Annus Mirabilis

Annus Mirabilis (n.)(phr.)
 a remarkable or notable year in history; a year of wonders or miracles, used to speak hopefully of the future.

  As December comes to a close this is the hope I have for each of us as we enter--drumroll please--2014! Looking back at 2013, I can say this year seemed to be filled with struggle. I saw more and more people have major drama filled events entering their lives that seemed to impact the world around them. And though I hope for a less tear-filled semester in 2014, I know that with all the drama, tears, and my first gray hair 2013 provided me with opportunities to expand my talents, meet new people, and gain wonderful sisters.

 One of my favorite parts of the new year is making resolutions. Even though I often forget about my resolutions as the year progresses, the process of making them is often more beneficial then following through. New Years resolutions force us to look back at the past year and see what we did good and what was not so hot. The constructive criticism we gain can give us motivation to reach goals in the future even if we deviate from something written down.

2014 Resolutions

• A bad habit I'm going to break: Stop drinking soda and cussing *gasp* (I know you never would have thought a lady like me did).
• A new skill I'd like to learn: Based on my spaghetti fiasco this summer(a story for another time)--Cooking
• A person I hope to be more like: Gracie Hart, from Miss Congeniality. Though a fictional character, Gracie Hart is unapologetically herself. She is funny, kick-a**, and caring with a strong exterior.
• A good deed I'm going to do: Volunteer in things that I'm passionate about (music, special education, animals, etc.)
• A place I'd like to visit: Ireland and Chimney Rock, North Carolina.
• A book I'd like to read: "The Art of Happiness" by HH Dali Lama & Howard C. Cutler.
• A letter I'm going to write: Each semester (2x this year) to each of my girlfriends at different colleges.
• A new food I'd like to try: I'm going to make this one a little different from the resolution. My goal will be to order something new every time I eat out and to not pick anything off.
• I'm going to do better at: Practicing consistently and keeping in touch with people I don't see all the time.



  
 

Pinktober

Let me begin by saying that I usually keep my mouth quiet on these arguments I see over social or political issues on Facebook and other social media sites. However, breast cancer awareness is very near and dear to my heart and so I have to vent a little. In this vent I do not wish to belittle anyone's opinions, but I wish to share another viewpoint.

Currently on social media sites and in newspapers I have been seeing people, both breast cancer survivors and just supporters of breast cancer awareness, vent about the lack of solutions that Pinktober is really providing for the cause. Okay, so yes Pinktober is a very commercialized event where many producers sell merchandise that is pink just to make an extra buck. And yes everyone is asked to where pink clothes, or a pink ribbon, or go without a bra one day. And yes maybe none of these things donate money to research for a cure which is what is still desperately needed. Do I think there should be such sexualized shirts like, "Save Second Base," or a day where women feel they have to show their breasts by going braless? No, I think that some of those things are someone trying to use humor to accept this difficult event, but I also see how it can be insensitive to those who may have had to undergo deforming surgeries or mastectomies. And I agree that people should become knowledgeable on what organizations really donate towards the cause. But for the month of October, people are actually talking about breast cancer and bringing emotional support to those who have fought, are fighting, and may one day fight this battle. Emotional support might not be what is so important to survival for those battling breast cancer, and I understand those who are upset by the commercialization, but EVERTHING in today's society if seen as important becomes commercialized AND emotional support does help.

I watched helplessly as my mother, three years ago, fought like hell to kill this sickness that took over her body. And yes I wish and pray that some day soon a cure will be found so that others do not have to suffer through what my mother did. But as my mother underwent multiple surgeries and excruciating radiation and chemotherapy, I know for a fact that if our family had not had the emotional support from friends, family, and complete strangers we would not have made it through. And for one month during the year, no one looked at my bald mother in pink as if she was a freak or gave her a look of pity. Some may say, "no one looked at her like that ever," but they did. I became my mother's personal body guard and bull dog giving a stern look and a "what?!" I saw every time we went to the mall someone gawk at my mother's bald head and eyebrow-less face. A woman once whispered to her husband, "Why would she do that to herself?" Does anybody reading this think for one minute that my mother chose to have breast cancer? I sure as heck don't.

I see my mother as a hero everyday! Which is why I wear my "Imagine a world without breast cancer" bracelet that she gave every single hour of every day. But does me wearing this bracelet monetarily support the cause for awareness or research for a cure? No, and does it make me a bad person? No. I wear this bracelet because everyday it reminds me of the pain that my mom endured and the strength and grace she possesses. So please regardless of your opinion on the issue, do not make someone feel bad for supporting the cause by wearing a "silly pink ribbon," because for some it isn't just a silly pink ribbon.

Keep Calm and Roxie On

I finally can talk about Big Sis/Lil Sis 2013!! And I just want to say I got pretty lucky. I had so much fun planning gifts and surprises for my littles, planning a skit with my best friends, and finally celebrating with my new sisters. The week was filled with hours of decorating, endless amounts of glitter, and lovely memories. My Big Sis has been such an inspiration and support for me and I hope to be the same for my little sisters. My best friends and I decided to become joint Big Sisters to our littles because we are so close. Ever since we have become such a tight unit that I cannot imagine life without them. Through smiles, laughs, and tears we are a family.

"From the outside looking in you can never understand it. From the inside looking out you can never explain it."

 

Red Gift Night

My lovely littles and I

 

All the littles from Keep Calm and Roxie On

 

Our Family

First Family Outing

Where Does the Purple Road Lead?

This past week I was allowed the pleasure of being an orientation leader for one of the largest freshmen classes Converse has had in a number of years. Our orientation theme was "Where Does the Purple Road Lead?" And throughout the 5 to 6 days of orientation we wanted to push the freshmen out of their comfort zones to find where their personal college road will lead them. This question is not one that can be answered completely during orientation. I am still asking myself that and I am sure there are plenty of seniors asking themselves that question. Being an orientation leader was an amazing and exhausting job. We had a long week of training and then three days of heavy lifting while assisting move-in. We had early mornings and late nights all while trying to make this transition a little easier. For some freshmen, I saw they made friends very easily and were excited about the new found freedom they possessed. Others were a little more apprehensive about being away from home. These and all other emotions are completely normal. I met athletes, biology majors, interior design majors, fellow music majors, and colleges most popular--undecided! All of these ladies shared the same wide-eyed curiousness that I remember the Class of 2015 sharing just two years ago. And besides bonding with my Lil Sis class I also received the chance to bond with members from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes. I mean how can you not bond over carrying a loft to the fifth floor?

During orientation I spent a large amount of time with eighteen ladies in particular. A fellow orientation leader, Maria, and our small group of 17 discussed everything from what to expect with classes and the traditions and events on campus to acting out Princess and the Frog or a schizophrenic person during charades. These 18 ladies, including Maria, even though rather quiet as a whole had a very large influence on me. Watching them I realized how far I had come on my own personal purple road. I was the quiet girl who never raised her hand or volunteered to participate, but now because of Converse I am someone who would take risks and ask questions. I want to be their cheerleader, their shoulder to cry on, and their protector. I want to see them become SGA presidents, star athletes, a leading lady in a play, and anything else they could imagine. I hope that I get the chance to stay in contact with these lovely ladies so that I may see how they grow and watch who they become. I will forever be their sister's keeper. Thank you Sarah Kate and Caroline Wham for giving me this opportunity.

Changes in Seasons

Whenever we think of summer our minds immediately go to school's out, tanning, travel, and summer love. But is summer all it's cracked up to be? As each summer pasts I begin to love and hate summer more strongly than the last. Getting a break from all the coursework and trying to become not transparently pale is always enjoyable. And having Say Yes to the Dress marathons with mom makes each Friday after working at the local Piggly Wiggly wonderful. But after being off at college for two years I've begun to experience a sadness to summer vacation. In high school I had a group of about eight best friends, and we've kept in touch as we all go our separate ways. But this summer was different. We didn't all hang out together, there was less to reminisce about, and we began to hang out in smaller groups versus everybody together. Parents are always saying that some friends come and go and that college is where you find the friends that you will stay in touch with forever. Maybe this is true, but it always hurts when the people you pictured growing old in a nursing home with start to drift away. And change is probably the least popular part of growing up. I still love deeply the eight friends that I spent much of my adolescence with, but have had to come to the realization that it is not the lack of effort on either side to connect. At Christmas parties cookies and presents are swapped and stories about college are exchanged. Through these moments a comforting feeling returns and it's like we never left high school. These are the moments I will always cherish and look forward to watching their lives change and grow. Friendships are much like changes in seasons, high school may have been an eternal summer for my group of friends. College has been a different season for us and as we enter adulthood a new season will begin again. I hope that through the changes one thing will remain the same--our friendship. As I enter my third year at Converse College in a few weeks I can't wait to hear about the exciting events in each of my friends lives and look forward to an evolving friendship for the group of us in the coming years.
                               

"Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young."

2-0

On July 31st I exited my teenager years and entered the somewhat scary door to adulthood. I am now TWENTY years old and you want to know how I feel. The same. I feel exactly the same as I did six days ago when I was nineteen. I know that no one feels completely different the day they turn a year older but there is so much hype about your twenties being the best time of your life. I was hoping for this magical feeling of "yes these are going to be the best ten years of your life" but sadly that feeling has yet to hit. Maybe it's because I'm secretly a thirty year old trapped in a twenty year old body or maybe it's because all the people telling us these are the best years of our lives are 30 plus.
What I do know, is that six days ago I was just as lost about what I want to be when I "grow up" and I still have no idea who I will marry or where I will live. All those games of M*A*S*H in middle school did not predict my future. Some people tell us twenty-somethings that now is the time to make mistakes and relish in the fact that we have no idea what we are doing EVER! However there are a few who say these years are not just for goofing off. An article on Levo League, Your Twenties, quotes a psychologist saying that "EIGHTY percent of life's most defining moments take place by about age 35." So with that knowledge in mind, what are somethings I want to do in my twenties? Well I'd like to be able to see in to the future, but sadly I must put my faith in God and know that I will get where I need to be. Perhaps I am too comfortable where I am to experience the magical feeling I want. Converse College's Dean of Students urges us to break into our "red zone" and try different things. It is only by learning that we can discover who we are. So I am going to start doing one thing that brings me completely out of my comfort zone each month. Any suggestions for August?

My Best Friend

We have all had a BFF at one time or another. And I like to say that I have a lot of people in my life I consider my best friends. One of my newest best friends is Converse's school of music piano curator, Benny Mixon. Benny Mixon has become a cheerleader, best friend, confidant, and grandpa for so many at the school of music. Benny has been there to hold me as I cry after a fight with my best friend or an awful clarinet lesson. But he has also been at every performance to congratulate me on a job well done. He is there to pick me and my friends up at night to go to Dairy Queen when we need a study break and he is there to remind us that the boy that broke our heart was a "good for nothing boy" when we need a man.

Benny Mixon

I think what makes Benny so special is that he sees the potential in each and every one of us. He sees the beauty that is sometimes hidden beneath a cloud of uncertainty and lack of confidence. But most of all he has a wealth of knowledge and advice that he is more than willing to share. It doesn't hurt that he also has a stash of peppermint patties and sodas in his den.

Biltmore Trip

Sophomore Ring Ceremony

Freshman year both my parents were battling cancer and as an only child it was very stressful to be so far away from my family. Seeing the stress I was carrying around Benny opened up to me about his own struggle with the disease. Benny has been battling cancer for the past many years and likes to joke that the chemo has made him one of the girls because he often becomes very weepy. But I think that instead of making him one of the girls it makes him what a girl needs. We don't need men to be one of the girls and swap cry stories with us, but we would like men to sympathize and feel with us the sadness or anger that we are struggling with. We need more than a pat on the back and an "I'm sorry." We want someone to say "I know exactly how you feel and it sucks." Benny feels so strongly every emotion within himself and those that he sees the girls at Converse feeling. This emotional connection helps make him who he is and what makes him so special to so many people.
I pray for the day that he is cancer free, but thank God for blessing him with a special gift to connect with so many of us lost and scared girls. Love always to my best friend <3

Germany 2012

Candid group photo

Wine Tasting

Girls day in Obernai

View from an old monastery

Traditional German farmhouse

Chapel of Tears at a monastery

Mrs. Beate celebrating her birthday with a traditional German cake

Willkommen nach Deutschland

By far one of the most exciting things that happened this past school year was that I traveled to Germany for eleven days to perform in a Bach music festival. And can I just say how beautiful Germany and all of its people are. My friend Kathleen and I stayed with a host family in Achern, Germany. The Wossner's are some of the most loving people I have ever met. Mr. Wossner took the entire trip off from his work as a pediatrician so that he could travel with us on our day trips. Mrs. Wossner was a terrific host and a librarian in their town. And Sarah Kate, their daughter, became our guide to the teen life in Germany. How many people can say they went to a teen club and listened to boys rap in German?

Mrs. Beate, Sarah Kate, Kathleen, and I after our final performance

Mr. Markus, Kathleen, myself and Mrs. Beate on a hike

I cannot thank the SOA faculty enough for giving me this opportunity. I have made life long friends and had performance opportunities not many others have had the chance to do. This trip definitely bit me with the travel bug. I hope to return to Germany and visit Sarah while she is at school. I will also be going to Argentina for two weeks in January 2014.

Some advice:If you ever have the chance to travel, do it! And stay with a host family, they will become a family away from home.

Memories of Debate

Meeting the Diplomat of Oman

In Front of the White House

In the Middle of Debate

SERMAL

A Break at Conference

Me and My Senior Partner Amber

Love/Hate Relationship

   Talking about Taylor Casey made me realize I could probably write two or three or twenty posts about model league. I promise I won't though, especially because it would be a lot of ranting.
   Let me begin by saying it is most definitely a love/hate relationship. So if you hear me rant about it and ask "why do it?" The answer is because even with all the stress and anger that often comes with it I love debating and I love the girls. But what Model League is, is a debate team where we simulate the Arab League and NATO. Every team represents a different country and each delegate or pair researches specific topics that their committee will then discuss and write resolutions on. So in case you couldn't guess that means conferences are made up of primarily men and politics majors. I am always the minority in some way.
   And let me tell you something about being a woman at these conferences: MEN HATE LOSING TO WOMEN!!!! Even with the sometimes apparent prejudices most people are willing to work with you if you are interested and know what's up.
  So that was the bad but here is the good. The girls on our team and many of the people at the conferences have become very dear friends of mine. My senior partner, Amber, and my junior partner, Taylor, have become sisters. I also have become so much more confident in my abilities of persuasion and public speaking. And who doesn't want to meet diplomats from Oman, Luxembourg, France, etc?

If you asked me if you should join a debate team my answer would automatically be yes, but be prepared to feel hurt and angry. You will also feel like a more affluent person in your knowledge on world views.

Freshman Pinning

You might hear me say this a lot, but all of Converse's traditions are beautifully significant. After Big Sis/Lil Sis week where you become a Pink Panther or a Red Devil depending on whether you enter on an even or odd year, the school year continues with tons of events including 1889 Spirit Week, Peppermint Ball, Montgomery by Moonlight, Lessons and Carols, Founders Day, and finally Freshman Pinning.







Gwen and I at Freshman Pinning 2012

Freshman Pinning is the first time you receive the signet of Converse College. This ceremony is a time for you and your family to reflect on how far you have come. One of the most exciting parts of the ceremony is that every freshman picks anybody at Converse who they believe have impacted them the most in this year to pin them. For me I chose one of my dear friends, Gwen. Gwen and I met because of the large amount of time we both spent in the music school but also because we were both heavily involved with the theater department. Gwen, both our roommates, and myself became inseparable freshman year. She was and is one of my dearest friends. And in return for her impacting me, my roommate and I also pinned Gwen and Rebecca(Gwen's roommate). These two seniors had some how managed to miss freshman pinning four years ago and it just didn't feel right to let them leave Converse without participating in this tradition.
One of the most exciting things about freshman pinning is that it came full circle for me this year. This past year as an upperclassmen on the Model League debate team I was partnered with a freshman, Taylor Casey. Taylor and I were very much alike. My freshman year on the debate team I was very timid and on the backburner of high performers because of my quietness despite my excellent research. And this was true for Taylor Casey and so we worked together the whole school year which is rather unusual. Generally a freshman will switch partners to get different debate styles, but Dr. Dunn (our team advisor) with some push from me felt it was best to keep us together. As the year progressed I saw Taylor blossom into a young woman growing in confidence and was so excited when she asked me to pin her. 

 

Taylor Casey and I at Freshman Pinning 2013

Sister's Keeper

One thing Converse College loves more than empowering women is traditions. I mean, honestly, if there is a season or a reason we have a tradition for it. One of my favorite traditions is Big Sis/Lil Sis. Because we are an all women's college we don't have traditional sororities like many universities. However, students noticed that the most beneficial aspect of participating in a university is the bond of sisterhood. So we created a stronger bond of sisterhood by having Big Sis/Lil Sis. Every freshman gets a big sister in the junior class that for a whole week in September surprises them with gifts and clues. The week ends with a huge reveal and an everlasting friendship. And in two months I will follow the legacy of adopting three freshmen as my little sisters. 


Big Sis, me, and Twin

Besides having a Big Sis who knows the ropes of being a music education major I found two amazing roommates, one of which continues to be my roommate. The ladies I have met at Converse undertake the meaning of being their "sister's keeper." Regardless of relationship with someone in need it is important for women to help each other especially as we continue to face prejudice throughout the world.



 

Roommates Freshman Year

  

Sister's Keeper





Catch Up

It is hard to believe I am going to be a JUNIOR!!! That means two amazing years have already past at Converse College. Which means I have over 24 months that I need to catch up on. As one of my idols, Julie Andrews, would say "Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start."

Hope and me

I would be lying if I didn't say Converse found me. Senior year of high school I was pretty set in becoming a Hurricane at the University of Miami and applied to a few other colleges because I knew I was supposed to. Converse College showed up to lunch one day at my high school and my best friend since the fourth grade, Hope, convinced me to talk to the Admissions officer. Colby Sanders, the Admissions officer, had some how already found Hope but soon convinced me, with the promise of dinner at Mellow Mushroom, to come visit Converse. A few months later, it became clear that University of Miami was out of reach when it came to scholarships and so my decision was between USC (University of South Carolina) and Converse. I literally did not choose until the final day for FAFSA, but days before it became clear that Converse College was always on the tip of my tongue.

Months later I started my first semester at college four and half hours away from my parents. As an only child and someone who hadn't been away from home for more than a month (when I went to Cove Camp with a friend) this was such a scary thought. I had stepped up into the primary caretaker in my household during the summer as both my parents underwent treatment for cancer and the thought of them fending for themselves was...terrifying!
 
I quickly found, however, that with some prayers, phone calls home, and a little help from my friends both me and my parents were taken care of.
 

Introducing Me

So it feels a bit weird to be describing myself, since who knows I might be the only one that ever reads this. But here it goes...
   

My name is Chloe Spitzer and I am a 19 year old [almost 20] purusing my many passions while at Converse College. If you haven't heard of Converse, it might be because it is an all women's college. And attending Converse is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I've been able to try so many different things and meet some of the women who undoubtedly will change the world.

 I mean how many people majoring in music education--a degree of 140 hours--can say they are doing an add-on degree of special education, been on a debate, performed in a Bach music festival in Germany, and is going to Argentina in January? My guess is not many.

And this blog is to document some of those adventures. Enjoy