Hi everyone, I hope your second semester is off to a strong start! I don't know about you, but I am excited to be back to the books and ready to return to campus this weekend! Before heading back I had to take advantage of the kitchen and during a snack break between my morning classes I whipped up a classic monkey bread! It was just the touch I needed to keep my head in the game! I definitely recommend! I have found that sometimes when you're in the funk, and you need to focus and buckle down but you just can't do it a snack or a 20 minute refresher, either a walk or short activity, even a quick nap will do just that! In this instance I baked some monkey bread (which came with second hand benefits for my taste buds) but whatever works for you! Find what... Continue reading

As I mentioned in my last post, I did get a chance to continue with my hiking expo of southern New Hampshire, though during my break due to snow, I had a chance to go to Hampton Beach for the sunrise and I definitely recommend! It was beautiful sight and a calm ride so early in the morning, it was lovely to see the beach with snow on it, which I had never considered before, which is weird on its own. Though I did get to continue my hiking, which side note, if you are ever stressed to the work and college obligations I definitely recommend hiking and making time to get outside and exercise. Being competitive I have my goal to hike all the mountains in NH, which keeps me accountable, though you definitely don't have to be as rigorous about it. Just some quiet time to clear your... Continue reading

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday season, welcome to 2021! Though, I know some of us are "feeling '22" is our year. I had to put a pause for a while on my hiking expo due to some snow and ice, though I did get a chance to continue after an unseasonably warm Christmas day in Southern New Hampshire which I will update you on soon, but first I just wanted to let you in on a little something! With the uncertainty that comes with global pandemics (as if it's an everyday thing to live through one (; ) and going to and from school and not knowing if you will make it through the semester at school without an outbreak, online shopping is a must! All your essentials can be found at the click of a finger and delivered to your door, though... Continue reading

Today, joined by both my parents as well as my dog, we returned to Hinsdale, NH and Mount Wantastiquet. Wantastiquet, named by the Abenaki people has been said to translate to "West River" though direct translation leads to something more like "the mountain at the place of the lost river" referring to the West River that joins the Connecticut River at the location of Wantastiquet Mountain, though on the Vermont side rather than New Hampshire like the mountain. The trail was sprinkled with a river of its own travelling down the mountain, creating a waterfall at the base. The travel to the top was not without a fair share of wet feet all around, especially for my dog. We reached the top just before sunset, resulting in a race against darkness on the way down. As you can see in the picture, the view overlooked the Connecticut River and the... Continue reading

For my third day in my quest to hike all the mountains in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire over 1000 feet we stayed closer to home, in Swanzy, NH to Mount Ceaser. Another unexpectedly short hike, Mount Ceaser stood unknown to me over the many years that I traveled to Swanzy and their high school, neighboring my own, for competitions and community events all the same. Just down the road from the familiar Monadnock Regional High School, Mount Ceaser greeted us with a warm day and a wide view of southern New Hampshire. The picture is not from the top, but the view was the same. You can see a number of mountains in the view as well as the notorious lakes of the Granite State. Continue reading

Here you join me for my second day of hiking the mountains of the Monadnock Region, New Hampshire, before reaching the rest of the states. Today I traveled west of my home town to Hinsdale, NH and Daniel's Mountain. Though a shorter hike than I would have prefered, joined by my dog we made it to the top within an hour. Though I am not sure exactly which direction our view was today, I believe it to be western towards Vermont. It is my belief that you can see the Connecticut River that creates the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. The short, but fairly steep hike was a good break to the studying in preparation for finals and the projects and exams that come with them. We have just about two weeks left, breaks outside, I have found, are helpful to keep focus. Continue reading

I hope you all had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Though as the break of Thanksgiving comes to an end, the end of the semester draws nearer. With the transition to online classes, and rejoining my life at home comes free time. With Covid still plaguing the world and on the rise, there are limited activities to fill the free time. So I have decided to hike all the mountains, in my home state of New Hampshire, over 1000 feet, and I began today. New Hampshire, much like Vermont, turns out to be very mountainous so I have decided to begin with my home of the Monadnock Region in the south west of the state, bordering both Vermont and Massachusetts. For the first hike, it wasn't the traditional hike, but rather a sunrise hike at Pack Monadnock in the nearby town of Peterborough, NH. I was joined by two good... Continue reading

As Thanksgiving gets closer, the farewells begin. I didn't think it would be so hard, after being surrounded for so long by new friends and opportunities, and I am excited to go home and see my family and friends there, though my first goodbye happened yesterday. A senior on my team is heading home as her classes from here on out are online. Three months till we see her again. No more meals at Chow together and we are no longer going to be so surrounded by our friends and freedoms. Soon we will all be going home to do our online classes. It is crazy how fast it went, coming here and knowing we were essentially stuck here for 14 weeks (for those of us who arrived on August 8th), yet my departure date is only 9 days away. Nine days left together until we spend 3 months apart.... Continue reading

Hey guys, its been a while since I last posted, the fall season got ahead of me. We spent a lot of time together as a team. With practices three times a week due to Covid, but also many team bonding activities. We took our fitness challenge to Mad River Glen, hiking to the top all holding onto a rope to be rewarded with a ride back down on a chair lift. Then for Halloween we got competitive, with contests on best group costumes and best pumpkin. My group was Scooby Doo, taking the win for both contests. Our season then came to an end with Senior Night. We did a Maroon vs. White game with all the senior festivities, including decorating the locker room and honoring the seniors during half time. The senior's team, the white team, came out on top with a 3-0 victory. Though due to covid,... Continue reading

When I first looked at Norwich and considered going to school in Vermont I though the only difference between my hometown in southern New Hampshire was the hills and mountains that surrounded you here. I was wrong. Back home, I keep getting videos and pictures of friends still comfily wearing their shorts to school meanwhile I am waking up here to 27 degree weather yesterday. Only three hours north, though very beautiful and everything I have imagined, seems to have a completely different weather pattern. Being a native New Englander, it shouldn't shock me that this weekend is supposed to 79 - 80, yet it feels so different than how it did at home. The temperatures we are experiencing here is was I associate with the middle of October, yet here we are in September. It amazes me how much of a difference three hours north can make it. Still,... Continue reading

When the professor said that the expectation was that for every hour of in class time we had, there were three hours of homework I was shocked. I had never been assigned that much work to do. For multiple classes too, though after three weeks of classes, I have determined it is not as bad as it sounded. Being a Criminal Justice major, I have several papers due each week, a very different concept then what I did in high school, even with several AP credits. Currently, I find it cool that all my classes are connecting, with Sociology and Psychology being similar concepts that was expected but then they both connect back to my Criminal Justice class, and even the work we are doing in Elementary Statistics can be connected to the other three classes. It is all so interesting to me and I can't get enough, those three... Continue reading

Classes just started but a day off is always welcomed, but for some student athletes, it's not a day off but the first day, including the Women's Soccer Team. Luckily for us, it wasn't bright and early at 5:30 like it will be in the future, but still just as nerve wracking. Still, nothing beats getting back onto the field. As my first experience as a collegiate student athlete it was everything I hoped for, a competitive, but family like atmosphere. Things aren't exactly as they would be on a normal year, but we are making it work, and it is definitely worth it. Restrictions like only 6 people allowed in the locker room, masks on at all times, social distancing, and non-contact drills make it strange and unusual, yet still doable. Especially after over 6 months of no organized athletics for most, I know that it is nothing but... Continue reading

Welcome Home. This year's theme for New Student Orientation and personally I find nothing more fitting as that is exactly how I feel. With not just a new group of students coming in, but also a new president and new protocol as we enter this year amidst the pandemic. With orientation complete and four days of classes down, getting ready for the fifth, I stand by the slogan you will see on tye dye shirts around campus. I am home. Every professor I have met has been nothing but kind and understanding. With procedures like cleaning our areas before and after class, it gets confusing but it never feels like we are alone with our confusion, but together trying to figure out what the next steps are. The first couple days were confusing. It wasn't just the normal freshman "Where do I go?", "What building is that?", or "What floor... Continue reading

Hi everyone, my name is Jillian Patria. I am a freshman civilian here at Norwich University. When I first heard about Norwich University I was intrigued due to the military connection, but the moment I stepped on campus a smile filled my face. I love the old New England feel, yet modern designs of the buildings present on campus. My first visit was just a walk through with my parents, though I knew immediately that I needed to attend an Open House. A few months later we attended a Fall Open House and I had a 45 minute conversation with Coach Faasse that made me excited about the soccer program and having an opportunity to play at the school. The soccer information was not the only thing that made me excited about the school, but the teaching style I experienced during the Criminal Justice portion of the tour made me... Continue reading