I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my blog. A lot has happened. First of all, it's a new semester. I'm taking mostly classes for my major and the work is finally starting to pile up. The beginning of the semester was very slow. I didn't have a lot of homework and I wasn't very motivated to go above and beyond what was necessary. I decided that I need to be busy to be successful. I was just waiting for the demanding projects, papers, and tests to be demanding. One of my favorite classes this semester is IAS 220: Introduction to International Development. This is an elective course for my major and it is so interesting. It's taught by Ralph Brown. I took sociology from him last year and I really liked it so I decided to take another class from him. He hasn't disappointed me yet!
The first few weeks of the class were great because Ralph let us figure out the rue definition of development by stretching our brains and figuring it our ourselves (instead of wearing out our hands by showing slide after slide on a powerpoint presentation like most professors). The past 6 or so weeks have been filled with guest speakers from different departments. They each give their definition of international development and what their department does to take on the challenge of helping impoverished people. The class has really inspired me to see what I can do to help the world that is in such turmoil. We just finished reading The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver. It's a bout a southern Baptist family who goes to the Congo in the early 1960s to ocnvert and baptize everyone. Well, as you can guess, the mission is a huge failure but everyone in the family learns something about themselves and about the world. Read it, you'll probably learn something about yourself too.
The weather is finally showing signs of spring! The first month of the semester is all a blur to me. I mean really a blur, it snowed almost every single day. The past few weeks have been beautiful and warm and I can't wait to stash away my winter clothes for the season.
I ran the Rex Lee Run this morning. I ran the 5k, which is a little over 3 miles. Sometimes I feel like a wimp because I didn't dot he 10k but then I remind myself that 3 miles is far and I just ran the whole way. I'm awesome! This run is just a landmark for me though. About a month ago I decided that I was going to start running again. I'm in a health behavior change class and my personal elaht behavior change was to get more exercise. It took me a while to finally decide how to get more exercise and I knew running was the answer. I talked to my mom about it and she is such an inspiration to me for getting off my lazy bum and working out. She has made so many awesome changes in her life since she started walking/running daily and I knew if I talked to her, I could too. She gave me some great tips about running in the cold and even sent me some great stuff to bundle up in for my winter afternoon runs. So, I started running everyday, except Thursday (class and work all day) and Sunday. I must say, I've actually run 5 days a week for over 4 weeks. After a few days of running I decided to start training for the Rex Lee Run and that commitment has really helped me invest time and engery into running. I think I'm going to start training for a 10k and hopefully, eventually a half marathon, maybe...
I decided to stay in Provo for the next year. I'll be working 30 hours a week and taking at least 6 credits during spring/and summer. And yes, I'm worried about going crazy. I just can't resist getting paid to go to school. It also gives me more time to consider a minor and/or life after graduation. I applied and interviewed for an internship earlier this week and hopefully I'll be hearing the results in a few days. The position is at the Student Wellness Center at UVSC (soon to be UVU) and it would dbe great experience in health promotion, counseling and other health related work.
Friends have become very important to me lately. As an introverted person, I tend to have a few very close friends and it's hard for me to really expand my "friend base" (as some would say). But lately, I've been trying to spend time with lots of friends. My roommates are always a safety net for me but lately my safety has not been the same. It hasn't failed, by any means, but I simply know it's not the same. Without that safety net, I've been taking risks. I've become more confident in my abilities and strengths and have begun to believe that people actually do want to spend time with me. I can visit people without a wingman (actually woman) and I don't always have to make plans to have a great time with new, awesome friends. One thing I wish I could change is that I wish everyone I love could stay right here, close to me. Sometimes I feel like as soon as life gets good and I start to love people, plans change and I know they won't be around for long. I just hope they won't be gone for good.
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