Katie's Coe Blog

Well hello all! How do you like the new look? Now that I've safely returned to Coe's campus, the Travel Blog has been set aside to be revisited on my May Term trip to Sicily. For the time being, I've joined my fellow Coe Bloggers in our sazzy Coe Crimson and Gold look. :)

So getting back to campus has been a whirlwind of craziness. Moments of extreme excitement in being reminded of familiar concepts are immediately followed by feelings of awkwardness and naivete, only then to be followed up with something that reminds me of my home I had in Sweden . When you miss a chunk of four months, the rest of the world doesn't stop to wait for you to catch up. Surprising, isn't it?? Haha but my overall attitude has been positive and warm. Coe is a home. It's shocking to find how much I missed just being able to recognize people as I walk the campus grounds. There's a warmth in knowing what's going on around you, as weird as that sounds. When you're grocery shopping, or studying at the university, or strolling the town in a country whose language you aren't familiar with, it feels like you have ear muffs on. The small day-to-day verbal exchanges that we have with one another, the "Saw your article in the paper!"'s, the, "Wow that band is going to be awesome"'s, the, "What do you think of that class"'s, that are so easy to overlook when you're here, go much much further than we realize. I mean I definitely felt like I had a home in Sweden, don't get me wrong, but I have rekindled the sense of belongingness that accompanies being able to actively participate in daily living here.

Well that's all about that. The link to my Sweden Blog is on my page here so if you'd like to hear more I invite you to take a look at that. Let's get to Coe talkin. On Tuesday night I attended the Contemporary Issues Forum with speaker Jared Diamond. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning ecologist who has extensively studied the rises and falls of cultures throughout human history. Our beloved Sinclair Auditorium was packed to the brim with Coe students and Cedar Rapidians alike to hear his reminder of the importance of moderate consumption and consideration for our environment. It was a fun break in my night.

I think I'll wrap this first post up now, but pictures and more posts to come!!! :)
Katie