of breakfast so I thought I would take advantage of every second of sleep. But anyways, if I remember right my group chores were to do breakfast cleanup, dinner cleanup, lunch prep (which I did not participate in) and sweeping and mopping. The worksite set was pretty cool as well. Three groups were assigned to three different houses, all on the same street. The fourth group was stationed at a different site where they basically had to start from scratch. Meaning they did not have a structured house, aka they had to putting in walls themselves. Imagine the rain situation, not so fun. Within my assigned house, we were separated  into 3 smaller groups. The painting, doors, and the flooring crew. Each group had about 3-4 people, whom we worked with all week, doing the same task: painting, doors or flooring.  As a flooring expert, I thought I was going to have back problems by the end of the week. I literally spent hours and hours hammering away. I got so good at my job, I started thinking about quitting school and going into the construction business. It's a great workout, physically demanding, and I heard they get paid good amount of money. After the first day of intense work, me and a couple friends decided to see what Captain Sal's was all about. Captain Sal's was a fried chicken/sea food spot just a couple minute walk from the Olive Tree. Hands down, one of the best fried chicken I've ever had, all for a great price! Talking about cheap prices, me and of course ERIC went half and half on a 15 pieces mix of wrings, brest and thighs; all for only 11 bocs.  Although so cheap and so delicious, we could not finish the dish! Two almost grown ass men who eates a ton, giving into Captain Sal's 15-pieces of fried chicken! Just when you think it couldn't get anymore pathatic, we only ate half between the both of us. Yes only about 8 pieces of chicken total. I probably ate the eight piece knowing how much of a softy ERIC VANDERPOOL is! But the point is, Captain Sal's fried chicken doesn't play! Those things are like turkey size, just waiting to get the job done.  

My NOLA Experiences: The Series III

New Orleans

                                                              Part III: Adventure Sunday
To the city we went, specifically the French Quarter. We had only 2 hours to explode the city for the first time. With a map of the city and near by restaurants, everyone went about their own way the second we stepped off the bus. In my crew was Eric Vanderpool, Sam Navarro, Alex Navarro, Antonio and Dave Trotta, some of the collest guys I've meet at Stonehill. I can not begin to stress how sick I am of seing Eric! Well not exactly, but I what did I not do with Eric this past week? I hung with him daily, played scoccer every free time we got, ate with him, worked with him, and even slept in the same room with him! Anyways, for lunch we went to an outdoor restaurant called "Timeout", where the waiters wore referee uniforms. I thought that was pretty cool.  While we waiter for the orders, a Migician came about to keep us entertained. Definately one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile. I would love to see how the mind of a Migician works with illusions but that is probably taboo in the world of Migicians. Talking about orders, I ordered my first fried chicken dish in the South. I am not sure which one I was  more excited for; the taste of the chicken itself, or the fact that the dish was called "Sweet and Sweaty" fried chicken. I am not sure what exactly the ingredient was or which part of it was sweaty, but it most definately tasted Sweet but not so Sweaty! Latered that night, we had a community time like we usually did every other night or so. Community time usually involved working in small groups and reflecting on the day as a whole, and ocassionally, specific topics were gaven. The first night happened to be one of those nights when we were gaven a specific topic to reflect on. We were to reflect on what was encouraging and discouraging about the city. My response to what I saw as encouraging concered Bourbon Street. It was literally party 24/7. It was nice to see people smiling, laughing, and loving life once again after the aftermath of Katrina almost 7-years ago. The love and respect the people of New Orleans had for eachother and for tourists were like none I've seen in the North. It was also a relief to know and see that people like Brad Pit are making a difference in the city of New Orleans; by building houses for low income families who are trying to get back on their feet. On the other side of the spectrum, it was pretty discouraging to see the amount of lust that took place on Bourbon Stret. There were sex shops, gentleman clubs, and strip clubs in literally every other store. All on one street! First of all, if I'm not mistaken, that is terrible business. Second, it was just too inappropriate, a little too much. I remembered walking by one of the stores and a gentleman extended what looked like a busniess card to me and goes, "bubbies?" Such a FORCE! It just did not seem like the kind of environment a parent would want to bring a child in. Well, atleast I wouldn't if I had a child.