Constant Adjustments

Hey all, and welcome to week three.

This week was pretty low-key, but I did that on purpose. Sometimes it's nice to sit around and get some reading done and keep things simple. Plus, it was raining all weekend, so low-key seemed to be the name of the game.

Starting off classes this week was a bit of a wake-up call. I quickly realized that I can't procrastinate and that I really need to engage with the assigned readings. No procrastination because classes are based on the massive amounts of reading we have to do. Each week we are assigned three primary sources and academic articles for each class. The primary source is written exactly how people spoke back in the Roman days, just translated into English. And no more skimming through readings just to say I did it because each class had a one-hour in-person seminar along with the lectures. The seminar has six or seven other students, and if you didn't engage with the reading, it makes it hard to participate. Or you just look stupid for not knowing the answer to a professor’s question. Long gone are the days of skimming, and long gone are the days of pushing off readings till I'm in the mood!!

There's one thing I realized this week that's been hard about moving to England. At San Marcos, I prioritized getting to know as many people on campus as possible. I know people that work in the main office, I know Deans of collages that I'm not a part of, I know faculty and staff from all different disciplines, and of course, I know the whole veteran center staff. I didn't realize how hard it would be to no longer have all these people behind me and constantly pushing me in the right direction. 

I've been looking for summer internships or something where I can get some hands-on experience, but for some reason, I keep hitting roadblocks. Usually, I would go to someone on campus, and they could point me in a direction or give me some advice. But it's hard here because I don't know any of the staff or available programs. So, I reverted back to what I usually do. I was graciously reminded to stay fluid during this process. Keep pushing for new opportunities, but also enjoy the process of looking for them.

On a more fun note, I decided to sign up for a buddy program. Basically, the school partners me up with another international student, and we go through this big transition together. I finally got to meet my 'buddy' this week. She is originally from Russia but lives in France. She's a little older than most kids here, so it's nice to be partnered with someone closer to my age. 

We decided that we would go to a coffee meet and greet with other International students for our first meeting. Alright, so I definitely wouldn't have gone to something like this unless she asked me to; I'm not too into crowds or being in a room full of talking. It's usually not my kind of scene. But I have to say, I enjoyed getting to know my buddy and other international students. I've met people from Germany, Egypt, India, Poland, Singapore, Portugal, and Canada. And they are so willing to share their experiences from their countries and their experience moving here for college. I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone and met all these new and amazing people!

Here's to trying to stay fluid during this journey.

Till next week,

~Cheers