Ode from Joy

"Discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover."
--Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild


With Thanksgiving less than a week away (!), I've been thinking a lot lately about things that I'm thankful for, and how blessed I am to be surrounded by my wonderful friends, classmates, and teachers at this private liberal arts college.  Sometimes it's nice to just take a break from the rat race and think about life and how good it is.  And, if things go according to plan, I won't have a Thanksgiving next year, since hopefully I'll be in Argentina and obviously Thanksgiving is an American holiday.  But who knows?  Maybe next year I'll be able to find a turkey on the third Thursday in November and share an American tradition with my host family!  That would be cool.

I had a great time in music history today.  My professor at first comes across as being really, really serious about the course materials, and she is, but then every once in a while she'll just say something completely unrelated and slightly ridiculous that causes all 10 of us to just completely lose our concentration and start laughing.  It's great, and is definitely what makes DePauw one of the best liberal arts colleges.  The professors are obviously quite knowledgeable and know how to relay their knowledge to us in a meaningful manner, but at the same time many are completely accessible and know how to relate to us as students.

When I woke up this morning, fog was everywhere.  It was the coolest thing.  The fog made the entire campus feel serene and enchanted.  Now the fog has lifted, and it's a beautiful and sunny day! 

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.
-- Cicero

I. Am so. EXCITED!!!!!  I found an off campus study program for next fall that seems really, really interesting.  One of the great things about small liberal arts colleges is that it's relatively easy to get face time with advisors.  And not only that, but the advisors are actually helpful.  I went to the off campus study office a couple of weeks ago actually to talk about summer internships abroad.  I left with a few pamphlets about a cool program in Spain and the advise to go check out the OCS website (www.depauw.edu/univ/international/OCS/index.asp).  A couple of days ago I got back into finding an off campus program and found this one.  It's called the Buenos Aires Intermediate Program.  DePauw is one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges definitely because of its off campus study program.  What makes DePauw cool is that we can actually choose a program from lists of programs sponsored by DePauw, another liberal arts college, or we are even able to create our own off campus study program.  It's great.

So, now I just need to fill out the application, get accepted to the program, and fly 5,390 miles south!

Buenos Aires would be such a great place to study music and the Spanish language and culture.  The architecture is so different from everything I've seen in the US, with the mix of old and contemporary styles, and of course there's the Argentine tango and the food and the people... I can't wait!!

I had a wonderful fall break!  It was always sunny, and I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends.  A lot of schools don't have a fall break, but at DePauw, one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges, we really appreciate the break we get after those crazy (difficult) midterms. 

The fall here is absolutely gorgeous.  So far it hasn't been too cold, thankfully, and the trees range from bright green to deep red with shades of orange and yellow, too.  I love it.  I'm glad DePauw is one of the small liberal arts colleges, because I feel like I can really enjoy the weather and the trees as I go from class to class because the buildings aren't extremely far from each other.

I've only been back for one day, and already the workload is piling up!  There's more music history, of course, and I have a lot of Spanish homework to do before tomorrow.  I'm really enjoying the classes that I chose for this semester.  Making the decision to study at a liberal arts college was the right choice for me because if I had chosen a really large university, I probably wouldn't have been able to continue my studies in Spanish, which would have been unfortunate, especially since I found out yesterday that I got an A on an important paper in Spanish! :) 

Even though I'm feeling like a palm tree in a tsunami as far as homework goes, the second half of this semester is off to a great start!

The Monon game is tomorrow!!  Monon is one of the biggest DePauw events of the year.  Throughout the 115 years that Wabash and DePauw have been competing in football, Monon has become about more than just the game.  It's a tradition.  A lot of groups on campus become involved.  For example, tonight at midnight will be the Monon pancake breakfast in the Union Building, sponsored by the company that supplies our food.  Free food + perpetually hungry college students = huge crowd.  I'm sure it'll be fun! 

Then on Saturday is the actual game.  I was one of the lucky ones who made it to the ticket office on time!  We were given the opportunity to claim free tickets to the game, but of course there was a limited number of tickets, so not everyone who wants to go will be able to.  Some people are selling theirs for $50 or more!  I think it's a little rediculous.  But on the other hand, this game is going to be a big deal.  Out of the 115 games played, DePauw has won 53, Wabash has won 53, and there has been 9 ties.  This is the tie-breaking game, and we have the homefield advantage (does that apply to football as well?). 

The Monon Bell is the highly coveted trophy awarded to the winning team.  We've won for the past two consecutive years.  Hopefully we can keep it up!  I'm looking forward to all of the festivities this weekend!

Fall break is here!  My flight leaves in less than four hours.  I can't wait to feel that warm Arizona sunshine on my face, and the sunsets are absolutely beautiful.

 












That being said, yesterday was rough.  I took the Music History midterm, a Spanish quiz, and the second econ exam.... not a fun day.  I actually feel really confident about the MH. I think the studying all weekend and staying up until 2 am was probably worth it.  Spanish really wasn't that big of a deal, it was only vocab.  Econ is definitely where I had problems.  I'm pretty good at multiple choice, but The short answer I believe is where I'm going to lose a lot of points.  I read the first question, and had no idea what to write down.  Eventually I was able to guess through it, so at least I wrote something down.  I tried.  Really.  But it's ok, because I decided to take this class in the first place in order to get a more rounded education, the kind that makes DePauw one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges.  

Fall break is just around the corner!  One week from tomorrow I will be basking in the Arizona sunshine.  My classes are really starting to get tough.  One of the things about attending one of the top private universities is that the professors expect a lot, which is good and bad.  It's good because it means I'm getting a great education, but on the other side it also means that I have a lot of work to do!  But that's what college is, right?  Classes, plus homework, plus hanging out with friends, if there's time.  Lately the only way I've been able to spend any time with my friends is to study with them.  I just finished studying with my friend Jane for our Music History mid-term exam coming up this Wednesday.  The class is really interesting.  The semester began with an analysis of Ancient Greek music, then through the Medieval and Renaissance eras, and now we've reached the 1600's and Baroque music, thankfully.  I definitely prefer the Baroque style because it's when instrumental music gained importance.  So, my classes are going well, but I will definitely be ready for a break next week after my Music History mid-term and economics exam (both on Wednesday, unfortunately).

One of the things about Indiana colleges and universities that I was not expecting when I arrived at DePauw last year was the amount of rain and wind.  It has been raining the entire day, and there's a 100% chance of rain for tomorrow.  To me, all of this rain is crazy.  But I guess that's how the grass stays green, so I suppose the consecutive rainy days aren't too bad.  Rain definitely encourages studying at this liberal arts college, which is good during this time of the semester.  It also encourages many visits to the cafe in the GCPA for hot chocolate.  :-)

I'm really excited about the next orchestra concert, during ArtsFest.  We're playing the overture to Mozart's opera the Marriage of Figaro and also Shostakovich's fifth symphony.  I played both pieces in high school a couple of times in various youth and honor orchestras, but they're both tons and tons of fun.  Performing them again will be great. The theme for ArtsFest this year is Art and Power.  The Shostakovich is perfect for this program because Shostakovich was a composer in Russia under Stalin, and it was written as a protest against communism.  It's very powerful, yet well written.  I'm excited.

Back to the books!

 rode my bike 30 miles yesterday.  It was madness.  I went with my friend Will again, and we were only planning on going about 10 or 15 miles, but obviously we ended up getting lost.  It was an adventure and I loved it!!  I never realized how many hills there are in and around Greencastle.  Hills are my favorite thing in the entire world going down, and my nemicise on the way up.  Not fun.  Eventually I figured out how to use the 21 gears on my bike and stopped neading to walk up each hill.  There were a couple of scary moments.  The first one was when I was racing down a really steep, long hill at 30 miles an hour and a car was coming straight at me going at least 50 on this little country road.  The second was when a pretty large dog almost had my ankle for a snack.  It was a close call.

We left campus at about 11:30.  Around 1:30, half an hour after we were planning on finishing our ride, Will finally agreed with me ask someone for directions back to Greencastle.  We pulled up into the driveway of a very nice-looking country house and asked the woman who I presume lives there the way back to DePauw, the private liberal arts college in Greencastle.  After she gave us directions, I asked her how far we had to go.  She said, "Oh, about twelve miles or so."  My jaw dropped.  Eventually we made it back to DePauw, the best liberal arts college of all of the colleges of Indiana. Will was fine, but I thought I was dying.  Oh well.  Everything's fine now.  Here are some pics of some of the sights.








This is an ear of dead corn that the farmers left in the field.  We went for a walk throught the corn.  I felt like Pocahontas.






 

We saw at least 30 of these old cars.  It was like we had gone back in time.

Today is the last day of summer!  And I had a great weekend to cap it off.  My parents came to visit me and see the orchestra performance.  We had a great time.  On Saturday we went to the Nature Park.  A lot of Indiana colleges and universities have certain qualities that make them stand out from the rest.  For DePauw, just one of our great amenities is our Nature Park.  A long time ago it was a limestone quarry.  I heard that an alum sold it to DePauw for a dollar.  The Nature Park is where I like to go when I feel like I need to relax and escape from the stresses of classes and homework.  It's very relaxing and absolutely beautiful and only about a 10 minute bike ride from campus.  I'm excited for fall and when the leaves begin to change colors!  The Nature Park is definitely one of the qualities that makes DePauw one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges.  There are miles and miles of paths.  I especially like riding my bike up and down the hills through the quarry.











These pictures were taken on the rim path.  You can see the quarry and some paths.























Yesterday was the orchestra concert.  I must say that it went quite well.  Friday's rehearsal was actually really stressful, but the performance yesterday was our best yet, so Professor Smith was happy.  I was too, but during the performance I was just thinking about life and music and other things, and I remembered something that a person I once knew told me about performing:  Rehearsals are for the musician, and concerts are for the audience.  And really it's true because I find rehearsing to be much more fun, and it's when I'm not really concerned with what anyone else thinks (to an extent).  Plus on the professional level, the audience pays to hear a nice peformance, not to see a rehearsal.  I had a good time.































I've had a really busy week so far, and it's only Monday!  I can't wait to see where the rest of the week takes me.  Happy Autumn!

It's been a busy week!  It seems like just as I'm catching up with all of my homework, I get an email at 8 pm about an assignment that's due in twelve hours.  No joke.  But it's fine, I know the professors only do that because they want us to learn as much as possible.  That's one of the great things about attending one of the top private universities out of all the colleges of Indiana.  The professors actually care about the individual.

Another thing that makes DePauw one of the best liberal arts colleges is the speakers that come to DePauw.  Last Friday I went to the Karl Rove/Howard Dean debate.  It was amazing.  Honestly, I'm not exactly into politics, but with things the way they are these days I felt it would be beneficial to attend the debate.  I am so glad I made the decision to go.  It was really great to hear both the liberal and conservative points of view about current issues.  The debate began at 7:30, but I arrived at the auditorium at 6 when the doors opened to get a good seat.  While I was waiting, I was just thinking about Rove and Dean and what they're like away from their jobs.  For some reason, I imagined Rove as being a really boring, dull person.  In reality, he is the exact opposite!!  I know it's unusual to say this about politicians, but Karl Rove is hilarious!! He started with the jokes right from the beginning.  And he's really observant.  Most of his jokes in the beginning were about some of the fraternity houses.  Rove really knew how to connect to his audience of mostly college students.  Howard Dean, on the other hand, was a little different.  He just seemed nervous to me.  Maybe he was having a bad day or something.  Anyway.  I loved the debate.  The questions were all asked by DePauw students, alumni, or Greencastle community members.  It was great.

Yesterday I went on the most strenuous bike ride of my life.  I love biking, but this ride was rough.  I went with a friend to the Dunbar Bridge.  We left the GCPA, and the we turned left, and kept going, and going, and going.  There was seriously a point where I thought my lungs were going to burst out of my chest.  But that's not the best part.  The most thrilling part of the ride was when two dogs started chasing us down a really steep hill.  Will, the friend I went with, had been on the route to the Dunbar Bridge before, so he warned me about the dogs.  Of course, I didn't believe him, because I'm from Arizona and that kind of thing has never happened to me before.  So, there we were in rural Indiana, being chased by two wild, rabid, blood-thirsty dogs and racing down the curve of a hill at 120 mph... or so it seemed at the time.  I loved every minute.  I'm so glad I went to the bridge.  It showed me that there's more to Greencastle than just the campus of DePauw.  It really is one of the best liberal arts colleges that I know of.
This is "Bum Alley" of the GCPA.
This is the field across from the bridge.  Isn't it beautiful?
This is the Dunbar Bridge.  It was built in the 19th century, right around the time Indiana became a state.

My parents are coming to visit me tomorrow!  I'm really excited.  They're going to stay through Sunday to see the orchestra concert.  The concert is also going to be broadcast live via WGRE, DePauw's nationally ranked radio station.  It's also going to be streamed through the website: www.depauw.edu/univ/wgre/listen.html  The program is called "The Force of Destiny."  The music is all very powerful and thought-provoking.  I'm really liking the orchestra this year.  Make sure to tune Sunday at 3pm Eastern time! 

And yes, phrases like "I speak Mozart" actually are said in the Greene Center for Performing Arts, home to the School of Music.  Right now I'm sitting in "Bum Alley" in the GCPA.  It's called "Bum Alley" because it's common to see people here who have fallen asleep studying late at night in the best chairs in the world.  They're leather, over-sized, and perfectly stuffed.

To the Mozart comment, one of my CLA (College of Liberal Arts) friends replied, "Uh... I speak Spanish....  That counts, right?"  In the real world, yes.  In GCPA, no.  

The great thing about DePauw is that at this private liberal arts college, it's possible to be super involved in a more traditional accademic subject (like a real foreign language) and still participate in activities from high school, like orchestra or band.

Later today I have a meeting with my Spanish professor to discuss my study abroad options for next fall.  One of the things that makes DePauw one of the top private universities is that most students (about 80%) end up studying abroad some time during their four (or five) years here.  I'm excited.  I really want to go to Spain.  I can totally picture myself studying on the beach in Barcelona, with the cool ocean breeze pushing each wave towards the sandy, white shore..... ahhh. 

Ok, back to reality.  Homework.  Music theory is due soon.......

Hi, my name is Joy Mulhollan.  I will be blogging about my life at DePauw this semester.  Here are a few things about me:

• I overanalyze EVERYTHING. 
• I'm in the School of Music.
• I equally enjoy spending time alone and with others.

Obviously my entire life can't be condensed to three bullets, but if you want to know more, you'll have to use your infering skills.

The title of this blog is kind of a pun from the title of text in Beethoven Symphony No. 9, known as Ode to Joy in English (sing Mi Mi Fa Sol Sol Fa Mi Re, etc and you'll recognize the tune). 

So.  I'm a sophomore and today is the second Friday of the semester.  Being one of the top private universities in the United States, DePauw definitely has its advantages.  Last semester it was really difficult for me to decide which courses to choose because as a liberal arts college, DePauw's course variety is vast. I had only one credit (four hours) open after all of my maditory classes were placed into my schedule.  At first I wanted to take an astronomy course, but after realizing how much math would be involved, I quickly dropped it and made an exchange.  I finally settled on Economics 100.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Joy, you just said you're terrible at math, you retook trigonometry twice in high school, and yet you want to take economics?"  

Ok, let me explain.  Econ is a Q course.  As one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges, DePauw has certain graduation requirements, one being that every student must take a course that involves quantitative reasoning.  So, even though economics involves some math, it fulfills my Q requirement.  Besides, at the intro level, the math shouldn't be too difficult... I hope.

I'm one week in, and so far my second year at this private liberal arts college has been successful, accademically and otherwise.