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Fall Break, First Rehearsals, Family Weekend, and a Fiftieth Birthday Party!

Hi everyone!!

I cannot believe that October is almost over!! I went home for all of Fall Break, which was really relaxing, and I also spent some time getting ahead on work!! Here are some highlights of my life since my last post:

Going home for all of fall break was so relaxing, and since I had all of my midterm exams the week before, I was able to spend more time getting ahead of the reading. My friend Kristen also got to come home for the first weekend, so we were able to hang out and get food!! It was great to get the chance to hangout with her for the first time since we left for the year!!

A photo I took of Kristen while waiting for our food!!

The week I got back to campus, I was called for my first rehearsals for the Theatre Department production of “Little Women: the Musical”! I am excited to be in the Ensemble for this show, which goes up around the beginning of February, and is the first Theatre Department musical at Holy Cross!!

The weekend after Fall Break, I actually went home again for my aunt’s fiftieth birthday party!! We had it at a local restaurant, so we had a lot of delicious food, and I got to see a lot of my extended family, which was really nice!!

The cake from my aunt’s 50th Birthday Party!!

This weekend was Family Weekend at Holy Cross, and my roommate’s mother came up and took us both out to dinner!! We went to Via Italian Table here in Worcester, and I ordered the chicken parmesan and chocolate torta, which were both delicious!! October was pretty successful overall!!

My roommate Anna and I before dinner on Saturday!!

Thanks for reading!!

Rebecca McSweeney
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A Great Start to Sophomore Year!!

Hi everyone!!

I haven’t posted in so long because the first half of the semester has flown by!! I cannot believe I am already home on Fall Break!!

The Fall Orientation Leaders at the end of our week-long training!!

This semester has gone by so quickly so far!! I moved back to Holy Cross early since I served as a Fall Orientation Leader at the beginning of this year!! While I did not know what to expect at first, I am really glad that I took the opportunity to help welcome the Class of 2022!! I got to work with an amazing group of fellow orientation leaders, and made so many new friends during this process!!

I am taking courses in a variety of subjects, including Basic Acting, Genetics, Statistics, and Anthropology. Even though they are all challenging, I am enjoying them all so far!! I had midterms in every class except Basic Acting last week, so I had to study a lot for those!!

Me and one of my friends who returned to Holy Cross for Homecoming!!

Even though my classes have been a lot of work, I have still found time to spend with friends!! Last Saturday, I went to the tailgate before the Homecoming Game, and I was able to see a lot of my friends there, including a few who graduated from Holy Cross last year!! It was great to see them, and to take a break from homework for a few hours!!

My roommate Anna and I after breakfast at Birchtree Bread Company!!

I also went out to breakfast with my roommate before classes a few weeks ago, which was really nice!! The first half of the semester was busy, but I am excited for the rest of sophomore year, and to be home for the week!!

Thanks for reading!!

Rebecca McSweeney

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Fall Break Part 2: “Fuenteovejuna” Rehearsals!!

Hi everyone!

I hope this week has been going well for you all! My last post was about the weekend I spent at home over Fall Break, so today I’m going to talk about the rest of the week: rehearsals for Fuenteovejuna! 

Rehearsals started on Tuesday that week; it was refreshing to just focus on the show, without worrying about the other responsibilities I usually have during the week!

The poster for our production!

We spent time working on dances and singing through all of the songs in the show. Faculty from the Spanish department also came and helped people with pronunciation. When I was not in the scene they rehearsed, I typically just worked on homework.

Here’s what our set looked like as of October 13!

Our rehearsals typically went from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and then on Tuesday and Wednesday we watched movies around 7:00 p.m. We watched ¡Ay, Carmela! and Pan’s Labyrinth, since they take place around the same time as the Spanish Civil War- when our show is set.

By the end of the week, we finished blocking the show!! We worked really hard, and I’m glad I got to spend time with other members of the cast. We ate a lot of meals together in Kimball during our breaks for lunch and dinner!

Me and my friend Liza hanging out last Friday!!

On Saturday, a bunch of us went to a coffee shop in Worcester called Birchtree Bread Company; it was nice to get off campus for a bit and to bond more as a cast!

The almond croissant and hot chocolate I got at Birchtree!

I cannot believe we will be performing this show for an audience in two weeks!! I am so excited for people to see it!!

Thanks for reading!!

Rebecca McSweeney
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Fall Break Part 1: Stoughton, MA

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a great week! Fall Break for Holy Cross is almost over, and it will definitely be different returning to having classes again! Since I was so busy over Fall Break, I decided to first let you know about the first half of my break and what I did when I was home.

A photo I took with my mom when we went out for ice cream!!

I was so excited to see my two dogs, Izzy and Roxie, since I missed having them around! I spent plenty of time snuggling with them this past weekend!

A photo I took of my dog, Izzy!

I spent a lot of time this weekend eating; my family got Chinese food on Friday night, and chicken parmesan on Monday night before I went back to school!

Pizza from Town Spa!!

On Saturday night, I went to Town Spa Pizza, a local restaurant in my hometown, with some friends who were also home. It was nice to catch up with them, and the pizza was delicious! I also took my younger brother out to lunch on Sunday; it was nice to spend time with him too!

Saturday, my family went to Mass at my parish back home. On the way home, I spotted a rainbow outside, which is the second rainbow I have seen since I moved to Holy Cross!!

The rainbow I saw at home last Saturday!

My family went shopping a lot this weekend since it rained back home. I bought some more fall/winter clothes to bring back to school. I had a fantastic weekend at home, which made me really excited for having rehearsals the rest of the week, which I will describe in my next post!

Thanks for reading!
Rebecca McSweeney