BY SAI SHYAMSUNDAR
I left my house around 3:00 pm and entered the St. Paul’s campus. I was amazed to see the many pine and oak trees that surrounded the campus. My dorm was large and my room was located on the first floor. The first night service began and Katie Solter, the Chaplain at the Advanced Studies Program, mentioned the word “courage”. As I did not understand it at first, I believe that I have come show this in a pomp manner.
Classes began the day after and I got introduced to John Bouton, our master teacher, and Meagan Shamberger, our intern in Mass Media. We received four books on the first day with lengthy materials. We were expected to read each book and understand it. The main focus of each book is how media has changed from the past to the 21st century. After a long course introduction, we followed it by icebreakers. We learned each others names and schools and I was in a room full of nice and smart people. Everyone was equal here and we all came here with a purpose. After few hours, we headed to Writing Workshop where my teacher, Gregory Lawless, told us the purpose of this workshop and how it sure to help us in the future. I was surprised to hear that a three page essay on a person who has impacted us was due the next class. I felt that it was going to be a tedious summer!
Several days after classes started, we began sports. My first session sport was Squash and it was truly amazing. Even though I’ve played Squash before it was an enjoyable experience that I loved. My second session was Tennis and it was the sport I never got a chance to play at home. After it started, I found it was harder than I thought. Match after match, I was no match for other players. However, by the end of the sport, I have improved. I was able to score points and was even win games called “Rip your face off” and “King of the Court.”
Chapel was a great way for me to get in touch with my spiritual life. By going to morning Chapel, I was able to stay calm with my mind and body and pray for the goodness of the people all around me. ASP is a spiritual place and has helped me understand how al the religions are intertwined.
Mass Media covered a variety of things this summer like podcasts, newspapers, advertisments, music videos, radio shows, and even blog entries. But our final project was Friday Night Live. We were in charge of three skits and stressed teamwork in high pressure level situations. After a week of intense work filming and editing our work finally paid off. FNL was a huge success and I was so happy of the way it turned out. We received a standing ovation, and we were proud of ourselves.
ASP is an amazing experience that taught me a valuable experience. From the triangle of fun to classes, I will miss it all. As I am about to leave, I will always remember these fondest memories with life long friends that I will always cherish for life. ASP will always be a place I can call HOME!
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