Met Opera Summer HD Festival

Hi once again! I'm sitting in the main library at Hunter, already hitting the books hard. I'm kind of excited about all my classes, especially my Medical Geography class ( which I'm about to take in an hour). But what I think will be most challenging will be my Honors African American Narratives class. I haven't done a lot of reading in the past, and I already have a lot to read and thoughtfully dissect after one class. I look forward to reading modern writings though from the last 30 years.

The beginning of the semester always comes along with the Met Opera Summer HD Festival ( see the link below!) . A year or 2 ago, I volunteered through Macaulay to help out at the event, passing around flyers. I love the opera ( my love began after the first opera I attended from MHC 100 Arts in the City seminar), so I jumped on this opportunity to help out. We watched Hansel and Gretel on a huge screen on the Lincoln Center  Plaza on a warm summer night. It was such a great experience that I've always wanted to repeat it, but this time, purely as a spectator and lover of the opera. I am quite disappointed in myself for having completely forgotten about the Festival until today, when it had already started from August 25. But fear not! The festival lasts until Labor Day Monday, and the lineup seems so incredible, from Satyagraha showing tonight, to Cinderella, Faust, and Anna Bolena (the only ones I can remember off the top of my head haha). I really hope to go one of these days, especially with my family, as they have never seen an opera. Of course, the opera is outdoors, but to me, a Met opera anywhere is a priceless experience.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/liveinhd/summer12.aspx?icamp=hdsumfest&iloc=satya

School's Out for Summer!

Gah, I was meaning to write at least one thoughtful post in June, but it got so busy! I hope everyone's summers were amazing and chock-full of great memories and adventures. I can't believe its already rolling around to the beginnings of the fall semester. I especially cannot believe that I'm going to be a senior *gasp*. It just seemed like yesterday that I was a freshman, out and about in Central Park during the Outward Bound Day.

I'll be sorta living up my freshman memories by helping out as a Peer Mentor this year. I really cannot wait to meet the newest additions to the Macaulay Hunter group, and cannot wait to share in an undergraduate career with my good friends, new friends that I hope to make, and of course with the incoming freshmen that I will be working with.

Nostalgia kicked in today as I sat on the train ride home. I was glad that I was able to participate in the Oral Health Sciences Conference at UMich earlier in the summer, it definitely opened my eyes up to the contrast between big city campus learning here at Hunter and the small town vibes of Ann Arbor. The conference acted like a mini vacation in the sense that I was able to fully immerse myself in imagining my life as a PhD/DDS candidate, versus the daily grind of studying for the DATs and writing up applications for dental school. One thing I will not be missing about the summer is the application process and standardized tests. Thank goodness that's over!

With the first day of class coming closer and closer, I have a another adventure near the Great Lakes set up for me, where I'll be meeting my cousins after who knows how long. The best thing about going to Chicago and coming back to NY every time that I go is realizing that no matter how much I love Chicago, I can never really shake off the irreplaceable rhythm of New York.

Anywhoo, tomorrow I'm off to wrapping up my summer phase of volunteering at a cerebral malaria lab in Weill Cornell ( it has been a blast!). I can't wait to move forward with the project when fall comes along, along with taking classes ( despite being stressed out for the DAT all summer long, I missed a structured schedule and classes ironically).

Happy Tuesday!