Journal #8 - What just happened?

I have a blue Penn State hoodie that I wear everywhere.  Its my favorite hoodie and without hesitation I put it on every morning because its warm and I like it.  Over thanksgiving break I was walking down the street and people kept staring at me.  What the hell do people keep staring at me for I thought to myself.  It was then that I looked down and saw that I was as usual wearing my Penn State hoodie.  I smiled, shook my head and kept walking.  It is unbelievable that the hoodie that I wore so proudly a couple months ago now has people staring at me as I walk down the street.  I still hear the same "Oh you go to Penn State?" whenever I tell people where I go to school but now with a different tone.  It is no longer the excited thats awesome tone that it used to hold, instead it is a tone of pity and confusion.  Unfortunately I share their confusion.

I can't help but laugh at some of the questions that my friends would ask me over break.  Instead of asking me what I did while I was away at school they would ask me questions like, "So why'd Joe Pa rape those kids?"  "Did you see the news van flip?"  "How was the riot?"  "What is gonna happen to your school?"  My response to every question that anyone asked me was I don't know no matter how stupid they were.  Honestly I feel exactly the same as I did before the scandal took place.  I still go to class, watch tv, and hangout with my friends.  People think that my world ended because one idiot messed up.  I think Jerry Sandusky is a scumbag, and I dont think what he did should have any reflection on the students that did nothing wrong.   Do I think the administration knew about it and covered it up? Yes.  Do I think Joe Pa knew about it about covered it up? As much as people don't want to hear it, yes.  That is really my only opinion about the scandal.  Other than that I don't really know what to think. I don't know what's going to happen to the school in the future, I can't see the future.

I stood in the middle of the riot.  I watched people get maced.  I watched cops get pelted with beer cans and rocks.  I watch the news van flip.  I watched light posts get ripped out of the ground.  I watched people run around like idiots with their shirts off and gas masks on.  I'm embarrassed but theres nothing that I can do about it.  I can only hope that people realize that there is much more to Penn State than like 6 stupid people.  Theres 40,000+ people that go to this school and are devastated by the scandal that took place, its not fair for all of us to be judged because of what one sick individual did.  I'm actually afraid for the future.  Common sense tells me that it is going to get a lot worse.  Could you imagine if Sandusky walked like Casey Anthony or OJ Simpson?  They would have to call in the military.

So as I sit here and write this blog I can only say what just happened?  How in one month can the university I call home go through such a embarrassing scandal?  Do I feel any differently about Penn State?  Absolutely not.  I love going here I am proud to call it home.  That would be like hating the city you live in because there is a lot of crime.  Not everyone in the city is a criminal but the select few that are make things difficult for everyone else.  I am going to put on my Penn State hoodie and walk proudly down the street and when someone says "Oh you go to Penn State?" I am going to say Yes, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Penn State will overcome the scandal that it has been involved in.  You can not erase all the good that the school does because of one person.  WE still raise millions of dollars for children with cancer.  WE are still one strong community that is always there for each other.  WE will continue to carry on day by day and get through the scandal.  WE still are...

The Arboretum

4 days ago I had no idea what an Arboretum was, so when I heard that our English class was taking a trip to The Arboretum on Thursday I was very confused.  For the second time this year I have made a trip to a place that I have never been before, the first was the Palmer Art Museum and the second was The Arboretum.  Trugging along the cold pavement in my work boots at 8 o'clock in the morning to a place that I had no idea what it was was not the way that I wanted to start my day on Thursday.  I made the turn onto Park Ave. and to my pleasant surprise there was a big fountain and elaborate agricultural piece sitting in front of me.  I can't believe I had never seen this masterpiece sitting in front of me before.  Am I the only one that had no idea this place existed?  My pace quickened, I had to figure out what this was.

I wish I could of seen the look of my face as I walked through the gate into The Arboretum.  The sheer awe, confusion, and excitement on my face must have been very funny.  I love gardens. One of my favorite places at Disney World is the gardens that they have.  Unfortunately most of the stuff in The Arboretum was dead because its cold out but I could only imagine seeing it in the spring time when everything is in full growth.  I walked aimlessly through all the different gravel paths and just took everything in.  I must have walked past the same place like ten times.  It was kind of like a maze, or maybe I was still just half asleep.  As you walk around the art jumps out and strikes you with you having to look for it.  Everything around you is art.  All of the plants, flowers, and trees are strategically placed in order to provoke emotion from those who see it.  Walking through the garden I kept noticing more and more forms of art.

My favorite aspect of The Arboretum is the fountain in the front.  I love fountains, ever since I was a little kid whenever my mom took us to the mall I made her take me to the fountain so I could throw change into it and make a wish.  Water fountains are a brilliant example of art.  The way that the water sprays in all different directions is elegant.  There are also different colored chairs in a sitting area in the middle of one of the garden areas.  This is art because of the different colors of the chairs.  They were red and orange and yellow instead of just plain wood.  A few steps down the path there were dozens of pumpkin and squash in a big pot.  The way all of them sat in there in no particular order was very artistic.

Penn State never ceases to amaze me you learn something new everyday.  Last week I had no idea there was an Arboretum and now I have had the pleasure of walking through it.  There are not many places where you can go to an Arboretum whenever you want, especially at your school.  Penn State is perfect because of the city downtown feel and the country north campus aspect.  It is a beautiful campus and it is quite evident in The Arboretum.