Episode 2: Happy Days

So it's been a while since I've blogged. I've had a tough time these past few weeks but I told myself that I shouldn't let that hold me back. So I'm back again! After all, the glass is ALWAYS half-full.

My friend Mark told me about this cool new trend. It's called 100 Happy Days. The idea is that you can be happy for 100 days! I thought that it fits really well with my whole philosophy of looking at the glass half full, so I decided to embark on the challenge. I started yesterday. What you do is sign up on the website (100happydays.com) and post a picture of something that made you happy every day for 100 days. Because I'll be at camp this summer, I decided to do it via email since I know I'll be able to send emails every day. I'll try to keep the blog updated with my status. I'll also post my pictures to Instagram too and maybe sometimes even Twitter or Facebook. Here's the info from my Day 1 submission on April 21, 2014:

Day 1 Picture: Team SMASH

SMASH is the intramural co-rec soccer team made up of members of my dorm. We all have soccer or athletic backgrounds. The idea behind the team was to put together a group of awesome people and watch them do awesome things. We've grown so close as a team even though we only had 3 regular season games and then 2 playoff games. We even have a few fans in the picture! SMASH was such a great and incredible experience, and I cannot wait to become even better friends with team members and play more soccer with them in the future!

My Day 2 picture will likely go on tomorrow's blog. Tuesday night is the one night of the week that my friends and I all get together and just hang out. So we'll be doing that later tonight. After all, that's what college is all about, right? Just kidding. But it's important to have a balance of learning and fun. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I want to make the most out of this experience.

That's all the time for tonight folks. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode!

Episode 1: Pilot

Hello! I've tried this blogging thing once and failed, so I'm going to try it again. My name is Nina and I live life with the philosophy that one should always look at the glass half-full. For example, right now, I should be practicing a speech that I am giving in my communication class tomorrow. What, you may ask, is the good outcome of this? I will feel very satisfied with writing this blog post, which will give me the motivation I need to memorize the speech. I doubt my class will even remember what I say 5 minutes after my speech ends. I'll be explaining Obama's Race to the Top Program and its effect on school curriculum and the common core

Not the most exciting topic, but it's supposed to be an informational speech related to my major or potential career. One day, I hope to become a middle school math teacher. I want to be that teacher who takes her kids on field trips and shows movie in class. I'll incorporate the curriculum into fun activities like those aforementioned to keep my students engaged. Perhaps some of my future students might possibly even enjoy math.

That dream is still far away. I'm a freshman at U of I in Champaign. I apply to the Secondary Education Program in February next year. I may not be accepted to it. I am still taking Calculus. I am one of almost 9,000 students in my class. I still feel a little like a "number." I am very involved in my dorm and a teaching organization, but I still don't quite feel unique.

Despite not feeling like the Nina who I am and have always been, I know I am at home. I have lived in the Chicago suburbs my whole life, so moving to Central Illinois for college was a big adjustment for me. I live in a very close-knit community of students, and I start to miss this place whenever I go back to my hometown over weekends or during breaks.

College is like a constant sleepover with friends. Instead of parents, there are RAs who watch over you who are actually more like friend-mentors. You get to hang out with friends whenever you want! My friends and I always hang out on Tuesday nights to watch Youtube videos, play games, eat lots of food, and just have fun. We also have Homework Thursdays to make sure we all stick with our classes. There is a remarkable amount of free time in college. That being said, I donate my free time to RSOs, housekeeping items (now including this blog!), studying, and homework.

Welp, it appears that I'm out of time. Time to get back to writing the speech! The more work I do tonight, the better my speech will turn out tomorrow. As Porky Pig would say, "THAT'S ALL FOLKS!"

--Tune in next time to discover what the glass has in store!