Halloween didn’t really feel like Halloween this year; maybe because it fell on a Wednesday, and the eagerly anticipated Halloween dance isn’t until tomorrow. As such, I didn’t finish it until yesterday, but am quite proud of it…it’s probably the biggest nerd costume in the history of creation. I love it. I did hang out at a bonfire with the Mytho. Society yesterday…Emerson told a great story involving a catfish. Ask him about it. That’s what the picture comes from—Alexa and Nate prior to the bonfire. Tonight was actually really chill; I had nothing to do but a paper, and finished it up pretty early, which gave me the night off. This was, of course, perfect, as it gave me a worry-free evening. We filmed more for “Gossip Gatsby,” I got to hang out with my amazing pod, and then had the opportunity to go to 9:30 mass, as it is All Saint’s Day. I’ll talk about that in a bit, as it is the purpose of this post, but I also want to include the sweet time I had following mass.

 Originally we were traveling to Blockbuster to return Little Miss Sunshine, which we had rented a few days ago to watch while XC cookie making. However, the lure of Eat N’ Park compelled us to seek out food , and we ended up there until about midnight. We did nothing but eat pie and biscuits, talk about 90s television, and just generally relax. It was quite nice. Also: an SVC ID gets you 10% off your meal. I was very, very pleased.

Anyway, on to a somewhat relevant point.

While I had faith before I came to SVC, I’ve found my beliefs growing since I arrived here. I’ve never heard anyone be questioned on their beliefs or told to convert while I’ve been here; instead, people seem to go out of their way to make other faiths comfortable. As a Catholic, though, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more supportive environment.

From the readings assigned during my Exploring Religious Meaning class (which admittedly and unabashedly does have a Catholic tilt) to the student masses to random conversations with people…I have learned so much about myself and my faith.

While I am not comfortable with some of the Catholic churches political leanings, I do believe in God. I won’t explain my personal belief system here, because a) its convoluted and b) I don’t think too many people really want to know, especially considering this sits on an Admissions blog. Readers probably want to know about the cafeteria or something—for the record, they have awesome cupcakes and pathetic excuses for donuts.

However, I will say this: I’m rather excited to recognize growth in my self, academically, athletically, and spiritually. Yes, it’s clichéd, and no, they don’t pay me to be nice about SVC. But it occurred to me yesterday that I’d been here for a while, and that I’ve changed since I’ve arrived. Not big changes, mind: I’m still a dork, and my personality is the same as it ever was.

Still, though, I have to say that I’m impressed.