"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

24 January 2011

ch-ch-ch-changes !

i'm at work right now. which makes it the poifect time to blog. i feel like speaking in accents and tongues today, so work with me. this semester has actually brought a lot of good, new things in my life. i enjoyed my studies last semester, but they required so much constant effort that it laid down constant stress into my life. even though i still have a full schedule--and two part-time jobs--there is less of that in my life now and it's released quite a burden from me. i'm lucky enough to take one last english class this term, rounding out my "english minor." we'll call it that, unofficially, because what i major in makes sense to no one--including, sometimes, my advisers and peers. i say i'm lucky because this class is fantastic. it is called "the emergence of an american literary trend (?)" and examines the greats of American lit you typically associate with the American canon--Thoreau, Hawthorne, etc--but examines them with a broader lens and a more analytically-framed scope. for example, it's not pulling out the themes, characters, as you might in a high school classroom or introductory course, but questioning the broader implications for how the usual canon may represent American culture, society. in addition, the class takes into consideration criticism of these usually named "great" works and weighs the implications of these criticisms. in other words, this class is my wet dream.

sometimes i do feel that senior pull, where you know you're going to be done soon, and you're biding your time and finishing classes. but i also do feel that i am learning here and still growing here. i see east lansing through completely different eyes from when i was a freshman. it's so cliche--but it's so true. i used to be intimidated by the people and the size of campus and going downtown or going out--now it's just regular old east lansing. and i belong here or don't belong here as much as the next person.

i really appreciate the place that i'm at right now. it took so (so, so, so) much effort, but i ended up with two amazing majors that have allowed me to take basically all classes i've dreamed of. i've taken design, drawing, intro to english analysis, latin american studies, comparative cultural theory, spanish structure. people doubt me a lot--my major choices, rather--but i do believe they'll pan out in the end. for me, it's not about what it says on the transcript or the name of the bachelors degree i've completed--it's the classes i've taken, what i've gotten out of them, and how i've synthesized them together. and i seriously feel blessed to have been able to take so many great classes while in college. not everyone gets to do that.

i have also tried to spend a lot more time with my family. my sister graduates after this may also and will be going to college most likely out of state. it's just nice to spend time with family, too. i was away for most of last summer, for last spring semester, and most of this fall also. the winter break was a great, actual break where i refreshed and spent lots of time with family.

the next trip i have coming up--besides potential roadtrips--is my alternative spring break to Baltimore. i am getting a bit more excited about this because it is obviously closer than it was last fall. i'm glad to be able to do ASB one more time and participate in an organization like it again. it is just a week, but im fascinated to learn more about immigration. after my senior seminar paper last term, it's truly an issue where i feel i need to school myself, learn more, and participate more in the politics surrounding it.