Hello again,

Before I start let's just take a quick moment to reflect on the fact that it's almost Friday! How exciting is that?! I wanted to make this post to share one of the recent events that took place on campus and, with the weekend quickly approaching, hopefully give you some ways to get involved.

So finally, after 4 long weeks of saying, "When are we ever going to get an RIO fair?" I was able to have my wishes granted. RIO, which stands for Registered Independent Organization, is essentially just an acronym for 'club'. It's been very difficult finding out how to get involved, so an RIO fair is pretty much how the school goes out and says, "Hey! Look at everything you can get involved in!" Surprisingly, the two day event showcased many clubs on campus that I hadn't even heard of (Disney Ohana being one of them). I couldn't make it to the first day, but thankfully I was able to go today after my class. Lasting from 10-2, the fair allowed students the chance to see over 250 registered RIO's. Now that sounds amazing, but first let me tell you that today, at least, there were about 30. I actually overheard one booth saying that their sister organization was "nowhere to be found". But that's just one example and I can't say whether or not they showed up because I didn't stay the whole time. Also, if you do go and you don't find a club that interests you, don't forget to check online for the complete list of registered clubs. I also recommend doing this if you can't stop by on either day. This list helped me find clubs associated with Chinese (there aren't many) as well as clubs that aren't big on promotion but are still a club. Also, like previously mentioned, the school didn't organize this until the fourth week of classes, so if you find yourself itching to do something definitely look online and shoot someone an email.  

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures today :( but I hope that the little blurb about clubs can help you if you don't know how much there is to do on campus. I know with some majors, like Chinese, it can be tricky because of how little options you have. But if you're in something popular like medical or even just a very political/religious person then it's worth looking at. 

Real quick, for those of you interested I did see the Catholic Church table and was able to speak to them. They're very big on 'ohana and told me that they hold an annual Thanksgiving dinner for all the students who can't go home. In addition to that they're also big on group retreats and volunteering. If you're Catholic or just interested in it, the church is called the Newman Center and is near the Korean Studies building, if you ever find yourself on campus. 

Have a great rest of your week and, for my Chinese audience, Happy Mid Autumn Festival!

Until next time,
Aislinn