Long Overdue

Have you ever thought about, and then realized, that there just aren't enough hours in the day? Well I certainly have and thus you will find my excuse for not posting a blog every Sunday night like I so duly promised. Even now, as I catch a few minutes to update this, I am pressed for time because of my fraternity's inductions tonight. We're welcoming 70 new pledges to the fraternity, who will undergo 8 or so weeks of the pledging process, where they are required to do 17 hours of community service, attend fellowship events, and interview fellow pledges and brothers. Joining this fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, was one of the best decisions I have made since coming to Syracuse. It has provided me the opportunity not only to meet hundreds of new people I would not have otherwise had the chance to befriend, but it's an incredible outlet to do community service and other activities that I really love to do. Further, my position of Vice President of Service has me planning service events and coordinating logistical information for the brotherhood, introducing me to people within the campus administration and allowing me to work on my organizational skills, something I readily admit has not been my strongest points in the past.

I apologize if so far this sounds like a cover letter, I've just recently been engrossed with future planning of internships for this summer. I have set my sights on working in Albany, although the economy may intercede. I'm hoping to work in an economic policy research position (a plentiful internship, I know) or a political office down there to gain incredible insight into what I may want to do after graduating.

These past couple of days have been really exciting too as I plan out my next semester. While it's not completely official (I still have to fill out the application, blah) I have full intention on traveling to Strasbourg, France next semester. Smack dab in the middle of Western Europe, Strasbourg is a ten minute bike ride to Germany (the border is completely free and open because both countries are members of the EU) and 2 hours from Paris. It's a small town (in consideration to the other aboard programs) but I think it will fit me perfectly, as I'm well accustomed to that small town feel in Watertown and even Syracuse. Hoping/crossing my fingers/praying that some type of internship might be able to happen, as Strasbourg is home to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, and many SU students in the past have been placed in one of those two organizations.

I'm definitely still something of an idealist when it comes to the summer internship and my abroad experience. Naive, pie-in-the-sky sophomore who thinks everything is going to work out just as planned. We'll see. Until next time.

Au revoir et salut,
Justin