Our Summer of Contentment

As a tribute to a summer heaving its final breaths, I've blasted Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" on an infinite loop (much to the chagrin of my parents). But even the lilting loll of Billie Joe Armstrong does precious little to console me - the school years spells out, in no uncertain terms, the end of my capering and cavorting, the end of azure beaches and sun-kissed summer adventures.

It's the end of an era - and the advent of one, too. Cue in the speckled scan-trons, groggy morning bus rides,  and homework finished begrudgingly into the wee hours of the night. Even as I write this blog, a more responsible inner voice admonishes me, telling me my time is better spent wrestling math problems or dotting the "i's" on a research paper.

I wish I could sprinkle stardust on all my assignments and have my Pinnacle effortlessly agleam with A's. Each year seems to have a recurring theme from which I can glean something new - last year, as a freshman, I dealt with inhibitions of high school, the anonymity I felt in its hallowed hallways. Now, sophomore year has presented me with an arithmetic lesson:  seven classes' worth of homework by 180 days of school divided by six hours of sleep per day minus the square root of negative infinity plus the amount of hairs I've just pulled out of my head.

Oh, and don't forget to multiply that exponentially. That's junior year, I'm told. And that's just beyond the horizon.

Admittedly, I can't pretend to hate school for a second. I'm engaged in my classes, buoyed by the fact a free public education provides such an opportunity for intellectual galvanization. I'm determined to make the most of the 4,860,600 seconds of school wedged between me and my summer vacation.

But who's counting?

I Went to the University of Florida Today...

What better way to spend summer then investing in your future?

Today, at about 8:30 in the morning, my family and I embarked on a journey to UF, the college of my dreams. And let me tell you, I'm making my dream a reality if it kills me.

 Once we got there, we took a tour of the College of Journalism and Communications (It was so amazing, I was trying not to hyperventilate) and I couldn't stop imagining myself being a Gator. I felt like I belonged there. 

Once that tour was over, we took a lunch break at the food court in Reitz Union, which made me feel like I was in a mall. (Hey, they need to feed 50,000 students.) I munched on Subway, eagerly wanting to see the rest of the school. I kept seeing so many bright faces, I couldn't help feeling that everyone one in this school is incredibly nice and friendly.

After lunch, we stopped at the bookstore (which has much more than books) then headed down to the Welcome Center for a tour of the whole school.

During the tour of the whole school, we were lead by two chipper students who happily led us through the school, and we saw everything from The Swamp to dorm rooms.

By the end of the tour, everyone was sweating bullets (that Florida summer heat just doesn't stop!) so we headed back to the car and checked out some of the Fraternities.

As we drove back home to my grandparents house near Orlando, I couldn't help feeling a tinge of sadness. But, if I work hard in school, I'll get in, and I won't have to leave as soon!     

    

Summer Days

Back in January, I planned out an elaborate list of activities to do over summer break. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my friends, while also going to different places. I figured we would be out almost every night having fun at new places without a worry in the world. I planned my summer as if there would be no flaws and everybody’s schedules would mesh well together.

In actuality, my daydreams were a little far fetched and honestly needed a lot of money and extensive planning. My summer actually contained a lot of unplanned nights full of wild adventures and laughing till crying. My friends and I would spend the day on my front porch hanging out, “solving” life’s daily problems and walking to the local 7 Eleven. Other times, my friends and I would hit the beach and simply get a pizza and dine in the back of his Chevrolet pick-up truck.

I think what I didn’t take into consideration was the fact that you can’t really plan life. Things have to fall into place and you just have to make the best of each situation. I think I will look back to this summer and realize that the simplest things in life were probably the most meaningful. Listening to my friends, learning from our experiences, and enduring rough patches together, will probably mean more to me in the future than any expensive night out.

A Teenage Jew's Views On Some Amazing Jewish Experiences

By Stacey Pasternak, Cooper City High


Hello all!

My name is Stacey Gayle Pasternak, and I am a Jew. I feel extremely lucky to be a Jew, not only because Jews make up only 0.2% of the world's population, but also because I get to join some incredibly impactful youth groups. Namely, BBYO.

For those of you who don't know, BBYO stands for the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. It is a teen-led Jewish youth group movement with the slogan, "More Jewish Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences."

photo: My BBYO chapter, Nesichot

BBG (Nesichot meaning princesses in Hebrew, BBG meaning B'nai B'rith Girls) is my heart and home. I always feel so comfortable whenever I go to our weekly Tuesday meetings. But sometimes, you just have to try something out of your comfort zone in BBYO. There is no better way to do this then by going on Summer Experience programs. This summer, I decided to go on one popular Summer Experience among us BBYO-ers called CLTC, which stands for Chapter Leadership Training Conference. CLTC is for those newer members who want to learn how to be both better leaders in their BBYO lives and chapters as well as in their lives outside of BBYO and in the real world. My CLTC started on July 5th. CLTC 4, 2011 (there are 7 of them all throughout the summer, and they each last 12 days). I can honestly say it was the one of the best 12 days of my entire life. I met so many new and inspirational people who would soon become my very best friends, had some experiences with Judaism that will last me a lifetime, learned about myself and who I want to become, formed sisterly bonds with the girls in my mock chapter, and so much more. So, if you are a Jewish teen, that mean YOU have the privelage of bringing BBYO into your life and YOU can take that extra step by going to CLTC and other Summer Experience programs. Nothing is stopping you and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Take my advice and enjoy your experiences to the fullest.

xx,

Stace~