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November 2008 Marks Many Firsts
November 18, 2008
November 2008 was a busy month. Probably the busiest I have yet lived. Starting the month with the most important elections to the world, and ending with the most important local elections in Venezuela that will determine the fate of Chavez’s party’s popularity; needless to say, November ’08 was exhausting. I can’t wait for December in the Bahamas and Venezuela. The highlight of the month was an early Thanksgiving pot luck hosted by my roommate Artie, his girlfriend Katie, and myself.
November ’08 marks the month I ate most turkey. During our early Thanksgiving celebration we invited several of our close friends and had a lot of food on a Saturday evening. The evening before I had made three pies for the celebration and Artie was in charge of the bird. The 18 pound bird barely fit in our fridge for defrosting and was enough to feed nearly twenty people and their second rounds. Unfortunately, my pies did not make it as long. Rumor had it that I had made a cheesecake brownie and there were people knocking on my door the day after asking if there was any left. This was only the pre-game to the actual Thanksgiving and my stomach ached of both pain and joy just thinking about having another feast in over a week.
November ’08 marks the month when I first witnessed an actual autumn. I thought that after a year living in Winter Park I would get used to the cold, and by cold I mean 10° Celsius/50° Fahrenheit. I got to go to Boston on exactly November 1st and saw trees bathed in red, orange, and yellow leaves. Twice will I see an actual autumn when I head over to North Carolina next week for Thanksgiving. This marks the last season i had yet to witness. Living in Venezuela for most of my life, I never saw the temperature more than 3° throughout the whole year. In the spring of my senior year I first saw snow and now a year and a half later I get to experience the ‘true’ fall.
November ’08 marks the month when I slept the least amount of hours. With finals just barely a week after thanksgiving, there is not too much downtime to relax during the turkey holiday. Many professors try and cram their last tests and presentations the days before Thanksgiving in order to allow time for review week. Surprisingly enough, I’ve been the least sick this semester despite the constant weather changes between cold fronts and nasty humidity.
November ’08 marks the first time the US elects a black president. American students get to witness and vote in an election only once during their college years and my peers voted in an historic election. We cannot fully grasp now the implications of this election but we will eventually—and then will we realize that the American people have come a long way. In an Electoral College landslide, President Barack Obama shattered the beliefs that a black person could not get elected president of the United States.
November ’08 marks the first time Venezuela has a satellite in orbit. The satellite “Simón Bolívar” marks the entry of my South American republic in outer space, being the fifth country in Latin America to do so. As November comes to an end and welcomes December, I will never forget the firsts November ’08 exposed to the world. As I welcome future Novembers, they will try and grasp the attention November ’08 attained. They will only fall short and I will look back at November ’08 as the shift in a new direction in my life.
 
Photo 1: Artie and Katie carving the bird.
Photo 2: Friends over at the Thanksgiving pot luck dinner.
| More about Omar...
In his second year as an R-Journalist, Omar has enjoyed exposing the life of a student at Rollins College. As an Economics and International Relations double major, he has combined his passion for global affairs and economic policy. On campus he is involved on the exec board of the JUMP committee, vice-president of the International Student Organization, and founding co-president of Rollins Model United Nations.
Omar is the first international Cornell Scholar and as such has helped bring a different perspective on campus, that of a Muslim follower born and raised in Venezuela. His diverse background has helped him gain a more empathetic view of the world.
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Omar's R-Journal archives:
| Date |
Link |
| April 27, 2009 |
Excited for the Fall |
| April 18, 2009 |
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fox Day |
| March 31, 2009 |
A week in the Big Citaay |
| March 24, 2009 |
A Capital Break |
| February 21, 2009 |
An escape to Boston |
| February 02, 2009 |
Frenzied February |
| January 15, 2009 |
Field Study in the Bahamas |
| November 18, 2008 |
November 2008 Marks Many Firsts |
| November 07, 2008 |
An Exciting Week |
| October 20, 2008 |
Belly Dancing before Midterms |
| October 09, 2008 |
The True Liberal Arts Experience |
| September 21, 2008 |
On the other side of RCC |
| September 18, 2008 |
Can’t wait to get back to Winter Park |
| May 08, 2008 |
Sooooo… Done with my first year |
| April 15, 2008 |
El Zorro Day |
| March 31, 2008 |
Spring Break in Manhattan |
| February 28, 2008 |
So Many Flags On Campus |
| February 02, 2008 |
Mexico for Intersession |
| December 19, 2007 |
Viva Venezuela Mi Patria Querida |
| November 27, 2007 |
Thank you ResLife |
| October 29, 2007 |
Rollins College Conference (RCC) |
| September 24, 2007 |
"The Honeymoon Stage" |
| September 13, 2007 |
A Summer That Went by Too Fast |
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