College is Hard- August 27, 2013

The moment I rolled out of bed today, I knew today was going to be different, and not in a good way.

First of all, I woke up a bit later than I'd hoped. I still made it to class on-time, but was certainly more rushed in getting to class.
The first class of the day was Intro to Theatrical Production, and was... ok. A little overwhelming, honestly. It's my only class with more than one professor, and also the only class I'll be taking all year. There are two "tracks": Shop and Crew. Shop works in the set shop for a semester, Crew works on a show's crew for at least one show during the semester. I'm hoping to get the shop stuff done first. The professors all seem nice, but... there's just a lot of work involved.

After class, I was still feeling tired and weary and definitely starting to get stressed out, so I made myself a tradition without even realizing it beforehand. I went to a little coffee/tea shop on-campus called LiteraTea, got myself a steaming cup of tea, sat down in the courtyard outside, and did my devotional for the day. It's incredible how a little bit of Bible and a little bit of tea can completely change your mood. After spending just a half hour outside, I felt worlds better, so I went down to the dungeon gym nearby my dorm room and worked out for a bit before lunch.

Here are some views from where I was sitting.

Isn't it beautiful?

My next class was Text Studies for Production, which will most certainly be fascinating. We'll be reading a lot, which sounds like fun! The first play is Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, as we explore the works of Aristotle, Stanaslavski, and.... someone else. I don't remember. The professor is brand new, and reminds me a bit of Mr. Hardy, but is still nice.

I don't remember much of what I did before my next class. I think I got frozen yogurt and tried to get organized... ugh...

Spanish class was next. We had to read the syllabus before coming to class and it was.... extensive and intense. I like my professor quite a lot though. She reminds me a bit of Miss Doyle: very direct and straightforward, but also down to earth and easy to approach. This is the class with the most work, as far as I can tell for right now, but I think I'll be ok...

Right after Spanish class was the Drama School meeting/free dinner so that everyone who's in a drama-related club could put up a booth for interested students. I got to see and say hi to the fabulous Tyler Miclean, which was fun for me! Then, I went back to the dorm, feeling even more stressed and overwhelmed.

It's not the classes that are stressful, just the overall, total quantity of things to do on campus... in general. I've just felt so overbooked and it's only going to get worse: the involvement faire is tomorrow.

I know, I know: I can't do everything, and I don't plan to, but it's hard to solidify your schedule when you still don't know what your schedule will completely consist of. I don't know which Christian group I'll end up joining, therefore I don't know what meetings to plan for or not, I don't know what groups or other clubs I'll get into, so I can't plan for those, then there's a bunch of other random events going on that sound like fun and a great way to get to know students/faculty.... It's a huge bundle. It's just plain a lot.

But I have to take things one day at a time, learn how to organize myself, and figure out my priorities and how to enforce those priorities. It's all a complicated learning process, or, as my Spanish professor put it, walking the tightrope toward adulthood with the help of a safety net.

But what I know, and what they never tell you, is how hard it is to get out of that net after you've fallen off and you're dangling 500 feet in the air. ...We'll see.

The day ended with me hanging out in the lounge with friends a bit as I finished my homework that's due tomorrow (I still have homework, but it's not due tomorrow), and going to my first Christian group event with InterVarsity. There were only four of us, but we had a nice little Bible Study and I had a decent time.

I ought to be reading something right now.... but I've got time tomorrow, and I'd really rather sleep. Or do I have time tomorrow? Now I'm not sure...

I have decided a good way of keeping track of what I have to do is Post-It notes. I have orange ones for homework, and pink for other to-do items. If I run out of room for Post-Its... then that's a sign I'm doing too much. I'll tell you now, I'm not sure how I'll fit the next Post-It, and might end up cheating and putting the existing ones closer together.

Here's what it looks like... Oh! And what my desk currently looks like!

*Sigh...* Just got to keep going, I guess. At least it's only the first not-so-great day instead of the middle of a long chain of bad days, right? Tomorrow's another day...

"At the end of the day there's another day dawning,
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise."
- Les Miserables

No matter how your day's going, Fight on, friends.