Hey there,

January is almost over already, how do the months go by so fast? Spring semester is notorious for flying by, and so far it has been living up to its expectations.  On a positive note, I can’t say that I have been bored! I am rather displeased with this lack of winter though ( though I may be alone on this). Muddy shoes are never fun to deal with, no matter how warm or cold it is outside. Anyways, on to the good stuff:

International Events

Slipping and sliding on our day off

Tubing was a complete success! Although we may have been the oldest people there (minus the parents), all of us Internationals were kids at heart as we towed our tubes up the hill. I had never gone tubing before, so we all enjoyed this first-time experience! Bruises and sore bottoms came later, but that day we were all laughs and smiles. Highly recommended!

A group shot of the International club and crew (right before the snowball fight)

Tennis Time

Our Bowl-a-thon fundraiser was a HUGE success! We raised around $1,000 for the men’s and women’s teams that day and had lots of fun doing it. A big thank-you to all who went out and supported us that day and for additional donations you gave. Another thank you to the donors of our prizes for our raffle, as well as all of the players and coaches who helped prepare and run the fundraiser.

Our first match is Feb. 13th at Kenyon College. If you’re in the area (hey, it’s possible) come on by and cheer for the Cavs!

In Other Walsh News . . .

Ski club prays for snow

With some new executive members (including myself as club secretary), ski club is ready for some accumulation to hit the slopes once more. Future projects include a President’s Day break day/overnight trip and weekend excursions to slopes close by.

The Career Center in full force

This week was all about getting students ready for the big-wide world outside of University. From resume writing to mock interviews to information on internships and full-time work, the Career Center worked hard this week to help us students out on post-graduation options. Thanks Walsh!

Steaming up

The work-out room is more like a sauna these days. The windows and mirrors look frosted until you realize it’s inside condensation. It’s great that so many people are living active lifestyles, but perhaps more ventilation is in order . . .

Travel Tips and Tangents

Time for a trip home to Canada! Let’s jump North to our capital city, Ottawa. The city of Ottawa is situated on the Ottawa Canal and served as a unification point between French and English Canada. Still very much bilingual, or multi-lingual now, Ottawa is a great historic city with it’s copper-roof Parliament buildings, downtown vibe, the eclectic Byward market and many museums and famous historic and cultural landmarks. I have been there a few times, the most recent being two summers ago with my mum. I noticed later when I got back that many of the pictures I had taken were exactly the same things I had taken pictures of when I was very young with my first film camera (whoa, so last century). Enjoy!

Parliament Hill and Chateau Laurier, as seen from the canal.

Canada's version of the white house! The Prime Minister has one heck of a view of the river!

Group shot! Not everyone, but you get the idea.

Happy 2010 everyone!

Hope you all had a great holiday break. Whether it was a whole month, a few weeks, or just a few days, I’m sure it was fun and relaxing and well deserved! I finally got to go home, a  place I haven’t been to since August. Good times were had seeing family, friends and the dogs (a new puppy spells JOY in any language). Boxing Day was a smashing success and the credit card was just as worn out as I was at the end of the spree. I was not pleased by the fact that I left for home expecting snow and found out later that Ohio got MUCH more than my hometown did. Myth = busted. Canada is NOT the land of ice and snow. Just bitter cold, maple syrup and toques. ( pronounced “tewk”). But enough about my Northern adventures, let’s get back to business:

International Events

For all of the internationals that do not have such a love affair with snow like Canadians do, the club is organizing a tubing trip on MLK day. What better way to appreciate the snow by ripping down a mountain at an alarming speed? Pictures will come next week.

Stay tuned for International club fundraisers!

Tennis Time

Spring semester can only mean “it’s game time!” Both the men and women are hitting the gym and the courts to prepare for another great season. Nationals anyone? It’s possible. Let’s make it a reality this year! Please keep stopping by for updates on match dates and come out to support us if you can.

Spring Break is coming up! Can hardly wait

In Other Walsh News . . .

Ski club shreds the slopes in New York

What better way to celebrate the end of exams than with a little bit of R&R? After a few pit stops and a flat tire, 30 Walsh students headed up with their gear in vans to Ellicottville, New York to take on Holiday Valley Ski Resort. Some wrong turns and a few more hours later, we made it to our rooms just in time for some night skiing. Our three-day voyage flew by all too fast, as did many of our talented skiers and boarders as they conquered the slopes. Perfect conditions and no crowds made it the best ski trip yet! (for me at least).

Alex and I on the way up.

Me on the left with one of the Professors and other Walsh students.

A new cafeteria gets a thumbs up from me!

An extreme makeover: University edition must have taken place while we all went home. I came back Sunday evening to find the food section of the cafeteria redone and lookin’ fine! With more diverse food choices, more food options and our lovable waffle makers *applause*, I may be stopping by there more often.

Welcome back Rome Fall II participants!

We missed you! Another year of Walsh Italian adventures successful.

Travel Tips and Tangents

I will count the ski trip as this weeks edition.

Enjoy your first weeks of classes everyone!

Julia

Finally, another update! A lot has been happening in the past few weeks, but homework and studying took up the vast majority of it. I don’t think you want to read about my countless hours with Economics or Accounting, so I will get to the good stuff:

International Events

The International Dinner was a great success! All of our hours and hard work paid off beautifully, as many have claimed that it was the best dinner yet. We had so many tables filled with wonderful food from around the world and everyone had enough to eat. The entertainment portion was a great success as well. Our salsa dancing made me dizzy as I swayed back up to the podium, too many spins! Keisuke’s piano playing was impressive, as usual, and Thom’s game show was challenging for everyone there. The Internationals ended up winning, congrats! The fashion show gave everyone a chance to learn more about our different cultures’ styles of dress and was a great finale to end off of. I wish I had time to take pictures with my camera, but here are a few I’ve collected from other people:

The International Club crew! Plus some others who helped us out that night.

The President and Vice President after all of our hard work!

Now we can relax and start up again in the spring with fundraisers and spring break trip planning!

Tennis Time

Help support your Walsh Cavaliers tennis teams! Both the men and women are working together to sell Walsh hoodies and sweatpants you CANNOT find in the bookstore. At only $20 a piece, this is a deal you will not want to miss! Check out the David Center during meal times and head on over to our table.

Also for sale, to support your favorite tennis team, are Walsh sports bracelets (think the Livestrong kind). We will be selling these bracelets at home games for basketball in the gym, so when you head for the game grab some extra cash so you can purchase some Walsh pride.

Some of the tennis girls came to support us. Thanks ladies!

In other Walsh news . . .

Ski Club helping Habitat

We couldn’t have picked a better time to participate in our service project. It was a gorgeous fall day in Canton as a group of us Walsh students learned how to measure, cut and put up siding on a house. It was very rewarding to see how happy the homeowner was as she worked alongside us and how grateful she was for our help. It was a great experience, and I’ve become a better handywoman as a result!

Captain’s council, unite!

The Howards are very generous people for letting us spend an evening of good food and good company for our first Captain’s Council meeting. Think of it as a student government meeting for athletes, where each team has a representative come over for dinner to hear the latest news in all things sports here at Walsh. What can I divulge? The tennis courts will be fixed this summer (hurray!), we are still working hard to get into the NCAA and baseball may see a new scoreboard in the future.

Travel Tips and Tangents

This week, let’s jump over the ocean to CADIZ, SPAIN

This little coastal town is set on the Atlantic part of Sothern Spain and has a great quaintness about it. When me and my European friends arrived, it was rainy and miserable with some terrible wind. It was just our luck though, as we were thinking of hoping on a train back to Seville that the sun came out, the rain dried up and the wind was far less violent so we could enjoy our day. We had a seaside lunch of fresh fish, walked around town admiring the great architecture, frolicked in a public park and walked along the seawall for some great views. So sunny, so wonderful, so Spain!

The main square in Cadiz, right after the rainstorm.

One of the seaside parks. Very well kept and very pretty.

A view of a strip of beach from the catwalk out in the sea.

Lots of fishing boats in a harbor. Not much else to say about this one.

Aboot time for an update, eh? Sorry for the delay, work just keeps on piling up and blogging gets up on hold. But I am back and ready to report the latest and greatest in Walsh News:

International Events

The time has come for our club to start preparing for the International Dinner, a huge evening put on by all of us students and our International coordinator for the Walsh community. Since it is at the end of founder’s week and is the wrap-up event for Walsh’s 50^th celebration, there are great expectations this year. I hope to make it successful as possible, so wish me luck as I try to get everything under control! If anyone would like more information on the dinner or would like to help out, send me a message : juliakole@walsh.edu.

Also in international news, I wished Selahaddin Ibrahimy good luck early Saturday morning as he left for the Rome Experience Fall II program. Check out his blogs, where I’m sure he will give you detailed accounts of everything Walsh is doing overseas.

In Cleveland partying it up, Arab style!

Tennis Time

Congratulations Gary and Mark Innes for going down to ITA Nationals in Alabama and representing Walsh! Coach Bossart told me they played extremely well and fought hard, despite their score of 0-6, 3-6. They made a point that Walsh sports are serious business.

Our season has come to an end until March Break. If I hear of anything new, I will let you know.

Having some fun at Disneyworld!

In other Walsh news . . .

A Fall Break in Boston

The Business and Communications Club had something to boast about, going to Boston MA for part of Fall Break. Early Monday morning we departed from Akron-Canton and before you could even settle down in the plane we were off on the subway heading to our hotel. Good thing we had a few students familiar with Boston and it’s public transportation so in no time were moving and shaking like the locals, minus the wicked Bostonian accent. While in this coastal city we visited some main attractions from a business perspective. We had a tour of Harvard (pronounced Hahvahd) and ate in their Business school cafeteria (I recommend the pizza, fresh from the wood-burning oven). We also got to visit the federal reserve, where we were given free money! Shredded and void, of course. Our last planned trip was to the original Samuel Adams brewery, where we entered beer-making 101 and learned how to brew and got to taste fresh beer straight from the vats. Us underagers were not forgotten in this experience and were given free root-beer as a substitute.

Fellow blogger Chris and I on the bridge into Cambridge with Harvard in the background.

It is as beautiful as people say it is.

Erica and I outside of the Brewery

Part of Harvard Business school. beautiful day and beautiful building

The rest of the time we had to create our own itineraries, so of course that translates to a license to shop! Our hotel, the Taj, was located right on Newbury street, the main shopping district in Boston. The spirit was willing, but the purse had limited money, so a trip to Filene’s basement was in order. Great name brands for a fraction of big store prices, a haven for shopaholics everywhere! We also experienced the culinary side of Boston as well as I made it a point to try the seafood, including New England clam chowder, Boston baked beans and Boston cream pie. Some of us stopped into Cheers, the inspiration for that quirky 80s show, and had a hearty meal. We also made a point to see as much of the city as possible in 2 days and what better way to do it than by doing a duck tour? Riding around in amphibious vehicles (a massive military bus that turns into a boat) and listening to a stranger than strange tour guide we saw almost all of Boston and its historical landmarks. We unexpectedly plunged into the river and saw the city from the water as well.

Cheers everyone!

A patriotic Duck tour bus . . . boat . . . whatever.

All in all, a great trip with lots of memories. I wonder where the trip will be next year . . .

Travel Tips and Tangents

I think my Boston trip counts for this section, so I will cut it off here.

Keep checking back for more information from a Canadian perspective!

Julia

A month of school has passed already, I cannot believe it! It seems like only yesterday I was unpacking my clothes and decorating the room. Actually, that was still yesterday, I really must finish up with that Other than the usual bombardment of schoolwork, here is what’s been going on this week:

International Events

I ran two, yes two, International meetings two weeks ago. It actually worked out very well as I had a great turnout at both meetings and lots of ideas for the year. I think we may have too much on the agenda already, but I am willing to do as much as I can to make sure the club keeps active. In recent club news, we are working on various volunteer projects, fundraiser ideas and even a trip down to the Ohio state/Walsh men’s basketball match! If anyone is willing to give me ideas or suggestions of events, please let me know! juliakole@walsh.edu.

Adriana and I last year at bowling. Internatoinals did it again! (and had better scores this time too)

Tennis Time

Sunday the 27th was definitely not the day of rest for women’s tennis. We departed on a long and very country-scenic journey to the University of Findlay for our first team match of the year. All of the girls played very well and our freshmen experienced their first taste of collegiate tennis. Clearly they all liked it because we won as a team 6-3! Way to go ladies!!! Our next match was Thursday the 1st at West Liberty College, but more on that later. Two more matches to go for our fall season!

A glimpse of last year: The Rossi sisters and Jen Yost at a match in Kentucky.

In other Walsh news . . .

Requisition passed! Student Government generously gave us some funds for our Boston expedition. We have a full itinerary ahead of us, I can’t wait! Recent trips added: a tour of the Sam Adam’s brewery! Walsh took over at the Burner-Cox event last Thursday; we had the biggest turnout of students! It was a great evening, and I learned a lot about working in a Public accounting firm and internship expectations. If anyone ever has an opportunity to go to career events I say go do it! It will only benefit you and your decisions on your career field. And remember, sweatpants are strictly casual, they are not considered BUSINESS casual! Dress to impress is the key.

Chef Greg’s meals are well worth the wait. Whenever you see him cooking up a storm, line up! You won’t be disappointed.

Travel Tips and Tangents

I will give you a break from destinations and discuss a different issue this week: gypsies. Now the term gypsy (or gipsy) was a common term used to describe Roma people or “Travellers” around Europe. These people have accumulated certain stereotypes over the years and although they do not apply to all Roma people, some of them enforce the stereotype. Having encountered a few of these nomads through my travels in Europe, I have been inspired to write some badly ripped off poetry that brings their money schemes to literary life:

“One ring to trick them all, one ring to scam them. One ring shown to tourists, to get some euro from them”- when a woman tried to sell Keisuke and I a fake gold ring in Paris

“A pinkie held out is all I need, a pinkie and slick words. to make a bracelet out of string and charge an amount absurd” – when Keisuke paid way too much for a sad little bracelet at the Spanish steps in Italy

“Look how helpful I can be, showing you what to do. for all the work I did today, I take 2 euro from you!” – our first time in the subway, as a man helped us buy tickets at the machine but then took 2 euro from the change tray as “tip” in Rome

Many Roma people wait outisde churches and other buildings for donations.

Lesson learned: keep money out of sight and keep on walking! But all this was a minor detail, and I still defend that travelling is the best thing you can do if you ever have the opportunity to do so.

Now back to the educational grindstone!

Julia

I think I’m getting this whole “being a student again” concept under control. My life is now highly scheduled (ie even sleeping hours are planned out), but it makes the days run along smoothly. I finally had some time to relax, hang out with a few friends, do some cooking and watch the awesome fireworks from my balcony in Grove. The Fall Family Weekend was a great success, we should do it every year!

International Events

Thanks to everyone who came to the Fall Weekend International Table to help with face painting and tattoos. We were in high demand, an all-round successful and enjoyable project. And we are even closer to being back in good standing with Student Government, yay! I wish I had pictures to show you, my favourite is the dragon I painted on someone’s head (my friends joked I would end up being a tattoo artist . . . K, scary how they predicted that). To anyone interested to join in our International fun, we have a meeting Monday the 21^st at 3pm in David and another on Wednesday the 23^rd at 9:15pm. See you there!

Tennis Time

On Wednesday we sent some of our men and women to an ITA tournament to compete with other schools in a mega draw of intense competition. Intense it was and all of our players fought hard to represent Walsh the best they could. Congratulations to Mark and Gary Innes, doubles winners at the ITA tournament this weekend!!! This South African duo can now advance to Nationals, held in Alabama, although I don’t know when that’s happening. In any case, send them your support!

If you would like to show your support for Walsh Tennis, and I know you all are dying to do so, there is a Women’s home match on the 29^th at 3pm on the courts behind Giant Eagle. You can buy your Giant Eagle Bakery cake and eat it too, all while watching some doubles and singles on our home courts. Cake donations to the team are always welcome

Come out and support us!!! Note: Jenamarie and Jen Yost are no longer with us (graduation, darnit), but hopefully they will come over and lend us some support!

In other Walsh news . . .

Our 2009 Business Club trip is fast approaching. This year we are flying out to Boston to visit universities and local business branches to get some hands-on experience to the many opportunities the US has to offer within the business world. All majors are welcome, but hurry as spaces are limited. Please contact jenniferpassewitz@walsh.edu for more information.

Travel Tips and Tangents

Though I never actually saw much of Germany other than the insides of a few of their airports, I would definitely recommend it as a place to visit! The views from the plane were awesome enough to convince me, as was the food (the most important experience while travelling).

Dusseldorf, my half-way house while flying. This little airport was so quaint and extremely efficient. It was so small that we had to sit on the plane for a good 20 minutes before the airport actually opened so we could get off. I had never heard of airports closing before.

Dusseldorf at sunrise. Too early, even for the airport itself!

Munich is the home of Oktoberfest , a week-long party where everyone enjoys some good fun, food, music and traditionally, beverages made from barley and the like. I was in Germany the ending weekend of this city-wide party, but I could not witness any festivities because of my connecting flight. Maybe another time. I did manage to buy some German chocolates for the family, which were quickly devoured when I came back home. I think I might have tried one, they were gone that fast!

Can you get more picture perfect? Flying over Germany. Image (c) of Julia Kole 2008.

Well time for some Sunday homeworking. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Julia

So far Junior year has been the most demanding thing I have ever done. So much to do, not enough time to do it all! That’s why I have started to put things in perspective, trying to sort out the important jobs and events from ones that I can miss or option out of. I’m sure all of you can relate on some level. Just work through each day and take it in stride!

International Events

Thank you to all who signed up to join this year’s International club, either voluntary or by force J We had our first meeting this Wednesday and I was thrilled to see so many people turn up. We discussed a lot and had a good time getting to know one another. I also discovered that food is a great incentive for high turnout. I will keep that one in mind . . . For anyone who is interested in still joining just send me an email. juliakole@walsh.edu. We would love to have you! Keep watching emails for the latest in International events and happenings.

Celebrating my birthday, International style! Sukko Thai, yum!

Tennis Time

Practice, practice, practice! I’m sure I lost about 10 lbs this week alone sweating it out on court and through conditioning. Though I can barely stand and it hurts to laugh, I know it will all be worth it once the season starts. Let’s hope our men’s team did well today at West Liberty! Go Cavs!

Playing a match in Florida during Spring Break.

Travel Tips and Tangents

What the heck is this? Well in order to not bombard you with enough travel stories to start my own series all at once, I figure one story a week will suffice. It will also bring you some hand-on experience of areas around the world. This week: Malta.

Never heard of it? Not surprising, not many people have. This country is a wee island between Italy and Africa, a former British colony mainly used as a military and trading point. It was also the home to the Knights of the Templar for quite a while way back in the day. The Island itself is a physical mix of African and European geography, and the culture is just as confusing. I would meet Egyptians with Maltese citizenship, speaking with an English accent. The food was wonderful and very Middle-Eastern influenced. Prices were ideal for shopping and there was much to see and do. I even made it to the beach and enjoyed a day in the sun with a fellow Rome Experience student. Getting a tan two weeks before Christmas, how insane! Definitely a spot worth exploring.

Me enjoying the December heat in Malta. A spectacular sunset followed soon after this photoshoot.

The funky, retro buses that somehow still run. A few close calls, people drive crazy in Malta!

Now time for me to get back to work and start planning out my weekend. Have a good one everyone!

Julia

Hello there Walsh community!

I guess an introduction is in order, eh? My name is Julia Kole and I am a new blogger this year at Walsh U. As well as working on my Accounting Major and Economics Minor, I am an active student in the Walsh Community. Some highlights you will hear a lot about from me will be about Walsh Varsity Tennis ( I am part of the women’s team) and the International Club, where I will be acting as President for this academic year. I am a newly founf globe-trotter, so be prepared to hear all about my travels here, there and everywhere. I took part in the Rome Experience Fall II trip last year in 2008 and had the time of my life, and also traveled to various other countries before and during the program.

Part of our Faboulous Fall group. Here we are outside the Coliseum enjoying the wonderful weather in Rome.

This past summer, in addition to working at my equestrian all-girls summer camp, I flew across “the pond” again to revisit Spain, this time taking a Spanish language course. I will try to share all of my experiences of my travels abroad, the good, the bad and the slightly funny. Shall we get started?

Adios Canada!

So after the grueling battle that was NAIA Tennis Regional’s (where we were finalists), it was time to kick back and relax after a hectic Spring semester. What better place to unwind than in sunny Seville, Spain? I signed up with CSA (Center for Study Abroad) for a three week Spanish language course with Enforex, a language program that has schools all over Europe. There was an exchange of quick hello and goodbyes at home and just as I unpacked the last of my university things, I was in the air waving bye to Canada. I was excited to experience the sun, heat, culture and cuisine of southern Spain. Upon arrival, I was blown off my feet (almost literally) with the insane heat as I stepped out of Arrivals and into a taxi. It was a blistering 104F !!! My Canadian blood barely withstood the barrage, especially at night sleeping with no fan and no air conditioning. X_X But I survived each day and got used to the dry heat, even when the temperature reached 111F.

Close quarters! Good thing I liked my roomate I did eventually get a fan.

Meeting new people is always so thrilling, especially when they are from different countries. While studying in Seville, I met many people from all over the globe including England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Croatia, the United States, China and Sweden. A group of us formed a “League of Nations” of sorts and merged our cultures into one. At one point we would speak to each other in a new kind of international dialect, part French, part Spanish and part English. My classes were great and I really improved my conversational Spanish, though there is much left to work on. We had many outings and sightseeing activities and even Flamenco dance lessons! Unfortunately I have discovered that dancing is not a talent I possess. Oh well, I made up for that artistic disaster by shutterbugging around the city taking hundreds of photos.

A typical Sevillian scene: The Cathedral, a sunny day, a few tourists and horse carriages everywhere!

Now I don’t want to rant on forever and get a bad rap on my first blogging attempt, so let me just say this: IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, STUDY ABROAD!!! Not that I want to force anyone into it, but the experiences, knowledge and friendships you gain from exploring the world are priceless. Not only will they help you in an academic way, they can help lead you into new fields in the workplace and change your perception of how you view the world around you. And if all else fails, you will always have some sort of gypsy tale to tell your friends when cafeteria conversation gets dull.

I look forward to informing and entertaining you all this year. Hope you had a great first week and have an awesome holiday weekend.

I’m “oot” and “aboot”,

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Canadian

We have another new blogger this year, Julia Kole. Julia is a junior and an Accounting major. Julia’s hails from Ontario, Canada.