Welcome!

Welcome to my blog for my school exchange for the 2010-2011 academic year! I am super excited for the school year to start! \^o^/

A brief introduction is in order. I am currently a student at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. I am a History and Education major with a minor in Asian Studies. I also am an Honors student. Although this will be my third year in higher academics, I have enough credits to be considered a first semester senior. >.< Yet, I have two more years after this in order to complete all of my degrees and certificates (*cough* education *cough*). That is only for undergraduate work. Add two to three more years of graduate work and study and about five gazillion dollars in tuition fees.

As I mentioned, I am a devoted student of history. My concentration is European (including British) history. Specifically, I enjoy wars and military history. I have recently begun to greatly enjoy the Regency period of England, with a focus on the social history. This has stemmed for another interest of classic literature. Particularly, I enjoy Jane Austen and other Romantic authors. (Thank you Count Worley). I also greatly enjoy the two World Wars and all their mayhem and destruction.

From my minor, I greatly enjoy Japanese history. Truthfully, this has a great deal to do with my personal heritage and national pride.

On that note, it is slightly embarrassing to say that U.S. history falls close to the bottom of my list of history topics. I mainly enjoy the wars of which America has been a part. After that, not much sparks my interest. Sub-Saharan African history is perhaps at the bottom of my list; only to be surpassed by Antarctic history. n_n

Outside of history, I enjoy a plethora of activities.

El Guapo: Many piñatas?
Jefe: Oh yes, many!
El Guapo: Would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?
Jefe: Oh yes, you have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?

(For the non-edumacated reader, this tête-à-tête is from the 1986 film, "Three Amigos".)

As can be seen, I like quotes. My interest in this came from my eighth grade history teacher, Mrs. Van Sickle, who had a Quote of the Day board in her room. I copied down the quotes in one of my composition notebooks and continued to fill it in the following years. It took me four years of high school to complete the task. I literally sat at the CU Events Center on graduation day filling in the last two pages of the notebook. As close as it was, I did it. I have started another book for quotes I collect during my years in college. I like all sorts of quotes, ranging from humourous to inspirational to quotes collected from friends and schoolmates.

Another activity that I greatly enjoy is judo. I have been doing judo for seven years at the Denver Buddhist Temple. I am currently a brown belt and have hopes of earning my shodan (first degree black belt) sometime in the near future. There are many tangible appeals to judo, but I think it the intangible that I find particularly attracting.

Beginning junior year of high school, I started to learn to knit and crochet. I find both very therapeutic and enjoyable. I like knitting because the simpler knits, such as those for a scarf, are constant and very little counting is required. Crocheting allows for a more creative outlet for creating things.

In my free time from the aforementioned activities, I like to watch movies or see a play. I like all kinds of movies, the exception being horror films. As far as plays, I have been going to the theatre since I was about 5 and continue to enjoy all kinds of plays. The majority of the plays I have seen have been Shakespeare and have been from the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder. The ironic aspect of this is that the majority of the plays I have yet to see or read are the histories. >.< After this summer's season of CSF, I will have seen or read the Bard's canon less the histories. n_n

Finally, through all of these, I would be nowhere without the continual support and guidance of family, friends, and the Buddy Group. I like spending time with all three...perhaps not all at once, or sometimes in larger quantities of time, but each is important to me and I value all that they have to give (even if I grumble).

Anyway, I said a brief introduction was in order. I hope you, the intelligent reader, either understands or will come to understand that what looks like half a paper to one person, is but a brief blurb to me. (That's to you, Kate and Hailey).

More is to come about Skidmore and the exchange!

"Do or do not, there is no try." ~Yoda