Author: mewen@rollins.edu

It’s hard to realize how much something in your past will affect you in life until the moment when you feel that shift of energy that says “Remember me? I’m still here.” This can work with positive things, like the realization that the summer camp you worked at impacts how you interact with and view…

In my Contemporary Art Issues class here in Newcastle, the professor began our initiation into the course with a seemingly simple question: What IS Contemporary Art?  Many responded with the notion that contemporary art was art that was simply made in the here and now. The only criteria that was needed was for the artist to…

In one of the first conversations that my roommate Sam and I had he made a remark about my process of finding and applying for jobs in the area. There had been a really great opportunity at The Watt Space Gallery in Newcastle specifically for students and I hesitated to apply because it looked too intimidating –…

Many of the people reading this know that back home in the States I have been known to enjoy being engaged in efforts to promote the arts in my community. Whether that be through getting involved at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum or through my therapy and teaching practice at OCA, I have a fond…

Yesterday I woke up early (early for my Aussie vacation aka 9 am) and embarked on a long trek across the continent that is he University of Newcastle. It took me twenty minutes to walk from the residential end of campus to the end where Orientation ( and therefore the food) was located. I feel…

On the morning of Day 4, I awoke with a strange and unfamiliar tickle in the back of my throat. It was uncomfortable, but manageable after seeking some throat spray from Stuart the Uni Pharmacist. However, over the next couple of days my symptoms continually morphed into fever, chills, headaches, painful coughing fits, and a…

“No mom, I was crying because I wanted a sandwich not because it was a long walk.” This is just a short quote from a skype call that I had with my mother earlier this evening. The topic of conversation was the pas three days that I’ve spent living at the University of Newcastle in…

This past Wednesday was a really interesting day on our trip as we took a journey to a nearby animal reserve and then went on a walking tour through a local rainforest called Mossman Gorge. This was one of those days where we were going to get a chance to get up close and personal…

It’s 2nd February and I’m halfway done with my second day Down Under. The past couple days have been moderately tiring, given the immense amount of travel and my 13 hour layover in LAX. But despite my fatigue I have managed to engage in some pretty decent adventures so far. After running ( 3 Km!),…

It has been such a wild ride today. After waking up at 2 am and contemplating the universe, my parents and I hopped into mama’s car and made our way down to the airport. Everything was still pitch black outside and the air was quiet and tired. As we drove we passed by landmarks that…