An amazing summer, followed by insanity.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being back at Centenary. It’s great to be back with my friends and fraternity brothers again, and it’s hard to believe how much I missed this place. I was even glad to see all of my professors, which really isn’t very surprising since I did always get along with them. However, this summer was amazing, at seeing it end really saddened me.

In case you didn’t notice from reading my little personal profile, I’m an international student. I was born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a fantastic place filled with all the things you would expect from a major industrial city. I love my country, it's beautiful and a lot of fun. I went to a bilingual high school there, and graduated in June 2006. A few months after that I began my first semester in Centenary. A year zoomed by and suddenly I was home again, surrounded by the familiar faces of the people I grew up with, doing the same things we used to do while we where back in high school. Not only that, but it was also the first time I got to see my girlfriend since December, so I was thrilled to be back.

It is important to note, however, that after a year of being at Centenary, I had changed considerably. Somehow, Centenary brought out the avid worked in me, and by the time I was booked to fly back home, I already had a Centenary provided job that I needed to take care of quickly.

During the first few weeks home, before the bilingual schools let out for summer, I worked as a recruiter for the school. I work as an international ambassador on campus, but this was a totally new experience for me. I was assigned to go to the different high schools and work with their guidance counselors and students so I could come into their classrooms and tell them all about how great Centenary is, and encourage them to apply. This was an unbelievable experience, which I enjoyed immensely.

As the summer progressed, I was presented with the opportunity to volunteer at a teaching hospital in Honduras. Now, usually, when you volunteer at a hospital in the US, what you can actually do is quite limited. You carry things for people, you move stuff around, maybe stack a few shelves, etc. Honduran volunteer opportunities? Totally different. I won’t get into the details of it, because I know there are some people out there who are weak of stomach, but let’s just say that it was an unforgettable experience that, if nothing else, has fueled by desire to become a surgeon. In short, it was amazing. I can now perform minor surgery. That makes me happy. Anyway, I did that for 8 weeks, and learned all sorts of things.

As the summer winded down, and I prepared to return to Centenary, I was suddenly presented with an alarming piece of information. I was getting a regular doctor’s checkup, and it turned out that I had a cist that was affecting the circulation in my left leg. Insanity then entered my life. This issue with my circulation was quite alarming not so much because it meant that I needed surgery, but because it meant that I would miss the first week of classes. Very quickly, I called my Brothers, who helped me get in contact with Dr. Chirhart, one of the professors I admire most at the school. Dr. Chirhart helped me set things up so that I would have as little problems catching up in classes as I could, and he did a great job. (At this point, I would like to publicly thank Dr. Chirhart for his assistance during my moment of need. It will be forever remembered.)

So, I had surgery on Tuesday, August 21st, spent a week or so without walking and a week stumbling and finally managed to be well enough to take the plane ride back on September 1st. The plane ride was fun, mostly because I got to be pushed around in a wheelchair all over the place. I arrived at Shreveport Regional Airport sometime during the afternoon, where I was greeted by my Theta Chi Brothers. I was escorted back to campus, and immediately buckled down to work on catching up.

The following weeks are all a blur in my memory now. They involved a lot of studying, note-taking and sleepless nights. Having to catch up a week of school while being the Recruitment Chair for my fraternity and working three jobs was NOT easy, but I managed. I can’t really say I did it all on my own though, since I had a lot of help from several good friends who are also in my classes. It took a while, but I eventually got back in the game as far as classes go.

Now, things are finally settling back down. My classes are demanding, but the stuff they teach me is interesting, so I don’t mind doing the work. Recruitment is almost over, we are hoping for the best on Bid Day, and my recruitment chair duties have been winding down considerably. I still don’t know many of the freshmen, but that’s ok. The year is just beginning and it looks like it will be a good one.

Deuce,
Marco

PS: I promise I will eventually post pictures. However in the insanity of the last month, I haven't really taken any.