Time Flying, Deadlining, and Other Stories

            So, does everyone remember my last three blog posts or so, where I said I was hoping that my schedule would settle in? Well – it’s getting there. I have one more section to schedule, and then all I have to do is set my small group times accordingly and I’ll be good to go (ideally).

            But at the moment, I’m not too worried about that. Mostly because yesterday I was at MIT for ROTC at 5:45 AM and had a cappella until past midnight, with no naps in between. I don’t know if anything has the capacity to worry me right now. Luckily, today offers lots of chances for naps.

            A few interesting things have happened since I wrote last. I’ve written the rough draft of my first philosophy paper, for one. I’ve done swim PT with NROTC, which was pretty fun. I went to a very interesting talk by a former Navy SEAL and to a barbecue by my entryway. I know my a cappella part for four new songs. And the Navy, in five days, has managed to show me no less than twelve PowerPoint presentations.

            Classes are humming along fine. My Mondays and Tuesdays run mainly on autopilot, but that should end after this week, when we move the Monday a cappella practice to Saturday. Last weekend was blissfully free, and I was able to catch up on my rest and get a lot of my work done in advance. So besides the things I need to do daily, I have a little elbow room – which at the moment is being filled by naps. Yes, I know. One-track mind here.

            I also, incidentally, got my pset (problem set) done directly after my Calculus class yesterday, which made me very happy. Philosophy is always interesting; we’ve had some good discussions. I’m settling into NROTC; I think everybody is starting to get the hang of things, and with that everyone is becoming more comfortable. My Modern Middle East class is a lot of reading, but since I like history it’s no burden, and I’m excited to explore the connections between the time of Napoleon and today. And in Hebrew we’re reading a short story about identity, and we all know I’m always up for a good short story. My Hebrew computer (i.e. the one that types in Hebrew) is literally falling apart piece by piece (my parents have mailed me the part that fell off before I left), so we’ll see how that resolves itself.

            I also want to put in a brief word about my a cappella group, which for future reference is named Under Construction, or UC for short. They are an awesome group of people musically – even the warm-ups give me tingles – and also a great group of friends. Of our six hours of practice a week, an hour is devoted to Word Study, where we read the lyrics to a song and a correlating Scripture passage and then talk about the meaning of both and break into small groups to talk and pray together. Everyone is really supportive and open, and they’re also just a really fun group of people.

            There are, of course, always emotional conflicts as well. Trying to decide how I feel about being here alone, gaining independence; about the importance of good friendships, how they look, how long they take to form. But it’s amazing how un-conflicted one feels when one has had little to no sleep in forty-eight hours. All those problems just seem to disappear…

             I would like to add a short thought to my analysis of time passing a few posts back. We all know that time flies when you’re having a good time. I would argue that it also flies (supersonically) when there are deadlines coming up. When one is focused on a future goal, especially when one is too tired to pay much attention to one’s immediate surroundings, time doesn’t even seem to exist sometimes. I wake up and think – what? It’s Monday again, so soon? But apparently it is, because here I am writing.

So, here’s to another week. I hope yours is great, and please remember all of us beleaguered college students starting to worry about Midterms! Next time I’ll stop giving updates of classes and try to talk a little more about the social, emotional, and other –ial aspects of things. So stay posted! Until then!

PS – This is Harvard after midnight. Things are pretty quiet outside (it’s getting colder, by the way) but about a third of the lights in my dorm were still on last night.

 

NROTC, UC and GPA

Well, it’s Monday, but it feels like my day off. I spent all of this weekend at Boston University for ROTC Indoctrination. And by all, I mean that I’ve had less than fifteen hours of sleep in the last three days.

I suppose it was fun in a very particular sort of way. It wasn’t a shock to be yelled at constantly and have to run from one place to another - I was expecting more and was actually surprised at how little it affected me. But it does take a bit of adjusting at first, when you’ve been giving the orders and taking the salutes for a couple of years, to be back in the bottom rung. Still, by the second day things had gotten a bit more relaxed, and there was a certain pleasure in sticking out a fist and yelling out a number as loud as possible.

Since I already knew how to march and shine my shoes, I found my thoughts turning to a lot of reminiscing. I remember the week before my freshmen year of high school, being second squad leader while someone taught me how to do a column left. And yesterday (not even kidding) there I was again, second squad leader, listening to instructions on column left. And thinking about high school.

I’ve discovered that I actually missed shining my shoes – it’s therapeutic. And I’ve missed other things as well, as annoying as some parts are. It made the week a lot easier, though, if one already knew how to drill and shine shoes and spit out the general orders and rank structure. So thanks and I miss you, SHS NJROTC!

Of course, college ROTC is different, because you are preparing to go into the military. I’m not on a Navy Scholarship, so I’m not obligated yet, but almost everyone else is. We took the oath of office yesterday night, and even though we’re not quite sure what the office entails yet and some of us have no formal obligation, holding up your right hand and swearing the words you’ve heard so many times have a way of reminding you of where you’re going and why it’s important.

I also, by the way, took my PFA (physical fitness assessment) and did well, which relieved a few of my worries. And I passed my second-class swim test with flying colors, which surprised me, since I didn’t even know if I would pass. It looks a lot worse than it is. Overall, a productive weekend, though I’m not so sure the word ‘enjoyable’ would be in order.

And now I have to go back to my real life, which means doing all the assignments that I didn’t have time for over the weekend on the few hours of sleep I got before PT this morning (which was actually fun; we did a few exercises and played soccer). So I have a to-do list that’s over a page long, plus my calendar, to work out, and people keep sending me emails with more things to do. But it’s getting there; I’ve knocked out my priorities this morning. Tonight I’m doing three different things and won’t have time to do homework, but I think I’ll be alright.

So yes, classes have finally fallen into a normal routine, after what – three weeks? Assignments and readings proceed as mentioned on the syllabus, for the most part, and I can settle in and get done what I need to do. And incidentally, there’s nothing like spending from 5:15 in the morning to 8:00 at night getting yelled at across town to make your dorm room feel like home.

There are still, of course, some extra-curriculars to work out. As you know if you saw my facebook status, I made it into the a cappella group I auditioned for. They’re called Under Construction, and they are Harvard’s Christian a cappella. They had an audition and two call-backs, and I met a lot of great people and got to hear everybody sing. They are great people, I’ve been blessed just by auditioning, and I can’t wait to start singing with them!

That said, I’m still trying to work my schedule out between a cappella and sections and ROTC commitments and Christian groups and other things that keep popping up. But all in all, those are just minor problems that need to be ironed out. Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself. Things are coming along at rocket speed here, but so far I seem to be alright. I’m not planning more than a couple days ahead though; I’m just taking it one day at a time, keeping a close eye on my calendar, and trying not to overload.

That said, I still have a philosophy paper to plan for, ROTC reading to review, and a few other things to get done today, so it’s about time to mark this off my to-do list and get stepping. I hope you all have a great week, and pray for all us college students as we attempt to balance our lives without tripping and dropping anything terribly important!

 

PS - I write these on Monday, but by the time I can proof and post them it's Tuesday, so you're getting thing a day later. The last picture, by the way, is a one-day to-do list that I wrote during the less busy part of the last week. But as you can see, things do eventually get done.

Schedules and Other Things that Start with S

           Wow. Another week already, and classes just started – really started – today. We don’t even commit, officially, until tomorrow, but the homework is already rolling in, and everyone pretty much knows what they’re taking. I’ll do a brief run-down of my classes.

First, there’s Intro to Philosophy of Religion, which is already interesting. I’d read some of the selections before I came, but not most of them, and not as in-depth as I would have liked to. Since I’ve only had one ‘real’ class of it, I’m not sure if I like it or not yet. But I know the material is interesting, however presented. So I’m sure things will be fine. It also doesn’t seem to have daily homework, just reading and the periodic paper, which is nice. I’m looking forward to studying it.

There’s also Multi-Variable Calculus, which I took last semester with the same textbook. Hopefully that means I won’t have too much trouble understanding the content. The professor is from Switzerland, speaks very good English and is very nice. This class does have daily homework, but it seems okay for now. And daily means every other day, minus weekends, since it’s a M/W/F class.

Hebrew is going alright. I’m in Advanced Hebrew, which means I skipped four semesters in a summer. I’m a little behind the rest of the people in the class, but I seem to be doing fine with the classwork itself, and the teacher is really nice and assures me that I’ll be okay. And since she gives out the grades and has heard me speak, I’m trusting that unless things change significantly.

Modern Middle East is a course required for a concentration in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC), which translates into a major in Middle Eastern studies. I have my first class outside of shopping week tomorrow, but I already turned in the first assignment. It sounds like a little more work, but manageable, and an interesting class. Only time will tell.

And then, of course, there’s ROTC. It doesn’t count as one of my classes for Harvard, so it’s kind of an elective, even though it takes up more time than my classes. There’s PT (physical training) Monday mornings – early, at MIT – and class Tuesday and Thursday morning – not much later, at MIT, and a two-hour lab on Wednesday. We’re also going to spend this weekend doing an indoctrination program. The US military is the only organization I’ve come across that likes the word indoctrination. But in any case. There are some interesting insights having been at the other end of the chain of command, mostly cynical ones, but I like the instructor, and the class part is fine. The rest has been mainly paperwork, so I’ll have to wait a couple more weeks to see how it goes.

As for the official extra-curriculars, most of them haven’t started yet, or are still in the process of accepting applications. I have been to several of the Christian events, mainly hosted by two Christian organizations here. I love them both, and the people are wonderful. I have had upperclassmen and adults from the organizations pray with me, invite me out to eat, and check up to see how I’m doing. They have poured the love of Christ out on me, made sure I knew I had a place here. I hope that when I’ve settled in I can do the same for others. And I know that all of you back home are praying for me and loving me, too, and for that you have my deepest thanks.

I am starting to get back in school mode; I managed to actually get things done today within a reasonable time frame. I thrive under pressure, but it’s hard for me to find motivation without it. I tend to either go all out, where I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, exercise for hours every day, and work nonstop until eleven, or not go at all, to the extent that I don’t think it’s worth it to walk across to the dining hall to eat. And I actually like the former a lot better; it’s exhilarating, while the alternative makes me feel like a couch potato, which I basically am for a while.

That probably sounds very unhealthy, but it’s worked until now; I never take it too far. It’s just the transition that’s the hard part, because one takes the risk of getting blind-sided before one can switch modes. So I’m doing my best to change gears before I get knocked over. I know, I’m feeling about the same as last week. I’m not good at gradual changes; I keep expecting to jump into the deep end of the pool, and it keeps not coming. But then, classes have started now.

By the way, since I’m talking about indulgences, someone should bring up that the freshman 15 is not the freshmen’s fault. If everyone stopped holding ice cream socials and pizza parties and putting cupcakes and cookies in the smack middle of the dining hall, that probably wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Not that most of us would complain.

Anyway, that’s life here. I’ve finally been able to stop musing about the few events of the week and give some actual facts; this is what I meant to do in the first place. So hopefully you’re enjoying it and not bored. :) And with that, I should probably stop writing this rather long post and finish reviewing before I head to bed. And I need to drum up enough motivation to plunge into the deep end yet again. Wish me luck!

 

PS – I know; I completely forgot to post the convocation photos, but they're here now. Note: these were taken by our proctor, Morgan. I don’t know why people’s comments aren’t working on here; I tried to check it, but you can probably tell by the format that I don’t know much about these things. Sorry! If you have my facebook, or if you have any advice, technical or otherwise, I would welcome any messages or posts. Thank you for reading this extra paragraph that wasn’t actually supposed to belong here!

Convocation and College Life

            Hello again everybody! Sorry this is a little late; yesterday was pretty busy. We had convocation, and the term officially started. But before all of that, a little about the past week.

Things were actually fairly laid-back for the first week. If you want to expend all your energy exploring and meeting new people as much as humanly possible, you can, but most people don’t. The first week is a time to settle in, to adjust. There are a lot of things to adjust to.

There is, of course, college life in general. One has to wake up oneself, manage to get up, and then coordinate one’s events for the day without forgetting anything dreadfully important. So far, there aren’t that many things to remember, but that’s about to change. I already have a certain amount of experience with this, but things are more complicated now. I’ll keep you posted.

Then there are the little things – it rains here, and it’s starting to get colder already; and the big things – the sexual assault prevention and response presentation was a little brazen, and it made some people pretty uncomfortable. However, overall, the experience has been a good one. The population is diverse, interesting and amiable. I don’t think I have a better example than the freshman talent show last night – the performers covered everything from playing the dulcimer to improv comedy to beatboxing, and did everything very, very well.

So, with those initial impressions (we are, after all, still at the beginning) out of the way, on to convocation and the future.

The convocation ceremony wasn’t bad, actually. There were several speakers who offered the usual advice, including the Dean of Freshman, the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and the President of Harvard University, Drew Faust. There were also quite a few choral pieces, beautifully performed.

The ceremony was especially interesting for a few reasons. First, it rained, which meant the ceremony was inside, split up into two buildings. Since the point of convocation is for the whole class to physically assemble, just like graduation, the division led to an unforeseen layer of irony. The invocation was also a little interesting, prayed in the name of “everything holy, everything transcendent, and everything forever comforting.” I don’t think we’re in the Bible Belt anymore.

Convocation is important because it is the official beginning of everything. Up until yesterday, we had two or three meetings or presentations a day and after that were mostly left to ourselves. There were plenty of invitations by groups or clubs, but no obligations. All of that changes today. The days in my calendar before this are almost empty; starting today, things get crazy.

There are so many things to do! We don’t exactly start classes today, but classes do start. It’s “shopping period,” where we try them out, but if you already have a solid plan, you attend those classes regularly. So my schedule is going to be fairly regular. All of the extra-curriculars* also start activities – the Christian groups, the community service groups, all the singing groups, the intermural sports, and the thousand other things people do here.

This has filled up my schedule quite a bit, in combination with the fact that I’ve started meeting people, mainly from the aforementioned Christian groups. Whenever I don’t have an event or a class, I have a meeting. Which is great, despite the fact that I find the sight of my schedule vaguely terrifying at the moment.

But that’s what we’re here for – to take advantage of all the opportunities available for us. And there are so many opportunities – there are over 5000 course offerings. Think about it. That means, even at five classes every semester, each student will learn only .08% of what Harvard has to offer.

I am scared of my class load; I want the material to be challenging, but not impossible. I’m scared of my extra-curriculars; I want to do a lot, but I don’t want to overload. I’m scared of opportunity, but it is a good, or at least necessary, fear.  I want to max out my potential, and that means taking risks. I want to be far enough out to swim, but that means the risk of being in over my head.

 

 

So we’ll see what happens in the next few weeks. Hopefully by the next time I write, I’ll have worked into a routine that manages to balance classwork, exercise, and extra-curriculars. I will know what my schedule is and be ready to follow it - not the shell-shocked, still-in-summer-mode person I feel like right now. Hopefully, the ten-minute conversations and follow-up meetings I have this week will blossom into long-lasting friendships. Only time will tell.

At convocation, they told us that these four years would fly by faster than we could believe. I think that applies to pretty much everything – it has to do with exponential curves and the fact that a year is a smaller percentage of your life every year – but whatever the reason, I’m sure it’s true. So it is my prayer that all of us will use these four years to form friendships, learn all we can, enjoy what we love, do amazing things, and begin to become the people we were meant to be.

*I am aware that according to dictionary.com, “curriculars” is not a word. But extra-curricular activities is way too long and has annoyed me for a very long time. So consider this ‘s’ my rebellion against the system. :)  

And these pictures were taken by me sometime during the week (sorry about the quality). When I get a little more time I will add some pictures of my entryway before convocation that my proctor took - so check up in a few hours or a couple days. Other than that, until next week!