The Days Are Just Packed

Some people complain that there is nothing to do in Cullowhee.

On the surface, they are right. We are in the mountains 50 miles west of Asheville, NC. This basically means that the campus is in the middle of nowhere.

But if you set your antennae right, you'll hear and see fascinating things. More than most places on earth, people's lives are being shaped and their character molded by the day- by the hour, even. Time moves so fast.

I enjoy being around students. Physically, we are as healthy and beautiful now as we ever will be. Our minds are optimistic, for the most part, unjaded by world experiences. The potential for what we can do with our lives is so great.

Today, I began a ballroom dancing class- just for fun. Wow! I had no idea how hard it is. My brain popped as I tried to learn dance steps, and it was an embarrassing reminder of just how stiff and uncomfortable I can be around girls.

"You have to relax," more than one girl said to me. "Listen to the beat of the music. Loosen up and lead me."

It is a Herculean task to learn to stand close, hold a girl and look deep into her eyes as I try to whirl with her body across the floor. I danced with four different women today. In the past, years have gone by when I did not dance with that many women.

Next was a Pre-Law Club Meeting where I talked, probably too much, about my LSAT score, GPA and progress toward law school. The meeting lasted for an hour until we had to give up the room to the next student organization, B-GLAD.

Then I had a rigorous intellectual debate in class tonight on the merits of historian Fernand Braudel. It was three hours of argument about his abstract ideas and implications for the field of history. I learned the definition of the word "heuristic."

After class, it was off to O'Malley's with some friends. I had a nice conversation with one who is in the history department with me. He is doing well and wants to go to Yale for a Ph.D. I think he has a real shot, depending on his GRE score. He certainly should be able to get into a good Ph.D. program somewhere. When I first met him in August 2007, I never would have guessed his talent. He just looked like an ordinary guy in shorts, sandals, glasses and a baseball hat. It makes me glad to see someone who has truly found their niche. A History Ph.D. program is where he fits in best, and I really hope he lands the one he wants.

Then I got back to my room and received a phone call from a girl who just wanted to talk. She is a good friend I made last semester, and we spoke for an hour or more about where our lives are headed. She is younger than me, so I know some things about the world that she does not. But she also sees the world in a different way than I do, and so we learn from each other.

After getting off the phone with her, I could not sleep. So it is approaching 3 am and here I sit typing my weekly blog.

Things like this just don't happen to me when I'm not at Western...

There is plenty to do in Cullowhee.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn

Academic Steroids

I do not use drugs.

But a Javalanche has to come close.

Javalanches are $4 drinks made by Java City that contain espresso, vanilla, milk and whip cream. I discovered them as a way to stay alert during my classes, which all take place from 6 to 9 pm this semester.

I enjoy my classes, but after studying all day it is sometimes difficult to stay awake and maintain the attention span necessary for a three hour class. Javalanches work, but I am trying to decide if they are a good thing.

The drinks make my heart race like nothing I've ever had in my life. I get an "A" for participation in my classes on these "academic steroids," but I also stay wired until about 3 am.

In one class last semester, the professor divided the students into two groups and had us debate whether or not the removal of the Cherokee Indians could have been avoided. I was in the group that argued removal did not have to happen.

The debate became a little heated as the professor wrote down our various points and counter points on the dry erase board. High on a Mocha Javalanche (which has added chocolate syrup), for some reason I slammed my hand down on the table and said loudly, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives. We stay and fight!"

The class went silent. The professor gave me a befuddled expression as though he thought I had lost my senses. "Is that from Braveheart?" he asked.

"Yes, that's from Braveheart."

He went to the board and wrote down "WWMGD?" for our side of the debate.

"What does WWMGD mean?" I asked.

"What would Mel Gibson do?" he replied.

I don't have outbursts like that when I'm not drinking a Javalanche, but I earned an "A" in the class.

If I do drink one, after classes I continue to feel like I'm on top of the world as my mind zips through all sorts of great emotions. But the drinks also make my head and chest feel tight for several hours.

So I don't know. Class is a lot more fun with these drinks in my system, but I wonder if they are really unhealthy.

These are just some idle thoughts of mine on a snow filled day. WCU received a great accumulation of the white wet stuff last night. I enjoyed walking back from the library when it was falling. Several years have passed since I last saw snow on the ground.

Until next time,

Nathan Marshburn

A New Semester

Ahhhh...

After a long break- too long- I am back in Cullowhee. Perhaps I am in the minority of students when I say that I really did not need time off in between semesters. I was ready to go into my new classes the day after I turned in my last assignment for the fall.

For me, the break ran from December 10 to January 11. While it was great to see family and friends, I had trouble finding something interesting to say on a blog. When I come back to Western, though, it feels like life kicks into another gear. It will be even better on Monday when classes begin and the campus is firing on all cylinders.

When I came back to WCU in August last year for the first time since 2000, the mountains looked magical with their deep green leaves. I loved the heat of the summer, too. This time it is colder. The leaves are gone and one can see the rugged outlines of the mountains. In some ways things feel asleep. Still, I'd rather be in Cullowhee than most other places in the world. I look forward to the spring when the weather will stay warm and I can watch spring green and pastels paint the mountains and gradually become the deep shades of summer.

This semester should be more difficult than the last, academically speaking. I have two 600 level classes instead of just one, and I also have to take a Spanish reading class to fulfill the foreign language requirement for a M.A. But Spanish is a language I want and need to learn.

Things will be happening soon. A sort of unofficial graduate student gathering takes place on Friday, January 19, 2008 (the first time I've typed the new year). Get in touch with GSA President Melissa Littlewood on facebook or by e-mail for details.

Until next time,

Nathan Marshburn