Nine months ago I was moving into my dorm, and incredibly nervous about the road ahead of me. Would I make friends? Get good grades? Like my classes? I was overwhelmed with the realization that I was entering an entirely different phase of life. So where have I come since then?

It was my hope that blogging through my freshman year might lend insight and assurance for people who are coming to school next year. I got to share some fantastic moments, but really didn’t even come close to scratching the surface of what it is like. It’s something I believe can really only be experienced, and cannot be properly shared. For those of you reading this who are incoming freshman, know this: it’s going to be a good year. You’re going to do things you’ll remember for years to come, you’ll meet people you’ll never forget, and you will learn things both in and out of the classroom that will be invaluable in your life. I did.

There will be hard times, times when the stress gets to you, or you get homesick, but these moments are far outweighed by the good that comes from college. With four days left in the semester, I can only think of finals. But even amongst the panic, last minute studying, and all night cram sessions, we find time to relish the community around us. Dorm cookouts, midnight diner trips, getting the entire floor to see The Avengers – all these things have happened in the past week.

I’m ready for summer. I’m ready for home cooked meals, sleeping in (til noon), and mowing my own yard. But three months is going to be a long time spent away from the friends that I have made here, and I imagine it will be tough. We already have plans, though, to meet at someones house for a long weekend this summer.

If there is only one piece of advice that I could give to you now, it’s this: build relationships. Friendships will form naturally, and from this you will grow in awesome ways. The Christian community at Gordon is it’s greatest feature, so take advantage of it.

It has been a pleasure blogging for you, and I do hope to see you next year.

Until next semster,

Ethan

Well, I’m going to London and Edinburgh this summer through Gordon! I was accepted into the British Theatre program, which is a two week course in the UK. After attending the informational meeting yesterday I think it is going to be one of the best experiences of my life. We’re going to be there during the Fringe festival, which features over 2500 different shows going on throughout the city of Edinburg, Scotland. Apparently there is literally a show on every single corner. I am so excited.

Two weeks. That is all that is left of my Freshman year of college. It seems like I just got here, but then at the same time I feel like I have come such a long way since I arrived. I’ve cultivated so many awesome relationships, and it is going to be hard not seeing these friends for months. I’ll be staying in Chase Hall again next year, and my roomie is going to be the RA. So if any of you end up in Chase – you’re in for an awesome community.

My film screening is coming up quickly, and I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. I’m praying it goes well. Other than that, these finals shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. I have a few exams I should start studying for, and an eight page paper to write, but that’s all that stands between me and a homework free 3 months. Luckily throughout the next weeks my floor is doing some pretty fun stuff, like going out to eat, seeing a movie, and even a camping trip – so I’m pretty excited.

It was over 80 degrees today in Wenham, MA. Pretty much the entire campus took advantage of the weather – I know I did. After my classes ended I played some tennis with a friend, and hung out with my floor outside. That is one of my favorite things about Gordon – the community. This year has been an incredible one, and a large part of my fondness for it comes from the relationships that I have made along the way. When I was coming into college I was worried about who I would connect with, but it all came naturally. My floor, Chase 1, has the best community I could have hoped for.

Chase 1 (my floor) at Laser Quest

As of today I have declared a second major in English, which will turn into a concentration in Creative Writing as I get further into the major. I officially registered for classes next semester, which is really exciting. The professor that are teaching my classes are all really great, and I look forward to building relationships with them.

I am finishing up pre-production on my short film, which means that next week I’ll began shooting. I’ll share some of my production stills in my next post. I have to go scout out some shooting locations – I need to find an apartment and alley. This is probably the most stressful project I’ve ever done, but it is also the most exciting.

Now I’m going to do some homework on the quad.

These past couple weeks have flown by, and I can’t believe it’s almost Easter. There is a lot to get done in this last part of the semester, and it does not help that my computer cord broke about a week ago. I haven’t had access to it for a while, which complicates things as you can imagine.

I’ve just started writing my script for my final short film. I’m planning on two weeks for shooting and another two weeks for editing. Hopefully it all turns out good… I plan on scouting out locations tomorrow, and hopefully get permission from a few store owners to film in there stores. My previous video required a few shots in the drug aisle of a pharmacy, but that posed a problem because I could not film without permission from the store manager. I went to Walmart first and explained my situation, but they flatly denied me. So then my production assistant and I decided to try Walgreens, and they were more than willing to help me and gave me as much time as I needed. It was a sweet success.

A still from my short film.

REC-IM sports are a big deal on Gordon’s campus. It’s where dorms go head to head in select sports in hopes of coming out on top. REC-IM soccer just started up, and Team Chase is looking pretty good. Just coming off our second win in two games we can’t wait to keep playing. In all honesty, it is a great way to meet new people and just have fun. You don’t have to worry about the pressure you’d find on a real team, but it still allows for a healthy amount of competition. We’ve got the championship in sight!

It is good to be back! It’s hard to grasp that my Freshman year of college is going to be over in a month-and-a-half. What did I do during Spring Break? A lot of sleeping – that’s for sure. The weather is gorgeous, and the campus is taking advantage of it. Just by looking out my window I can see people tanning, playing soccer, frisbee, and skateboarding. I even got to go to the beach today. Looks like winter is gone for good!

Singing Beach is about five minutes from Gordon

I’ve been incredibly busy with projects for my film class. It seems like I am always doing some kind of production related activities. In fact, just yesterday I was doing the audio for an interview with President D. Michael Lindsey. The majority of the time I was just making sure I didn’t drop the boom mic on his head by accident. The footage was for a video being put together about the presence of french culture on our campus. I learned a lot, and it was an awesome project to be able to work on.

I’m also gearing up for my final project in my digital video class – a five minute short film. It will most likely be shown during Gordon’s very own film festival. Around twenty films will be show at CinemaSalem! Definitely something I am excited about.

Now back to filming…

Once again I find myself in the library till late in the night. Midterms are upon us, and I cannot recall a time when I’ve been much busier than I am right at this moment. In fact, it is 3 AM right now, but I need to take a little break from all the studying. So what have I been up to the last few days?

Well, I’ve been filming – a lot. I just finished production on the video now, and have been spending many hours in Barrington’s editing lab, to which, luckily, I have 24/7 access. The process has been much more challenging than I anticipated, but at the same time I am also learning tons of new and practical things. Apparently I’m not going to become Steven Spielberg overnight. One of my favorite parts about college is the hands-on aspect, where you finally begin to put into action what you’ve been working towards.

My department

I’ve given up coffee for Lent, and tonight has been more challenging than any other time before. Luckily Chester’s Place also serves Chai’s, or I’m not sure that I would be awake right now, but might be passed out somewhere in the library.

Spring break is coming up, and rather than going to some warm tropical climate, I will hopefully will be asleep for the most of it. I love school, but my sleep schedule has been decimated the past week or so. I need to learn better time management.

Speaking of which, I have an exam in 5 hours. I should probably get to sleep.

As mentioned in my previous post, this week was the week of the Gordon Globes! The videos submitted did not disappoint. There were a wide range of genres shown, though mostly comedy, and all were quite enjoyable. It was fun to get all dressed up, and CEC did a good job of making it feel like a real awards show.

The pre-party was fun and the food was delicious. Once we finished gorging ourselves on pastries and the like, we headed over to the chapel for the show.

And guess what? My roommates video won Best Picture! So proud. All the entries were great, and my roomie’s was also hilarious. Check it out below…

Definitely one of my favorite events to happen at Gordon so far.

I’m currently filming a music video for my production class, and have chosen U2′s MLK to be the song. I’ve got some big visions for it, so hopefully those will come to life. I’m still in pre-production, but filming starts in a few days. Can’t wait to show it to you guys – at least if it does turn out well.

We’re learning how to shoot with HD 1080p video cameras, which is so cool to me as I’ve only ever shot on my Sony Handheld. I honestly can never wait for Wednesday afternoons. Such a fun class.

This weeks gonna be busy, but that’s fine with me. I’m not here to be lazy.

I had my first photo shoot for my Digital Video Class the other day. I had to film on a train, which was quite the experience. My actors were troopers as it was 10 degrees outside and I had them out there for about two hours. I owe them big time. My next project is a music video, which I am actually making the shotlist for right now. Really exciting stuff, for me!

The conductors looked at us like we were crazy people.

Last week was nothing short of insane. It seemed like every second of every day was filled with something that needed to be done. On Friday I crashed so hard. It felt wonderful to sleep in for the first time in a while. I should practice more time management.

One of my favorite parts of the week was Thursday night. I was in my room doing some homework when I start hearing this music coming from somewhere. I can tell that it is worship music, but I have no idea where it is coming from. I walked out into the hallway and followed the music into the basement of my dorm. What I found was about fifty people in the lounge worshipping together. It was incredible. I went and found a spot (as there was only standing room left) and had an incredible experience.

Talking to someone afterwards I found out that this was happening every Thursday night at 10, this semester. They get together and worship, with breaks for group prayer in the middle. I honestly can not wait for Thursday night, now. It’s the perfect way to receive the encouragement to make it to the weekend.

So this week I got to see a play that Gordon’s theater department put on! They did their own rendition of the Gilbert and Sullivan play H.M.S. Pinafore. It was incredibly well done. They put a lot of work into making it a success. I look forward to next years.

photos by Rebecca Wolseley '12

Also coming up are the Gordon Globes. The Gordon Globes is “a formal awards ceremony for short films made by students” This is one of my favorite events, being that I am a Communication Arts major. I, unfortunately, did not have time to make a film for the event, but a few of my friends have been working hard for months on their submissions. I can’t wait to see the outcome.

It has been unusually warm here, so I’ve taken advantage of it and been biking and walking back in the Gordon woods. If you’re into hiking, mountain biking, etc. the Gordon woods have a bunch of trails that go on for miles. I haven’t really had the opportunity to do that since October, so it was nice to be back out biking.

I’m mostly loving my classes this semester. On Saturday I am shooting for my first short film project. It should be an interesting time, though difficult, seeing as we have to shoot on the train. I’m really excited.

Hey guys! Back from break, and pumped to get into the swing of things. Spent some great time with my family back home, and really enjoyed celebrating the holidays. As break came to a close, I couldn’t wait to get back to school and see my friends. It’s awesome seeing everyone again. Feels like I never left.

Home sweet home

I’ve officially had my first full week of classes. I am happy to say that I enjoyed pretty much all of them. Hopefully that means it’ll be a good semester.

I didn’t waste any time getting back involved in the community. I’ve only been back a few days, but I’ve already been back to Marty’s (if you don’t know about Marty’s, here is an account of a trip I made earlier in the semester.) This particular trip we accidentally got lost, and went about thirty minutes out of our way – a memorable start to the semester.

I also went to Catacombs on Sunday night which was a fantastic to start the week, per usual. I don’t think I’m alone in disliking Monday mornings, but the student led worship service provides encouragement for the week ahead.

This will be my second semester of my freshman year, and I could not be happier. Great community was something I was looking for in a college, and it’s awesome that I found it here.