Love Thee, Notre Dame

There are many words that come to mind when I talk about what it's like at the University of Notre Dame. They are all synonyms: wondrous, awe-inspiring, stupendous, terrific, marvelous, stunning...you know. It's just incredible.

I spent two weeks of my summer at Notre Dame as part of their Summer Scholars program. I basically lived like a college student: I woke myself up, ate my meals in the dining hall, went to class, had homework, and met new friends. I loved it. I loved the classes, I loved the people, and I loved the atmosphere. Leaving ND on a hot, rainy July  afternoon was one of the most depressing things I've had to do in a long time. I've been aching to go back since then, and finally, I returned!

My dad and I touched down in South Bend, Indiana on Sunday night and hopped over to campus, where I caught up with my dear friend Meredith, who is a freshman at ND. We walked around the campus at night, making stops at the Grotto, LaFortune Student Center, and the Word of Life mural, perhaps better known as Touchdown Jesus.

After that, my dad and I stopped for a bite to eat and then called it a night - we had a long day ahead of us. From an awesome "private" campus tour (we were the only people to show up for the 11:00 AM tour) to 12:10 PM Mass in the Crypt of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (fun fact: John Cardinal O'Hara, the namesake of my very own school, is interred in the Basilica) to lunch at South Dining Hall (the frozen yogurt is to die for), we had a fantastic time on campus.

Around 3, I stopped by the gorgeous DeBartolo Performing Arts Center to catch up with one of my Summer Scholars teachers, who is a member of the staff in the department of Film, Television, and Theatre. Aside from being an amazingly cool guy, he's incredibly savvy and knowledgeable - I still use and remember so much that he taught me this summer.

From there, we made the sad trek back to the airport to catch our flight home. It really was almost painful to leave Notre Dame again - there's really no place like it. You can't know how truly special it is until you've lit a candle in the Grotto, or seen the sun glinting off the brilliant Golden Dome, or chomped on a Victory Waffle in the dining hall. More than the beautiful sights and tasty smells, though, is the overwhelming feeling that you're on hallowed ground. Notre Dame is a place of learning, of family, of tradition, and of excellence. Many thousands of people have passed through there before and their legacies and legends live on there. It's indescribable.

A statue of Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., the founder of Notre
Dame, with the Main Building in the background

If they just had a Wawa, the place would be truly perfect.

Back to the Dome

Hello!

So, tomorrow (well, actually today, since it's 12:12 in the morning), I'm heading out on another college visit, this time to the University of Notre Dame! If you want to keep up with my marathon visit to lovely South Bend, Indiana, check out my Twitter (or better yet, follow me) right here! I'll be tweeting my observations about planes, trains, and Golden Domes for the next day or so! You might even see a picture or video update from yours truly so don't forget to check it out.

School, School, and More School

It's been a bit since I've had time to update this humble blog. Hello, internet!

I've been swamped by two weeks of exams and end-of-semester projects, 8th Grade Visitation Day, and a college visit!

I like school and all, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I like taking exams. As much as I study and study, it's still a bit nerve-wracking to know that I need to re-cram a semester's worth of material (for several subjects!) into my brain in a very short amount of time. That said, my exams went pretty well, all things considered. I'm especially proud to say that I aced my AP Calculus exam with flying colors.

8th Grade Day was quite a treat. While most O'Hara students had a day off last Thursday, I and many others reported to school to show some lucky 8th graders how great O'Hara is. Some folks gave tours, some worked booths at an activities fair, and some manned stations representing our sports teams. I and a few other members of my Media Production class armed ourselves with cameras and MacBooks to shoot and produce a video of the day's events. After filming, I quick-changed into my bright orange Footloose t-shirt to perform the Footloose finale one final time for the 8th graders. A few people talked about activities, and then all the O'Hara students gathered on the stage to sing the alma mater. It was a lovely day.

As for the aforementioned college visit, I hopped on up to Boston on Saturday morning (after numerous meteorological delays) to attend Admitted Eagle Day at Boston College. I was thrilled to get back to one of my favorite cities to visit, and I loved BC! It has a beautiful campus, a fantastic academic record, and some really swell students. Hopefully I'll have a few more admitted students' days to attend in the next few months...and then comes the time for the big decision.

Team iPhone

So, as I've mentioned before, I got an iPhone for Christmas. Well, sort of. My parents surprised me with...a picture of an iPhone, because they wanted to make sure it was something I actually wanted. Anyway, the iPhone finally arrived today, yay!

Ain't she a beaut?

My excellent experiences with two iPods and various encounters with the magnificent MacBook Pro have converted me into something of an iFan, so tickles me pink to read  that a possible prototype of the iPad 3 has been spotted at this week's Consumer Electronic Show. Since I've had to come to terms with the fact that I can't bring all these

with me to college next year, a certain sleek, white tablet e-reader is on  my purchase list.

But wait, dear reader! I know you're probably thinking, "Well, that's nice. An iPhone. What a nice thing for her." But do you realize the implications of my new iPhone? This means that I can blog, Tweet, and post pictures and video from absolutely anywhere! (Except on airplanes and at school, where phones are strictly contra legem.)

Speaking of Twitter, my updates should be a bit more frequent (and more interesting) now that I don't have to send those pesky texts to 40404. Follow me! twitter.com/@nicolemcalee

End of an Era

Today is a sad, sad day in Delco.

The Archdiocesan school closings, though somewhat expected, still managed to rock the county. The tradition of Catholic education is indelibly intertwined into the very fabric of life and history here, and it seems like today is the end of a long and happy age. How ironic that this sad news is announced on the Feast of the Epiphany, the day that tradition says the three wise men, bearing gifts, finally found the infant Jesus. What a terrible "gift" we received today.

That Delco will lose Bonner and Prendie, as well as Our Lady of Fatima, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril, Annunciation BVM, St. Francis de Sales, Holy Saviour-St. John Fisher, and St. Gabriel - contributors of such rich tradition in this area since their foundings -  saddens me deeply. Kids lost their childhoods today. Families lost their second homes. Rivalries, friendships, traditions - evaporated. Vanished. Gone. It kills me.

But most of all, I feel so bad for the kids. I can't imagine what kind of pain and shock they're feeling right now.
Sure, I go to O'Hara. Am I relieved to hear that my school is staying open? Absolutely. But if the shoe was on the other foot and O'Hara closed, I would be beyond devastated. O'Hara is my home and my family. The thought that one day it might cease to exist - maybe not now, but someday - petrifies me. Now, those kids - my peers, people I might have known well - have lost their home and their family.

Those who are joining the O'Hara family next year will no doubt be welcomed with open arms. Already, it warms my heart a little to see topics like #delcolove, #welcometothefamily, and #onation on Twitter. That said, it certainly doesn't mitigate the pain.

Today, we put the rivalries and the past behind us. Today, we need to be a family.

"Ohana means family, family means that nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten." - Lilo & Stitch

How I Became a Registered Voter

This will all make sense, I swear.

So, I've trick-or-treated every year since I was a tiny tot. That includes this year. No Halloween parties for me, just trick-or-treating with two of my friends. For me, it's less about the candy and more about how much fun it is to wander the neighborhood in a costume. (I dressed up as Elwood Blues, for the record.)

I knocked on the door of a house down the street and it was answered by my neighbor - but not the neighbor that lived in the house. It was answered by one Mr. Tom McFadden, Esq., who also lives on my
street. Mr. McFadden is a very nice man, a lawyer, and an Upper Providence Township councilman.

Needless to say, I was confused.

Mr. McFadden squinted and said, "You're a McAlee, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Are you 18 yet?" he asked.

"No, sir. I will be in December," I replied.

He told me to hold on for a moment and walked out to his car. After fishing around for a minute or so, he returned with three voter registration forms - one for me, and one for each of my friends.

"There you go!" he said, proudly. "When you turn 18, fill this out and mail it to the courthouse."

I thanked him, and we moved onto the next house.

Back to the present: Today, my parents dragged took my brother and me to the courthouse to renew our passports, and my mom remembered that I could finally file that voter registration form, at, well, the Office of Voter Registration. Which I did.

And that's how I became a registered voter.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

So what have I been up to for the last few weeks? My last post wasn't much of an update, really.

Well, I've come to a few notable milestones recently - the senior Snowball dance (shout-out to my kind friend and date, Ryan M., who's an excellent dancer), my 18th (and golden!) birthday, my last O'Hara Family Christmas as an O'Hara student, and my final Christmas before college (which is kind of terrifying). In short, I dressed up nicely, I can go to jail for real now, I caroled, and I heard a lot of "you should definitely be a lawyer/speechwriter/professional clown."

Yours truly - pre-Snowball

Also, I was accepted to Boston College and Saint Joseph's University! Hooray! Those letters were some pretty good Christmas gifts.

Speaking of Christmas, my Christmas vacation has been, by all accounts, pretty good so far. I got some nice toys for Christmas - including an iPhone! Well, kind of. It's on its way. But you know what that means - blog updates from all over the place! And Santa brought my brother and me a keyboard, so I can finally start taking those piano lessons I've been hoping for. (Tangent alert: I must be the first person on the planet who actually asked for piano lessons.)

Look for an update quite soon, and for my up-to-the-minute musings, don't forget to follow me on Twitter!