Addressing Some Things
Hey guys,
The past few days have taken quite the toll on me. Looking back, I know that it can appear that I'm always stressed or overworked. Granted, there are times where I do feel very overwhelmed, but I should address the fact that this isn't a constant thing. I think lately, having been working in addition to attending classes, I have been sounding very stressed. I've been thinking about it, and I think myself is partially to blame, as I have a bad habit of overanalyzing things and reacting quite quickly. This was most prominently seen when I lost, and then gained, my job. I'm trying to take time to relax more, and hopefully things will smoothen out in time. For this week, I don't seem to have too much to do, so I'm going to appreciate the time I have!
Today, being Tuesday, meant I had sociology. I haven't been talking about it online, but this class is one that I've given a lot of thought to. It's one of my two required honors classes, but is one that has made me very uneasy. I came very close to dropping the class and taking a W*, but wanted to talk to more people about what I should do before making any decisions. My biggest worry is that I'm overreacting and that I should just stick it out, but I don't want this to be a decision I will regret. From those that I've talked to, the opinions seem to be pretty polar. On one hand, there are those that are very set on me dropping the class. On the other, there are some that believe I should stick it out and not worry too much. I think that's my problem, that I worry too much and it's causing me to overanalyze a situation. When I have situations like this, and they're very few and far in-between, I find that the only thing I can do is pray and ask for a sign. I did that last night, as I was very torn, and today feel like I was answered. I still went to class, as per usual, and at the end was approached by my teacher. He asked me if I was dropping the class or "sticking it out". I told him that I am really considering dropping, but that for some reason I feel like I should give it a few more classes and feel out whether or not I truly want to drop the class. He then told me, "Well if you need anything please let me know. I will help you." This took me aback because he's never told me that he would help me, nor has he been the one to approach me (I've always gone to him). I really wish I had an idea of what my grade in the class is, as being able to see a current report would make this decision a lot easier. I don't want my GPA to suffer, but from the research I've done, it seems that the gpa you get in college doesn't carry as much weight as the one you would have in high school. That's not to say not to try, but maybe I'm trying too much.
This week I only work Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday! I'm really happy with this schedule, because it will give me more time during the week to work on my homework. Obviously I'm not doing that now, but I plan on spending the time I have tomorrow wisely and getting a lot of it done. I believe that my only homework is in genetics, sociology, and math, so it shouldn't be too hard!
I should also update you guys on what I did this weekend.
On Saturday the girls and I went to Makapu'u and Matsumoto's. The line at Matsumoto's was terribly long, so I decided to get some mochi instead. We ended up going to dinner later in Waikiki, as one of the girls had homework and didn't want to be too far from campus.
On Sunday I went to Chinatown with Jade and some family friend's of hers. We enjoyed some dim sum and then made our way over to the "food court" where I tried an interesting drink called Halo Halo!
Halo halo is a Filipino drink that is an eclectic variety of gummy's, potatoes, and ice. Here's a picture (I just had to take one) :
From the top to bottom we have ice cream (potato flavor), bean paste, shave ice, red gummys, green gummys, slices of fruit, another kind of red gummy, and sweet potato.
Now bear with me!
This all sounds crazy, but actually tastes very good. I had never heard of it before, but after trying it I wanted another one. I would warn those interested that this is not a drink you should have often. I feel like this is something I would get every few months, as it's chalk full of foods and sugary things. To put it into perspective, I had this drink no later than 2 and didn't eat the rest of the day. That's how filling it is!
Once I got back to campus I wrote 3 pages of my genetics paper and then met up with Eric and some others to watch Lord of the Rings. I overestimated how long this movie was, because I ended up needing a break twice. We only watched the first movie and I feel like you'd be insane to want to marathon the whole trilogy. Of course I, before watching, actually thought this was possible. Let me tell you now: it's not. The first movie is so dense that I feel like I need to watch it again just to understand what I saw the first time! I haven't seen the other movies, but I hope it'll be soon because I don't want to forget too much of the first movie before watching the others.
Overall I think this was a movie I would not have stuck out alone. I probably would have stopped watching after half an hour of trying to figure out what was going on. However I'm glad I watched it with the others who did know what was going on, because I feel like this allows me to ask questions whenever something confuses me (which was more often than I anticipated). I'm not sure if I would say it's a great movie, but I feel like I will have a better answer once I've watched the other movies. For now, my opinion on the series is relatively neutral.
Something else I should mention is the status on my RA application! I don't believe I've mentioned it, but I am actively trying to become an RA for the next school year. The process, from what I understand it to be, starts with the online application, moves to an interview with two resident assistants, a group interview with 10, and then the decision. I assume the process is very competitive (the requirements to meet are not hard) so I was very surprised when I got the email congratulating me on making it to the interview stage. Thankfully that isn't until Friday, so I have some time to prepare! I've already reached out to my RA and another to see if they can help me prepare. I'm sure every school is different, but there are some very big perks to think about when considering becoming an RA.
The free room and board is a huge thing to consider. In fact, I would argue that that might be the biggest reason students try to become an RA. I'm not sure exactly how much I'm paying for on-campus housing, but becoming an RA would take a huge load off of my payment.
The next thing leads into the third thing to consider, and that is your monthly stipend. I don't know the exact number, you could look it up, but I do know that the school pays you to be an RA. Which, given that you can't exactly work as an RA, is understandable. If I could become an RA it means I could quit my job that I have now which, occasionally, is a very appealing offer. It also doesn't hurt to live where you work!
All of this aside, I'm hoping that the time off this week will help me put things back into perspective. I want to really work on how fast I jump to conclusions without thinking through the problem in it's entirety. I keep telling myself that there's only a few more weeks until spring break, so if I keep up the good work then I can rest!
Until next time,
Aislinn
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