Kristen Shull

Brian Zaun, my boss if I were getting paid for this blog, sent me a Valentines day candygram to thank me for all my "hard work" blogging and so forth.

So, while I'm eating my candy, I guiltily open the Eckerdlife website and notice that I haven't updated in about two months.

In my defense, I haven't even been in the country, let alone near a computer with functioning internet for the entire month of January as I've been in Malawi, Africa doing my Winter Term service learning trip there. I would love to write about all the cool things I did, all the amazing orphans I saw and helped and how much the trip meant to me, but I feel as though it is nearly incomprehensible. One thing I know for sure is that no matter where I travel, no matter how much I love or hate the place I'm at, whenever I leave I feel as though I've learned so much. Much more than any classroom would be able to teach me about myself.



My entire time in Malawi, when we went to Lake Malawi and snorkeled with tropical fish, or when we went on a river and land safari and looked at all the hippos and monkeys and antelope, I couldn't help but remind me self that I was actually getting credit for this. It's almost unfathomable how much fun a course abroad can be. If I can impart any advice to prospective students, it's this: TRAVEL. And do LOTS OF IT. Especially during college. It occurred to me during the trip that it would be impossible to have this African adventure anytime after I graduate. If I were to travel to Malawi by myself, I wouldn't have an opportunity to stay in one of the most remote areas of the world, with no electricity and no running water, and spend time becoming acquainted to these amazing boys and girls, men and women, of Chigamba village. Because, if I were to travel by myself, I'd be a tourist. I'd stay at a resort on Lake Malawi, marveling at the lake's beauty and wondering what exactly was on the other side of the wall that separated the luxurious, foreign-owned, lakeside resorts from the rest of Malawi.
Only in college. Only at Eckerd. Seriously.

Now here I am, spring semester Junior. I'm taking five classes and it's probably the most rigorous workload I've had my entire student career.
-The Modern Novel with Professor Stark
-Intermediate Fiction with Professor Watson
-Poetry Workshop with Professor Ward (my hilarious mentor)
-Art and the Computer with Professor Wang
- Reading for the Rapture with Professor Lopez

I also got a job with the recycling team because they pay people even if they don't have work study and I'm broke. As usual.

So my time is pretty eaten up without my usual addictions to the internet, such as this blog, my livejournal, facebook, youtube, and failblog.org.
(http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/fail-owned-education-fail.jpg)

Hahahaha, I love you, internet.

Well, I'm going to try to start updating more regularly now, especially with the promise of future candy now in store.
Plus, I'm in the computer lab and the mac behind me keeps restarting on itself over and over and over again and making that annoying BLAAAAH sound every time. This is God's way of saying, "Stop staring at the computer screen, nerd," just like every time I scream too much and lose my voice, it's really God's way of saying, "Shut UP already! Just stop talking!"

And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!