What we got from Harry Potter

The final Harry Potter movie was released last weekend, and I felt that at the end of an era (for millions of fans, including me!) needed to be commemorated.  The first book was published in the U.S. in July 1998, when I was only 7 years old!  It's strange to think that I watched the last movie, at times with tears in my eyes, at age 20.   It's definitely safe to say that I grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, sharing in their adventures, conundrums, and successes.  I fell in love with Fred and George Weasley shortly after I first read about them!  What's a twin to do?!?

I started out as a kid fascinated by a novel about a wonderful wizarding world, but looking back on my thirteen years of obsession with the tale of "the Boy Who Lived," I realized that the Harry Potter phenomenon provided more that a bedtime story.

First off, I loved Hermoine.  I always had dibs on dressing as her for parties, new releases, etc.  Finally we have a heroine who is not drop-dead gorgeous; instead, she's brilliant, brave, and understanding!  A bit of a know-it-all, yes, but she let her intelligence shine, setting an excellent example for girls across the globe.  And of course, what would Harry and Ron do without her?

Spoiler alert: one of my favorite parts in the last book is when Percy Weasley joins his family in the fight against the Dark Lord.  After years of fighting and eventually not speaking, the family is reunited (I gave a little cheer!).  Forgiveness?  Yes.  Value of family?  Yes.  I think the biggest statement this makes, though, is that it's never too late to do the right thing.   J.K. Rowling also pointed this out in the brief moment where Dudley thanks Harry for saving his life.  People CAN change for the better.  Yes!

The friendships are truly inspiring.  In reading a secret on postsecret.blogspot.com about a person envying the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine more than their wizardry/witchcraft, I felt so emotional that I couldn't continue through the rest of the page.  Because their friendship taught me what friendship truly is.  They fight, true, but they overcome their differences. They accept each other for who they are; the famous trio befriends Neville and Luna before they evolve into brave heroes in the final books.  But most importantly, they love each other throughout difficulties that I cannot even imagine.  I still get chills just thinking about friendship that deep...


I have yet to mention the value of a good laugh and positive attitude in the midst of dark times, the recognition that love proves to be the strongest force in the world, and the importance of trust despite uncertainty; all these lessons are hidden in the one-million-plus words that make up the Harry Potter series. So, to J.K. Rowling: for giving me so much more than novels that I just couldn't put down and for teaching me so much through Harry and his friends, I thank you.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."~Albus Dumbledore

Sisterhood

This post is probably long overdue, but I just haven't felt like writing.  It's strange; this summer has been a challenge for me.  I have every reason to be happy, yet I'm not.  As cliche as it may sound, I've had this inner struggle going on which is so much more raucous than normal.  However, that is for me to deal with and not for me to write about.

The reason I wanted to write today was because my sister has been asking me to post something.  Which leads to my topic, actually.  Yesterday my sisters and I were watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie, and I realized how grateful I am to have two sisters who are also my best friends (not to mention that we can share jeans, too!).  I love my girlfriends from my hometown and university, but there is just something about my relationship with my sisters that can never be rivaled.  We laugh together. We talk together. We get angry, then we get over it.  That's just what sisters do.  They've taught me so much and continue to do so.  They are two of the most lovely people I've ever met.  So, here's to my sisterhood!  <3

I loved my Friday!

I slept in, did a bit of research for my paper (which absolutely fascinates me), and headed into town for some shopping.  I was by myself, and I think that's why I loved it so much.  It was such a beautiful day, which made waiting at the bus stop near the Student Village a pleasure!  My first stop was Primark (oooh, how I love that store!).  I bought a white v-neck, because it was super cheap and fit well, as well as a black skirt with little flowers on it.  I later realized that outfit will be fantastic for Haf's birthday party on Monday.  I also bought a denim button-up shirt and immediately started planning outfits to go with it!  I found a pair of brown and white brogues (a must in the U.K.) to further add to my ever-growing shoe collection.  My moment of true love (though I do believe that shoe love is true love) came when I tried on a cream and red striped maxi dress.  It's unbelievably comfortable and unbelievably flattering.  Why didn't I discover maxi-dresses earlier? Live and learn, I guess!  I walked from the city centre to campus, enjoying the beautiful day and forgetting about my tendonitis (oops?).  I think the rest of my Friday is going to be filled with more researching; thank goodness that I love the topic!  Ahhh, I love my life!

Musings on my time abroad

I received an email before I left for Wales saying that if I wrote a letter about my experiences abroad I could receive a $500 scholarship.  I love writing, so I'm excited to type up that letter as soon as I get home!  However, I had some thoughts today that I wanted to jot down, so here's a lil' precursor to my letter:

While study at Swansea, I chose to talk a class on African American History (mostly because it will fill the U.S. Diversity credit that all Iowa State students need to graduate).  I've thoroughly enjoyed that class, though, because it provided me with a chance to gain a different perspective on something quite familiar to me.  The grade on the class was based solely on two essays, and as I worked on the second essay, I realized how much I appreciated having control of what I was learning.  I found the subject of my essay (I chose the Black Panther Party) extremely fascinating and devoured all the literature I could find on the topic.  I was able to read the facts (as well as various opinions) and develop my own opinions about the Black Panther Party and their effect on African American culture.  With my usual engineering classes, there are a lot of wrong answers and one right answer.  This class provides me with a chance to delve deeper into myself to learn how I feel about the world around me; pardon the pun, but this class proved that not everything is strictly black and white.  Yes, I love my engineering, but I also love knowing what I believe and that I have strong rationale behind it.

I'm a stereotypical girl with a love of shoes and belief in a fairytale ending, yet I was not terribly excited about the royal wedding.  I could not see the point of taking a day off work to watch two university sweethearts tie the knot.  The commemorative mugs, posters, notepads, pens, etc., seemed a bit over the top.  The evening of the royal wedding, I had dinner with a New-Yorker who recently moved to London.  She mentioned that the celebration reminded her (in some ways) of a sporting event; everyone was cheering, grilling out or picnicking, and waving the Union Jack.  She stressed, though, that unlike a sporting event, there were no "losers"; everyone could celebrate.  They were simply experiencing a major historical part of the U.K.  Before I came to Wales, I honestly think I would have brushed this off as a silly aside.  But I had grown in the past 4 months, and I found myself agreeing that it's a good way to unify and inspire the British people.  I also found myself toting home two Will and Kate mugs (one for me and one for my mom, who also watched the previous royal wedding 30-some years before).

MY Easter vacation planning

I was going to work on my Easter vacation shopping list in Microsoft OneNote (Word has been driving me crazy!), but I realized how long it has been since I posted on here, so I decided to make it here instead! I honest-to-goodness had a near meltdown during a Skype-conversation with my mom when I realized that I have very few cute tops here. I honestly have 2 blouses to wear. It was super stressful! It led me to decide that I AM going to go on a minor shopping spree before my month-long break. However, to limit myself from going hog-wild in such wonderful stores like Primark and H&M, I decided to make a list of a few things I specifically want. I have such a bad habit of buying jackets, accessories, bottoms, etc, but completely skipping out on blouses to wear. So, I'm going to make a list, stick to it, and spend most of my money on fabulous tops to wear on my fabulous vacation!


Here's what I want so far:
--Sunglasses (£1 at Primark)
--Turban
--Braided bracelet/set of bracelets
--Jean skirt
--Capris/trousers (Saw some interesting ones at Primark that would be fantastic!)
--Sandals (One pair MAX!)


And from there, I want to buy as many tops as possible for a reasonable price. I already have some things to wear on break:
--Romper
--Denim dress
--Sandals
--Boyfriend jeans
--Bikini
--Scarves


Just thinking about break makes me all excited! I could start a countdown-- 20 days until my girlfriends and I leave for Paris! Eeeeek! From there, I'm hitting up Spain, Morroco (helllllooooo, Africa!), Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. I am beyond excited. Good thing I don't have my travel backpack otherwise I'd probably start packing now! <3

The pact

My wonderful sister and I made a pact yesterday that we would both be happy for the rest of the semester.  As I jogged along the beach today, I was pondering about this; I've never before had to tell myself to be happy.  I've just always BEEN happy.  Sure, there were days when I was stressed, tired, and cranky, but I've always been satisfied with where I was/what I was doing.  Now that I'm abroad, I'm not, necessarily (but that ends today!).  I struck me later in the day that I had not held a conversation with a single person today.  Weird... but even with that in mind, today was a good day.  I got to sleep in.  I ran for a decent distance (over an hour), and part of it was on the sand.  My legs burned after that!  I enjoyed the sun while running and then reading my book in my room.  A trip to the library set me in proximity to "people like me," or at least to some degree.  Others who were studying, reading, or taking notes just made me feel more at home.  I love the Swansea University library so much!  I've been there more than my library at my home college.  I got some studying done before catching a bus back to the village.  I bought a 7-Up-like pop to settle my stomach, which was upset but is now better.  In a way it's sad that I have to make a conscious effort to be happy, but at the same time, it's better than the alternative!  So here's a happy me wishing you a great weekend! <3

Sunny but not?

Hmmm.  I've decided that my amount of homesickness is inversely proportional to how many activities I have going on.  Take today, for instance.  It's not even noon, but I've already been rather homesick.  After taking a shower/cleaning up my room, I feel a little better, but still.  I have absolutely no classes, so I have nowhere to be today.  I'm still suffering from a cold, but I think it's almost gone (knock on wood!).  Because of my cold, though, I don't want to run, despite the fact that the sun is shining and it's a rather nice day out.  So today will be packed thermo-studying and history-paper-researching while I enjoy the sun through my open window.  Sigh.  I know that if I were in Ames I would have multiple classes, plans to eat lunch with some of my friends, and either a fun (or relaxing) evening ahead of me.  I think that's what is so hard.  But now I'm going to go make lunch, take out my recyclables, and get cracking on the homework.  Later this afternoon I'm going to go to the library for some quality homework time, and hopefully I'll get to Skype my boyfriend, too.  All these things, plus another movie and early to-bed, should make me feel much better :)