Ups and Downs

                Hello, everyone. I’m sorry this is so late again; it has been quite a hectic week. No one thing has been particularly hard, but I’m starting up a bunch of activities at once, so I’ve been running around in ten different directions the majority of the time. It looks like the end of the week is going to be a little calmer, though, so hopefully I’ll have time to fit in all my studying.

                Because I’m only taking three classes at Harvard, not counting my thesis, class has actually taken up very little of my time and concentration thus far. I do like my classes, but it’s hard to keep track of your progress when most of the work consists solely of reading. I need to set the ball rolling on my thesis fairly soon as well – another project for the weekend – but that’s much less structured and thus, in my opinion, more enjoyable. As it turns out, I’ll also have to do independent study for German – the class isn’t offered this semester – so I’m still trying to find a way to track that.

                A much larger part of my week has been taking over major leadership positions in both Christian Impact and ROTC, and that familiar feeling of being in charge when everything goes haywire. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy being in charge of things. I think it’s the satisfaction of being able to organize something efficiently and execute it well that I find so appealing. Still, last-minute changes and unexpected obstacles will always raise the stress level. Everything turned out fine, though, and I don’t stress nearly as much as I used to about these sorts of things.

My workouts are going decently; of course, the hard part is always eating right. Harvard dining, in my opinion, has a much greater talent for desserts than for vegetables – but maybe I’m just biased toward desserts in the first place (aren’t we all). Not eating makes me a little grumpy, but workouts, unlike classes, give quantifiable results, so my fitness program is both stress-relieving and satisfying. One minor inconvenience: I tend to destroy my shoes every semester, so I have several new pairs that weren’t designed for rushing around from one crisis to another, with result that one of my ankles is a little swollen and my heels are pretty much destroyed. They’re being good sports about it, though.

My microwave and mini-fridge finally arrived yesterday, which added a lot of convenience to my life. I’ve also received many, many much-needed boxes from my parents – I need more stuff every year – and a lovely gift from a friend (thanks, Bekah!). I’ve also found a small mom-and-pop grocery store close to the Quad with a much better selection of tea than CVS, so my room is becoming homier all the time. Not only that, but it’s now cooled off enough that I can put bedding on my bed and sleep like a normal person, which is very exciting.

I’m not going to lie; it’s been a week of ups and downs. There were bright points but also crying sessions, and the roller coaster effect is amplified by the calorie deficit and sleep reduction. I am still getting up at five; not only do I not mind it anymore, but I positively enjoy it. When I’m worried about things, though, I have a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night, so I’ve been having a hard time getting all my hours in. Don’t worry; I’m getting lots of antioxidants from my vitamin C supplement and green tea!

But overall, despite the occasional outburst that makes me wonder if I’ve really matured at all over the last four years, the semester is starting off well. Things are still a little in flux, so I won’t have the full picture of the semester until probably next week, but at the moment, I’m optimistic. Here’s to another week of self-improvement and the best year of school yet!

Pictures: I've been trying to get this delivered since I got here - success!

On my way to class on a beautiful morning:

The familiar face of Harvard Square:

And more of Cambridge:

This cemetery is from the 1600s and has some important people in it, but I mainly think of it as a shuttle stop.

This might look like just a patch of grass, but for the past three years or so this has been a mud slough surrounded by various levels of construction equipment. Being able to see to the other side is very exciting.

Home sweet home:

Until next week!