January 2008
Halfway There
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When students return to campus following Christmas break everyone asks, almost by habit at this point, "How was your break?" The conditioned response, it seems, is, "not long enough." In step with the academic schedule, breaks from school feel like they pass by even faster. I was really looking forward to this year’s Christmas break, not because I was sick of school or badly needed a reprieve from the grind of classes, but more so because I had not been home, to Colorado, since last Christmas. Summer recess usually prevents me from going home because I work in Buffalo over those months.
Christmas spent at home and with family is always a wonderful and highly-cherished event, especially now that I consider Buffalo my place of residence. My time at home consisted of exactly what break is meant to be - rest and relaxation. Truth be told, I wish I was able to work while on break just to remain busy and acquire greater funds, but I can’t take the time spent with my parents and friends for granted. It’s funny to note, upon reflection, how few people one keeps in contact with as time passes, especially following graduation from high school. My friends and I only keep in touch with a few select people from home. This doesn’t bother me really because I try to surround myself with only good people, but it, in a way, scares me to think about the friends I may potentially lose once we graduate from Canisius.
Each and every one of my Christmas breaks from Canisius has culminated with a trip to New York City with Canisius’ Office of Campus Ministry’s Winter Service Week. This service trip has expanded exponentially over the last five years or so, even to the point where they have to offer numerous sites at which to do service, including Appalachia, New Orleans, and of course New York City. This year I was lucky enough to be one of the student leaders, along with my friend Melinda, at Mercy Center in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. Throughout the week the sixteen of us who were at Mercy Center would tutor at an elementary school, assist at a Dominican Sisters daycare, tutor students studying to obtain their GED, make home visits, and most importantly, run an after-school day camp for about 70 elementary and middle-school aged students from the neighborhood. This was actually my third trip to Mercy Center. As a result, a certain fondness and admiration for this wonderful place and its people has grown within my heart. This serves, I hope, as a testament to the sensational effects service trips can have on one’s heart, soul, and mind.
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Hanging out with one of the kids from Mercy Center during Winter Service Week |
New York City is my absolute favorite place in the world. While on Winter Service Week we also had a small bit of free time. I actually flew into and out of the city, early and late, respectively, in order to have a bit more free time with some of my friends who reside there. The friends I’m able to visit when I’m down there are actually all Canisius grads. It’s amazing how tight-knit and closely-associated those within the Canisius community remain, even after they leave the hallowed halls.
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Nina Bohrer, '06 and me at the Jackie O. reservoir in Central Park, NYC |
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In front of Bryant Park skating rink in New York City |
Spring semester is bound to bring exciting, scintillating, and thought-provoking events and experiences. As I look behind at the last three and a half years I begin to realize how seamlessly everything I have done while at Canisius is starting to come together. My friends and I are surely headed for bigger and better things in the coming year as we hear back from graduate schools, go on interviews, and obtain employment. It’s somewhat daunting to realize that this Christmas break was probably the last significant break I will ever have, but nonetheless with that comes greater things.
Shawn's September 2007 Journal
Shawn's October 2007 Journal
Shawn's November 2007 Journal
Shawn's December 2007 Journal