October Recap

Life Events: 

October 6: Petting Zoo

 

During midterms and finals, CNU often has small events to help relieve stress. This year they had a petting zoo the week of midterms! There were dogs, horses, goats, even an alpaca. But the star of the show was definitely this baby cow!

October 14: Small Business Fair

For the third time, I participated in my school's Small Business Fair held by the Entrepreneurship Club. While not as successful as I have been in the past, it was still fun to chat with people and share my craft and business. Below was my table setup!

October 23: Hanging with Friends!

 

The semester has been so busy that I haven't able to spend too much time with my friends outside of class or quick lunch dates. We finally found time! I had an amazing time hanging out with my two friends McKenzie and Anna. Although we had intended it to be a sunset picnic hangout, unfortunately, it had rained for most of the day so it was too cloudy for a good sunset. But we still had a great time! We sat in my car, ate dinner, and listened to Taylor Swift's new album! We then got out to take some cute pictures along the water. 

October 31: Halloween!

Halloween is never as exciting as it was in New York, but it is still my favorite holiday! We got pizza and after we ate McKenzie and I sat outside and handed out treats to the kids!

My Classes:

Statistics for Social Research:

 

We have been continuing to learn how to use SPSS, the software that helps us understand and interpret data from nationwide surveys. 

 

German 200:

 

We have been focusing on reviewing Präteritum (past tense) and conjunctions. We also have begun learning about reflexive pronouns. We also had our oral exam for the semester. 

Refugees and Migrant Displacement:

 

Before Fall Break, the author of one of the articles we read came to CNU to give a talk. He was also able to come and speak with our class. We also watched a screening of a play about the refugee experience that was written by a CNU English professor. In addition to these guest speakers, we also have been learning about refugee camps and humanitarian organizations.

 

Popular Genres:

 

We have continued our discussion of detective stories by reading the book Devotion of Suspect X, essentially a Japanese version of Sherlock Holmes! We also looked at the CSI effect and have been looking at some scholarship regarding adaptation, as we begin to write a paper analyzing a specific adaptation of crime fiction. We also read a graphic novel called Reckless.

Dance Studies:

 

Before Fall Break, we presented our midterm topics to the class. Our assignment was to choose a dance and analyze it. I chose to analyze the Sugar Plum Fairy solo from The Nutcracker, specifically focusing on why the character is both so loved and so well-known. After we returned, we have learned about protest/spectacle dance (with a focus on Beyoncé's Super Bowl performance), second line dancing in New Orleans, and Native American dance practices. 

Books Read:

• Signal Moon by Kate Quinn
• I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
• Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love by Kim Fay
• The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino 
• Reckless by Ed Brubaker
  
• Murder in Scorpio by Martha C. Lawrence (currently reading)
  
• The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri (currently reading for school)

 Movies Watched:

•  Elvis
• Amsterdam
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit
  
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
  

Favorite Songs This Month:

• All of Midnights by Taylor Swift!