This is what happens when I don't post in eight weeks
After a solid ten weeks, I do believe I am able to finally able to reinstate myself into a social life. This past term was just...something else. I think taking three political sciences course (Politics of Developing Nations, Judicial Process, and Interest Groups) and Microeconomics was quite possibly the worst, yet delightfully interesting choice I've made in some time. If you have ever taken a political science class, you know that there is some intense reading, but good God, I had at least 100 pages a night and two papers due each week. I do not mean to come off as if I'm complaining, but this was the first term that I really got into my new major.
Next term though I'm only taking one political science class (Russian Politics), then a writing fiction class, public speaking, philosophy, two dance classes (night club two step/hustle and west coast swing), and I'm a TA for the RA training class. So the term will be much less stressful, I think, and I'm really looking forward to "Writing Fiction" because it will give me a chance to do some writing which i've been out of practice for some time. Also I should have some more free time to focus on my RA duties because I really let those slide last term I feel, in terms of not doing enough programs and being around for my residents. Also, that whole "being able to see friends more often" is a definite perk because really, as an RA, your social life can really be restricted to just your hall and your staff. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes you just need to get out.
This next term I'm hoping to put on a program called "I Know What You Did Last Night" which is where we have residents sign up and they're assigned a character (26 characters in total). Each day they get a slip in their mailbox letting them know what their character did the night before and there are five days worth of slips. On the last day everyone comes together and reads what their character did on each day. The thing is that each character goes through a unique, very intense experience that not all but some college students go through. We have a girl who gets raped at a party, an individual the kills his friend in a drunk driving accident, an individual who is extremely depressed and is going to commit suicide, a very repressed individual who becomes a hardcore drinker/partier once she gets to college, a string of people get STDs, a individual who is transgender and having a hard time being accepted on campus, an individual who is questioning her sexuality, the list goes on. After everyone reads their fifth night, we give them a conclusion slip which turn almost all turn out to be bad (a few deaths happen, some dropout). All throughout the last night we discuss services that are available to these students on campus (we'll have pamphlets and cards available), and then we emphasize how people's actions affect others. So its a pretty intense program, and my goal is to finish the scripts for each character by the end of this break, but I only have 8 of 26 done so I need to get on it. The whole planning process has been a great way to get my creative juices flowing again.
I've finally developed an idea as to what I want to do for a career which is a pretty big step for me. I don't know exactly how, or in what facet, but the basic idea is that I want to do work in helping develop third world nations. This last term in my Politics of Developing Nations class we learned all about the extreme poverty in Asia and Africa, the contributing factors, what has been done, what hasn't been done, etc. and I really think its something I want to pursue. I'm not sure how exactly, but I'm going to work on that next term so I can develop a more clear path. Also I know I want to be a Resident Director for a while, so we'll see how that works out.
I think I'll go to bed now, I'm going hiking tomorrow at the Arboretum, but I have plenty around that stewing in my head that I need to get out in writing. I guess that's what Spring Break is for, to collect your thoughts.
Next term though I'm only taking one political science class (Russian Politics), then a writing fiction class, public speaking, philosophy, two dance classes (night club two step/hustle and west coast swing), and I'm a TA for the RA training class. So the term will be much less stressful, I think, and I'm really looking forward to "Writing Fiction" because it will give me a chance to do some writing which i've been out of practice for some time. Also I should have some more free time to focus on my RA duties because I really let those slide last term I feel, in terms of not doing enough programs and being around for my residents. Also, that whole "being able to see friends more often" is a definite perk because really, as an RA, your social life can really be restricted to just your hall and your staff. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes you just need to get out.
This next term I'm hoping to put on a program called "I Know What You Did Last Night" which is where we have residents sign up and they're assigned a character (26 characters in total). Each day they get a slip in their mailbox letting them know what their character did the night before and there are five days worth of slips. On the last day everyone comes together and reads what their character did on each day. The thing is that each character goes through a unique, very intense experience that not all but some college students go through. We have a girl who gets raped at a party, an individual the kills his friend in a drunk driving accident, an individual who is extremely depressed and is going to commit suicide, a very repressed individual who becomes a hardcore drinker/partier once she gets to college, a string of people get STDs, a individual who is transgender and having a hard time being accepted on campus, an individual who is questioning her sexuality, the list goes on. After everyone reads their fifth night, we give them a conclusion slip which turn almost all turn out to be bad (a few deaths happen, some dropout). All throughout the last night we discuss services that are available to these students on campus (we'll have pamphlets and cards available), and then we emphasize how people's actions affect others. So its a pretty intense program, and my goal is to finish the scripts for each character by the end of this break, but I only have 8 of 26 done so I need to get on it. The whole planning process has been a great way to get my creative juices flowing again.
I've finally developed an idea as to what I want to do for a career which is a pretty big step for me. I don't know exactly how, or in what facet, but the basic idea is that I want to do work in helping develop third world nations. This last term in my Politics of Developing Nations class we learned all about the extreme poverty in Asia and Africa, the contributing factors, what has been done, what hasn't been done, etc. and I really think its something I want to pursue. I'm not sure how exactly, but I'm going to work on that next term so I can develop a more clear path. Also I know I want to be a Resident Director for a while, so we'll see how that works out.
I think I'll go to bed now, I'm going hiking tomorrow at the Arboretum, but I have plenty around that stewing in my head that I need to get out in writing. I guess that's what Spring Break is for, to collect your thoughts.