Coffee, Coffee, and More Coffee: Preparing for Finals Week.

                We have all felt the stress of the week filled with big tests or those huge papers we have coming up - or sometimes, the one we forget about until the night before. Somehow, the week before finals always seems to be that week. Professors pile papers, quizzes, tests, and presentations on top of one another and expect us to stay sane! But somehow, it has to be done. And when that time comes, college students become classified by their all-nighters, study-sessions, and millions of cups of coffee.

                Here at Point, finals week seems to be a week of Zombie students. This dreaded week is approaching quickly, and the only reaction is more stress! (as if there isn’t already enough). In the past, at our East Point campus, there were plenty of hang-out places to get students off campus and in a new environment for some fresh focus. The most popular was our 24-hour Chick-Fil-a only a few miles away. This was a comfortable place where Point students were recognized, and of course, it’s Chick-Fil-a! Who could ask for better, cheaper, food? Our other most common haven for studying was (my favorite) Starbucks. It’s a calm, quiet, comfy study area, and of course, it’s filled with fresh coffee aromas and new indie music. Somehow, coffee and Chicken Biscuits seemed to be the essentials for finals week.

                The move to West Point proved new and exciting, but also required some exploring to find the best “study spots”.  The best thing about bringing a University to a small town? Everyone wants to give you a discount! My favorite so far? The 10% off at Waffle House, which is only a mile away from our apartments and is one of the best places to study. Everywhere in town seems to be willing to love on Point students and cut some money off our bill! We all know college students on a budget need as many discounts as we can get J

                So there isn’t a 24-hour chicken haven, or a salted caramel mocha only a few miles away. Instead, there have been several restaurants to open up in response to our presence, and even some to offer discounts. They’re greatly appreciated, and will be getting a ton of my business in the next few weeks!

                Students, get your Caffeine IV’s ready…finals week is coming!

-Kelsey

Are you Looking Forward to Winter Break?

It is one of the most anticipated breaks of the year. No it is not summer, but you are close. It is winter!! Yes!! What a way to relax after Finals week. Before I can dance and throw a parade, I would like to give you a recap of my life at Point.

Point University finally moved to the “Promise Land” aka West Point, Georgia. I cannot lie, I miss East Point. Not so much the campus but the location. The campus was 10 minutes from Atlanta, Georgia and had the convenience of malls, restaurants, and entertainment. Do not get me wrong, Valley and West Point folks are really welcoming. That was the best part of moving from a big city to a small town. Now let’s talk about the campus. The new campus is a complete upgrade from the old. I remember the first day of school I got lost in the new 507 building and I kept running around like a hamster on a wheel trying to find my classes. This semester, I enjoyed watching people “studying” by drawing and writing on the dry erase walls, students sleeping on the comfortable couch/desk, and hovering around the flat screen televisions that displayed on each floor. There are other parts of the buildings I enjoyed as well such as classrooms being equipped with efficient audible and video equipment, thermostats for the air conditioning and heating, and comfortable chairs and desk. I believe that the greatest upgrade is the Point Living Community. The apartments are much bigger and up to date and the Point Living Community has a pool. I often wonder do the Access students at the old campus have the luxury or will have the luxury of a campus upgrade. I hope they do! Now back to the more interesting things of Winter Break!

Ahhh the joy of winter!! The awesome winter clothes you get to pull out and wear. You know those comfy sweaters, boots, fabulous peat coats, and awesome scarves. Let the, Christmas songs blasting through speakers, people sneezing and coughing, a new year, and surprises of engagements begin!

Winter break is bittersweet. The joy of knowing that you have a whole month to do whatever you want except for homework. For others, it may be leaving Point University behind and applying to jobs or graduate schools. I on the other hand, will be traveling back home Los Angeles, California!

I know Los Angeles, California? I get that question probably a million times. Yes, I am from the place where palm trees and 60 degree weather is the norm. Many of my friends from Georgia think it is a vacation yet, an opportunity to catch up with old friends, enjoying family, reading books that are not required for class PTL (Praise the Lord). What I look forward to the most on my winter break is being able to start the next year and the next semester with a new mindset of service. This winter break will allow me to truly understand that yes, it may be a season to be jolly, but what about the people who are spending their winter in a home of chaos, homelessness, no food, friendlessness, and no family? What am I going to do about that? This winter break will allow me to put my faith into action and serve people who are in need. This is a complete turn-around because I remember spending my break thinking about all me.

Well this is my Point Life in a nutshell!

-Shani P.

 

 

1st World Problems

Last week, the alarm clock on my iPhone went off at 6:30am. I had to get up, go to work as a substitute teacher, and it was cold! I was grumpy and tired. Every so often the heater in my house kicks off and doesn't work, so I have to go and flip the switch on the furnace and wait for it to kick in. Needless to say, getting out of a warm bed to walk across the house and flip the switch was not the best way to start the morning for me. I'm not a fan of mornings, and I'm not a fan of the cold. I stop by my coffee maker, which can make a whole pot or a single cup, and made myself a nice cup of coffee. Later that day, I went to my actual job. By the time I got home, I was tired and wanted a shower. I was in the shower and it finally occurred to me, I have warm running water. Everything else, the cold house, the early alarm, those are 1st world problems. Let me explain - a 1st world problem is just a problem that people in developed countries, such as the USA, would have. You may have heard some... "My job uses IBM Lotus Notes as our emailing client." "I leaned a bit too much forward and the toilet flushed automatically before I was finished." "I heard a good song but it had no lyrics so I can't google it." In my case: "the alarm on my iPhone went off too early and I had to flip a switch to get my heat back on." Kinda pathetic (if not somewhat humorous) when we think about it. If our biggest problem is that our email client is Lotus Notes or we can't google a song (or our iPhone goes off) we don't really have a problem. The way I see it, many people have never used email, wouldn't need to google a song, and certainly have no use for an iPhone. These are people who still need to be reached for God, and using these gadgets isn't going to reach them. On the other hand, if we're going to be ambassadors for Christ, if we're going to reach those in the United States, we need to be relevant. We need to understand and embrace our 1st world problems. We need to embrace the people who share in these problems with us. We can't be so far removed from the culture around us that we aren't making an impact in the lives of those we come into contact with. The people in 3rd world countries don't need google, but they do need Jesus. People in 1st world countries need google...and Jesus.