mid-college crisises
time for your annual (or semi-annual) adie back from exciting classes update! Today the catalyst is a seminar on veterinary medicine that I attended. I feel slightly guilty about the effect an inspiring and energy filled teacher has on me...I really am influenced by the energy of those around me. I came to appreciate this fact over this summer...when I finally connected the presence of Jeff Gamble and Jim Shelby in my life. Observe the following:
Fact 1- I was offered two jobs to return to this summer.
Fact 2- I went back to the job that was more work and paid less
Logical conclusion- Adie is crazy
But the differences between the two jobs that I was offered were immense.. The atmosphere of the former, higher-paying job was expansive. I was just part of the working wheel, an important (head aide) part, but just a cog in the wheel none-the-less. The whole was bigger then I felt I could grasp (probably correctly) and my contribution to the effort was limited by the confides of my role. Jefunira, which paid less and had me running, yelling, and always working %100...and the job I came back to...had community. It felt as though I was a valued member of a tight-knit and dedicated group of talented people, all working hard towards a common goal. Everything I saw was all there was, which meant that if I saw something amiss, I either should see someone fixing it, or I should do it myself. That feeling of responsibility brought me to feel like I owned the camp, in the same way I felt that every other counselor owned the camp and had a big hand in its success. I attribute most of this wonderful atmosphere of shared purpose to Jeff's skillful direction. He truely is a genius in dealing with people, I guess that is a good reason for holding the profession of a camp director. By communicating his obvious love for what he does, he fed the counselors energy all summer, especially when the fourth session rolled around and we all were beginning to wilt. Jim Shelby was the same way, radiating positive and confident energy through all parts of Gunn Theatre. I had a strange realization when I connected these two jobs that I had loved and discovered the people behind them.
...... to return to the true reason for this post (my inspiring vet medicine class) The woman who is teaching the class was very bright and bubbly and I fell in love with her immediately. Beyond that, the class was really neato. It's just a seminar, which basically means I get units for being a warm body in a room, and this one involves field trips! We're going behind the scenes of the oakland zoo, various large and small animal vet practices, and UC berkeley's own hyena clan. (The largest one in the world, they house 27 hyenas and breed them for zoos all over the US)
Beyond the field trips and the teacher, the personnel in the class made me almost reconsider my sure-fire conviction not to go into vet school. They were all really cool, with reasons similar to myself for taking the class, such as 'need animals in their lives', 'parents wouldn't let them get pets as a kid', and even 'couldn't decide between art and animals' AHh, students after my own heart! there was a suprizing amount of that semtiment, at least 3 others becides me who stated that reason. My reason, verbatum... "I started out in art practice 2 years ago, had a mid-college crisis last semester in which I realized that I couldn't live a life without animals, and found this class. "
other then this class, I am taking a number of fascinating-seeming classes on animal behavior, cognitive science, photo (?), and psychology of personality...hopefully. I am only in one of those classes. hmm, yes.
all will resolve itself in due time
Fact 1- I was offered two jobs to return to this summer.
Fact 2- I went back to the job that was more work and paid less
Logical conclusion- Adie is crazy
But the differences between the two jobs that I was offered were immense.. The atmosphere of the former, higher-paying job was expansive. I was just part of the working wheel, an important (head aide) part, but just a cog in the wheel none-the-less. The whole was bigger then I felt I could grasp (probably correctly) and my contribution to the effort was limited by the confides of my role. Jefunira, which paid less and had me running, yelling, and always working %100...and the job I came back to...had community. It felt as though I was a valued member of a tight-knit and dedicated group of talented people, all working hard towards a common goal. Everything I saw was all there was, which meant that if I saw something amiss, I either should see someone fixing it, or I should do it myself. That feeling of responsibility brought me to feel like I owned the camp, in the same way I felt that every other counselor owned the camp and had a big hand in its success. I attribute most of this wonderful atmosphere of shared purpose to Jeff's skillful direction. He truely is a genius in dealing with people, I guess that is a good reason for holding the profession of a camp director. By communicating his obvious love for what he does, he fed the counselors energy all summer, especially when the fourth session rolled around and we all were beginning to wilt. Jim Shelby was the same way, radiating positive and confident energy through all parts of Gunn Theatre. I had a strange realization when I connected these two jobs that I had loved and discovered the people behind them.
...... to return to the true reason for this post (my inspiring vet medicine class) The woman who is teaching the class was very bright and bubbly and I fell in love with her immediately. Beyond that, the class was really neato. It's just a seminar, which basically means I get units for being a warm body in a room, and this one involves field trips! We're going behind the scenes of the oakland zoo, various large and small animal vet practices, and UC berkeley's own hyena clan. (The largest one in the world, they house 27 hyenas and breed them for zoos all over the US)
Beyond the field trips and the teacher, the personnel in the class made me almost reconsider my sure-fire conviction not to go into vet school. They were all really cool, with reasons similar to myself for taking the class, such as 'need animals in their lives', 'parents wouldn't let them get pets as a kid', and even 'couldn't decide between art and animals' AHh, students after my own heart! there was a suprizing amount of that semtiment, at least 3 others becides me who stated that reason. My reason, verbatum... "I started out in art practice 2 years ago, had a mid-college crisis last semester in which I realized that I couldn't live a life without animals, and found this class. "
other then this class, I am taking a number of fascinating-seeming classes on animal behavior, cognitive science, photo (?), and psychology of personality...hopefully. I am only in one of those classes. hmm, yes.
all will resolve itself in due time