I apologize for posting this blog a day late, but in my
defense, it is the last one of the semester, and I had my last final to
worry about yesterday. I think my finals went well; I knew what all the
questions were asking and most of the answers, although I can never tell how
much I’m supposed to write on the essays. They’re over, though, which is the main
thing.
I had my first exam (Music) on Saturday and the second and final
(History) yesterday. It was much easier to study for music; there was
vocabulary, and you could listen to the pieces we studied over and over. I don’t
know if I’ll ever want to hear Beethoven’s 9th again. History,
though, was the history of philosophy, and it’s rather difficult to study
philosophy by rote, so I did more general reading and reviewing of theories.
My free time has been spent going back to the lake for long
walks and memorizing German vocabulary. It still hasn’t snowed – not once! –
and the weather has been very nice, so the walks have been frequent and allowed
me to do some deeper thinking. The vocabulary is progressing nicely, even if it
does mean many hours staring at a computer screen. Helen gave me a book of “things
to memorize” for Christmas; she knows me well. The rest of my time has been
spent dabbling in Norse mythology through the elder Eddas, which I’ve finally
found online.
The Eddas are interesting, although I probably like them
better because I can’t read them except through the lens of Lord of the Rings
and The Hobbit. Still, I can’t see as humans differ much over time or
space. For instance, see how you sympathize with these Norse sayings (I
paraphrased the translations):
The early wolf catches the sheep.
Where there’s a wolf’s ears, there’s
a wolf.
A witless man, when he meets with
men/ Had best in silence abide/ For no one shall find that nothing he knows/ If
his mouth is not open too wide.
And of course I went to a few events and said goodbye to
everyone; for once, I’ll be in the same place when I come back, so the goodbyes
weren’t that hard. And I’ll have a great many hellos to say soon. I’m not sure
exactly what my break plans are, but I’ll resume my blog when I get back in
late January. As I think I can say is traditional by now, I’ll do a little
reflection on the semester/year before I go:
Classes were easier this semester, even though I had six of
them. They were more sedately paced, and they gave me more time for reflection.
They connected in various ways: the philosophy of personal identity made its
way into my history class, and my reflections on Nietzsche from German related
to the pieces in Music, and in Arabic we were talking about social and
political topics that fell under one or another of these umbrellas at times. It’s
given me a lot to think about; I love connecting things.
Outside classes I think I’m still seeing the effects of
study abroad: more independence, more perspective. They’re easier to see now
that I’m back in my normal environment. I can plan trips; I’m organizing my
whole life, not just my studies; things are in perspective. And I’m driving here
now – that’s a big thing, although I haven’t had to deal with snow yet.
One of the biggest changes since the last time I was at
Harvard, which is due both to my development and having more free time, is
friends. I’ve learned to better relate to and invest time in people, and that
productivity and independence don’t have to mean shutting people out. As a
result, I have more substantial relationships with more people now than at most
times in my life.
I have to admit I get travel-sick sometimes; I miss all my
studies abroad. Still, it’s good to be back in the States, although I may have
had more culture shock coming from Texas to Massachusetts than I had in any of
my other location-changes (probably because I wasn’t expecting it). I hope that
in the future, I’ll have more time to spend adventuring, but I’m also glad I’ve
had time to stop and reflect – and even more, now that the semester has ended.
Time is flying by; it won’t be long until I’m back at school
and then done with school. Until I write again, Happy Holidays, Merry
Christmas, Happy New Year, and best wishes!
Pictures: Sorry for all the scenery; it's just been really pretty around here lately.
In case you're wondering, this is getting near sunset, but that's because it's around 3:30 in the afternoon.
Our dining hall: the extroverts and the introverts
One of the side entrances to my dorm/a basketball court (this is sunrise - ROTC):
About to take my music exam in the Science Center:
It was just a really pretty day:
History exam:
Last pictures of the lake (for this year). I promise. :)