Finding your beauty

Do you ever wake up, look out your front door, and get blown away by the beauty around you? Las Cruces may not be surrounded by a turquoise ocean, snow capped alps, or a jungle full or exotic flowers and animals of every color, but the essence of Las Cruces' beauty is so much better. From my front porch, I look to the South and there are green alfalfa fields as far as the eye can see; to the East a burst of sunlight emmerging from behind the rugged Organs; to the North and the West I see the Rio Grande winding through the Valley.  Any person from the Mesilla Valley area can contest to these beauties, but the beauty I experience on a daily basis is slightly different.
 In the green fields surrounding my house, I do not just see grass and hay reflecting life and giving the surrounding desert  a splash of color, but I see a herd of horses. These horses are not just any ol run of the mill horses, but they are "MY" Beauty. Each morning these mares, along with there babies, graze out in the pastures. They are not running, jumping, or doing anything extraordinary, they are simply eating. But their grace and power is enough to display every aspect of their beauty. Granted I am an avid horse lover, it never gets old to walk out and watch them in the early morning light, and appreciate the beauty I get to witness every day. If you are new to the area, I encourage you to explore and find "Your" beauty, so every morning you can wake up to at least one thing and be thankful for finding it!

The Short Draggy Week

Despite having Monday off I still felt like this was a long week. Do you get that feeling too? Why do short weeks feel so draggy? That's a "no bueno." But, Friday is finally here and I am ready to relax. 

Here is my Pic of the Day (#POTD):

Location: Room 7 (Educational Services Building/Center)

Time: 1:30-ish PM

What: Inventory-Talk, talk, talk, talk, pile, fold, stock, talk, talk, talk. 

Comment: The "beauty" of working with these ladies the whole day. Story after story. I can't complain. :) 

Have a great weekend Aggies!

-Aggie Albert

Thursdays = “Little Friday.”

This nickname for my Thursdays truly speaks to me, especially this semester; I usually have one class in the morning, do a quick quiz for my online MKTG class and have a fun, chill meeting for my hall council. A laid back Thursday shouldn't be so bad at all. Finally, a cool and a bit cloudy day in Las Cruces, I think most of us are tired of that blistering heat already.

One of the perks of being an Ambassador is doing quick errands at some random building or facility around campus, sometimes maybe a different city- one that I did today. ;). I left the beautiful city of Cruces to ship supplies for the admissions advisors out in El Paso.  You might say its just 45 minutes away, but really, come on, not every job on campus lets you go out of the office and meet a few new people.. You really can’t complain and I don’t have one at all. J . Just wanted to share that!

What really made my day/night was this “Kodak Moment” here:

It was originally planned as a pot-luck and game night with my fellow Ambassadors. Despite us guys being outnumbered by our lady co-workers, we prevailed and just caught up with the first football game of the year. Hey, it’s technically still a “game night.”

Anyways, hope you all had a good “Little Friday” too. The real one is in a couple of hours! So hang in there!

-Aggie Albert  

College Dorm Recipe of the Day!

In my previous post, I mentioned doing things to remind myself of home. One section was looking for some local food- which can be pretty challenging at times. One of the things that can temporarily help my craving for that “Asian flare” in my palate is to cook something close to it. I promised my colleagues that I would post some sort of recipe… Well, as of now, I do not have one in mind that’s “college budget and time friendly,” yet. J. However, as I surveyed and asked what people had in their pantry, one thing that stood out was Ramen noodles. So, here is a simple Asian noodle salad recipe using those cheap yet well seasoned ramen noodles:

2 pks Chicken flavored Ramen w/ seasonings packets

3 green onions, sliced

1 1/2 C shredded chicken

4 C chopped green cabbage

Mix in medium bowl;

3 Tbl. white sugar (or a little artificial sweetener)

4 Tbl. rice vinegar

3 Tbl. sesame oil

seasoning packs from Ramen noodles

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, chill for a few hours. The flavor is better if left to stand for several hours, even a day or so.

Simple right? So, let me know how this goes!

Bon Appétit!?

-Aggie Albert 

Homesick Student Season

Hello Aggies!


I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend!


I would like to share with all of you a reflection of mine. As a student where home is over 8,000 miles and despite having a year under my belt at NMSU, the feeling of homesickness starts to kick in right away. Obviously after years of living with your parents, living on your own is still a huge new adjustment. Almost everyone is feeling this way a little bit, even if they don’t always say it. When you are having a low day and wish you had the comfort of home to cheer you up, you have to find some things to temporarily replace that while at school. After a month of being away from home (Yes, I am feeling it already) and developing your own life, again. Nothing replaces family and close friends, but you can still get that homey feel when they are no right here with you.  Here are a few things I researched and personally do that help me cope with all the homesickness:


Get Involved:
Make new friends! Being with other people is one of the best ways to start feeling good about your new environment. Even if you don’t know anyone very well yet, consider joining a club or organization. It’s not too late to check-in Corbett and see what clubs you can join that interests you!


Skype
It can be very refreshing to get off the phone with your family and begin seeing them in person. Skype allows you to chat and interact with your parents, siblings, or even see your family and family pet/s….. We have a rabbit!


Print Plenty of Pictures
Decorate your bedroom with pictures of family and friends that show your best memories with them. My friend gave me this scrap book to flip through when those moments are kicking in but it always makes me feel better.


Write Letters
Yes, cheesy, but, there are not many times you receive mail in the dorms or at your apartment. If you begin writing friends and family, it keeps you excited when the letter is coming. Oh, plus, it helps with your writing skills!...... I can’t wait till mine arrives. ;)  


Get Ahead in Your School Work
To consume more of your time, get ahead in your studies. Even if you are just sitting around watching a movie feeling lonely, make some note cards for your text the next week. This will put your mind on something more beneficial than feeling down.


Find Local Home Cooking
It is nice to have some home cooked food. I am trying to hone my own skills in cooking my native dish…. Hey, I might even post the recipe soon! Anyways, all college students get sick of having the same old campus food ever day and night, so it is nice to have a homey meal that reminds you of your parents.


I made one of the most difficult decisions moving half way across the world from everything I love and hold dear to my heart, to gain the skills and knowledge that I need to pursue in order to reach my dreams. After spending a year here at NMSU, I realize that coming to this school was the best decision I made. So, if your feeling a little homesick do not worry, it happens to everyone. The feeling doesn’t last forever and soon you will be back to normal! Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments. Have a great rest of the week!


Live. Learn. Thrive!


And……….


Go Aggies!


-Aggie Albert

Time to get settled.

The first few weeks of the semester are always different than the rest of the semester. Professors seem to do a bad job at giving students an insight as to how the rest of the semester will be during those first few times the class meets. Of course, it's not until after the add/drop date that you find out that your Professor is a homework Nazi. It seems like between syllabus days and the first few weeks not having a lab or just introduction to labs (the typical "lab safety" days with no actual lab involved), students think that the semester is going to be much easier than expected.

But don't let these professors fool you. Before you know it you will be bombarded with homework assignments, quizzes, lab reports and exams. My suggestion to all of my fellow Aggies, is to get in the habit of getting things done from day one. If your professor says your homework on the first day of class is to read the syllabus, then do that. Get a feel for every little task or assignment that is required from you for that class. Go into each semester with the mentality that you will have much more work than you expect so you can budget your time wisely and decide if you will have enough time in your life to take on that work load. Some weeks will be more hectic that others, but you always need to make sure you can fit all of the work that needs to be during those busiest into your schedule.

Stay strong Aggies, this is the time of the semester to make an impression on yourself and your professors. Prove that you are a hard worker and you are responsible, it will only help you in the future.

Peace,
Carley

A gift!

Hello there Aggies, welcome back! I hope you are all as excited about school as I am. Starting since about 5th grade (I wasn't a fan of the preschool years) up until this day, the first day of school has been a thrill! I love the anticipation of what's to come; new friends, new professors, new classes, oh and my favorite part, the smell of clean polished floors in every building. ☺ Not to mention the satisfaction to know that each semester is a step closer to see the light at the end of the tunnel (not that being in college is like being in a tunnel) but you know what I mean. Backtracking to my freshmen year, I'll be hones, for once as the first day of school got closer; I panicked because I knew it was going to be a challenge (boy! It was!) Surprisingly it's been four years since!  I have learned so much that if I could share every single thing with you I'd never finish this blog (lol) but I would however, like to motivate you all as you proceed with the semester with some of the little life lessons that I have learned and hope that will be useful to you too!

  1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
8. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
9. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
10. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
11. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
12. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
13. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
14. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
15. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
16. Always choose life.
17. Forgive everyone everything.
18. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
19. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
20. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
21. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
22. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
23. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
24. The best is yet to come...
25. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
26. Yield.
27. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."