So. Here we are, already about halfway through my last fall semester of my undergraduate career. I'm not sure how that happened, and most days I'm genuinely not a fan of this whole "being a senior" thing and making grown-up decisions. But after several weeks of slowly dying of debilitating anxiety, today I actually got really excited about it.
Here's a tip: figuring out what to do after undergrad is hard. Especially so if one is in the field of history-or, I imagine, most humanities- because there is a limited amount of opportunity even for people with higher degrees than mine, so just jumping into the job market after graduation is not a really viable option. So what's next? Grad schools, preferably a good, recognizable one. Now, if you thought applying to colleges the first time around was hard, try grad school hunting while meanwhile having a full course-load, a part-time job, an internship of sorts, and three clubs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to complain (about that list of stuff, I mean, I am absolutely complaining about grad schools) it just makes making giant life decisions more stressful than it already is. Then there's finding out that you didn't really know as much about your aspiratory field as you thought and so how prepared for that undertaking are you really? And then there's GRE's which are basically an SAT for higher degrees.
There was more than one moment that I was tempted to just say "screw it" and run away, maybe to be hermit in a cave in Ireland. Or marry a rich Irishman. Or Englishman. Or Scotsman. Or maybe just never interact with the outside world again. I don't know, but I figure I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
Hello, Human
But no. In all honesty, I thank God so much for advisors and professors who are genuinely invested in helping me achieve my goals, no matter how impossible attaining those goals sometimes seems. They have been talking with me and helping me make decisions about my best options, telling me books I should start reading and projects I should start working on. They don't have to do this, but they are anyway, and I'm so grateful; I would be so lost without their help.
So there I was, after another meeting that, while helpful, still left me kind of stressed about making decisions and adult-ing and stuff, because after I make the decisions I still have to do those things I've decided to do, which often makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. But then I had a thought.
Be a rock star. That's a plan. And blue. No problem. A blue rock star. Just kidding, that's not it at all, and anyway it's been done.
Yeah, this is stressful, and yes, I wish it were a million times easier, but this is something I want. I may not have always wanted to be a historian (most of my life I've wanted to straight up be an author of novels- which I still do, believe me-and had very little interest elsewhere) but I do now, so much. It's a field that I have a lot of passion for and what would be better than spending my life doing that? It's hard now, and I don't really expect that it'll ever really be "easy," but I believe that it'll be worth it in the long run.
And anyway, it could be so much harder. As it is I have multiple professors who I genuinely admire helping me to work towards my goals. I have a family and friends that supports me and believes I have enough potential to do whatever I put my mind to. I have these opportunities that are right in front of me and all I have to do is put in some work-albeit incredibly exhausting work- and I could have a chance of doing some really wonderful things. I'm told nothing great comes without some hard work, after all, so maybe this is leading to something great, maybe something I haven't even imagined myself.
Call me cute. I dare you.
It's a weird life, it really is. It's an exciting one, too, though. There are a lot of negative things, doubt, anxiety, and the everyday stresses of life, but there is so much that is really, really, really good. That makes me hopeful and happy. Thank you, Jesus. :)
So... I didn't mean to get all preachy and "deep" but it's what's been on my mind a lot lately. What's also on my mind, on a more lighthearted note, is that Felicity from Arrow is going to be on the Flash next Tuesday. So while the former is currently a dark hole of tormented Olicity and Sara feels that I nevertheless am sucked inextricably into, Felicity is basically my favorite and Barry Allen is like an adorable speedy little puppy; I think it's going to be a fun one. Yay. :)
Also, if any of you ever want to know a pretty solid volume of information about the Medici family from Renaissance Italy, I have a great PBS documentary to recommend (thank you Ren and Ref class).
OH MY GOSH LOOK AT IT I WANT IT GIMME!
And if nothing else makes you smile, remember there is peanut butter and chocolate in this world, which is really a beautiful thing.
Now, you may have noticed some seemingly random pictures,
What is happening? I was not prepared to deal with this!
*Lllllliick* All better.
and you are not wrong- they have nothing to do with what I was talking about. I've just been weirdly obsessed with Stitch and foxes lately (and oh my gosh that lemur's adorable), and have no self control, so I'm going to leave you with those cute pictures, and also a video, because Beyonce.
Okay, so I realize that my last post was kind of whiny and sad. I legitimately did not mean to make my roommate feel bad about leaving me all alone, so sorry about those things. After about two weeks of Pittsburgh, I think I'm feeling a little better about the whole thing, though. And also I'm still kind of a little hermit who is starting to forget what the sun looks like, I've just read nearly two hundred pages of history homework, and so I've decided to spend some time blogging. Anyway. There are still some big cons to being here: I swear I can hear everything that happens outside this building, and the windows and doors are all completely shut, I checked. I can't hear other tenants, but that group of adolescent boys walking down the street and being generally ruckusy, I can hear them and the car alarm across the way clear as day. And also bus passes are freaking expensive and make me a sad person, especially since the whole job thing has not happened yet. But
So originally I had another idea planned for post numero dos, however I have been otherwise inspired. : ) Why? Because it's snowing in Waynesburg, and for the first time this winter, it is sticking for more than a couple of hours, and there are actually several inches of the fluffy whiteness on the ground. I have a love-dislike relationship with snow. Or rather, I love snow, but I really dislike the one property that makes it a possibility, and that would be the cold. If snow could come without freezing my butt off, I would be unbelievably stoked. And a little concerned. But mostly stoked. Oh, and it's also not so great for those of us who have an issue walking straight normally. So yeah, it has its perks and its downsides, but who really wants something to be really fun and pretty if it doesn't also have the quality of making everyone's uncoordinated friends make a fool of themselves? I mean, elegance is awesome, but it's pretty great to know that it can add a
So, I've thrown around the idea of starting a blog for some time now, and came to the conclusion that I never would. I thought, "Everyone and their five brothers has a blog, and despite the fact that they all hope people will read it, maybe two actually do and one of them is their Mom." As it turns out, for a class that I'm taking as a Creative Writing major, I am, in fact, required to start a blog. Guess I came to the wrong conclusion, there. Oh well, this could actually be kinda fun. : ) I guess my first post should be a little bit about me, the author. My name is Amber, and as I mentioned, I am a creative writing major, and I am also double majoring in history. I know- I have made some seriously excellent choices for an economically sound future. You know that now you all want to go change your majors, and then we can all get together and have a community of box-dwelling authors who have deeply intelligent conversations about the influences of corn on the cu
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