Name: Vick

Major:Aviation Business Administration

Age: 18

Home: Trinidad & Tobago

April

April 23

*sniffles* So, you may be wondering why I'm holding back from tears. As you guys may know, this is my LAST journal submission to you guys. So, this is the last time you will all read about my life on Embry-Riddle's website. If you are on Facebook, however, then you can follow up on the rest of my college life by adding me!

Okay, so this is a REALLY sad time of my life here in college when the semester is almost over, classes start wrapping up, exams are almost here and we must all say our goodbyes at the end of it all. But before I get into all the mushy stuff, let me tell you about the past 2 weeks here at Riddle. Classes have already been ending and some of them have not completed the course yet. I am officially done with 3 out of my 5 classes and have not begun studying for the finals yet! I don't plan on starting till an hour before the test, just kidding! I must say, I had a lot of fun with all my professors; the good and the bad ones. Speech class was amazing where I gave a total of 4 speeches that were all great, Physics was a breeze since I already knew most of the material from high school, Basic Aeronautics 2 was fantastic- I had the best professor EVER!!! Accounting class was very informative to say the least. Information Technology was very fun and interesting; I really learned a lot in that class! Overall, this semester's school work was very strenuous but I value every little bit of knowledge I have gained!

Alright, onto the fun part! So, like I said, the end of the semester is here, so a couple friends and I decided that we should do something together before we start finals. So, this past weekend, 3 of my closest friends and I drove down to Miami! One of them lived there, so we got around easily-thank God! Alright, so we left Saturday morning and got into Miami in the afternoon and went straight to the malls to do some SHOPPING! Yes, who doesn't love to shop?! Anyway, so we got some cool stuff. And then, after that we decided to go plane spotting at Miami International Airport! I've never actually gone plane spotting before, so that was like the highlight of my impromptu trip. That night, my parents were in Miami on business, so we met up with them and then headed over to our friend Guillermo's house for dinner- you know, the one who lives there. They're Dominican, so we had authentic Dominican food that was 'muy sabroso'..? haha, I have to work on my Spanish. After, we went to the hotel room that my parents got for us that night at the Courtyard Marriott and not too long after being restless in the room, we headed out to downtown Miami! WOO HOO! That was CrAzY!!! So busy and full of people just 'partying it up'! Came back to the room around 3am and hit the bed.

The next day, my parents took us out to dinner at P.F. Chang's restaurant and right after, we left them and headed back to the airport for even MORE plane spotting! YAY. We ended up getting back into Daytona Beach around 12:30am Monday morning. Now, that was one of the most fun weekends I have ever had here at Riddle; and it wasn't even in Daytona! Haha.

So, now comes the part where I must bid all of you goodbye. It has been such a wonderful pleasure and experience to write to all of you guys and share my life here at Embry-Riddle with you. I do hope that you enjoyed reading all my submissions and that you will share some of the good and bad experiences that I had here at college because without the bad, how would we know what's good? Do not hesitate to contact me at all with any questions or comments that you may have; even if you just wanna talk more, just add me on facebook (search for my name), my aim is 'xtriniboix' and email is pundib07@erau.edu. It has been an honor and a privilege to write to you guys and I'd like to thank the one who made it all possible, Jill Meredith who works in admissions. I love you Jill! Thanks to all of you out there who have contacted me and now have became my friends. Thanks to my friends for making my freshman year in college an unforgettable experience. Thanks to my parents for supporting me and loving me unconditionally. Thanks! Thanks to everyone who has made a difference not only to my life, but to the world! All the best in getting to Riddle, pre-freshmen! Can't wait to meet a few of you!

Take care, and once again, thank you for choosing Vick Airways!

Have a good one!

Your (Preferred) Student Journal Writer,
Vick!

Quote of the week: Life is too short to live the same day twice!

Peace

April 11

HEY ALL!!!!

YAY

OK, so I'm really happy these days because school couldn't be better! VERY little homework, flight's going great, friends are getting closer, more going out, doing a lot of exciting new things! WOW! Ok, so maybe that doesn't sound like school at all, but hey, it is what you make of it...and I've been making it a hell of a lot of fun! Haha

Ok, so BIG news! I SOLOED! For those of you who don't know what that means, my instructor deemed me capable of taking the Cessna 172 up in the air, do a few landings and take-offs by myself! YAY!!! So, I knew the day was coming up soon, but it was sprung up on me one day when we took off; and sadly I was wearing one of my favorite shirts that morning; reason I said that was because after your solo, the shirt you flew in is normally cut up and written up all over it to celebrate and remember your first time in the plane by yourself. Ok, so it was early morning on April 4th, beautiful day out in Daytona Beach. So, I decided to go over to New Smyrna Beach Airport to practice landings and traffic patterns that day. Well, my instructor and I headed over there and he did 3 landings with me then we taxied over to the tower where he told me I was going to solo! Shortly after, he de-planed the aircraft and I was there, sitting in the plane, and the first thing that came to mind was: "OH MY GOD...I can't believe I'm about to do this!" Alright, so obviously I was nervous as hell, but I realized being nervous was not going to keep me safe in that airplane. So, I simply focused on what needed to be done, did all my checklists, everything went fine. Then, I took off from runway 29, did my traffic patterns just fine, landed perfectly, taxied over to the runway and took off again. I did 3 take-offs and 3 landings that were the best I think I ever did! I swear, I wish I took pics to put here for ya'll, but you just have to believe me for now. Haha!

Congratulations to ME!

Alright, so the next big thing I wanted to tell ya'll was that I went SKYDIVING! YES! A few friends and I wanted to do it sometime, but we never set a date to do it. So, last week Thursday, we decided to go the next day (Friday). So, we drove over to Deland airport around 2pm after our classes on Friday. Yes, I was nervous; more nervous that doing my solo, but hey I didn't pay 200 dollars to stay on the ground. So, my friend Blanca (another student journal writer) and I boarded the plane, climbed to 13,500 feet where we leveled off shortly, then jumped off and free-fell for around 1.5 minutes directly over Deland airport. After that, the parachute deployed and we glided for about 4 minutes down onto the airport. Well, I must say, that was the most MINDBLOWING experience I have ever had in my life! Simply AmAzInG! WOW! If I get my pictures anytime soon, I will post them up in the next journal, I promise!

Ugh, ok so let's get back to boring school. Boo. Lately, my professors don't give us a lot of homework and projects so, YAY me! Also, registration for classes is coming up soon for freshmen, so once again we will over-ride and shut-down the system like we did last semester.

So, that's all about my exciting life within the last couple days. I also would like to thank all of you out there who contacted me with questions and stuff. Thanks! All the best to you with applying to Riddle.

Have a safe 2 weeks!

Bye!

Quote of the week: "high school called; it wants its drama back!"

March

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March 27

Well, hello there!

So once again I am here to grace the world's presence with my words of wisdom. Ok, ok so I'm not a guru or anything, but hey who said a Riddle student isn't smart?!

So, the last two weeks have been nothing but wonderful! I mean, I didn't have much work at school to do for the first week, then the second was spring break! YAY

Ok, so I had my financial accounting test on the Thursday before spring break and well, that sucked! I mean, not only did I have to study while my mind was perfectly set up in vacation mode, but the test was hard as a b*tch! UGH! Sorry for the language, but oh my god, I bet if you had to do that exam, you would have said the same thing! I made an 80 (B), the highest grade was like 98 and then the second highest was like 83; class average was 75- ok, so that's a 'C' (pass) but the professor had no consideration for how bad his class average was and blamed us all for not studying hard enough. Whatever, the rest of my classes are fine with A's, so I'm not that bothered by it. The next big problem I have to face is a huge debate on abortion for speech class that I have to plan out for Tuesday.

Anyway, enough about school; let's talk about spring break 2007!!! What did you do???

Well, before you brag about yours, let me brag first! Haha.

Ok, so on March 17th, at 1pm, I departed Daytona Beach for Atlanta, GA on Delta Airlines, then connected onto Delta's flight to good ole Trinidad and Tobago! Yes, yes I went home for a week, and it was awesome! I landed at 8pm that night in Trinidad and some friends and family and I boarded the first flight to Tobago the next morning at 7am. OH MY GOD- GORGEOUS! Here's a picture for ya'll to see!

Well, those 2 days in Tobago were amazing! I did sooo many things in less than 48 hours than I did at any time here in Daytona Beach during the same amount of time or maybe I did, oh well, whatever! Hehe

So, I ate as much Trinidadian food as possible- curried crab, fried bake and fried shark, macaroni pie, Indian delicacies, and so much more! And I am aware that you may not know what some of the foods are, but you only must try to love it! haha.

The remaining 5 days were spent in Trinidad with my family and friends at the malls, movies, dinner, parties here and there, loved it!

Sunday morning the 25th, I boarded Delta Airlines 8am flight to ATL again then connected onto the 4:30pm flight to DAB which got delayed until 6:30pm! Well, by the time I got back into my room in Adams hall that night, I was beat and I my stomach was not cooperating well with the rest of my body! So, I dropped my suitcase, climbed into my lofted bed and passed out! Thank god I didn't have to fly the next morning!

Speaking of flight, my solo was supposed to be the Friday before spring break, but that morning, the weather was terrible, so it didn't happen!

And like I said, I got ill with my stomach that Sunday so that's also why I didn't fly that Monday (yesterday) morning. It had gotten so bad that I ended up in the hospital last night around midnight. Imagine a pain like a few knifes stabbing up your stomach; yeah, that's how it felt. I apologize for the graphical description, but it's the best way to describe it. But I feel a little better now! So, hopefully I should be flying on Friday morning!

So, that's my two weeks in a couple words.

Hope you guys have been safe and good and haven't gotten into a lot of trouble lately!

Have a wonderful upcoming two weeks! See ya then!

We are aware that you have a choice when it comes to flying, so thank you for once again choosing Vick-Airways! Have a wonderful stay wherever you may be!

Quote of the week: "life happens while you're busy making plans"

March 13

Hey readers!!!!..Hope all of you out there are doing well. I sure am! The reason is because I am OH so close to doing my solo!!!!!! It should be on this Friday the 17th, so wish me luck!!!!

Remember I had to change instructors? Well, it turns out that my new instructor is not that bad! He's a really cool, kicked-back and fun guy, so YAY!

Ok, so..school!

How has school been going for me? Well, let's just say the work never stops; but it has significantly reduced within the last week, so I'm pretty happy about that because I've been finding more time to go hang out with my friends. I'm also pretty satisfied with my grades in all my classes, because I'm pulling nothing lower than a B! YAY haha

So, I had to do a speech for my speech class the other day and I did it on airliner fleets. I got two words to describe the audience's reaction: LOVED IT! Also, I had my Info Tech test today - now, THAT was LONG and TIRING! WHEW!..but I am SO glad it's over with and I should be expecting an A in it! YAY!

Ok, so this weekend MARDI GRAS AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!! YES! So, my friend Matt walked into my room while I was sleeping around..eh, 1pm (yes, I'm a late sleeper after partying on Friday night, don't laugh; you know you do the same!). Anyway, he picked me off my LOFTED bed and made me get ready to go to Universal Studios. Well, I thought it was just me and him, but little did I know when I got outside, it was like 2 cars filled up with my friends, so of course I was like YAAAY! We ended up getting into Orlando around 3pm and stayed there until 10pm. SO much fun! We did the rides, then watched the parade and got a lot of beads! Music, people, everything was exciting; the atmosphere so active and fun! After the parade finished, we went out into 'Citywalk'- which is like a little boulevard connecting Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure that's filled with clubs, restaurants, and so much more! I would love to go back on the 24th of March to see Sean Paul perform live, but that brings me to the topic of SPRING BREAK!

In less than a week (Saturday), I will be boarding and MD-88 from Daytona Beach to Atlanta, then connecting onto a B738 to Port of Spain, Trinidad then as soon as I get there at 8:05pm I have to board the 9pm commuter express from Trinidad to our sister tourist island of Tobago- where I will be basking in the beautiful Caribbean sun on the beach. CANNOT wait..Be jealous! Haha just kidding!

Anyway..so, I'm about to go deal with my roommate because he's being a little skeez to me these days. Haha, just kidding. I love him with all my life; best guy I could ever have to be my roomie! Love ya lots, Jeremy!

Stay good, ya'll..don't do anything I wouldn't do..out of the club haha!

Fly high!

Quote of the week: "YOU JUST HAVE T0 GO AFTER WHAT YOU WANT AND IF IT DOESN`T WANT YOU BACK, THEN SO BE IT. -- IT DOESN'T DESERVE YOU ANYWAYS!" -Nicole Richie

February

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February 28

Hey hey hey, readers!!!!

WOW, well, those last 2 weeks have gone be SO quickly, I didn't even realize it! Well, it's been a fun 2 weeks; much better than before!

Ok, so first thing, I am now medically ungrounded!!! Which means, I am flying once again! YAY! But like the ying-yang sign, there is always some bad in good things. Mine is that even though I resumed flying, my flight instructor may be leaving soon! I really don't want him to leave because he has to be one of the greatest and most genuine guys I have ever met! I definitely will miss him, but all the best to who I believe is the best flight instructor EVER and in turn, one of my good friends..Patrick Tuttle!

PROJECTS, TESTS, DEADLINES!!! Most of which have been overcome! YES! WOO HOO! I am now finding some time to relax a little bit! Thank god! But I am sure things will be picking up soon (if not, then I'm not in college..hehe).

So, because a lot of pressure is off my back and I can see the light after all that work, I decided to kinda pamper myself this past weekend. So, my friend Matt S., (who I absolutely love and respect), and I went to the mall and did a little shopping. Then, we both went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants that has the BEST desert to me in Daytona Beach - Adobe Gilas!!! So, I had a very fun and fulfilling Saturday afternoon with my good buddy Matt. So, here's to Matt, thanks a lot for taking that afternoon off and taking me out for a great time!

Well, on a more productive note, I have been contemplating returning to Embry Riddle for summer B term and knock some classes out of the way a bit early before the harsh workload comes on and log some flight hours! I mean, I don't know if I would be doing it yet, but I believe that it'll be a good thing for me to do. And plus, I think 4 months is wayyy too long to me to stay away from Riddle over the summer! Haha, I will miss this place like crazy!

On the topic of vacation, what do you guys out there have planned for spring break 2007? Well, I will be heading home back to Trinidad and Tobago for that week and probably bask in the tropical Caribbean sun while sipping on a margarita (since the drinking age down there is 18..haha) on the beachside! Ok, I didn't mean to rub it into your face if you're stuck up north, but hey, I'll tell ya, if you can come down to Daytona Beach for your spring break, then I would suggest you do it! This place is sooo beautiful and exciting! You can be doing the same thing I would be doing on the beach..well, except for sipping on a margarita! Haha. Oh, and you'd also get an opportunity to visit the campus if you have an extra weekday or two to spare. I would love to stay here, but it's time to be back home with my friends and family.

Well, I think that's all I gotta say about my past 2 weeks. Hope ya'll enjoyed it! I'm sure when you guys get here, you would have lots of fun too.

All the best to each and every one of you out there!

Quote of the Week: "don't settle for the one you can live with...wait for the one you cant live without" -Me..

Bye world!

February 16

WHEW!!!!!!!...well, I have NEVER been SO flustered and busy with school in my LIFE! That's the reason why this journal submission is pretty late, and I sincerely apologize to all! Don't think I forgot about you guys!

Anyway, HELLO WORLD! Hope all is well out there!

I am here once again to grace you with words of mine that tells about the last 2 weeks of my life here at Embry Riddle. Well, as you all may have seen at the beginning of this journal, school is getting to be a real pain in the ***! Haha..

And I'm not just referring to simply academics; this includes clubs, activities, meetings, classes, homework, projects, etc.

I simply have not been finding any time for myself lately, however, I deal with it. I keep reminding myself that college is not meant to always allow free time to relax and have fun.

Within the last 2 weeks, I have been given at least 7 big projects for classes all due within a week of each other, piles of papers to write, endless meetings and interviews with clubs and activities on campus and to top it all off, I got a job! YES, readers, Vick got an on-campus job. However, I prefer not to say what it is (because the Riddle Flight Line mafia might come get me!...haha).

The reason everyone is so busy these days is because campus life is extremely active! And also because the workload from classes is increasing very rapidly!

But as a Riddle student, we all learn how to handle the stress put on us because we are the eagles, we fly HIGH!

Ok, ok I have a lot of school pride! So what?! I LOVE this place! As busy and stressed out as I am, I will never get to hate anything about this place! Except for the noise coming from the construction of the school's new residence hall and fitness facility, but even that is a positive because when it's done, I'm gonna be so happy---that I will be able to use the swimming pool here! Yeah, they closed off the pool for these 2 semesters since the new fitness center is being built right next to it. But don't worry, it will be re-opened this fall 07 semester!

Anyway, moving on to a more interesting topic that unfortunately does not please me too much.

So, on the 1st of February, I got ill with some stomach problems and had to medically ground myself from flight so I would not be able to fly while sick. Yeah, that was fine, lasted around 5 days and then literally a few hours after I got over that, I came down with the cold! So, I was still very weak and ill so I couldn't fly! To my bad luck, that lasted for about a week in which I was still medically grounded. So, after feeling considerably better, I went to un-ground myself and the nurse told me that she couldn't un-ground me because she believed that I was still too congested to go fly. So, to this day, I am still medically grounded and that sets me back from soloing and in turn, would probably set me back a little from getting my private pilot license too.

Well, that has been a small portion of my life here at Riddle. Hope you all enjoyed reading and once again, don't hesitate to contact to me for anything!

Take care, out there and I wish you all a less stressful February than mine!

All the best,

Vick!

Quote of the week: "Don't frown because you never know who is falling in love with your smile!"

-One friend to another on Valentines Day

January

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January 30

Well, hello again to all my fans out there!..I love you all!
*applause for my entrance*…
Ok ok, fine!..I’m not a celebrity..yet!

Alrighty, so Riddle life is back on track with respect to classes and stuff. Let me tell you guys a bit about my class schedule: M.W.F:Flight 8am-12pm, Basic Aeronautics 133 1pm-2pm, Info. Tech. 109 4:45pm-6pm T.TH: Speech 219 11:15am-12:30pm, Financial Accounting 2:15pm-3:30pm, Physics 104 3:45pm-5pm. So, if you ever need to stalk me, you now know my schedule..haha!

I worked out my class schedule to fit around the professors I wanted, so I am very contented! Some of my good friends are in the same classes with me and I’ve also met some really nice new people. I am expecting this semester to be very interesting and even better than last! Oh, and I’d also like to acknowledge my new, incredibly awesome flight instructor, Patrick Tuttle!!! I could never ask for someone who is as cool and skilled as him! YAY!

Ok, so hmm let’s see…the last two weeks here at Riddle were more intense in many aspects; mostly socially and academically. Classes have become slightly more challenging and in depth. However, I don’t mind that too much since I am confident that the professors that I selected this semester would allow me to do well. Simultaneously, social life around here has become way better and way worse in many different ways. To be more specific, there are a lot more people in my life and a lot more things to do such as parties, clubs. However, there is a lot more drama and issues between friends. Of course this is college, so obviously there will be problems arising between friends and acquaintances. So, a little bit of advice and warning to those of you who are coming here..expect drama with people here but learn how to deal with it well!

Ok, so enough about that…let’s get into more fun stuff! Like YAY my parents came to visit me last week! They flew up from Trinidad last week Saturday to visit some family in Melbourne (about 1 hour south of Daytona Beach), so I was also in Melbourne over last weekend. I visited some friends in Florida Tech while I was there, and we all hung out over there. On Monday, my parents and I headed up to Daytona Beach until Wednesday when they had left for Miami. The best part of their visit was Wednesday morning when my mom went flying with me that morning! Well, let’s just say she’s scared already to get into a car with me; imagine how she was when she had to go in a Cessna 172 with me flying! Haha! Thank god my flight instructor was there..hehe.

Overall, these past 2 weeks had huge ups and downs but with the help of my close friends, we all managed to handle it and at the same time, have tons of fun!

Oh, one word of advice to all those new students coming in the fall- be sure to have all your documents such as high school transcripts, SAT scores, recommendation letters and financial sent to admissions soon if you haven’t gotten around that yet. We don’t want you guys to be missing out on the excitement of finding out that you have been accepted into the best aviation college in the U.S.

Take care everyone and keep safe!

Once again, thank you for choosing Vick Airways! We enjoyed your company and we hope that you will fly with us soon again in 2 weeks for another great flight into Daytona Beach! Please keep your seatbelts fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop at the gate, then you may disembark the aircraft.

Have a wonderful day!

C YA!

Quote of the week: “I’m so bored! LET ME GO!” –random guy says to ATC on 3rd place for take off on runway 16 in DAB.

Vick

January 16

Happy New Year 2007 Readers!!!...

I do hope every one of you out there had a wonderful Christmas break and Santa brought you everything you asked for! haha..

Well, I am here to update you on my life within the last few weeks. Overall it was very fun but had it's saddening moments..like that one which I am sure all of you have heard about the tornado that passed through Embry Riddle's Daytona Beach campus.

On Christmas day around 2pm, I got a call from one of my friends here in Port Orange and she said that there was a tornado in Daytona Beach. At first I didn't want to believe her until I got home when I saw the pictures she sent me and all the notices on the university's website. Well, that totally saddened my holidays back home in Trinidad. I felt useless because I couldn't have flown up to Daytona Beach immediately to assist in the clean up and whatever. But, as time passed by, the school kept us actively updated with damages and repairs. The recovery process has been tremendous, simply fantastic! I had returned to school on the 7th to see the campus all cleaned up and new airplanes already lined up on the ramp ready to go! The best thing about it to me was that none of the residence halls were even touched and no one was on campus so there were NO injuries! YAY

We were all pretty excited and relieved to know that we can now resume classes as usual without many changes, except for Spruance Hall which is going to be torn down sometime since the tornado passed directly through that building and left no hope for repair. Oh well, it will be missed.

Ok, so moving on, when I arrived in Daytona Beach! Well, some of my friends and I got in a bit early before classes started, so we decided to go out and have some fun before the dreadful full day classes start! Haha Most of the residents on my floor (Adams 5th floor north) were already back, so we all decided to head to Universal Studios in Orlando on Tuesday (again!..yes, I know we go often!) Always a fun time with them!

Then on Friday and Saturday night we went clubbing in Daytona!!! Yeah, that was awesome! For all of you who are coming here soon, I am sure you will all have great time if you are into the club scene!

Well, the fun time is almost over. Classes officially begin tomorrow and to be honest, I can't wait to start! Haha..may sound stupid, but hey I get to share classes with some of good friends and also meet new people!

I guess we'll see how things go. Be patient, you'll find out in 2 weeks..haha

Until then, I bid you all adieu!

See you in two weeks!

Oh, and thanks for all of you who have contacted me with your questions and stuff!..and all those of you who haven't don't hesitate ..it's my job to help you!

BYE Folks!

December

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Hi readers!!!

.. Well, as you all may realize, this is my final journal submission for this semester until next semester in January.

Classes are over, most of everyone’s final exams are over, everyone’s in the Christmas spirit packing up to head back home. I must say, watching everyone leave was very saddening. For some reason, I will miss this place terribly for the short 3 weeks I will be gone…but first, let me talk about the end of classes and final exams; and there’s a little surprise about me at the end of this journal.

All classes were completed on December 7th and finals were to begin on the 9th. I must say, I was very sad that some of my classes were over because they were so much fun and I will miss seeing all my friends that I have made more often than I used to; but some other classes, I am extremely elated that I don’t have to go to anymore! But overall, they were all good classes.

Ok, now let’s talk about finals. All of mine are done (YES!) but they weren’t that difficult, which was surprising considering I didn’t do much of this material before. I managed to pull all A’s and B’s and NO C’s! YAY!

But one thing is for sure, I studied really hard to get the grades, and the occasional distraction by going downstairs to grab a sandwich, friends spontaneously taking me out, get-togethers at my friends’ houses. All this put together had officially made me nocturnal; I no longer slept at night and I slept most of the day, woke up to go do my exam, then back to sleep for the rest of the day, then study and stuff all night again. It threw me off my regular scheduled life here at Riddle, but most of the upperclassmen said that that happens only at finals period, so I should be back on track soon….hopefully! haha.

So now you know what to expect when you have to do final exams here! But don’t worry, it’s not only you- the rest of the school does it too. I am anxiously anticipating next semester because since I now am familiar with most of how this place works, I will be more settled in and I have new people and activities to look forward to.

For instance, my roommate is moving out (*sad face*) because he found a cheaper place off campus, so I will be getting a new roommate..exciting! But I will miss my roommate a lot when he leaves. Also, the spring term freshmen will be coming in and I know a few that I get to meet for the first time, so that’s something to look forward to as well. Oh, and I managed to get all my classes that I wanted next semester. So, I am excited to return here in January.

Well, some of my friends have already started to leave Daytona Beach destined for home in different directions. It may seem silly to be sad about them leaving just for 3 weeks, but I will miss all of them for the Christmas holidays. But all of them will be in my heart and thoughts throughout the season. We all exchanged Christmas cards and bid each other adieu (goodbye) until next semester. I had a blast with all of you guys this semester and I love each and every one of you guys!

Anyway, moving on to the end of this one. Well, I had a lot of fun sharing my life with all of you around the world this semester and I can’t wait to continue next semester. I bet all of you just can’t wait to know how my holidays were (haha). Also, thanks to all of you out there who contacted me. I will see you soon!

So, I wish all of you out there a WONDERFUL Christmas 2006 and New Year 2007 and thanks for reading! God’s blessings to you and your family and friends! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Goodbye!..hope you all get what you wished for this season!

OH wait, my surprise…ok, so it’s not that big to you guys, but it is to me.. I changed my major from Aeronautical Science to Aviation Business Administration! YAY!

Ok, I’m really gonna leave now (hehe)

November

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November 28

18 days!!!..Less than 3 weeks before this semester is over and I head back to Trinidad for Christmas break.

Hi readers! Well, this journal entry is probably one of the interesting one you all may read since these past two weeks have been extremely stressful and exciting not just for me, but for most people here in Riddle. The reasons being that class registration took place on November 17th, Thanksgiving break was this past week and, of course, "Black Friday" shopping which I did not miss for the world!

Ok, so..let's move in chronological order of events..starting off with class registration.

Well, as freshmen, we are granted the 'exclusive privilege' of being able to register for our classes after everyone else in the school has. Meaning, we register on the last day for registration-which was November 17th. So, let me explain the process- we are supposed to log onto blackboard online, select our classes in the registration portal and click submit at midnight since that's when the portal opens up for us to register. Now, consider this- there are over 1200 freshmen attempting to register for probably the same classes as you, at the same time as you are too. This means it takes forever for your request to go through and everything slows down. So, all my hall mates were up waiting until around 1:30am when we found out that the registration system had crashed and wouldn't be up till 5am. So, I figured since I had a business test that day that I would study until 5am when I would try to register again. So, my friends and I woke up at 5am when we tried again. Nothing happened! So, 5:45 am came around when we all decided to go down to the registration office and wait until they open at 8am to register. I figured why not invite a few other freshmen friends to come wait with us; so by 7am., there were at least 30 of us in front of the registration office waiting. Around 7:30, someone was on his laptop when he shouted 'it's working!' so then we all just grabbed our laptops too and started registering online. I ended up getting all my classes I wanted! Yay!

That night was awesome. We were the first generation of freshmen to overload and shutdown the system for over 7 hours! I felt proud...

The following days were normal and boring until Thanksgiving came up on the 21st. I had no classes on the Tuesday and I had to tell my friends goodbye and wished them a happy Thanksgiving as they all left for their homes in separate directions. Some of my friends and I, however, stayed in Daytona beach. The school was very dead and empty. It seemed like we were the only ones there and we kinda had the entire campus to ourselves! But we didn't take advantage of it (haha). On Thanksgiving Day itself, we just hung out and went for lunch at Denny's. No matter how boring you think that may be, when you have your close friends around you all the time, you never feel alone and you have a wonderful time! But the main thing I enjoyed about this past week was 'Black Friday' shopping!

Well, my friend Amanda and I decided that we were going to wake up early that morning and head out to Wal-Mart first to get their early deals on DVDs, games and other electronics. So, we woke up around 4am and left for Wal-Mart. After what turned out to be a waste of time there, we decided to head to the mall. Well, let's just say we tore up that mall like something serious! We hit every possible store that had good deals and good stuff- American Eagle, JC Penney, Dillards, Victoria Secret (for my mom! Lol), Abercrombie & Fitch and other nice stores. We spent about 6 hours in the mall then we were off to Best Buy for electronics, DVDs, and whatever else. Well, let's just say I started with none and I now have a wide DVD collection! Overall, it was a well-spent day and we had loads of fun!

Well, anyway, I think this piece is getting a bit too long, don't you? Must be tired of reading my life now. So, I am off to get ready for my business management class. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Take care everyone..

Till next time!

Vick

November 13

Hola, mundo! (that's Spanish for "hello, world!"..I think)

Wow, I feel as if I haven't written one of these journals in such a long time..reason being these last two weeks have taken a long time to pass by, which is very weird. Well, let's see..my life within the last 2 weeks.

Ok, so the first of the two weeks was EXTREMELY tiring and busy! I had 2 exams (one for basic aeronautics class and another for physics) and a huge project is due soon for my business management class. Also, we had rehearsals every night that week for the play the following week. That entire week was such a blur. I had SO much homework for every class and tests for most of them; I didn't find any time to even breathe. Together with flight, I have been getting less than 6 hours of sleep every night, so I am really exhausted sometimes during the day..but I manage! Like I said, and will continue to believe in, is that friends will always help you through hard times..so, I thank all of my friends for being there for me these past 2 weeks!

This last week got a little bit calmer since some workload was off. Projects and exams were still on, but there was less homework and stuff. Oh, and on top of all of that, the play finally commenced. Opening night was Wednesday the 8th, and it was a huge success!..A lot of my friends and other students came and enjoyed it so much, that they returned for the Friday AND Saturday nights' shows. All those hours of rehearsal and stage set-up paid off well. However, we still have this week's wed., fri. and sat. shows to do and it'll all be over. I must admit despite all the pressure and occasional arguments with the other members of the club, I had a wonderful time in Riddle Players; made lots of new friends and enjoyed doing something I loved.

So, the week was finally over and I got most, if not all, my school work out of the way by Saturday. So, my friends decided to take me out on Sunday to Orlando. They took me to Universal Studios and Downtown Disney! LOADS of fun! Again, THANKS GUYS! If it weren't for you, I would be a mess!

So, basically that's what's been happening with me recently. Exams are still in progress and all of campus is busy studying, so it's really kinda stressful these days. Things should settle down and get relaxing by the end of this week since Thanksgiving break is next week.

Oh, and I'm also excited because I will be heading back to Trinidad in about a month from now to see all my friends and family! Missing them SO much and I can't wait to go see them! Love you guys!

Oh well, guess that's about it..

It's been fun to share my life with all of you.

Take care and remember, fly high with the eagles!

Quote of the week: "don't forget..8 hours from bottle to throttle!"

October

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October 29

Hi everyone!..

Well, once again I grace you (the world) with my wise (yeah right!) words here on Embry-Riddle's website.

The last two weeks have gone by really quickly and so much stuff happened that I seem to forget some things that ever happened at all! Classes were at their peak where all the professors are already discussing end of term examinations and final project assignments! It's a scary thing, I tell ya, when all that work is given simultaneously and you got close deadlines for every assignment, but it's not all bad since there's a lot of help from the professors themselves and upper class friends. Oh, one thing's for sure, you should definitely have higher class students as friends..they're really helpful when you need assistance in doing things that they have already done, not just academically. But generally, they're obviously more experienced here at the school, so they would let you know the good and bad about anything. With that being said, I don't think I left any of you with my contact info..eh, I'll put it at the bottom of this entry.

So, anyway, the main thing I wanna talk about in this journal submission is Homecoming weekend!!! Ok, so the theme for this year's homecoming event was "Superheroes"..yes, superheroes like superman, batman, captain planet and the ever-so-legendary Mario brothers.

So, the events kicked off on Wednesday night with the "Superman Returns" movie on a HUGE blow-up projector screen out on the lawn..Thursday night was the student talent show..that was a blast. Friday afternoon was the parade with all the different floats created by all the student clubs and organizations on campus; the winners were Riddle Players in second place and Caribbean Student Association in first place with their theme "Swat Katz"!!! Both clubs of which I am damn proud to be a part of! Yay me! Ahem, so anyway, Saturday night was awesome. Comedian Jamie Kennedy visited and gave a wonderful comedic performance. I think Riddle needed some laughs at that point being that everyone was stressed out from class and homework and stuff.

OH and how could I forget..all the Halloween parties were this weekend..my costume was kinda like a Zorro-slash-devil lookin thing. I really haven't figured out what I was, but it was black and red..oh well.

Ok, so the other thing I wanna mention is the school play, acting is difficult, yes, but what's worse is having to build up the stage set every time we need to rehearse..!..the play is in less than a week and I must admit, playing the role of a cheating husband is actually very interesting every time we do rehearse. So, I don't mind the construction.

And once again another stressful week at Riddle has begun. I must say though, with all the work that is constantly being laid upon me, I still manage to have a lot of fun with my friends..and to me, that's important when you're alone in college. Having good, genuine friends who care about you and stick by you through everything..so, thanks a lot to all of you guys..

Well, I know this is being read by many prospective students of Riddle, so I would just like to leave all of you my contact information if ever anyone has a question or comment, post it on the discussion board at http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/erau%5Fug/ or my email address is pundib07@erau.edu

AIM screename is: xtriniboix

Anyway, it's been fun and hopefully it'll continue being that way for me and all of you out there!

Keep safe and good.

Hit me up if anyone needs anything.

Once again, thank you for flying VickAirways

(Quote of the week: "does anybody need my extra nut?")

October 16

Hey everyone!

Well, another 2 weeks has passed here in sunny, breezy, beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida. I must admit, I have settled down considerably within the last few days since I now have a WHOLE lot of work to do..imagine college being easy? Think again!..and again..and again!!! It's a non-stop flight of homework and studying that does not cease! Yet, I digress.

I manage to work it out and get over it and have time to have fun with my friends.

Well, last week was a lot..flight kept me very occupied, there are so much stuff that had to be learned out of books! But, it's really cool when you actually do the maneuvers in the air for real!

So, totally drifting from flight stuff, business class hasn't been treating me well lately. I had another mid-term test accompanied with a few take-home tests and projects. Thank God that's over with! Although, I'm not so sure how well I did..hmm..I should look into that soon. Oh well.

Once again diverting to another subject, physics is...physics is..physics is..well, physics, it just is! It's just there lagging along mainly because I've done the course so many times in secondary school and physics doesn't appeal to me a lot but, it's mandatory for AS degree, so..oh, and mid-term for that is coming up soon!! (yay me..*says sarcastically*)

OK, so now to the fun part of this journal entry, the weekend! What you've all been waiting to hear about what I did this past weekend.

Friday night was just chill. Went to the beach at like 11pm and hung out around the town for a while. It was mm..a bit scary!..but fun with friends none-the-less. Saturday night, movie night at my friend Dan's room down my hall, yeah, we watched 2 horror movies (Hostel and Saw which were soo funny!) late at night then the girls couldn't sleep (cause they were scared!), so we all went to Wal-mart like around 3 am and just messed around for a while.

Then, the next day, we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando. Did all the roller coasters, then we headed to Halloween Horror Nights in the other theme park. Wow, THAT was awesome! The girls who were with us screamed their lungs off while us the guys laughed so hard at them, it was hilarious. All in all, we all lost our voices and got home at 3 am Monday morning..yep..just in time for physics at 8am! Haha..that's college for ya!

Overall, life's been good so far, oh, and this weekend, the biggest most funnest (ok, so my English isn't perfect!) Hindu festival is coming up! DIVALI! Sad thing is that it's not celebrated here in the US and I won't be going back home to Trinidad to celebrate it. So, for everyone out there..Happy Divali!..

I hope all of you enjoyed this little piece today and now, I am off to math112.

Take care everyone, and keep safe

Till next time,

Vick

(quote of the week: "I sh*t you not!")

October 5

Hey everyone!..

I have returned to grace you with a recent portion of my life here at Embry Riddle.

Well, there is one word that sums up the past two weeks--- TIRING! I have had no more than 5 hours sleep each night within the last few days. With homework, classes, social events, club meetings and so many other things that needed to be done, I haven't found any time for myself just yet. But the surprising thing about it all is that I don't mind it. I mean, the workload from classes increased significantly but at the same time, so did the fun and excitement with my friends here. I have met a ton of new people and still counting. Everyone here is very social and open to anyone and anything, so it's all real. All in all, it's getting better and worse simultaneously!

It's amazing that 4 weeks have already gone by so quickly, I can barely remember everything that happened---everything but the fact that I had tests for all my classes already! I mean, I haven't gotten a chance to settle down properly in classes yet, but the professors are already giving tests! However, I wouldn't complain too much considering that I got all A's so far (emphasis on "so far").

Ah, one thing that I am soooo glad about is that I have finally been assigned to my flight instructor. He is really a cool, down-to-earth guy and he makes the stuff easy, so I'm pretty happy about flying.

This past weekend was the best weekend ever since I got here. It all started from Friday night when I went to see a play with members from the "Riddle Players" club. Yes, I am in "Riddle Players" and for most of you who don't know what that is, it is the school's acting club. Yes, I am in the school play and I have yet to memorize my lines (don't worry, I'll get around it soon). After that, ERAU ice hockey team had a game on against USF in the local ice skating rink. Let me me tell ya, you have seen NO school spirit like Embry-Riddle's until you have gone to an ice hockey or soccer game. I mean, we had sooo much fun and the place was packed with Riddle students AND teachers! Even though we lost, we still fought hard and had fun until 1:30am at the rink.

The next day, my friends and I decided that we wanted to go TRY ice skating too. Ya know, see if we can join the ice hockey team. Well, let's just say we can't no matter how much we tried. Well, at least I can't! I have NEVER gone ice skating before, and I fell down SOOO many times, it's unbelievable! (isn't that right, angelica?!) But as sore and hurt as I was, that was one of the most fun things I have ever done and most likely we will be doing it again this weekend. After that, a fraternity hosted a party at a local restaurant, so, of course, all of Embry-Riddle was there having blast!

One thing after the next, it was amazing!

Then "Sunday, bloody Sunday" came around when sleep was needed and homework was to be done. As a Riddle student, you're automatically installed with a program where you can actually sleep and do homework at the same time! (don't worry, the cost of for that is included in the tuition and fees...haha). So, Sunday was relaxing and recuperating day and then later on, a couple of us headed out just to chill somewhere for a little bit, then back to the Adams 5th floor where no one sleeps!

Ok, so I think that basically wraps up my past two-week life here at ERAU..

I hope everyone enjoys reading my entries and if there's anything you would like to know, just shoot me an e-mail, and I'll see what I can do.

Till next time, Vick

(quote of the week: "huh?! I didn't know lipstick could do that!")

September

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September 21

Hi everyone!

Well, I would like to say thanks to all the previous journal writers who really have done a great job. I should know since I read a few of them within the last couple months while anticipating my arrival to Embry-Riddle. Now I’m finally here, and I am in their position with the exciting and fun task of providing you, the readers around the world, with news about my life here at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University!

First off, let me introduce myself in this, my first journal submission. My name is Vivekh, 17 years old, and I hail from the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean (if you don’t know where it is, go look it up on a map!) My major is finally Aeronautical Science—I used the word “finally” because I changed my major like 4 times. Don’t worry, it may happen to you too while applying. Ok, secondly, how I came to ERAU. Well, for as along as I can remember, I have LOVED aviation with all my life. Everyday will not be complete without my daily dose of airliners.net - you aviation lovers must know about that! So, I talked to my parents about going to the U.S. to learn to fly and they agreed (love u guys!). So, I completed my ordinary-level examinations in secondary school last year around June and I dove straight into SAT prep. Let me tell you, that was hell in SO many different aspects! But I got around it in my first attempt, so YAY me! Then came the application process…waited..and waited even longer until finally I got my packet and was accepted with a partial scholarship, so I was of course happy with that. Then, as time passed by, Riddle (ERAU as you will eventually call it) hosted chat sessions between the students and faculty members and staff. In those chat sessions, I met a lot of new students like myself. We exchanged emails and stuff to keep in contact, and eventually they started introducing me to others and the chain continued like that until I knew a good many freshmen…

Ok, so I visited campus before for “sneak preview day” in April and I got very familiar with the place and from that day, I knew I wanted to stay in Adams Residence Hall and thank God, I was placed in here! I now reside in the penthouse (5th floor) with the coolest Resident Advisor and hall mates, they can make any boring night fun! Know this, whenever you get here, be sure to get to know all your hall mates, they can help you in homework, look out for you, and they may even be your roommates in your following year! But one thing is for sure—residence life is probably one of the most exciting things you will experience while you are here..oh, and get this, I knew who my roommate was before even finding out that we were paired together—how is that possible?..FACEBOOK! haha..yea, and we share the same birthday!

So, anyway, orientation week was a blast!..hectic, but fun. They really made us feel welcome into the school..anything we need help with, the orientation team members were always there to help. Then orientation week was over and it was time to say goodbye to my parents…that was sad. I mean, as much as you guys think you’re not gonna miss your parents when you go to college, wait till they leave! All the things you took for granted like them taking care of you, is all gone! I’m in this country with no one..and I can't simply fly back home whenever I want! So, spend time with them before you leave for here. Also, your friends..OMG, you have NO idea how much I miss them..miss you lots, guys!

After orientation, classes began on August 28th. All my professors are reallllllly nice and they always look out for you. Make sure you’re keeping up and stuff. It’s also fun since I got to meet a lot of new freshmen and older students too. Time passed, but the homework kept coming and coming and coming! Blackboard can be convenient, but it also can be the devil when professors post new homework like the day before class! But that’s part of college life that we all must get accustomed to..staying up until the computer lab closes doing homework for Aeronautics 132! (ahem ahem)

Oh, let me say this…when you get here, you will be hearing this a lot----get involved on campus! And I totally agree with this. When you get here, there will be tons of things offered to you to get involved in—join organizations, participate in on-campus activities..just always be active!..not only will you have fun, but you will meet loads of new people—freshmen and older students, faculty members who can assist you further on if you ever need help in anything. Ok, so I think this is getting a bit too much for you guys to read, so I hoped you enjoyed it and I look forward to keeping you guys updated with my life in Embry-Riddle..and to all you high school students who plan on coming here, good luck and work hard-er! College is no joke; keep that in mind!

Oh, and if anyone has any questions or just wanna talk, hit me up on facebook, or my email is pundib07@erau.edu , and my aim s/n is xtriniboix

Take care

I’m out,

Vick