Woohoo!!! 54 more units and I will have my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Adolescents, Community, and Education. I'm so so happy about this.
This past semester was incredibly difficult for me. I didn't expect it to be (then again, when do you expect bad things?) so I felt totally unprepared.
Overall I came out looking pretty good. I have a boyfriend now (he's cool, I like him), and a GPA well above what is required for my scholarship. Also, I feel like I really learned A LOT this semester that I can apply to my real life. The one that hopefully comes after the next 54 units of education.
I took two sustainability classes (it was actually quite convenient because a lot of it overlapped so I didn't have to study nearly as hard for either one). One of them was a gen-ed, the other was for my minor. I got a B in the gen-ed one (I was confused about the attendance policy. I didn't think attendance was worth anything, turns out it was actually worth A LOT. Oopsies.). But that was the only B I got this year. The worst part is that I got an A on everything in the class... But didn't have enough attendance :( boo.
My other classes were interesting. I loved/hated Spanish. I want to be fluent in Spanish someday. Really, I do. That class was at 9 in the morning 4 days of the week. And it had the power to change my attitude every day. Haha. I did extremely well in that class. I ended up with a 96% on the final (a MIRACLE because that was the hardest language test I have ever taken. Ever. Ever.).
The other classes that I really enjoyed were Public Education in America (I'm an informed voter on issues of public education now) and Adolescence Through Literature (it changed my ideas and perceptions a lot).
Sooo.. The typical quick run-down of this semester:
January: Woooo, my classes stressed me out beyond belief. Plus I was adjusting (again) to cold weather and working dos trabajos. Also I started dating Roland at the end of this month (also, there was this other guy that I became unfriends with because I started dating Roland, and that made me sad). OH! And UA made me jump through this stupid little hoop of flame and terror and gave me a week to gather proof of where all of my scholarship money from the past YEAR had gone.
February: I heard back from UA that I had successfully jumped through the hoop and they accepted my million pages of bank statements and itemized lists of where the money had gone. Chloe and I started going to the gym. We did that in January, too. We only went like four or five times. I'm just not one of those girls. I got to see my grandpa Crossman (Pa) and a bunch of my dad's family and it was so beautiful. I love them. I spoke in church. And I was sick. I got new glasses and they are cool. Roland and I went and visited Lakeside. I can't remember what the occasion was, but it was enjoyable.
March: Roland and I cleaned up a lot of mold from my apartment. Oh yeah and one roommate moved out (marriage) and another moved in (craigslist). Roland and I volunteered at the Community Food Garden, it was a good time and we got vegetables (he picked some himself, big step since he doesn't like plants). I went to a Steve Aoki concert with Sarah and Chloe and Victoria and friends of Victoria and that was a lot of good fun. I would say it was clean, but I somehow managed to get a hickey without noticing until afterwards. And I wasn't making out with anyone either. Mom, don't freak out about this. Melanie visited me and I realized how utterly boring my life is. Also, I did taxes and found out I have to pay on my scholarships so I owed a lot of money to the government and that was stressful. My cousin Annalee got baptized. It was beautiful. I went to Beyond Wonderland with Sarah, Drew, and Roland. Also Jeff rode with us but didn't dance with us. That was the most fun I've had dancing in like my whole life. I realized things this month about what kind of people I want to be close to and what kind of people I want to love from a distance. It was a good realization.
April: Went and saw the Easter Pageant. Also, visited my mom. And read my brother's play for the first time. He's so talented. Then I went to Idaho to see his play (because it was produced. Because he's so talented). That was a great trip. Also very stressful because it was the weekend before my finals and it was more expensive than I could really afford. And it was a very quick visit. My phone got stolen out of Roland's car so I had to buy a new one. Thankfully my dad let me sign a contract so it was cheap. I wrote a lot of group papers/projects and single papers/projects and finals and tests and all sorts of nonsense. This was the busiest month I had for work, everything just came crashing down. Also my parents started dating/I met their dating partners. And while I like to think that I have handled everything really well concerning the divorce/moving/separated family thing. I didn't handle this well. I'm fine now. But I wasn't. My aunt had her baby <3
May: I finished my finals. Also I lost the job I thought I would have over summer. So I applied to a hundred other jobs. Then I got the job back. But already have my schedule filled up. Luna turned 4. I had the less than three heart there, but four is greater than three so I couldn't leave it up. I have been pretty stressed about how my family is doing. I feel disconnected from them and worried for their well-beings. I don't know why. I made my mom dinner for Mother's day and I think it turned out pretty well.
Anyway, that was my semester. Add in a whole lot of roommate drama (just simple things like doing dishes and cleaning up after themselves and ideological differences that hit soft spots) and financial stress and sickness... And you may have an idea of how it went. Oh, and I had a calling as a group FHE coordinator and no one ever came.
But I survived. And I'm doing great now. My schedule for next semester looks good so far. I'll be able to keep both jobs. Also, my financial aid came out and is looking good. Especially if I keep both jobs.
So right now things are looking pretty good. I'm trying to figure out travel plans for the summer. I want to go to California and Lakeside at some point (maybe Lakeside multiple times). My last class for the school year with Mad Science is tomorrow (thank goodness, this has been a difficult class). I'm working about 20 hours/week at SALT and my boss has been giving me more projects than he used to. I like the extra responsibility/having something to do other than surf the interwebs all day. :)
Well, this post seems negative. But it isn't. This semester was hard but I learned a lot about myself and what I truly care about and want to prioritize. Also, I survived it. And I'm still doing okay! :)
Chanda C.
