pleasant surprises

Last week was a long one. Between exams, essays and work I found myself reaching the point of exhaustion. Despite my deep desire to slow down on the weekend and relax for a second, I resisted. And it was worth it. Allow me to give you a brief recap.

1.International Potluck

An old resident/close friend of mine invited me to go to an International Potluck with her. I made brigadeiro, a chocolatey recipe I brought back with me from Brazil. It's super easy, and incredibly addictive. Look for that recipe in a future post. We didn't know what to expect going into the event but it was certainly a wonderful surprise. We met some fascinating exchange students and tried some awesome food.

As you can see, I tend to go a little overboard when presented with free food.

Bottom Line: Yum.

2. Clybourne Park

A production put on by my university's theater department, casting solely students. Didn't really know what to expect going into this either, but was once again was pleasantly surprised. The first act took place in the 1950s and was a clear comment on the racism and discrimintation that took place at that time. When intermission came around, I found myself thinking Thank goodness we don't live in a world like that today. Second act, fast forward to 2009 in the same community. Discrimination blatantly continues to exist. I left the theater with a lot to think about in regards to how we view race as a society and the subtle yet clearly discriminatory responses we have towards it. 

Bottom line: fantastic writing, greatly impressive acting and left the audience with some important things to think about

3. Party Party Party

Okay, I'm not a party person. Did you gather that? This is what you could typically find me doing on a Friday night:

I'm in my 4th year of college and I have attended approximately one "real college party." I spent a grand total of about 30 minutes there before discovering a bathtub full of beer, rolling my eyes and taking my leave. So when a good friend invited Kelley and I to his 21st birthday party, I was hesitant. In fact, upon arriving at the party, we actually drove around the block a few times discussing at great length how to enter a party along with doing some strange chanting in an attempt to get us pumped for said entrance.

Well it just so happened we had some kindred spirits at this party. These equally sober party-goers exhibited some dance moves that put Kelley and I to shame. Let the friendship begin.

Bottom Line: Parties have not completely won me over just yet, but they're far less scary than I initially pegged them to be.

Dude, you lost me at "exams and essays."

Okay, I'm sorry. A lot of words, not a lot of pictures. But seriously, do you see a common theme here? I'm continually reminded of how important it is for me to go outside of my comfort zone. It's almost always a pleasant surprise.