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J',{14 , q Page 2 Thursday, February 6, 2003 rioir icfC) Opinion I 11 I )1 I j’l J. ;' ■ The Pendulum KstiiblislH'd 1071' The Pendulum Re-entry culture shock: Return to the grind As more than 6(M) Elon students return to campus after spending Winter Term abroad, they are faced with re-entry cul ture shoclc. Students return to the daily grind with a pair of fresh eyes, noticing and appreciating things that they glanced over in the past. Going back to classes suddenly becomes dull after traveling to places around the world and having class on a beach in Hawaii or studying a fresco in an Italian cathedral. It takes more than a few nights’ sleep to get over a study-abroad jet lag; the sights, sounds and tastes never seem to go away. Students return with new friends, and roommates on the abroad trip can become .some of your closest Iriends. Your friends back at Elon beg you to pull out your pictures and you fall into habit of reliving your trip. And every time you nip through the roll, you rememlwr certain things about the expe rience that make you stop and remember. When you return home, you appreciate the convenience of instant Internet access instead of paying to use an Internet cafe. You realize how lucky you are not to have to squat on a toilet, and what a luxury a shower curtain is. Even fast food tastes better at McDonald's when you’ve been away from it for so long. Returning home to a i>lace where everyone knows how to pronounce your name properly, and being able to read, speak and understand your native language is refreshing after spend ing a month trying to get used to new characters and accents. At the end of the semester, or maybe even this first week, you look back and think “Wow, I really did that.” Now the only physical evidence of the trip are those tew rolls of pic tures and souvenir, but the memories will last a lifetime. And eventually, those seemingly dulf classes will lure you back in, as life returns to nonnal. The Pendulum Colin Donohue, Editor-jn-Chief Katie Beaver, Managing Editor Lindsay Porter, News Editor Jessica Patchett, Assistant News Editor Eric Hall, Opinions Editor Andl Petrlnl, A & E Editor Matt Ford, Online Editor Kathleen Frey, Features Editor Kristin Slmonettl, Sports Editor Tim Rosner, Photography Editor Ellis Harmon and Mary-Hayden Britton, Copy Editors Annette Randall, Business Manager Janna Anderson, Adviser The Pendulum Is published each Thursday of the academic year. The advertising and editorial copy deadline is 5 p.m. the Monday tjefore publi cation. Letters to the editor and guest columns are welcome and should be typed, double-spaced, signed and include a telephone number for verifica tion. Submissions are also accepted as Word documents on disk or by e- mail. The Pendulum reserves the right to edit obscene or potentially libelous material. Lengthy letters or columns may have to be trimmed to fit. All sub missions bea>me the property of The Pendulum and will not be returned. To reach The Pendulum at 233 Moseley Center, call 278-7247 or fax 278- 7246. Contact The Pendulum by e-mail at pendulum@elon.edu. Visit our Web site at www.elon.edu/pendulum. Each Individual Is entitled to one free copy Symbols we encounter every day can provide instances of Inspirations Eric Hall Opinions Editor Walking through this world, society limits our imaginations to ideas and dreams that reflect their harsh reality. The images we see through the television or in movies create our false notion of inspiration. Really, our sources of inspira tion exist in what’s directly in front of us. Some images we see every day, but fail to see their reflec tions and the symbols they shout at us. They are things we can physically touch; we don’t have to worry that they may not be there tomorrow. A hollow cave is a dark and cold place that is easy to be caught beneath. It is simple to get lost in, and blinds the eye. It may provide shelter for a stormy night, but it wouldn’t be able to house someone for the rest of their days. There is only one entrance, therefore one exit. We are living in caves, failing to experience what’s truly on the outside of our shelter. A reveal ing light will replace familiar and safe darkness. A mountain is a beautiful peak that when stared at, can be a breathtaking sight. The top may seem an impossibility to reach, however it is capable of being done. There are always two sides to a mountain, and only a way up and a way down. We are always climbing mountains, and with enough will and heart, we can always find the other side. In life, it’s also beautiful when you can say you stood at the top and looked down at the world. A road is a rocky, but some times smooth, way of reaching a destination. The scenery that sur rounds the road can be of stun ning landscapes, or a gloomy vision. There are always warning signs that tell us which direction to go, but are optional to follow. And if we were to take the wrong direction, we always have a place to turnaround. The roads we travel on through life are always presenting us with turns, forcing us to make difficult decisions. The sky is walked under every day, but never noticed. The clouds can provide shade or make the raindrops that fall. The moon cre ates the light during the darkness of a night. The many stars are wished upon every night, and each hears a different dream. When we think about the sky, we picture soaring through it and being halfway between the world and the unknown. But sometimes, when simply • ' s " iT Courtesy everestnews.com glancing toward the sky, we for get what or who is above us. The rays of the sun provide growth to everything they touch. They provide light during our days and heat when its cold. When spring comes, the rays hit us with their refreshing warmth, feeding our spirits with a notion of new energy. The sun watches, as we grow out of and into new days. The ocean is a vast space that can guide a powerful ship with its power. When staring out at an ocean, an end doesn’t appear to be in sight. A wave has the authority to carry and always keep the waters moving. The tide will never fail to touch you on the sand or bring you in. What I notice about these simple inspirations is that they never worry about the time of tomorrow, they only exist for today. Contact Eric Hall at pendu- lum@elon.edu or 278-7247. Corrections - In the Jan. 23 issue of the Pendulum, the article “Halberstam warns against war with Iraq” incor rectly stated that the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture Series will conclude with Tom Friedman’s pres entation in September. The lecture series will continue to bring guest speakers to campus in the future. - In the Oct. 31 issue of The Pendulum, the article “Filler words become regular practice” incorrect ly stated three issues. Jill Wagner did not publish the study on filler words. Instead, it was written by Muffy Siegel of Temple University. Wagner was incorrectly reported as being an associate pro fessor. She is an assistant professor. The story also incorrectly reported that Wagner works at Temple University. She works at Iowa State University.
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