Good morning, Internets. You may have forgotten that there are other authors for this SHC blog besides Meg (who I should add has done a fantastic job holding down the fort through the entire semester). It was an extremely busy semester for all of us here at Penn State, but we’ve made it to Winter Break.
Archive for December, 2008
“I HATEEE MYYY LIFEEE”
That’s the motto of my apartment these days. In some ways, it couldn’t be farther from the truth– my roommate and I were just discussing how much we hate to see this semester end because we liked our classes so much. We’re getting ready to “pursue our dreams” of studying English (my roommate) and neuroscience (me) at the graduate level to earn our doctorate degrees. We eat home-cooked dinners together almost every night. We even have a full sized, live Christmas tree.
But it’s finals week. Papers, exams, GRAD SCHOOL APPs… those, we hate. Who doesn’t? Earlier this week, I felt more overwhelmed than I ever have during an exam period. Just thinking of the volume of exams and papers I needed to accomplish for classes, and perfecting my personal statements, and what if I don’t get into grad school, what if I’m not good enough, what will I ever do if I can’t go for my PhD? (And when am I going to go Christmas shopping?) I’ve felt just completely miserable about the immediate prospects of my life.
Then, today I picked up the paper for the first time since we returned from Christmas break. After half an hour, I felt like the most unbelieveably selfish person on the planet.
Which is worse, a country ravaged by a cholera epidemic or its own rebel war troops? Would you rather face a crisis dictated by disease or savage murder by your countrymen? Or what about riots in your country’s capital and major cities? And that was just the front page.
It’s amazing to think we can get caught up in the minutiae of our own small lives to the point where we forget all of the incredible things that surround us. Millions of people would die for the opportunity to live somewhere where you can sleep soundly at night, assured you have food to eat and clean running water.
Finals week or no finals week– remember how fortunate you are.
Recent Comments