Hey guys! Not only has winter break already ended but also the first week of school is over! 2013 was a great year but I am thinking that 2014 is going to be even better – it’s off to a great start so far!
This winter break I went back home to Austin to spend some time with my family. After Christmas we drove up to Santa Fe, NM for a week getaway. We went cross-country skiing, visited the Taos Pueblo and went to a ton of art galleries. My favorite part of the trip was watching the Turtle Dance at the Taos Pueblo. The pueblos are 1,000-year-old structures that still house the Taos tribe. The Turtle Dance, similar to a Corn or Rain Dance, is an ancient tradition performed on New Years morning at sunrise that is meant to bring water to the tribe for the New Year. It is a very religious and spiritual event that not many outsiders have the opportunity to see. After we drove back from Taos (a 12 ½ hour drive), my boyfriend visited Austin for the week. He had never been to Austin, or even Texas, so we had a great time touring the city, eating BBQ and listening to some live country music.
Taos Pueblo at Sunrise on New Years morning
XC skiing in Red River, NM
Nick’s visit to Austin
Winter break was so much fun but I was definitely ready to get back to school by the end of it. This semester is looking a lot different than last semester. Instead of my classes being focused on material strength, steel and concrete, I am taking courses in geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering and a sustainability design course. I’m very excited to see a different side of civil engineering! Outside of class, I am still working in Viterbi Admission and Student Affairs, involved with Society of Women Engineers and CMAA SPARKS. In less than a month I will be traveling with my CMAA Design Build Competition Team and with the other USC competition teams to Sparks, Nevada for our national competition. We are practicing twice a week every week in addition to weekends until the competition. It is going to be a lot of work but I am looking forward to the competition! Besides that, I plan on spending time with my friends, exploring LA more and trying to get a few trips in to the beach!
Took a day trip to El Matador Beach in Malibu!
