So, as you all know, this is the FINAL passion blog post FOREVER! I have to admit, I have had some trouble over the two semesters each week when trying to think of a topic to write about. I never really discovered my passion (maybe it’s still out there somewhere for me) so each week was usually something random and totally unrelated. For the last post, you’d think that I would write about my reflections for the  year and my freshman experience and all that good stuff, but instead, I’m going to discuss what is really on my mind right now… PASSOVER.

For those of you unfamiliar with Passover, it is a Jewish holiday that lasts 8 days and commemorates the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. There are many limitations on what types of food can be eaten (ex. bread products, pasta, grains, granola, legumes, so many more things I don’t even know). Basically, it stinks – good history and all for getting out of slavery.. but the food is awful for 8 days.

I never realized how difficult it would be to keep Passover while at college. All of my meal options are really limited, especially because I can’t cook for myself in my dorm. I’m at the hands of whatever the dining halls are making that day! This means that I’ve been living off of salad, fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. At least it’s all healthy!

When I’m at home, some of my favorite things to eat are….

Matzah Pizza! It’s surprisingly pretty good if you make it right! If I had an oven in my dorm, I would definitely be eating this all the time. It’s super easy to make (all you need is matzah, cheese and sauce) and doesn’t take long to cook at all! If I weren’t so traumatized by Passover by its end, I might even eat matzah pizza afterwards to finish off the matzah in my house!

The other best thing to eat is matzah brei or fried matzah. This is also pretty simple to make. Just soak the matzah in water, dip it in egg, fry it on the stove, and then add a topping of your choice! My mom likes salt and pepper, but I personally go for the cinnamon sugar! It doesn’t always look the best… but trust me, if it’s done right, it’s delicious.

There are actually a decent amount of good foods that you can eat during Passover as long as you search hard enough to find those recipes! Unfortunately, I’m a little limited in what I can make here but no worries, I’m going home this weekend and will definitely be making the two delicacies mentioned above! To anyone that celebrates Passover, Happy Passover! And I hope these 8 dreadful days go by as fast as humanly possible!

Also… for those that celebrate Passover, you have to read through this article on Buzzfeed. It was 100% accurate to me!

I don’t know about you guys, but with the end of the year approaching and summer seriously in sight, my usually horrible procrastination problem has skyrocketed. I think it might have something to do with the nice weather, piles of assignments shoved in at the end of the year that are looming, allergies and overall desire for classes to end that have begun this seemingly never-ending downward spiral.

Whenever I do not feel like doing my work, I go through about every possible thing that I can think of before it is time to really get down and get to work. Here, I’m going to list my favorite things to do that pass the time fairly well.

1. Clean my room. This one is definitely my favorite because depending on how my week has gone, my room could be pretty messy and the cleaning process could kill a good chunk of time. I will do everything including: making my bed, putting away my clothes, re-organizing my desk, cleaning dishes, and even sweeping.

*dont worry, that’s not my room and it never gets THAT bad!

2. Do laundry. This kind of falls under the cleaning the room part, but I also find doing laundry to be a very good way to kill time. Once the laundry is in the wash, it only takes about 38 minutes… what can you really get done in that time? No real significant amount of work, so you might as well just relax and wait for the wash to be done. Then it’s time for the dryer and maybe you can get a little work done during those 50 minutes. The best procrastination opportunity here is when it is time to fold all of your clothes! Depending on how much you have, that could take quite a while!

3. Take a nap. This is a pretty obvious one because sometimes, this happens by accident. I’m sure everyone has at one point in time decided it would be a good idea to do their readings for a horribly boring class in their bed because they would be more comfortable. And I’m sure that said person fell quickly asleep. Sometimes, you just need to catch up on a little sleep and make sure that you’re fully rested before starting your work – you don’t want to do sloppy work!

4. Watch Netflix. This is a deadly one especially if you watch TV shows on Netflix because the next episode starts itself. I never used to have Netflix until very recently and I am already starting to abuse it’s greatness. Be careful here… you might even forget what day it is once you start because who knows when you’ll stop!

Honestly, I could go on for a very long time with the many things that I do to procrastinate (some more include painting my nails and socializing with the people on my floor), but no one wants to read a post that is that long. So what kinds of things do you do to procrastinate? Are you as bad of a procrastinator as I am?

I recently saw the film Gravity and I don’t know if any of you saw it, but if you didn’t you need to. It was absolutely incredible! I had been meaning to see it ever since I first saw the trailers on TV but I didn’t get the chance until now. For those of you who do not know what movie I am talking about, here is a quick summary:

Sandra Bullock is a scientist working on the space station and she gets separated from the station and the crew and has to navigate through space in order to find her way back and make it back to Earth in one piece. You can find the trailer here.

I think what made this movie particularly interesting to me is that I have always had a fascination with space. It has always been a dream of mine to be an astronaut and travel to space. There is just something about seeing the universe and the Earth in that context that amazes me beyond description. The thing about space that still intrigues me is this: space is never-ending. It literally goes on forever and ever and ever. BUT, that seems impossible and there’s no way that I can even imagine that or fathom something that does that. It has to end eventually, right? So if it does end… what’s on the other side…? See? It’s quite a dilemma.

Even beyond the capacity craziness that is space, the fact that there is no gravity, no sound waves, no air pressure amongst everything else seems unreal to me. I think the movie Gravity really drives this point home when the sound shuts off when the camera is outside of the cabin where people are. It’s pure silence.

The special effects in this movie are out of this world (literally) and really allow the viewers to get the full experience of what it would be like to be in Sandra Bullock’s place. It definitely was deserving of all seven Oscar winnings and was worthy of dominating the Oscars in general.

Again, if you haven’t seen this movie GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! I can’t get over how incredible it would be to be in space and get a view of the Earth in that format. Also, how cool would no gravity be? Floating around all day doesn’t sound too bad to me! (Although your muscles get pretty messed up when you get back to Earth… it’s still worth it though.)

I can’t believe that this year is coming to an end already. It blows my mind that in only 6.5 weeks we will have completed our freshman year of college. OF COLLEGE! There are so many moments where I still can’t believe that I am in college… let alone almost a quarter of the way done!

I don’t know about you, but this change has really started to hit me with the wonderful (yet very brief) change in weather that we have had recently. This past weekend, I walked outside to play volleyball with some friends and the entirety of the quad in East Halls was packed with kids having a catch, or throwing a frisbee around or just hanging out. It reminded me of the beginning of the school year when everyone would be out on the quad all the time.

It’s crazy because that seems like ages ago. Think about move in day. And your first day of classes. And those super awkward (but now hilarious) get-to-know-your-floormates activities! At least for me, when I think about all of these things it makes me feel as if I’ve been here forever.

But, as the year is coming to a close, I am getting more and more excited about the summer and all that it has to offer. This is probably the last summer that many of us will have where we can pick an easy job that has nothing to do with our futures. Starting after sophomore year, many of us will have internships over the summer that pertain to our majors and help us gain some experience in the “real world workforce.”

I just decided (today, actually) what I will be doing for this summer and I could not be more excited. I’ve decided to work at the local day camp down the shore near my shore house in New Jersey. I will get to spend the entire summer living down the shore and relaxing on the beach every weekend. I CAN’T WAIT! I had been debating for a long time because summer is the one time where college students get to spend a significant amount of time with their friends from home, and if I take this job, my time spent with my friends from home will be very limited.

After weighing it all out, I think that it’s the best option. My friends will hopefully be able to visit on the weekends and I will be able to go home for some weekends too. Plus, maybe I’ll actually get a decent tan for once! This process made me realize that sometimes you just have to decide. Prolonging the process of deciding something doesn’t make the decision any easier – it’s not just going to magically become a simple decision weeks or months later. Instead, you will be forced to quickly decide from whatever is left.

So if anyone here is still contemplating what they want to do for the summer (or something similar), think about what would be the most relaxing, rewarding thing (that will hopefully pay the most!) and just go for it. Everything will work out in the end!

Also… just because it’s so great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqRq2ynij8Q

For this blog post, I figured that it was only appropriate that I talk about my spring break trip to Europe that I mentioned in my previous post. As I mentioned before, my trip was to Amsterdam and Paris – a trip of a lifetime! I went with one of my best friends and I can honestly say that we successfully conquered both cities.

We first flew into Amsterdam on a red-eye flight and started the day right away. Of course, we got completely lost in the city and ended up exploring the entire southern half of the city that first day. We must’ve walked through so many different residential areas that most tourists never know exist. It was great!

All of our days were absolutely packed with different sites, museums and tours that we wanted to do; there was even one day that we woke up at 5:45 ON VACATION!!! Because of all of these things, I will try to mention just some of my favorite parts of the trip because otherwise, this post would go on for waaaaaay too long and no one wants to read that!

One of my favorite parts of Amsterdam was seeing Anne Frank’s House and going on a canal cruise. Anne Frank’s House was a very emotional experience but absolutely worth the line that wrapped around the building and down the block. Having the chance to see first-hand the living space that she and her family and friends lived in during their time in hiding was humbling to say the least.

On a more positive note, I also loved going on a canal cruise through the city. It was breathtaking and a lot of fun. With the beautiful weather that we got, there were tons of people out on their houseboats and such having parties or hanging out with friends to enjoy the sun and warmth.

My absolute favorite part of my trip to Paris was the Segway tour that we went on where we got to see all of the highlights in the city on one tour on a SEGWAY! I’m not sure that it gets much better than that…! I had never been on a Segway before, but now all I want is to save up enough money to buy one of my own – they are awesome.

After the Segway tour, my second favorite thing was the bike tour of Versailles. It was incredible to walk through the Hall of Mirrors and stand in the room where the Treaty of Versailles was signed so many years ago. On top of that, we biked throughout the grounds and explored the groves and it was beautiful.

And finally, climbing the Eiffel Tower and going to Saint-Chapelle were my last couple of favorite things. It was surreal to be on top of the Eiffel Tower and looking out at the rest of the city around me. As for the Saint-Chapelle Church, for those of you who don’t know what it is, it is known for its breathtaking stained glass, and I have to say that it did not disappoint in any way.

There are a million more things that I could have mentioned in this post because this was probably one of the best weeks of my entire life, but I had to try and cut it down a little. But for one last note… I conquered my fear of trying new foods and decided to try the ultimate Parisian food: escargot. It was very scary, but I did it and I will admit that it was pretty good. Had I not known what it was I probably would have liked it, but knowing that it was a snail kind of freaked me out!!

This spring break, I am lucky enough to go to EUROPE with one of my BEST FRIENDS! Sorry to make anyone reading this jealous if your spring break plans aren’t that great, but this is all I’ve been thinking about for a looooong time now! Plus, if you don’t have spring break plans, then I completely know how you feel. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever done anything for spring break since 2nd grade when my family and I went to the Grand Canyon. So… this trip is a big deal for me!

What makes this trip even more exciting for me is that the one thing in life that I want to do is travel. If I could be paid to travel the world and see absolutely everything that the world has to offer with my own two eyes, I can’t even explain how quickly I would jump on that opportunity.

For me, my desire to travel is what has fueled my academic decisions. I entered college knowing that I wanted to study foreign languages. I have always had a knack for foreign languages and I love studying and learning them. However, I think that a large part of that interest is that it gives me an opportunity to possibly live abroad and travel (depending on how many and which languages I learn). This also is part of the reason why my list of languages that I want to learn is so long! When I realized that majoring in just Spanish and French wouldn’t necessarily provide me with as many opportunities to travel (teaching would be a prime job position), I decided to double major in Spanish and International Relations and minor in French. I figured that that combination would give me the best shot at traveling around the world as a profession.

Consequently, this spring break is huge. I’ve never been to Europe and I have only been out of the country twice – once when I was in 5th grade so I unfortunately don’t remember much, and the other to Canada this past summer. I don’t even know how to express how excited I am to have the opportunity to see everything that Amsterdam and Paris (the two cities I will be visiting) have to offer.

When my friend and I started listing the specific things we wanted to do and see in both cities, the list started getting a little ridiculous… we would need at least a month to complete it!

I’ll update after spring break about everything that I got to see and do, but for now I can’t wait to get there and finally begin broadening my horizons and seeing the world! I even promised myself to try new foods when I’m there… which from my earlier post might pose to be a little difficult.

Until next time, afscheid! Au revoir!

I was talking to some girls on my floor who are in the same class and they recently learned about New Eyes, which they attempted to explain to me but I’m not sure I quite understand it…

What I get from it is that you should imagine yourself as a literal part of the universe. Imagine that your blood is made up of actual star dust, which makes you a star and a real part of the universe.

That really caught my attention. (Yes, it is a pretty hippie thing, but the class they are in is pretty hippie… it’s interesting though!) It made me think about how I see myself in the world as a whole. Sometimes I can get so caught up in what I am thinking, how I feel and what is going on in my life, that I don’t really put all of these things into perspective of the world at large.

When you really think about it, every human life (though important and valuable, I’m not denying that) is so small. Everything about it is small. The person itself is small, for the most part the average person’s contribution the world is small, the average person’s contribution to the universe is small, the number of people each person interacts with is small, and the list goes on and on.

This has really made me reevaluate how I see myself and my impact on the world and people around me. It made me realize that because my contribution and significance in the grand picture is so tiny, I should really focus on the things that matter most. I know that this is the most typical thing to say – don’t sweat the small stuff, focus on what is important to you yada yada, we’ve all heard it a million times.

However, it may seem easier to do when you think about it in this way. Instead of thinking about not sweating the small stuff because you don’t want to stress all of the time, think about it in the context of the significance of the issue in the grand scheme of things. At least for me, I think that this will help me when I see these problems in my life.

I am going to try and make it a point that I start looking at the world with “new eyes.” It is only human and normal for things to bother me and get to me, but I am going to try and see what it feels like to view the world in this new way. Who knows, maybe it’ll calm me and become my form of meditation!

What do you guys think about this concept? Do you think it could work or do you think it’s bogus?

I don’t know about you, but I HATE trying new foods. Always have, and probably always will. Ever since I was little I hated trying anything new. I think it was because I have been such a picky eater my whole life, that I knew (or thought I knew) that no matter what I tried, I wouldn’t like it. I mean, I didn’t really like anything so the odds of me liking whatever this new food is was pretty low.

When I was 6, I went to Disney World with my family and my brother and I played a very childish game. Whoever tried the most new foods won! (I don’t think there was any type of prize… probably just bragging rights.) Anyway, I was a fool for even saying I would join in because I knew, he knew, and my parents both knew that I was in no way going to win. I MAYBE tried one new thing? MAYBE.

I even came up with a system to avoid trying new foods. To this day, I still use this system and it works just as well for me now as it did then! Here it is: If I’ve never tried something and someone offers it to me, I say that I don’t like that food. I have adopted this as my method because over the years I have learned that if I say that I’ve never tried that particular food, everyone insists that I do and won’t let me get away with not trying it.

If you say you don’t like something, it makes everyone think that you’ve already tried it and they won’t bother you about it!!

The main point of this post is this: I (and anyone else who hates trying foods as much as I do) need to stop doing this and get over my fear. I’ve realized that there are so many great foods and cuisines that I haven’t allowed myself to try because I am afraid that I won’t like it.

But that’s all going to change. I’ve made it my goal to try something new more often. I haven’t given myself a specific number of times (once a day, once a week, etc) because honestly, I know that that is not very likely to happen. Instead, when the opportunity arises, I will make an effort to try something new! And I challenge you to do the same.

Do any of you have weird habits when it comes to eating or are afraid of trying new things like me?

That means SMILE!

This year, I think everyone should make it their goal to not sweat the small stuff, don’t let stress get to you, and don’t let others bring you down. Let yourself be happy. Sometimes, I think that people get so carried away with what is going on in their life (and others’) and all of the things that have to get done, that they don’t leave themselves any energy to enjoy life.

I’m just as guilty of this as the next person is, unfortunately. It’s hard to just let things roll off your shoulders or to let a negative comment go in one ear and out the other. Now, I’m not saying that no one deserves the right to be hurt by something that has happened or something that was said. Instead, I’m suggesting that you use this negative energy that was thrust upon you and try your best to turn it around.

Allow yourself to be happy and enjoy the small joys in life. It’s okay to take some time for yourself and do something that you love to do or have been dying to try. Even if that means not doing something that someone else wants you to do. Be a little selfish. There’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first every once in awhile.

In the end, if you aren’t happy with who you are or what you have become, then nothing will be able to change that other than a changed attitude on your part. Make an effort to go out of your comfort zone and do something that you would never have done before. It’s a new year! Embrace it and enjoy everything that life, and Penn State, has to offer.

To help you get started… here’s the link to all of the different clubs that Penn State has to offer. Even though the Involvement Fair has passed, it doesn’t mean that your opportunity to try something new has passed along with it. With over 900 clubs to choose from, you are sure to find something that suits your interests!

As for me, I will definitely be scrolling through that exact same clubs page and see if anything sparks my interests. I am going to take my own advice and find something that interests me and go for it. We only have 3.5 more years here at Penn State, so we might as well make the most of them!

In case you didn’t catch the reference in the title of this post… it has to do with the AT&T commercial of the little boy who discusses his New Year’s Revolution. It’s hilarious. You should definitely check it out… right here!

I just love those commercials! However… for this post, I am going to be talking about the infamous “New Year’s Resolution.” We all know what they are. We all make up our own, have doubt in others’ success and are so sure that THIS year, we will definitely fulfill ours.

Weellllll. That’s probably just not true. Hate to break it to ya! Even though we make these resolutions with the intent on changing some part of our lives for the better, we usually duck out pretty fast. It’s like this post from BuzzFeed that tells you why to avoid the gym in January at all costs.

There’s nothing wrong with making a New Year’s Resolution. It’s actually a pretty good thing because it shows that you recognize something in yourself that you think could be improved. To me, that’s pretty impressive. There are plenty of people that don’t see any room for improvement in their lives. In my opinion, they can’t even be looking.

I always make a New Year’s Resolution. Granted, it is usually the same resolution every year… but hey, at least I know what I’m aiming for! Each year I tell myself that I am going to work out really hard and go to the gym every day (except in high school I played a ton of sports so the resolution was a little different). This year, I was doing great! A few weeks into the New Year and I was hitting the gym every day. That is until this past Wednesday when my phone fell from the fitness loft in the Natatorium allllll the way down to the pool deck below.

For any of you who have been there, you can probably deduce that my phone didn’t survive. That kinda killed my gym outings for the rest of the week. I’ll start up again though, don’t worry.

The point here is that even if you don’t completely fulfill your resolution, it’s okay. Maybe you went to the gym for three more months than you did last year, and that’s awesome. If you keep that up, eventually you’ll be going to the gym 12 months out of the year. THAT’S A WHOLE YEAR!!! CONGRATS!!!

Either way, the New Year provides a clean slate, so take advantage and enjoy the new beginning.