April Fools’ Day

The first of April is a day when one should expect the unexpected, for this is the day reserved for practical jokesters! You can expect to see friends and family playing jokes on one another; even television and radio hosts join in on the fun and prank their viewers and listeners. While this day has been celebrated for hundreds of years, nobody really knows why we started to observe this day to begin with.

The most popular theory of the beginning of April Fools ’ Day dates back to when people in Europe used to celebrate the New Year around April 1^st. When Europe switched over to a different calendar in 1582 and started celebrating the New Year on January 1^st, not everyone got the memo right away (they didn’t have cell phones back then), and there were still some who celebrated in the spring. The people who didn’t know that the New Year already happened in January and who were celebrating it in the spring were considered gullible, or a fool.

In many English speaking countries, including the United States, the day is spent trying to trick your friends and family, all the while trying to avoid being tricked yourself. On this day you will probably hear “April Fools!” being yelled out, meaning that someone just revealed that they have been tricking someone. April Fools’ Day is also celebrated in many other countries throughout the world, with different traditions to go along with it. This April Fools’ Day, it is important to remember your sense of humor and to be safe.

Lancaster Public Library

Are you looking for a new study spot? Or maybe you just want to explore new places in Lancaster and meet new people. Either way, the Lancaster Public Library is a place you might be interested in! All you need to do to get a library card is to fill out an application form (available at the Lancaster Public Library) and bring along your Millersville University Identification Card. Located at 125 North Duke Street in Lancaster, this library can be easily accessed via bus Route 16 and has many services available to its cardholders.

Examples of these services are free wifi, access to research data bases, language learning materials, books on a wide variety of subjects, and magazines, just to name a few. The Lancaster Public Library also hosts events for adults and children in the community, often free or at a small cost. These events are great ways to become more connected in the Lancaster community. Whatever your motive for visiting the Lancaster Public Library, you are sure to find what you are looking for!

A lot of events will be coming up in March and April so you should mark your calendar now! These are listed on the E-Blast Calendar for reference:  blogs.millersville.edu/globaledeblast/events/

Tax Workshops:

If you were here in the U.S. anytime during the year 2015 this workshop is important! We will have a professional tax representative available to help you complete your Tax forms. If you were here in 2015 AND you also worked, you will have extra forms to fill out.

Dates & Times: Wednesday, March 16, 4-6PM SMC Room 18 and Thursday, March 24, 4-6PM Library Room 118

OPT Workshops:

Students who plan to graduate in May 2016 and are interested in working in the U.S. may be interested in Optional Practical Training. OPT allows students to work in the U.S. one year after graduation. Come get some helpful information on how to apply and ask questions! Applications for OPT are due to the U.A. government very soon. If you are considering OPT you should get started now!

Dates & Times: Tuesday, March 22, 12:15-1:15 at Global Ed and Wednesday, March 23, 4-5PM at Global Ed

 

Stress Reduction Workshop

Need to de-stress and relax before Final Exams? Come to this workshop to find out about ways to reduce stress and also get some information about the counseling services offered here at Millersville. There will be snack provided and adorable animals for you to play with!

Date & Time: Thursday, March 31, 12:15-1:15PM

Free Time with an Immigration Lawyer

An immigration lawyer from Washington D.C. will be here to answer YOUR questions! You will have the opportunity to meet with her to discuss and immigration issues, OPT, work visas, and various other topics regarding U.S. immigration. This one on one time is very valuable so be sure to attend!

Date & Time: Friday, April 8, 2-4PM SMC 24

***Celebration of International Education Event***

SAVE THE DATE! Join OGEP for our annual celebration event with MU administration, staff/faculty, and other students to celebrate international education. It is a wonderful evening to celebrate you and your accomplishments. Dinner is included! You will be receiving an invitation with more information from OGEP shortly.

Date & Time:Wednesday, April 20, 4:30-7PM (If you have class you can still come for part of the event!)

While March is home to some of the more well-known holidays and celebrations, such as St. Patrick’s Day and the vernal equinox, there are some lesser known, stranger ones celebrated during the same time. Check out some of these strange and silly March holidays – and this isn’t even all of them!

1 National Pig Day

1 Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day – seeing as it’s also national peanut month, this one is fitting!

2 Old Stuff Day

3 I Want You to be Happy Day

3 If Pets Had Thumbs Day

3 National Anthem Day

6 National Frozen Food Day –it’s also national frozen food month!

7 National Crown Roast of Pork Day

9 Panic Day

10 Middle Name Pride Day

11 Johnny Appleseed Day

12 Girl Scouts Day

12 Plant a Flower Day

13 Ear Muff Day

14 Learn about Butterflies Day

14 National Potato Chip Day

14 National Pi Day- Why today? Because today is 3.14, the value of Pi.

15 Everything You Think is Wrong Day

16 Everything You Do is Right Day

17 Submarine Day – the hero sandwich or the boat? Who knows!

18 Supreme Sacrifice Day

20 International Earth Day

20 Extraterrestrial Abductions Day

22 National Goof Off Day

23 Melba Toast Day

23 National Chip and Dip Day

23 Near Miss Day

24 National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

25 Pecan Day

25 Waffle Day

26 Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

26 National Spinach Day

27 National “Joe” Day

28 Something on a Stick Day

29 National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day

29 Smoke and Mirrors Day

30 National Doctor’s Day

30 I am in Control Day

30 Take a Walk in the Park Day

31 Bunsen Burner Day

St. Patrick’s Day is a traditionally Irish holiday that has grown into an international celebration of Irish culture in recent years. The day was originally established as a Catholic holiday to honor the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, who lived from the year 385-461.

While St. Patrick’s Day is a historically Irish holiday, many of the modern celebrations actually stem from American soil. In fact, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in the United States over a century before one was held in Ireland as a way to celebrate both Irish and Irish-American culture. Today, the largest St. Patty’s Day celebration is held in New York, followed by Dublin and Birmingham, England. March is also Irish-American Heritage Month.

It’s tradition to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day and common decorations are filled with shamrocks (four leaf clovers) and leprechauns. There’s also the annual McDonald’s Shamrock Shake—but those are in no way actually Irish. Common St. Patrick’s Day festivities include: eating a traditional Irish meal (corned beef and cabbage), drinking, more drinking, and parades. There are local parades in York and Philadelphia.

In the Millersville and Lancaster area, there are a handful of Irish pubs and breweries (for students of age 🙂 ) that hold their own St. Patty’s Day celebrations.

Are you staying in the area during Spring Break or just looking for something to do over the weekends? Lancaster is full of places to visit that are accessible with just a quick ride on the 16 bus. Here are a few highly rated places you might want to check out:

Escape Room Lancaster

#1 of 9 Fun & Games in Lancaster : http://escaperoomlancaster.com/

Do you like puzzles and a little competition? Then Escape Room Lancaster might be the place for you! The goal is simple: escape from one of three themed rooms (train station, art heist, or medieval castle) in 60 minutes or less by completing a series of riddles and puzzles. Take your friends and turn it into a team building activity! Sign up on the Escape Room Lancaster website.

The Pottery Works

#3 of 9 Fun & Games in Lancaster: http://thepotteryworks.com/

Pottery Works is a great place to go for the hands-on, creative person. You can choose to either work with beads or pottery. Pottery Works has over 250 different pieces of pottery to make and choose from. They also have plenty of design tools like stencils and stamps to decorate your creation. Never made jewelry or pottery before? No problem! The staff will provide plenty of instruction and information so your experience is a great one.

Fulton Theatre

#2 of 52 things to do in Lancaster: http://www.thefulton.org/

The Fulton is an old, Victorian theatre and a National Historic Landmark that hosts a variety of shows and performances throughout the year. The shows that are playing during the month of March are the play “Other Desert Cities” and the musical “The Sister Act”. Check out the calendar on their website!

Sky Zone Trampoline Park Lancaster

#2 of 9 Fun & Games in Lancaster: http://www.skyzone.com/Lancaster#_=_

Sky Zone is the world’s first indoor trampoline park—meaning the place is literally covered from wall to wall with trampolines. If you’re an athletic person, or just like to jump around sometimes, check this place out!

Get ready to spring forward! Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 13^th at 2:00am. While Daylight Savings Time is practiced in many western countries, there is a majority of the world’s population that does not. Not even all US states observe DST. For example, if you travel to the Hoover Dam during the summer and you cross over from Nevada into Arizona, you’ll get the chance to be in two time zones at once!

So what is Daylight Savings Time exactly? DST is defined as the “practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that in the evening daylight is experienced an hour longer”. So basically, it’s docking the clocks so you can have more fun in the sun.

This strange practice began in the early 20^th century. The United States adopted it in 1918.

So how does this affect you? First, if you have any commitments on Sunday, March 13^th, change your clock before you go to bed. Cell phones and other satellite clocks will automatically change—so if you’re a night owl, you can stay up and watch the time jump from 1:59 to 3:00 on its own. Unless you’re prepared to get one hour less sleep than normal, try going to bed an hour early.

Spring Break begins on March 7^th and ends on March 13^th.  Classes resume on March 14^th!

Dining Hours:

**Meal Plans are not active during spring break!**

Saturday, March 5th – Sunday, March 6th

All dining closed.

Monday, March 7th – Friday, March 11th

• Upper Deck: Lunch 11-1PM and Dinner 4-6PM
• The COVE: 7-2PM

Saturday March 12th

• Upper Deck: Brunch 9-1:30PM and Dinner 4-6PM

Sunday March 13th **Meal Plan Starts**

• Upper Deck: Brunch 9-1:30PM and Dinner 4-6PM
• The Anchor: 11AM-11PM

On-Campus Housing:

The residences halls will close Friday, March 4th at 7PM and will reopen March 13th at noon. BE SURE TO CONTACT YOUR HOUSING GRADUATE ASSISTANT or RESIDENCE HALL DIRECTOR IF YOU WISH TO STAY ON CAMPUS!

If you are planning on taking a trip, please remember to fill out a travel notification form and return it to the office before embarking on your journey! You can get these forms by stopping by the Office of Global Education. The forms will also be sent to you by email.

If you travel outside the U.S.!

You need to let the Office of Global Education know 2 weeks in advance so that we can check any visa/immigration questions you may have and help resolve any issues you may be facing.

Check to see if you need a new signature on your I-20. The signature is only good for one year. If the date on your I-20 signature is over one year old, or will be soon please bring your I-20 to our office 2 weeks in advance so we have enough time to complete this for you.

If you leave the U.S. you must receive a new I-94 form once you return. Please stop by the Office of Global Education to get your new I-94 form.

Spring Break, a week smack dab in the middle of the semester when you can relax, go on an adventure, or perhaps catch up on homework (but more likely your favorite Netflix/TV show). It’s probably the second-most wonderful time of the year. Traveling is the favorite past-time for many spring breakers, but the world is a big place and you may need some inspiration to help you figure out where to go! Not to worry, below you will find a few suggestions on where to go for spring break within the U.S.

 Washington, D.C.

Do you want to spend your spring break in an historical city with lots of museums? Visit the capitol of the United States of America! Only three hours by train from Lancaster, PA! http://washington.org/

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

If you’re looking for a spring break destination close to Millersville, look no further than Philadelphia! Philly is a lively city known for its history, sporting events, and cheesesteaks. For some ideas on what to do in Philly, look at this website: http://www.visitphilly.com/

 Baltimore, Maryland

Looking for good food and a fun harbor atmosphere with a cool nightlife with live bands and music? Check out Baltimore’s Inner Harbor only 2 hours away! http://baltimore.org/

Miami, Florida

With sunny beaches, sizzling night life, and many museums, Miami would be the perfect place to go to escape the cold! http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do

Los Angeles, California

Hollywood and Venice Beach… Need I say more?      http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/.

New Orleans, Louisiana

If you’re looking to spend spring break in a unique city, New Orleans could be the place for you! Jazz music, Cajun food, cemeteries, and architecture are just a few things you can find in New Orleans.      http://www.neworleansonline.com/

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Why not have a stay – cation instead of a vacation? This spring break, explore Lancaster and learn more about the area. Visit Hershey Park or other nearby places There are a lot of fun things to do in Lancaster! For some ideas, check out http://www.discoverlancaster.com/index.asp

Wherever your spring break adventure takes you, remember to fill out a travel notification form and submit it to the Office of Global Education before embarking on your journey!

Meet & Eat Event

On February 18^th we had a Meet & Eat event so that the Office of Global Education can introduce ourselves to all of the Degree-Seeking International Students that are now supported by our office.

We also got to catch up with all of the students we worked with last semester. It was great to see everyone and see what some of you have been up to over Winter Break and this semester so far.

Check out some pictures from the event in our Gallery!