It feels like today

My optimism with how life is going (NOTE: not school, LIFE) can be summed up in a song, I feel like...

I woke up this morning
With this feeling inside me that I can't explain
like a weight that I've carried
Been carried away, away

But I know something is coming
I don't know what it is
But I know it's amazing, you save me
My time is coming
And I'll find my way out of this longest drought...

It feels like today I know
It feels like today I'm sure
It's the one thing that's missin'
The one thing I'm wishin'
Life's sacred blessin' and then
It feels like today
Feels like today

-Rascal Flatts


Also, get ready for the seemingly-annual GT/MIAMI extravaganza! A week from today, Georgia Tech will be visiting Oxford. Debauchery will ensue, be assured...

McCarthyism

In a recent opinion article in the New York Times, Stanley Fish, one of my favorite columnists, writes about this new version of McCarthyism - Swiftboating - the tactic used by candidates to attack each other. In this tactic, candidates attempt to make the other look guilty by association. If you don't live in a cave, you know that Obama has been swiftboated around for several months now.

Swiftboating is an interesting thing to consider. Benedict XVI, leader of the Catholic Church, was a Hitler Youth at one time (which, having done a research project on the Hitler Youth, is eerily similar to the Boy Scouts. Also, we reportedly refused to attend a single meeting). He has also made moves towards solidifying ties between Judaism and Catholicism. Hm.

Back to Obama. Today, Jeremiah Wright spoke out at an NAACP event. It will be interesting to see what kind of swiftboating comes of this.

In my opinion, the two Democratic candidates could do an equally fantastic job in office. Maybe I need to look deeper, but I see very little difference between their platforms. We are now choosing between the personalities of the two Senators, both of which are being attacked from all fronts. It's a pity I won't be in the country for the Democratic convention.

On that note....


Kate O'Brien is going to be in Morocco with me this summerrrrrr!!

I'm finding it difficult to contain my excitement. Match #5 for AIESEC Miami! Expect more this week :)

I got a really awkward, awesome phone call last night at 2:30am, and it went something like this:

Me: (tired from sleeping) Hello?
Rando: Hi, Caitie, you're the fourth person I've called at AIESEC Miami. Do you know Thomas's phone number?
Me: No, I don't, you should try Erin...wait. Why do you need Thomas's number, it's 2 o'clock in the morning
Rando: Oh, well it's 10:30am for me. And I figured since you're Caitie that you'd be up drinking right now.
Me: No, I went out hardcore on Thursday and then last night I didn't get to sleep til 6am.
(in my head) 10:30am? Who do I know on the West Coast
Me: Ok, well yeah, try Erin. I can't guarantee that she'll pick up though.
Rando: Ok, bye.

After hanging up, I did the math and realized this person was probably calling from Oman.

I'm pretty sure it was Katy Conrad... but who knows. Only in AIESEC.

Time flies...

Tuesday May 13

8am: Take Actuarial Exam
6:10pm: Fly from Dayton to Atlanta
8:45pm: Fly from Dayton to Paris

Wednesday May 14
12:40pm: Fly from Paris to Rabat, Morocco

Thursday May 15
Begin my traineeship.


This will be fun.

This is what I do to procrastinate

Miami, like many other schools, has an Overheard Facebook group. Here, people post the hilarious-ridiculous things that are heard on campus. It keeps me entertained for hours on end, and I've even made a few posts myself. Here's an example of one of the posts:

Rachel Labus wrote
at 9:58pm yesterday

Two girls in class behind me in class today:

Girl 1: Have you tried the strawberry lemonade at Bell Tower yet?
Girl 2: No, I don't have a meal plan anymore...
Girl 1: Aww, that sucks!
Girl 2: Yeah, I know. Now I have to shop at the grocery store. Which is weird....

If you ever need a laugh, or some time to waste, check it out.

Watch this...

http://nisha.nomadlife.org/2008/04/httpcaitieofohio.html

Bam. Wrap your mind around that. Maybe I've been studying for too long, but this boggles my mind.

Blog entry #2 as a matched AIESECer. Today I'm going to shout it from the rooftops. Unfortch, buildings in Ox are regulated to be only 3 stories tops, so not many people will hear me.

I'm reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Something about the way that this cynical, controlling divorcee speaks to me, haha. The book follows the exploration of herself soon after her marriage ends through Italy, India, and Indonesia for a year. Sounds like an AIESECer to me. Anyways, I've read through Italy and most of India, and there were a couple quotes that really moved me as I read last night.

People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you will ever meet, because they will tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it.

Thoughts: Is AIESEC my soulmate?

There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me and Who's in charge? Everything else is somehow managable.

Devotion is diligence without assurance. Faith is a way of saying, "Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding." There's a reason we refer to "leaps of faith" - because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and I don't care how diligently scholars of every religion will try to sit you down with their stacks of books and prove to you through scripture that their faith is indeed rational. It isn't. If faith were rational, it wouldn't be, by definition, faith. Faith is belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity, it would just be...a prudent insurance policy.

Thoughts: This is something I wish the I Agree with Sam campaign would take to heart.

I bless the rains down in Africa!

I've been matched to Morocco through the Salaam Program for less than two days now, and it still hasn't sunk in. Even as I look at plane ticket prices, it seems so distant. I'm leaving in 3 weeks to do English teaching for three solid months. It was wonderful to be with the leaders of AIESEC U.S. at LTM when I found out the exciting news!

Of course, the mother figure is still worried and stressing, but she'll be ok if I am. I guess it's her job to worry and fret and hate things that I love.

I still can't believe I've been matched and I'm leaving for a traineeship in less than a month. Expect a more excited blog entry soon when I realize what an amazing experience I'm about to have. So surreal.

International Confusion

Will someone please explain to me the Tibetian conflict? I'm tired of being behind all of my AIESECy International Studies/Political Science friends when it comes to foreign policy. I keep getting invited to groups by Chinese friends declaring, "Tibet WAS, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE part of China" when the human rights activist inside of me is telling me that there's something fishy happening over there.

I want to be informed, but the Wiki on the subject is long, vague, and dense, and I don't completely trust either the Chinese or Western side of the media.

Help me.

Until you do, I'll be watching The Hills. Girls stabbing other girls in the back. Now THERE'S a conflict I understand COMPLETELY.

Road Trips

I just returned from the second shortest road trip of my life (first being when I rode a bus 10 hours round trip to visit Kellyn in D.C. for 10 hours). Erin, Sarah and I hopped in the car and drove 2 1/2 hours to visit Ma'andi at Indiana University. Mallory was awesome enough to invite us to her party and let us crash on our couch.

All in all, it was your average awesome AIESEC trip. Deep conversations on the ride there that continued when we arrived. Great party. Met a few AIESECers from Indiana. Everyone thought we were visiting for Little 5, which I guess is their big party weekend. We had to inform people that no, we're leaving tomorrow morning at 7am to get back in time for class. Got 2 hours of sleep because we were up so late dancing, randomly visiting the AOII house at IU, walking around in the rain to get drunk food from the local Greeks Pizza place, and asking Ma'andi to sing us the Egyptian national anthem at 4am. Good, good times. I even saw Morgan, who I haven't seen since Freshman year when she transfered to IU from Miami!

The most interesting thing about going to other schools is people watching. Miami is such a different breed of school than any other in the Midwest, and it's so obvious when you visit places like OSU, Indiana, Cincinnati, etc. We noted that the cocktail attire that was required at the party was probably what Miamians would wear on an average night out - no, probably even class. I did lots of people watching and making observations about the differences of Indiana from Miami. Some good, some bad. Just different. Very different.

I'm so excited for this weekend. Lots of international festivals going on. Unfortch, the weather calls for rain for the majority. Ew.

Until next time...

AIESEC Miami Blog!

"yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boiiiiiiii"
-Flav, on AIESEC Miami's new blog!

"That's hot."
-Paris Hilton, on AIESEC Miami's new blog!

"Dot dot dash dot dot dash dash dot."
-Helen Keller, on AIESEC Miami's new blog!

Check it out at http://aiesecmiamioh.blogspot.com

Downward Spiral?

Skybus Airlines will cease all operations effective Saturday, April 5.

Skybus struggled to overcome the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment. These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier.

ATA AIRLINES DISCONTINUES ALL OPERATIONS

After filing for Chapter 11 on April 2, 2008 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis, IN, ATA Airlines has discontinued all operations and cancelled all current and future flights.


I dare someone to try to argue that we're not in a recession.

so proud of these girls...

You don't know what intensity is until you've experienced Puddle Pull. And Pledge Puddle Pull 2008 was no exception. AOII's new girls beat two sororities and lost an unfortunate close one to Fuzzie in the semi-finals (Fuzzie went on to win the championship by a landslide). Using my math skills, which tells me AOII>=Fuzzie, and Fuzzie>Alpha Phi, AOII>Alpha Phi. Bam. We so would have won the whole shebang.

AOII beats Delta Gamma in 2nd round!

AOII beats Phi Mu in 1st round!

I'm so proud of all the girls. I know they worked so hard! Can't wait til Greek Week...revenge will be ours!

Δ

The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds.
John Maynard Keynes

While I hate Keynes for being the founder of modern Macroeconomics (the intermediate theory course of which has ruined my G.P.A), he was a very wise dude.

Change spurs growth. While these new ideas are sometimes imperfect, they can't be given a fair chance if they aren't accepted.

I just want to thank everyone who has brought change into my life in the past year. The "Great State of New York City" and all my friends from Summer '07. My parents. The beautiful women of Alpha Omicron Pi. Everyone in AIESEC. Professors, teachers, mentors. Countless moving conversations. Wastey nights Uptown in Oxford Ohio. You have all formed who I am today, and will continue to do so. Many will join you in your ranks of molding who I will become.