I've had a lot of "congratulations" after finishing grad school, but there's been a couple reactions that I'm not sure about. Examples: "Now you get to look for a job!" or "Welcome to the real world!" or some combination of these comments. What's the point of saying things like that? I'm not really one to toot my own horn, but essentially to me, it seems like people say things like that to detract from the fact that I just worked really hard on something that they don't value and/or quite understand. Like, "Oh yeah, you did that and it's great and everything, but guess what? Now you get to look for a job and suffer through that whole process. Was it worth it to go to grad school or did you just do it to delay looking for a job?" or "You basically just spent two years of your life not actually doing anything worthwhile in a fairytale land that doesn't mean anything to those of us here in the 'real world.&
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I decided a few days ago that I'm going to make a scrapbook with all of the pictures and stuff that I collected when I was in Cambridge. I found a great website, Scrap Your Trip , that basically has everything you could ever want and I've been having fun deciding what papers to order. I thought I would stop by the only scrapbooking store left in town, Scrapbook Friend'z, to see what they have before getting everything from the website. I was so sad to see when I rolled up that they're closed! It must have been really recent because I saw people in there moving things around and cleaning. I was pretty sad. :( I was over by Schnuck's, though, and decided to run in and see if they have the ice cream that I've been wanting and looking for all week, Blue Bunny's Red Velvet Cake ice cream. They didn't have it at the ghetto Kroger and it cost me $6 at Schnuck's, but oh--was it worth it! Advisor job at Heartland is posted! I'm so excited and nerv
I'm currently reading a book (for fun!) that Philip got me for Christmas last year, called "Looking for Class." The author (Bruce Feiler) attended the University of Cambridge in the early 1990s and the book chronicles his time there. I know most of the places and little English nuances that he describes and it just makes me so happy! Here's one of my favorite passages so far: "Among students, tourists, even professors, there is one indisputable manner in which Cambridge promotes love: it is an incredibly, at times overwhelmingly, romantic place. For some, the charm is the setting. Cambridge, wrote Henry James, boasts 'the loveliest confusion of Gothic windows and ancient trees, of grassy banks and mossy balustrades . . . of single-arched bridges spanning the little stream, which is small and shallow and looks as if it had been turned on for ornamental purposes.'" Even though he was there over 20 years before I was, it's amazing to me that th
I have a full-time temporary job! I will be an Academic Advisor II at Heartland Community College June-September. My first full day is June 6. I'm really excited about it and I'm so lucky that it worked out this way. I'm hoping for a posting for a full-time permanent advising position in the near future, but we shall see. And even if there's a posting, it's not for sure that I'd get it. Cecilia sounded optimistic, but who knows? Ahh! I'm so excited! Oh... I think I forgot to mention in a previous post that I didn't get offered the job at Lake Land. She called me last week and was super sweet about it--saying she wished they had two positions, if another opens they'll call me, that she wouldn't have changed anything about me or my interviews, etc.... but that they chose someone else. Hahaha. I got off the phone feeling good about it and I don't regret applying and going down there twice for interviews. It wasn't meant to be that I move t
Yesterday I graduated with my Master's degree. It wasn't even difficult to wake up at 6:30 to get ready for it. I always try to be mindful and pay attention to days such as yesterday, because I want to remember what it was like and what I felt like. It was so fun putting on the hood, taking pictures with the cohort, waiting to walk out, walking into Redbird Arena with the seats packed with supportive family members, waiting to have my name called, walking across the stage, hugging Dr. Phyllis, and making my way back to my seat, officially with a Master's degree and finished with all things graduate school. I got a little teary-eyed a few times. I enjoyed grad school and learned a ton, but a transitional point in life is always a little bittersweet. I thought briefly about my mom, who would be proud of me. I thought about how lucky I am to even have this opportunity. And I thought about all the hard work that I put in to accomplish this. It feels good and I am happy.
Bright. Driven. Fabulous. Focused. Friendly. Funny. Genuine. Great. Motivated. Organized. Peaceful. Planner. Positive. Real. Role-model. Sassy. Studious. Wonderful. These are the words that my cohort colleagues used to describe me (in alphabetical order, no less). I must say that the original quote on the card for the words sassy and funny were as follows: " secretly sassy and funny." I just think that's hilarious. Secretly? I guess I'll take it. Anyway, I thought all of those things were nice. It's good to hear nice things about yourself once in a while. I think my favorites are genuine and peaceful. I don't necessarily see myself as a peaceful person, but I'm glad I exude that somehow sometimes to at least one person. :)