Author - Valerie McArthur

For those of us operating on a tighter budget, Spring Break can be a pretty big financial burden. Not only are you not at your campus job for an entire week, but you’re also spending lots of money! Here are some tips on ways to cut costs and not empty out your entire wallet. 1. Couchsurf or Camp Choose a destination where you know people you can stay with! It’s amazing how quickly even cheap places to stay can add up, and nothing beats free housing. Camping is also another great option to cut down on costs and still have[…]

Coming back from a semester abroad is fraught with difficulties and joys. One of the hardest things is being asked: “What was your favorite part?” I spent three months in Belfast, Northern Ireland, living with 19 other JBU students. I traveled all over the country, spent a weekend in London, and then went to Edinburgh, Scotland on my own for five days at the end of the semester. How am I supposed to choose my favorite part? I loved all of it! My favorite part was, quite literally, absolutely everything. During the semester we were privileged to have JBU professor[…]

“I don’t know how we met,” I say, looking at one of my best friends. We’re en route to our dorm, walking together after a meal in the cafeteria. There’s a slight pause and then Hannah responds, “Yeah, I have no idea. It was during orientation at some point.” Ah, yes. Orientation week. I have some very distinct memories of orientation week—sitting in one of the art buildings figuring out my schedule, walking the longest possible way to Hutch in order to buy a book, sitting with my O-group under a tree, and somehow finding and hanging out with the[…]

The change feels immediate. One second we’re driving through the flat, boring Texas panhandle, and the next the bushes have changed to manzanita shrubs and the dirt is red. The land begins to bump and swell into massive mountains. Mallory and I  can’t stop grinning. We’re almost there! As the sun sets, the shadows in the mountains deepen and the harsh light turns soft and golden. We pull up to our friend’s house where we’ll be staying for a few days, the cozy adobe blending into the surroundings. In the horizon is Sandia Crest, a mountain range that juts up[…]