My American lingo. My family constantly teases me about how my lingo has become more Americanized over my year here. I find myself saying things like: for sure, girrlll and even yo.

I'm on an intramural Ultimate Frisbee team. My friends would never suspect that I would do anything athletic, ever. However, they probably wouldn't be surprised to know I fail at it. But I'm having fun!

I've had friends visit me at Carleton and they were definitely surprised at how many people I know on campus. Compared to a large school there are obviously less students at Carleton, yet I feel like you end up meeting more people because of all the myriad interests pursued and the residential college environment.

I think I've relaxed since coming to Carleton. Don't get me wrong, I'm still passionate about academics. But I've learned to balance academics and personal life. Carleton's student body and faculty encouraged me to engage both in academics and other aspects of life.

My friends from Massachusetts all stared at me with blank faces when I told them I was going to a school in Minnesota! It will definitely surprise them when they hear that Northfield is a great college town, and not a "frozen outpost" some of them imagined.