Hey everyone!

So this week, I registered for my classes for the spring semester. Registration order is determined by the number of credits you have, and since I only have eight, I only got to register this week. However, I still got the classes I wanted and I can always add or drop a class in January.

On Tuesday, I was actually in the library for over five hours writing a research paper. I spent some time exploring the library and found the fourth floor, which is actually very quiet and bright. There are study rooms too, which was where I got all my work done. I did take a break and went to the New Union Food Court for coffee. The coffee and the crisp air definitely helped me stay awake!

Something else that I did this week was going to the bookstore and brought a sweatshirt for me and my sister. They have an online website too, so if you want to stock up on Binghamton gear, you should check it out! Bookstore Link

Thanksgiving break is next week! I can’t wait to go home and spend some time with my family. A lot of my friends are taking the Shortline or ESCAPE bus home, but I’ll be getting a ride home!

I wish all of you a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Until next time!
Flora

On Saturday, November 14, I got to see the BU Men’s Basketball team win their first game of the season! They won 54-49 against Bloomsburg University. You can read the article about it in Pipe Dream, one of our campus publications by clicking here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a tour guide and I gave a tour of campus that morning. I was sure to let our guests know that they could come down to the Events Center with us after the tour to check it out and help us cheer on our one of our teams!

There’s always something going on at Binghamton which is only one of the reasons I love it so much.
Check out a couple of pictures I took at the game. I can’t wait to go to the next one!

always,
Jenna

On the 20th of November, the student-run Co-op will be hosting a potluck in the old Union in room 252.  EVERYONE IS INVITED! Just bring a dish of any sort, or $3 for entry. They’re hoping to make this a huge event with tons of food and good company. 
So, bring your friends and enjoy a great evening of food and laughter with the great people at the Food Co-op on November 20th at 6:30 PM in UU252.

Michelle and I stayed in Jerusalem for 4 days, during which we traveled the countryside and met a great many interesting and kind people… some of whom tried to correct my Egyptian Arabic into Palestinian Arabic, which always turned into a scene of entertaining proportions.  We found quickly that the food outside the walls of the old city was indeed better and less expensive… say a third of the price or less.  It was an awesome discovery, though the first thing we did was visit a man selling date bread on the side of the road. I know they say to eat in restaurants and avoid the street food, but it’s the street food that people can afford and it’s always fresh because they make it in front of you, to your specifications.  The vendors are generally polite and multilingual, so it’s not difficult to purchase what you need.
Though I was shocked at first by the revealing western dress people wore, I was soon informed the reason for it, tourist season and a tourist area. When we left the ‘Holy City’ we saw people in conservative, but normal dress once more.  We were surrounded by normal people conforming to social norms rather than ultra-conservative religious or tourist bikini fashion.  On the bus I began to feel like I belonged, if just a bit… it was the first time in four months where I was actually able to feel invisible, part of the whole or inconspicuous.  Though it took only a word or two from me to cancel this feeling out, it was nice to feel ‘normal’ again, not exotic or foreign, but as if I could be one of them. 
We left the bus half-way through the trip to the border, at about 10 in the morning. We spent the early part of the day at the shore of the Dead Sea, waiting languidly for the bus to pick us up at 6pm with the pre-purchased tickets, for which I’d sacrificed my spot in line and been forced to sit in the aisle of the bus until space came available. A small price to pay for some pieces of salt, a sunburn, and the new-found knowledge that the Dead Sea is more like a thick, greasy saline solution than water. On the serious side, it was an amazing thing to see, as was Ein Gedi park , which boasts a waterfall and a nice long hike.  Though we were unable to make the hike as the park closed early in the day, we were able to visit the waterfall, spend time on the beach, and take a short reprieve from the heat.  The ice creams were definitely a bit pricey at the resort, but I confess no fewer than six satisfied my stomach; gluttony may not be a private vice, but dehydration is an unforgivable sin in the desert.

The morning after arriving, we started doing the tourist bit… walking the ‘via dolorosa’—the path of Christ as he dragged his cross to his death place.  Fortunately for the businesses in the area, or unfortunately depending on your viewpoint, the path changes every couple of years to spread the business around.  Some of the fixtures remain true, but the businesses benefiting from the gullible change to even out the profit because, whether or not you want to believe me or not, Jerusalem is a city whose economy is entirely dependent on religious tourists and inhabited by many of the ultra-conservatives from various religions. 
In our visit to the city, we went to various sites considered holy by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, but I think the most impressive was being on top of the temple mount.  Since a terrorist attack about seven years ago, only Muslims are allowed within the temple mount, where there are various temples and mosques.  This is accomplished by various guarded stations who assess the people asking entrance.
The old city is beautiful, divided into 4 quarters, the restricted Muslim, the Jewish, the Christian and the Armenian.  Each section is constructed of the same white rock, which must be indigenous as it is commonly seen in the area, but each also retains a culture specific to itself. My friends and I stayed in the Christian quarter, where we were able to communicate mostly in Arabic, though most spoke English rather well.  While most of our friends were content to remain with in the bounds of the ramparts of the old city, Michelle and I were compelled to explore the modern part of the city. We bargained in the streets, saw bazaars, three of the four purported burial sites of Christ, and witnessed first hand the business of religious tourism, which was conducted with a smile.
I met a kind Palestinian gent running one of the stalls in the market of the ‘old city’. We chatted and shared stories as we bartered for some small trinket.  Every time I passed through the area of his shop, I spoke with him.  We were treated much like this for the entire time we were there. It was great to see such warmth from people… with the exception of the religiously ultra-conservative, who ignored us completely, everyone was a charm.  By this time I had adjusted to the culture and was able to effectively communicate my thoughts without foolish timidity or fear of making mistakes.  My trip to Israel was an amazing experience… on Wednesday I’ll do my best to verbalize its positive aspects better. 

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Last Friday, after my last class, Anthropology, I noted how nice the weather was and my friend replied asking if I wanted to walk to the top of the mountain with the Nature Preserve paths. Not having ever gone that high up, I agreed.

Two extra camera batteries and one map forgotten later, we found ourselves trekking upward the several marked paths in the wooded area. Every five minutes, one or both of us will be distracted by the awesome view, and pictures would happen. And about every five minutes of ascent, the view gets even better. By now, most of the leaves have fallen, so we could see the school as we climbed through the trees. There aren’t any areas where we could look down without having trees in the way, but if any were cleared for such a viewing area, this wouldn’t exactly be as ‘natural’ as it is supposed to be.

As far as I know, all Binghamton has done to this expansive woody hill is pave a narrow zigzagging walkway and mark paths with blue, yellow, or red paint. There are no guardrails, and the climb gets steep and slippery at parts, so between pictures and admiring the surroundings we were trying not to slip and fall. I made it all the way up and down unscathed. My friend, unfortunately, had a sprained ankle pre-walk, and expletives were made.

A good hour after we left our dorms, we found ourselves on the top, with a field of tall plants on one side of the path and trees on the other. Several pictures and photo-op’s later, we tried out the ‘Field Trail,’ which seemed to be another path back to the campus. It was a relaxing walk, with tall plants on either side of the somewhat muddy path. As we descended, so did the sun, and star started peeking out of the sky. However, when we reached the end of ‘Field Trail,’ we couldn’t find the path it connected to. It was dark, and we could no longer see the paint markings, unless we held my our cameras and phones next to them. Yes, we forgot to bring a flashlight.

A few minutes after searching for another paved path, we gave in, turned around, retraced our steps, and reascended the mountain. We stopped at the top to admire the stars and the lights from Vestal Parkway, but we made haste to get back to campus. Hunger called. Camera light and phone backlight armed, we slowly made our way back down. I’m pretty sure we passed a deer herd on the path, and I did the smart thing and didn’t try to investigate. Three hours after we started our walk, we reached the streetlights of one of the Access roads and raced to the nearest dining hall.

As I told my story to another friend later that Friday, I noted on a map of the Preserve that there were many other trails left unexplored and hills left to climb.

Perhaps in the winter, with the snow laden scenery. I look forward to it.

We live in a fast-paced society.  Walking slows us down.
~Robert Sweetgall

Catch Joey K, Juvesquirt Word Puncher, on Mondays and every other Thursday when he’s not trying to find a new way to procrastinate

Hi, friends! I hope y’all are having wonderful weekends!

I just got back from giving tours to prospective students for Super Visit Weekend (which continues through Monday!), and I’m about to settle in with some reading for Lab in Child Behavior.  When I finish those chapters, Organic Chemistry and Cell Biology will be waiting, but the sun’s shining through my window and the thermometer’s showing 70°F! (Yes, in November… in Binghamton!)

So, life is good. Thanksgiving will be here in a week and a half, so I’m excited to go home, see my family and best friends, and devour all that glorious home-cooked food.

I had a particularly fabulous meal on Saturday, though! Yesterday, the Binghamton University Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation established to raise funds that further the purpose and mission of Binghamton University, hosted a luncheon for scholarship recipients and donors in the Old Union Hall in the University Union.

This year, over $1,300,000 will be awarded to more than than 900 scholarship, assistantship, and fellowship recipients. Crazy, huh? The luncheon gave recipients the opportunity to thank the individuals who sponsored their awards and, in turn, allowed donors to see exactly who their contributions benefit. I received the Dorothy Davison Denk ‘57 Memorial Scholarship, and I sat down to a delicious dinner with M. William (Bill!) Denk ‘58 and his wife, Sharline Denk. These two are amazing: I truly appreciate their generosity, and I can certainly say that each and every recipient felt the same way.

Over a tasty lunch of turkey, oven-roasted potatoes, and vegetables, Mr. Denk told me of his experiences at BU. His incoming class consisted of just 400 students, and he attended Harpur College when it was located in Endicott. Now, the junior class has around 2000 students, and, as many of you know, SUNY Binghamton has re-located to Vestal, NY. I loved hearing about his years here, and I could tell that he enjoyed hearing about my experiences AND giving back to his alma mater. The Chair of the Binghamton University Foundation, Lawrence Schorr ‘75, MA ‘77 and President Lois DeFleur were also in attendance, thanking both recipients and donors for allowing Binghamton to attain a well-respected name.

You could be next!