WE- Benae Ritter

Rain!!

It seems like all it does here at Wofford is rain!! I woke up this morning to a soft drizzle against my window which was so peaceful and relaxing but almost caused me to miss my first period class! Thankfully I was able to tear myself away from the hold of tranquility. Now that the day has progressed so has the rain and it is not a pretty sight. People who got caught in the rain are sprinting back to their rooms while looks of disgust plague their faces. Times like these I really wished I had invested in an umbrella, but like a great college student I didn't think I would need one until it was too late! Oh well, I guess that is life! I hope everyone is studying hard for all their tests coming up and that midterms were kind! Wish me luck in studying for psychology and statistics!!

Another Day at WoCo!!

This week has started off better than I could have ever imagined!! I got some tests back that I thought I hadn't done so well on and ended up getting A's on them all!! Life is a good place right now!! The weather has been at a nice temperature with the sun shining and the birds chirping. Tonight the Wofford Activity Council is putting on a talent show in Leonard Auditorium at 8:00. Participants should be there at 7:15 in order to get prepared!! Everyone should come out and enjoy the many talented people that are here at Wofford and at the very least come out and support this positive program put on by your fellow peers! This will be the first annual talent show so it would be a nice to give them a great first time audience. Other than that life at Wofford is the same ole same. I think most of the population has settled into some sort of routine and so now it is only a matter of getting that work done and keeping ahead of your classes!!  I really hope everyone that can find their way to the Talent Show tonight!!
Peace and Love!!

Oktoberfest!!

So I finally have my camera!! I love it and I am thankful to everyone who made it possible for me to have one!! So before I went to go sing at Roebuck Elementary School for Wofford Singers I decided to stop in Burwell and get a quick bite to eat but in Players Corner (right below Burwell) there was so much activity!! I learned from my friend Mesha Arant that Burwell was closed and instead food was being served outside in honor of Oktoberfest!! I had totally forgotten about it! For those that might have missed out the fest is in honor of a marriage that took place in 1810 and has transformed into a huge celebration of great food and beer! Students who were underage were able to get glasses and mugs full of hot apple cider so that they could celebrate too!! The food was delicious but I was really upset I had to rush through my meal!! :( Overall everyone appeared to have enjoyed themselves and even more exciting i got to take some pictures!! O 'zapft is!!

Planned Outage??

The email had me confused because I had never heard of a "planned power outage" before but I guess it is best to know one is coming than to be caught unaware! Most people went home for fall break or fall day rather and so were not affected by the power not being on but there were quite a few people who stayed on campus. Those who stayed (me included) mostly hung out and stayed in the Village which still had power. All in all it was a very laid back weekend here at Wofford. Those who went away over the break didn't miss a thing at all (not that there is normally things to miss on campus) but I am sure everyone enjoyed having that extra day of rest and relaxation. I know alot of friends who had homework over the "break" and I hope you all were at least able to enjoy part of your time off. My camera has finally come in after weeks of delays and mis-communication!! I am picking it up Monday after my 1:00 Stats class!! I am very excited!! Now I can show off my "moment capturing" skills! I pray for everyone and their safe travel and that everyone have a great start to their week!!

Exploritory Weekend In Spartanburg

So, I did not know what I was going to write about at first but a brilliant mind gave me the idea to write about my weekend. I had one of the greatest Wofford weekends ever!! On saturday I left my room at 8 AM to go help my good friend and Bonner Scholar Rickey Jones with a project he was delegating at Hatcher Gardens. Me and four other of our very close friends helped Rickey supervise and help the children of the Community Scholars program sell trees and plants. While it was a cold day and the wind was persistently blowing we all had a lot of fun!! Keep up the good work Rickey!! On sunday my girlfriend Amber and I decided to take a sunday drive around Spartanburg. It was a beautiful day and while taking in some of Spartanburg's landscape( and oh what a beautiful landscape lol) she says "I wish we could find the dog pound" (she has been wanting a puppy for some time now). So we continued driving around until we stumbled across the dog pound!! It was COMPLETELY random!!! One of the many highlights of the day was when we found the puppy we called Scooter and completely fell in love with him! It made me super sad to have to tell him goodbye but there was no way I could keep him while in school. After leaving the pound we needed a huge pick me up and so we had a lovely romantic dinner at City Range. This restaraunt is pretty hard to find and very secluded but is well worth the search! The food was excellent and the waiters were superb! Amber, however, was more impressed with the fact that all the children were given etch-a-sketches to play with which translated into equal amounts of fun for us!! The day was concluded with a 1980's feel rap song that we created on my piano lol. Thank You Wofford!! Overall this weekend in Spartanburg showed me that it definitely has something for every one.... you just have to go out and look for it.

Just Another Day

It has been just another day in the life of a Wofford student! The rush of class and plenty of homework. On top of dealing with this crazy Spartanburg weather it's time for exams to be given and so the stress is starting to set in! I hope I can make it for just three more days! My girlfriend in Charleston, SC always makes me jealous because the weather is always perfect and College of Charleston is so close to the beach that after class they all just spend the afternoon on Folly Beach or James Island!! Oh well I guess I will just have to deal with the awesome scenery of our Wofford Bubble! Also I would like to know why there isn't more shopping places in West Gate mall?!?! I actually heard my girlfriend (Amber) say that she was tired of shopping in Charleston but here in Spartanburg you cannot even get a good start on shopping!! Come on Spartanburg! I STILL haven't gotten my camera (hint hint) but I am sure it is on its way. Not much to report today.. Life at Wofford is pretty much on a stand still with everyone studying for exams and quizzes and education always trumps having fun! I hope everyone is doing well and keeping healthy!

Has anyone else taken the time to look at the squirrels running around this campus?? These are some very evolved and highly intelligent rodents scurrying around!! Then again I guess what can you expect with only the most interesting and well learned man in the world as your President. Yes President Dunlap is one of those people you will find yourself in awe of from the moment he opens his mouth whether it is to engage in a conversation about the intricacy of film history or to discuss the humidity outside, he is a man who always seems to amaze. Anyone who hasn't spoken to him should do so immediately!

Now on to more pressing things! I need my camera!! I can not wait to have pictures up to show everyone how great of a campus Wofford has! Today I saw the coolest little bird sitting outside of my morning class and really wished I could of taken a picture of it staring at me while I was trying to learn (cough cough). I find those little things have the biggest impact on a persons happiness and often have longer lasting impacts than large events or situations. Hopefully I will have the camera by the end of this week so I'll have great photos from good ole Wofford weekdays and weekends!!

Speaking of, life at Wofford is seeming rather sluggish and slowed down. I don't know if it is just because I am a sophomore and used to the Wofford Way of Life or the fact that everyone around here is just under the weather!! I remember last year the hustle and struggle to wake up and get to class and to study at decent hours of the night only to procrastinate until the last hour then stress about how to finish in time. Good times but with another year comes added wisdom. Some helpful tips for freshman who just can't seem to get things perfect and on track:

Set an Alarm!- Set the alarm an hour before your class!! I know it sounds like a long time but if you think about it it is the smartest thing to do. You wont wake up and turn the alarm off the first and probably not the second time it goes off so that's 10 to 15 minutes lost. Then you have to get up wash/take care of hygiene so lets say that is another 10-15 minutes. Then by the time you get dressed and get your bags ready its time to head out the door!! And now you wont be rushing to get to class or stressing about getting there on time or worried about feeling embarrassed if the teacher has already begun teaching. Also place your alarm somewhere out of arms reach!! It helps to wake up when you know you have to get out of your bed to turn it off!!

Find a Study Group- If you are having problems with school work it will be highly beneficial to you and the peers you work with! Study sessions can be very helpful because they are more informal and the comfort level is raised tremendously because you are among your fellow classmates. You will be surprised by the many shortcuts and alternate ways of doing things your peers can teach you! Miliken is a perfect spot for large study groups although the library also has rooms where people can gather and discuss things.

Talk to your professors!!- This is one of the beautiful things about Wofford!! Your teachers and professors are here and willing to help you!! They ttake time out of their schedules and set aside slots for students to meet with them one on one to discuss anything the student might have on their mind. Classes get hectic and sometimes you might slip up and fall behind. Talking to your professor can help to remedy all that. No one at Wofford wants to see a student fail and they will go that extra mile to make sure that no one does. Take advantage of the smaller classes and close knit family unit that Wofford has built itself into and get that extra help from your teacher. It can only benefit you in the long run!!

Well that is my little blurb for the day! I hope someone will take me up on some or all those suggestions I posted!! Trust me. I am only here to help! I hope it helps at least one person!! Peace and Love!

The Beginning

Hello World!!! Today is the start of a glorious experience for you and I!! Warren Benae Ritter is now an official Wofford Blogger! I am excited to share my experiences, my hopes, and my outlooks on life with you all!! I suppose a little background info is in order..

My name is Warren Benae Ritter and I was born in a small town called Orangeburg, South Carolina. (Did you catch the song reference?? haha) I attended Orangeburg Preparatory School and was the Vice President of the Student Body my senior year. I attended the American Legions Boys Nation in 2007 which is one of the biggest blessings I have ever received. I am 19 years old and have had a very exciting life thus far. I love music!!! Any genre..(well except country but Rascal Flats is a pretty talented group) any instrument and anything musically oriented!! Music is such a great abstract of this life we call human existence. It transcends language, time, color, and touches the emotions and the core of a persons soul. Music and all it implies is in my opinion one of the greatest of all untouchable forces known to man. I am also a sophomore here at Wofford College and absolutely in love with this place!! I am planning on declaring myself as a psychology major and going into law after I graduate. That's about all I can think of that someone would like to know.. If there is anything else just leave a comment or look me up on Facebook!!

Life is such an interesting journey and I hope that this blog will allow me to share some of my past experiences in order to help anyone out there. Since today is my first day I wont come out with anything insanely philosophical or anything (insert laugh out loud) but I would just like to leave a little encounter I had a couple weeks ago..

In today's time many people forget to look at the little things in life. As I was walking through Walmart, a young boy came up to me and said “Mister? Why is the sky blue?” It was such an innocent question, but one that really floored me. Here is this six year old child coming up to me randomly in this store asking me a very advanced scientific question. As a sophomore in college my mind automatically starting thinking back to my courses on astronomy and how the gases reflect light and all that jazz, but in the midst of my searching for the right words I found myself simply looking up at the sky. My reply to the young boy was “You know what?? You're one smart kid.” He looks back at me perplexed and says “But I don't know the answer.” I simply said “You are a genius because you are smart enough to realize that there is something above you that is greater than you or me can ever be.” His mother had joined us by then and was shocked by my answer and she too looked up at the sky and began to smile. She took her child and they walked away. That experience has stayed on my mind to this very day. A constant reminder that some power somewhere is making this world spin, our lungs breathe, our minds ponder, and our hearts beat. Whether it is the song of a bird, the breeze in your hair, or simply looking up in the sky, take the time to enjoy something that you know you did not create and can only be created by something greater than yourself.

Peace and Love