Dear Family and Friends,
        Here it is! My first Christmas letter to let you know how my year has gone. I’ve never written one of these before but I’ve read a few over the years so I think I can do this. It seems fitting, at least in my opinion, that I start this tradition of sending a letter to you at the end of every year the same year that I started a new stage of my life. Of course I am speaking about college, and to answer the question on everyone’s mind, Yes, I am having a wonderful time. While Harvard is challenging, even overwhelming at times, I am enjoying myself and I have made many new friends. Now, let me start not actually at the beginning of this past year, but at the end of my High School career. I graduated on June 9, 1996. Everything went well, we all threw our hats at the end of the ceremony and then hurried off to our Graduation parties. Mine was held in the back yard of our house. It was an open-house-cook-out party, and Mom made food for everyone who showed up. Around sixty people came, including some of my family members from Michigan!
        Over the summer Mike and I visited our family and friends in Michigan. We went White Water Rafting in Pennsylvania with Dad. Mike fell out of the raft once, but we had a lot of fun getting wet, climbing on rocks to push the raft free, and running our raft over one of the guides. We also went camping, Horseback Riding, and cave exploring with Dad. As always, Mike, our cousins on Dad’s side, and I were taken to Cedar Point by our Aunts, Nana and Grandpa this summer. Mike and I had saved up over the year and so we went Para-sailing while there. It was truly awesome to be “flying” above the lake, it was so quiet and beautiful.
        Instead of flying back home, Mom drove to Michigan and picked us up. We then spent a week in Canada on our way home. Among other things, we went and saw Old Quebec City which is surrounded by huge stone walls! Being in the Province of Quebec is an experience in itself since everyone speaks French and, unlike the other Provinces, there are NO signs, or anything, in English. But at least I was able to drive up to 80 mph because in Canada that’s what 120 kph translates to! I almost forgot to mention that I passed my driving test (the first time) in June and got my license just before I went to Michigan.
        I started college in September. I had been assigned three roommates who I had talked on the phone with before school started, but we didn’t meet until we moved in. One of my roommates, Kelly, is from California, Lauren is from Connecticut, and Maura is from Massachusetts just like me! It was an adjustment at first to be living with three girls I hardly knew, in a dorm with 32 other girls and boys I didn’t know. But I made many friends pretty quickly, I even found two people in my dorm that like Star Trek almost as much as I do! Now I get along great with my roommates and I’ve actually called Harvard “home” a couple times recently.
        For classes I was taking Expository Writing, Spanish, Calculus and Differentiable Equations, and an accelerated Chemistry course. The semester ended December 17, and I have break until January 2. Then reading period begins, which lasts for two weeks before finals begin. Even though finals are after vacation, I’m not going to ruin my Holidays by worrying about them until reading period starts.
        And finally, so I wouldn’t become a boring person who only studies, I kept myself busy with many extra-curricular activities this semester. I was accepted to the Harvard- Radcliffe Chorus, in which I sing Soprano and am the section leader of the Soprano II’s. Our first concert was December 8th and was a wonderful success. For the first time, I coached the Color guard squad of the football team at Arlington High School. It was a lot of fun being the one to make the decisions for a change! I also am continuing on in Rainbow Girls. And I am still working at Menotomy Pharmacy in Arlington. It’s great because I can pick up the bus at Harvard station and it goes right to the Pharmacy’s door.
        Well, that’s my past year in a nut shell. A chestnut shell! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Labels: Year Summaries